Datasets:

vllg

/

looong_c4

like 1

Follow

Village Technologies 5

experiential therapy, such as Carl Rogers, and the founders of "post-structuralist" approach would require active participation from co-researchers from other disciplines. It is important to make it clear that the ideas and procedures described below are not intended to represent in any sense a formalised manual of "qualitative narrative analysis".and methods outlined in this chapter represent one (of many) approaches to making sense of therapy as social action. The research reported here is intentionally discovery-oriented and heuristic. and an exploration of the implications of the work for practice. with the aim of contributing to the construction of frameworks for practice. Finally. its limitations when judged in terms of these criteria. The aim is more that of developing a means of "hearing" or "reading" stories. empathic responding. The kinds of questions that we have been exploring are: How and why do people tell stories in experiential therapy? What types of stories are told? How do these stories change? Are there specific types of storytelling event? How can experiential interventions (e. reflecting a desire to avoid premature closure and systematisation in a field where new ideas and methods continue to be generated by both researchers and therapists. two-chair work) be understood in narrative terms? What is the role of the therapist in relation to the client's story? How is the story co-constructed? How do stories locate the person in a cultural context? These questions are broad and open.g. The chapter gives an outline of the methodological principles underpinning this approach. This is inquiry that is embedded in action. . then describes some of the techniques that have been employed to facilitate a narrative analysis of transcripts of experiential therapy sessions. of gaining a fuller appreciation of what is happening when people tell stories and narrate experiences in the setting of the therapy room. There are no big truths or major discoveries to be found in this kind of endeavour. there are brief discussions of the quality criteria relevant to this research. and influenced additionally by Polkinghorne's (1992) analysis of postmodern therapeutic knowing. However. a detailed and reasoned justification of this set of methodological choices would require a great deal of space. There is no .Each researcher or inquirer is situated in his or her time and place. The work reported here is only a beginning. Hermeneutic social constructionist epistemology. these principles are described in summary form. the goal is to achieve a "fusion of horizons" (Gadamer. Any tradition can be regarded as a conversation or dialogue within which competing voices or views are represented. Clearly. there are many aspects of a narative social constructionist perspective that remain to be explored. Following Denzin and Lincoln (1994). The research approach adopted here is basically interpretive in orientation. but through which this pre-existing framework is itself changed through authentic engagement with the text. The researcher's presuppositions (outlined in the previous section) supply a horizon of understanding from which the research material (psychotherapy transcripts) can begin to be understood. METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES A number of methodological principles have informed the approach taken in the studies upon which this chapter is based. and many other methods and techniques that might usefully be brought to bear on this task. In order to devote this space to the (possibly) more interesting account of actual procedures and "tools". It is accepted that there can never be any single "valid" or "objective" interpretation of the material. and must therefore create his or her own "method". The aim of inquiry is to make a contribution to continuing and hopefully enriching that conversation. with his or her own set of questions and purposes and research opportunities/constraints. in which the material is not merely assimilated into a pre-existing interpretive framework. the researcher is seen as making use of different research tools and techniques in so far as their application contributes to the achievement of insight and understanding. 1975). Researcher as "bricoleur". g. In other words. The goal is to produce "findings" that involve both "narrative" and "paradigmatic" knowing. only when a greater number of cases have been studied can more general. concepts of story and experiencing are used as sensitising constructs. later stories were "embedded" in previous ones. Because of the traditions in which this research is located. There is therefore a responsibility on the part of the researcher to make his or her procedures as transparent as possible.beyond the individual case). seeking to identify the narrative processes and events within that case. comprehensiveness. and then to tests this emerging framework of understanding in the next case. The work undertaken so far has focused largely on narrative knowing based on analysis of individual cases. An early study (McLeod and Balamoutsou. "paradigmatic" conclusions be stated with any confidence.in principle . in McLeod and Balamoutsou (1996) that sets of stories (e. phenomenology) combine data and analysis gathered over a set of informants or participants. To borrow from Robert Elliott (Chapter Z). Use of intensive case study methods. In other words. Qualitative analysis focusing on experiencing and stories. In practice. This method of employing a series of case studies was informed by the writings of Murray (1938) and Yin (1994) on case study design. Most qualitative research studies (e. what this means is that the text is read initially with a sensitivity for stories and for experiential processes.g.. the meaning of a story usually contained reference back to a shared understanding between therapist and person based on the earlier stories that had been told. There are probably an infinite number of ways of interpreting a psychotherapy transcript. grounded theory. in therapy. "problem" stories and "solution" stories) appeared to operate in counterpoint to each other. It was also apparent. plausibility. . For these reasons. these constructs are employed to help us where to look. etc.fixed "method". it made sense to work with each case one at a time. the presentation of the work in published form includes both a narrative account (the story of the case) and a thematic analysis (concepts and models that generalise . but not to tell us what to find. This approach did not seem useful or appropriate for studying narrative processes. before any more detailed interpretive work is carried out. 1996) strongly suggested that. to allow the reader to decide on their sensitivity. 1991). sometimes only to provide an alternative reading of specific texts. Rennie. as against the adopton of a "lone researcher" model. journal articles) we have found that word limits permit only an abbreviated and somewhat unsatisfactory reflexive accounting. In Doctoral dissertations. Second. Typically. and the motives. 1990).Researcher reflexivity.g. grounded theory studies have tended to have been carried out by individual researchers (e. the researcher's emotional and moral response to the text is noted and used in analysis. The methodological choice that underpins the studies reviewed in this chapter has been to acknowledge both the intensity of analysis achieved through the efforst of a single researcher immersed in the data. Conversely. this person has brought in other people whenever possible. reasons and interactional style that he or she brings to the research task make a significant contribution to the ultimate construction of meaning that is offered to readers. Third. There has been an extensive and often quite confusing discussion in the qualitative research literature around the importance of researcher reflexivity (Steier. when co- . It is important to emphasise that in qualitative narrative analysis the involvement of co-researchers is not driven by a wish to achieve consensus or convergence in interpretation. it is accepted that the person of the researcher.g. Inevitably. the process of discovery of the researcher is recorded in a research journal. First. Here. at other times to engage in extensive co-analysis of material. Researcher reflexivity has been channelled into three areas. every attempt is made to explicate the cultural and intellectual pre-understandings that the researcher brings to the task (i. the use of self in research can be likened to the creative use of counter- transference reactions or "resonance" in psychotherapy. There has been some discussion in the qualitative methods literature of the use of research teams. Elliott (1984) and Hill. there has been a main researcher with primary responsibility carrying through and authoring the project. However. In the present work.e. and the heuristic and supportive value of working with others. The integration of researcher reflexivity into research reports remains problematic. we have found that there is enough space to allow a full and authentic use of reflexive material. In shorter reports (e. Thompson and Williams (1997) have developed team approaches to qualitative psychotherapy process research. In all the studies carried out using qualitative narrative analysis. the "tradition" within which he or she operates). Use of other readers/co-researchers. We have struggled with these issues. counselling training) work together on a text. in the discovery of alternative readings and "voices" that contribute to the construction of a richer understanding (Bromley. but also to allow the voice of the informant to speak as directly as possible to the audience.researchers from a similar background (academic psychology. in a social science influenced by critical postmodern perspectives. there is a fairly high degree of convergence. which can be reassuring. and providing summary representations. The second dilemma centres around how to report the analysis. Levine. Strategies for dealing with the "crisis of representation". one of the central methodological problems concerns the question of how to report and represent the material and analysis. Runyan's findings suggest that the relative absence of alternative interpretations is a weakness. previously taken-for-granted modernist rhetorical devices and writing conventions are increasingly being challenged. making available lengthy sections of text. supportive and enjoyable to have other people alongside. There appear to be two key issues here. However. Applied to psychotherapy case-based research. presenting the primary text in stanza form. it seems important to give the audience for the research as much direct access as possible to the primary text. who has demonstrated that historical lives that have been studied by many people inevitably generate an array of alternative readings. 1974). In any qualitative research. 1986. unmediated by the intervention or censorship of the researcher. hermeneutic approach generates innumerable strands of analysis. using case summaries. both to allow them some opportunity to make up their own minds about it. An interpretive. These include: analysis based on fairly narrowly focused events. which can sometimes seem to defy any attempt to bring them together into a unified report. These strategies are exemplified and explained in the following sections. In the work reported here. and would not claim to have found completely satisfactory conclusions. . We have been influenced by the work of Runyan (1980). a range of writing and representational strategies have been adopted. A new agreed mode of social science writing has not yet emerged. Another reason for using co-researchers has been simply pragmatic. The task of qualitative analysis of a transcript is so time-consuming and potentially confusing. we have been more interested in divergence. it is helpful. First. As Gergen (1997) has argued. 1994) analysis of the same case. One of our team pasted text and analytic notes onto huge pieces of paper. for a variety of . Second. this text is complex and can be approached in different ways and from different levels. and back again to the whole. None of the work reported here employed specialist qualitative software packages. We have also had access to information on the outcome of the cases. and in some instances client and therapist accounts of helpful events within sessions.STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR QUALITATIVE NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY TRANSCRIPTS This programme of research has been based on analysis of transcripts of experiential therapy sessions. We have found all of these additional sources of data and analysis helpful in facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the texts being studied. Each of these cases has generated a text of around 600 pages. Moreover. we have also been able to compare our analysis with the returns from a Narrative Process Coding Scheme (NPCS) (Angus and Hardtke. First. The third methodological dilemma is that of somehow keeping track of the analysis. Others used wordprocessor files and folders. In addition. Some of the research on which this chapter is based has been conducted on 12 or 16 session cases of time-limited experiential psychotherapy. and at the same time connect with conceptual/interpretive frameworks that will allow the work to contribute to the broader literature. devising ways of filing and displaying hugely complex non-numerical material. it is necessary to keep in mind Wolcott's (1994) dictum that effective qualitative research encompasses three tasks: description. there is a requirement to weave back and forward from the whole to the part. This is one of the basic principles of hermeneutic method. in other studies some of the procedures of qualitative narrative analysis have been applied to research interview material. The task of conducting a qualitative analysis of a whole therapy case is challenging and somewhat daunting. analysis and interpretation. there are at least three constant methodological issues. The process of analysis (finding themes and patterns in the material) must be carried out in such a way as to retain sufficient rich descriptive material that can be included in the final written report. Throughout the process of analysis. With one of the cases we have studied. In practice. This is research that ultimately depends on the authentic engagement of the inquirer with the object of inquiry. but there is no doubt that products such as ATLAS-TI or NUD-IST could be used in this kind of research. This kind of research is fundamentally different from quantitative research. which are described below and summarised in Table 1. Procedures used in qualitative narrative analysis of psychotherapy transcripts PHASE 1. Preliminary analysis: finding structure and meaning in the text as a whole Reading and immersion Identification of stories Identification of topics Summarising stories and sequences Constructing a representation of the case/session as a whole PHASE 2. Table 1. a . Communicating what has been found Construction of summmary representation Theoretical interpretation Writing Throughout: use of reflexivity. macronarrative PHASE 3. but they cannot replace it. however. where following a set of instructions will proceed inevitably to a conclusion that a finding is or is not statistically significant. use of other readers These research steps or analytic techniques are described separately.reasons. These phases and steps offer some possible ways of structuring and organising that authentic engagement. Micro-analysis: developing an understanding of specific therapeutic events and processes Selecting text segments for micro-analysis Transformation of text into stanzas Separation of client and therapist narratives Identification of voices Identifying figurative use of language Story structure analysis Identifying cultural narratives: metanarrative. that following these steps does not necessarily lead to a result. In narrative analysis there is no 'finding' unless the searcher 'finds' it. It is important to be aware. and are arranged in a sequence that follows through from the beginning to the end of a study. it may be necessary to cycle back and forward between steps. For instance. The immensity and complexity of narrative analysis seemed to be containable if reduced to a series of discrete steps or procedures. however. The case concerned a female client. Identifying information has been removed or altered. age 30. All sessions were taped and transcribed. In the sections which follow. receiving 16 sessions of experiential psychotherapy from a female therapist. The first step in narrative analysis is to develop familiarity with the material through slow and careful reading. Preliminary analysis: finding structure and meaning in the text as a whole Step 1. In studies of complete cases where there are a number . rather than comprising a separate analytic operation. The notion of "phases" in this qualitative narrative analysis is not meant to constrain this cyclical process. It is useful to make notes on what seems significant during the first reading (or first listening when the researcher is also doing the transcribing) because later readings will always be coloured by a knowledge of "what comes next". Reading and immersion. but is intended instead as a device for retaining focus on the ultimate purpose of the research.micro-analysis of a single story may generate themes that require a review of the representation of the case as a whole. in practice some of the techniques described here is discrete may occur simultaneously. The first phase of reading and meaning-finding tends to generate so many interlocking interpretive possibilities that it can be hard to move on to Phase 2 and leave some of them behind. Also. or to the occurrence of metaphor. For example. once a researcher becomes sensitised to the way a story is "voiced". Phase 1. This is particularly important in relation to the transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2. The client entered therapy because of depression and hopelessness arising from tensions in her relationship with her husband. This particular case was chosen because it represented a typical exemplar of one form of experiential therapy. that of making statements about the nature of narrative process in experiential therapy. age 35. examples are drawn from a narrative analysis of a single case. The case generated good outcomes in terms of both change on standardised measures and as reflected in the client’s account of the impact on her life. the identification of these narrative elements becomes part of any reading of the text rather than being carried. The client gave her approval for the use of this material for research purposes. one of the early steps in the analysis is to identify the different tupes of stories in the text. A "story" is considered to be an account of a specific. reporting of direct speech (first what the husband said. etc"). and on completion of the case as a whole. to replicate something of the experience of the original therapy in which each session represented a new beginning. The "ice rink story" (Table 2) includes many typical characteristics found in this kind of oral narrative: repetition ("skate/skating") to build up tension and give emphasis. Step 2. By contrast. Tables 2 and 3 give examples of a story and a habitual narrative. Stories may include reported direct speech (as in the story in Table 3). partially in response to the confusion and debate that exists in the literature over the definition of this construct (see McLeod. Another narrative form that can occasionally be found is the "chronicle". etc. concrete series of events that has a beginning. then Y. implies a moral. This is a listing of events ("On Sunday I did X. then Z. and a vivid dramatic quality (the hearer can "picture" the scene). a distinction is made between a "story". themes and any analytic insights that may have occurred. "would". 1967). agentic protagonist. then the client’s reply). Identification of stories. Since the principal aim of this research is to construct a narrative analysis of what might be happening in experiential therapy. 1997). "we would". evaluative standpoint and communicates a sense of dramatic tension and emotional tone. A chronicle is similar to a story in that it supplies information . a "habitual narrative" is a generalised account which makes use of terms such as "usually". These examples are fairly typical in that the story followed the habitual narrative and appeared to function as a vivid and concrete exemplar of a typical pattern conveyed in the habitual narrative. middle and end. 1985). We have used a somewhat "fuzzy" definition of what counts as a "story". which is considered to be an account of a specific concrete event (or series of events) and a "habitual narrative" (a generalised account of what "usually happens". After reading each session. it is helpful to write brief summaries of the main events. "going") rather than a specific occurrence. This process is similar to the grounded theory procedure of "memo-ing" (Glaser and Strauss. conveys a sense of an active. The habitual narrative in Table 3 uses grammatical forms that indicate a general class of events ("he’ll".of sessions to be read it is valuable to leave a gap of at least 24 hours between the reading of each session transcript. Following Polanyi (1982. you know In the meantime there's other things That. the stories that are identified are given a rough working title. dramatic tension or moral evaluation. because the person may signal entry into the story with a linguistic marker such as "for example". you know He could be doing at home And my mood would change Because I automatically think He's you know Going out to gamble Or have a game of cards Or whatever . The habitual narrative immediately preceding the ice rink story He'll say He'll go out And. labelled and copied into separate files in the wordprocessed version. The ends of stories told in experiential therapy are much more difficult to define. I was having a card game" And that just brings the feelings back Like. At this stage. We have found that the beginning of stories are relatively easy to tag. Story of the ice rink Like last Sunday The kids go skating They skate three times a week And they had to be at the skating rink at a certain time And he was late And I asked why And he's said "oh. because often the therapist may initiate reflection on the emotional/evaluative elements of the story over several speaking turns so that the end of the story merges into whatever happens next in the therapy session. but it lacks agency. because it is through the story that the therapist can gain the most immediate and direct entry into the experiential world of the person. "Do you have to sit down for it if you know you're not going to be back on time?" Table 3. Table 2.about a specific event sequence rather than a generalised class of events. During this step of analysis stories can either are both marked off in the paper copy of the text (using notes in the margin) and are blocked. Stories are important categories of narrative event from an experiential psychotherapy perspective. you know "Don't your family and kids come first?' Like. and being able to place specific stories within topic areas. In identifying topics. and identifying. A topic is defined as the area of content of the discourse. since it seems possible that some of the meaning of the "storied world" which the person creates in therapy is conveyed through the interplay between different stories and topics that map out the tensions between what the person regards as "normal" and what her or she experiences as "departures from the ordinary" (Bruner. At the same time as reading for. In coding topic segments. we have not made any attempt to go beyond an immediate. Identification of topics. Church activities. common-sense understanding of what client and therapist are talking about. we have been interested in finding a way of locating the main issue or difficulty which the person brings to therapy. In the case reported here. the transcript is marked off in terms of topic segments and shifts.And my mood Just It triggers That he's going out And then all of a sudden you feel like 'Hey what about me?' Or 'don't leave me holding the bag' Or 'why do you keep on doing if you know it hurts me and you just keep on doing it?' And like I said The mood changes And it sends me back And I keep on saying to myself You know I should It should get better But it doesn't And I try I try not to-to think about it Or to-to make myself go back into it But it just Just happens Step 3. working and looking for a new job. A list of topics found in one case is given in Table 4. and how therapy is helping) appeared to . The existence of contrasting topic areas and story sequences is also considered important. tracking the extent to which that the amount of time devoted to that topic rises and falls over the course of therapy. or what the participants are talking about. the relationship with husband topic was associated with a sequence of "problem- saturated" narratives which communicated the emotional pain which the client was experiencing at this period of her life. Other topics (looking after children. stories. 1991). The narratives associated with these topics generally reported solutions and everyday achievements rather than problems. practical arrangements There are also important patterns and phenomena associated with topic shifts. The concept of topic therefore offers one possible point of convergence between narrative and experiential theoretical systems: the change that takes place in therapy around the way that certain key topics are talked about that can be understood in both narrative and experiential terms. looking for a new job Church activities Therapy: how it is helping. without losing too many important nuances of meaning. or at least all coherent stories. when dealing with transcripts of whole therapies. and the communicative intent of a story is usually to recount an event or set of events that actually happened (Labov and Waletzky. Step 4. have an identifiable topic. 1967). one of the central principles of a hermeneutic approach to research is to create and refine meaning through cycling back and forward between the whole and the parts. the question of how or by whom a topic shift is initiated may be of interest.represent the "strong" side of the client. but their value as a process variable can be seen in the work of Angus and Hardtke (1994) using the Narrative Process Coding Scheme (NPCS). As mentioned earlier. For example. Topics Relationship with husband Relationship with parents Understanding personal feelings and emotions Looking after children Working. is to be able to hold in mind a sense of the text as a whole. The notion of "topic" is an important construct from both experiential psychotherapy and narrative theoretical perspectives. 1990). A major difficulty in this endeavour. Summarising stories and sequences. Topic shift have not been studied intensively in the research reported here. Strategies are needed to enable a sensible degree of reduction of the text. All experiential therapy is basically "client-centred" in so far as good therapist technique is built around sensitive and consistent following of the client's "track" (Rennie. Table 4. One of the frustrating aspects of many published psychotherapy case studies lies in the extent to which clinical "smoothing" has taken place: the therapist-researcher has selected from the . All stories. We have used three different techniques to summarise the therapy narrative. It is at this point that it is valuable to be in a position to be able to triangulate this interpretation against other data gathered from different sources (for example. The second has been to give each story a title. The Polanyi approach is certainly the most generative. post-session interviews. 1974) or "auditors" (Hill et al.material only those elements that conform to a previously formulated set of assumptions. to be in a position to incorporate research "adversaries" (Bromley. but also open to the construction of alternative interpretive readings of the same text. The final step in the first phase of qualitative narrative analysis (finding structure and meaning in the text) is to construct a preliminary representation of the case as a whole. we have been . psychometric test data. in order to make sense of the therapy process. but also interpretive. and which events or processes may been helpful or hindering. Levine. in our view. In some of the cases that have been studied this kind of independent triangulation has been possible. There is therefore a balance to be struck between retaining a large amount of descriptive detail. Each of these techniques has advantages and disadvantages. 1997) at this point. The third has been to abstract the "gist" of each story using Polanyi's (1985) adaptation of the Labov and Waletzky (1967) story structure model. The first has been for readers to write one-page summaries of each session. the present approach to qualitative narrative analysis is not only intentionally discovery-oriented. In other cases the primary researcher has been at the same time the person analysing the transcript and the person carrying out post-session interviews. their independence is partially compromised by the dual role of the primary researcher. The aim is to develop a 2000 word written statement that is descriptive. Although in this latter situation there still exist alternative sources of data to be triangulated. etc. in the sense of providing an account of what went on that would be recognisable to participants. It would be better.). it should be acknowledged that. 1986. in the sense of offering a framework for understanding why and how what happened was useful (or otherwise). Constructing a representation of the case/session as a whole. By contrast. Also. in order to develop a more dialogical basis for the Phase 2 inquiry process. Step 5. client and therapist written accounts of helpful and hindering events. but is also by a long way the most time-consuming. and foreclosing too early on interpretive possibilities. and make their own judgement of what it might mean) and richness of detail. Polanyi (1985) and Gee (1986. followed by an analysis of the structure. Chapter Z) helped us to organise our representation of the case as a whole in a way that pointed toward certain key micro-events as worthy of more intensive micro-analysis. There is a sense also in which the core value of human agency is both revealed and promoted through the development of fine-grained understandings of what people do in therapy. . Riessman (1988. process-experiential) place great emphasis on the therapist's ability to engage with the moment-by-moment experiencing of the client. In other cases our account of the "case as a whole" has not been explicitly informed by theory. Perhaps it is more correct to say that in these instances we have not been sufficiently aware of the pre-existing models of discourses that we have been using. Much of the recent research into experiential processes has used methods such as task analysis and Interpersonal Process Recall that open up this moment-by-moment experiencing to closer scrutiny. Phase 2. The purpose of Step 5 is to yield an interpretive account that can both stand on its own as a contribution to a narrative understanding of experiential psychotherapy. co-construction and meaning of that story. 1991) (and indeed that of Labov) which has developed a form of writing and analysis centred around the presentation to readers of an exemplar story. 1993).willing to drawn upon pre-existing theoretical frameworks if it seems that their use would offer interpretive leverage. in one study we found that the assimilation model (see Stiles. First. and can be used as a basis for selecting specific events or processes for more detailed micro-analysis. Micro-analysis: developing an understanding of specific therapeutic events and processes There are two reasons why we have been drawn toward the idea of the micro-analysis of specific moments or events in therapy. Gestalt. it seems to us that what is distinctive about the experiential therapies is that all of them (client-centred. It seemed to us that a focus on specific storytelling events would have the advantages of transparency (readers could have their own access to the text. The second source of influence on the choice of a research strategy based around micro-analysis of specific events comes from the tradition in narrative analysis characterised by the work of Mishler (1995). focusing. person-centred. For example. we had been struck by the extent to which issues and meanings that were to open out later in the therapy were apparent. In other analyses. In the cases we have been working on there are many others segments of text that would repay further analysis. since it is better to allow such markers to emerge (or be confirmed) as the analysis proceeds. without being too concerned about marking off precise beginning and end points. so that it reads like a poem. When we highlight a segment of text for micro-analysis. Essentially.the choices we have made reflect our interests at this time. a micro-analysis has been carried out of the first session. laughing are indicated). In all the cases we have looked at. the choice of text segment for micro-analysis has been made on a variety of theoretical grounds. in particular concerning the types of narrative processes through which they were constructed. Transformation of text into stanzas. Finally. We were interested in finding out more about how this happened. stanzas retain the spoken rhythm of the discourse.Step 6. The inquiry steps and activities of Phase 1 can therefore be seen as providing a rational basis for the selection of theoretically interesting segments of text in Phase 2. and what were the clues that therapists might use to sensitise themselves to these "foretellers". what we have found extremely helpful has been to reorganise the material in stanza form. By contrast. and some of these (successful and less successful) have been subjected to micro-analysis. if time was available . Selecting text segments for micro-analysis. and only a limited amount of information provided in relation to non-linguistic cues (i. and help the reader . long silences. We have found it quite difficult to enter into the story-worlds of therapy participants in much depth when reading this kind of transcript. in one case the therapist employed two-chair interventions. weeping. with the oral discourse transformed into sentences. We were interested to learn more about how these moments of change came about. we copy it into a separate wordprocessor file. in a hidden or implicit manner. This choice was made because. The transcripts we have used have been prosaic in construction. in all these cases. with particular attention to the opening 15 or 20 minutes. The text example in Table 2 (above) is in stanza form. sobbing. In the studies that have been carried out so far.e. from the beginning. Step 7. text segments were chosen because they appeared to represent the places where important new understandings occurred for the first time. and in carrying out this step it is essential always to remember that it is carried out at a cost. and to play creatively with the alternative readings and interpretations that these configurations may open up (Richardson. This procedure has brought strenuous objections from some audiences of our work. We would argue that it is more helpful to remain alert to the possibility that alternative stanza configurations are possible. Gee (1986. Any form of transcription is a form of interpretation (Mishler. In our view it is a mistake to believe that there are right and wrong ways of forming stanzas. Separation of client and therapist narratives. we have found that satisfactory translation into stanzas has not been difficult in these cases. and to strip out therapist utterances is to lose sight of a vital dimension of the process. Nevertheless. 1991). we have found that producing stories in stanza form brings out much more of their meaning. Another useful strategy for retrieving meaning from text segments has been to separate out therapist and client statements. Riessman. For example. for us the point of separating client and therapist statements is that it makes it much easier to see what each of them is up to. Step 8.to enter more fully into the way the story was told first time round. 1993). We have not found that the meaning structure of habitual narratives is enhanced by putting them into stanzas. However. 1992). Stanzas also foreground and emphasise important rhetorical devices such as repetition. probably because habitual narrative lack dramatic tension and emotion. These rules can only be applied if the recording of the session is available as well as the transcript. has suggested various linguistic rules for identifying the ends of lines and verses in stanza analysis. they are immersed in a process . and makes it possible to represent their structure in useful ways (see below). on the grounds that therapy discourse is fundamentally co-constructed. the founder (to the best of our knowledge) of stanza analysis. in Table 2 the repetition of "skating" in "The kids go skating/They skate three times a week/And they had to be at the skating rink at a certain time" has much more impact that it would in a prose version of the same passage. and that at a later stage of analysis the process of co-construction needs to be addressed. With some of our cases only the transcript has been available. 1991. We agree with Rennie (1990) that clients in therapy are on a "track". All in all. which can be lost in prose because it is much easier in prose writing for the eye to skim over repeated occurrences of the same word. This objection is well founded. which can also be understood as similar to the unfolding of a story.of following and articulating a set of meanings and feelings. Table 5 displays a sample of statements made by the experiential therapist in the first half of the opening session of the case being used here. some of those feelings come up because you still end up feeling hurt inside just focus on yourself and what you feel Step 9. The concept of "voice" is important in narrative analysis. in time. We have found that the sense of what they are saying is much more clearly visible if these therapist interjections are temporarily put to one side. however. The words of the therapist convey an implied narrative of how troubles are caused and how they can be overcome. At the same time. re-told and transformed. the presence of an implied narrative can be discerned. the existence of an inner world. When these therapist statements are stacked together in a separate file. the notion of voice conveys something of the embodied . The client may be interrupted by therapist reflections. a self comprised of "parts". therapist statements in experiential therapy are usually fairly brief. "Voice" is a construct that brings together a number of significant aspects of personal experience and interaction. minimal encouragers. it is hard to see that they carry much narrative content other than merely reflecting what the client has said. Table 5. and. right? like even right now when you talk about it. the value of experiencing what is felt here and now. typically extends over several speaking turns. This "track". when taken separately. things might come up and you might start to feel different or… finally bringing up some of these feelings you've had inside these feelings that you've sort of kept kind of near you are-are really kind of also bringing you down there's another part of you that doesn't want to feel really strong hatred it's like almost something that automatically takes you over even when you talk about it it's like a lot of. A sample of therapist 'metanarrative' so it's like a feeling of safety and yet there's still a few scary feelings of…. First. there's old feelings come up again. interpretations and process directions while doggedly trying to get to the end of what they want to say. It is easy to see in this material the contours of a therapeutic "metanarrative" as envisaged by Schafer (1992). This particular therapist consistently uses language permeated by humanistic-experiential images and concepts: the central significance of feelings. Identification of voices. This "metanarrative" offers the client a generalised framework within which his or her specific story of trouble can be accommodated and. The significance of this kind of positioning has been highlighted by van Langenhove and Harre (1993) and by Bamberg (1991). Second. Sometimes we have employed indents and spacing in stanza layouts to convey our sense of the different voices being used. all modern therapies seek to work with different parts of the "self" which are in conflict with each other. Here. In various ways. but places more emphasis on social and cultural dimensions of "voicing". The use of the concept of "voice" in our research owes a great deal to the work of Honos-Webb and Stiles (1998). usually mediated by significant others who can be seen as "carriers" of these cultural voices. . in the sense of dominant discourses. For example. self-objects or sub-selves. for example in a loud or soft voice. each personal voice is drawn from repertoire of cultural voice patterns. a social constructionist understanding of voice goes further in using the idea to begin to make sense of how the person positions himself or herself in relation to others and in relation to their own bodily experiencing. we have tended to interpret such reported speech as indicating that the speaker is being "spoken through" by the person whose words they voice.quality of a narrative. in the exemplar case used in this chapter. above. with a pleading or domineering tone. the extent to which the client is controlled by the actions of her husband is implied through the fact that she speaks his words. the observation that a person will usually speak in or through a set of different "voices" conveys something of the fragmented nature of identity. Whereas Honos-Webb and Stiles (1998) regard voices as residues of individual experience (for example. some clients in the cases we have analysed have produced quite long passages of reported speech (for example: "he said: 'you need to get a job'"). In our work. Third. painful or problematic personal experiences that have not been assimilated). we have found it useful to suggest that the therapist speaks with the "voice of the clinic" and that the client's discourse is permeated by the "voice of the Church". An example of reported speech can be found in Table 2. our position is that a voice can always be understood as not only personal but also social and cultural. It refers to the way in which a story was told. the concept of voice open this process up for exploration without the necessity of proposing hypothetical internal mental structures such as ego states. A fourth aspect of voice refers to the existence of social or cultural "voices". For instance. almost as though he was present in therapy room. Volume 4. It seemed to us that these studies tended to approach metaphors almost as discrete behavioural events. without paying attention to the narrative context within which metaphor use might be taking place. Our method here has been to apply the Labov and Waletzky (1967) model of story structure (abstract . we began by marking off in the text each time a metaphor occured. because most of the time it was hard to tell (as an external observer) how novel each metaphor might be to the actual participants. for example the use of metaphor.evaluation . 1996). It also enabled us to begin to build a model of how metaphor itself operates in relation to narrative processes and storytelling in therapy (Balamoutsou. To summarise: identifying figurative language in text segments turned out to be a valuable analytic strategy for two reasons. and we sense that many other narrative researchers share our reservations (see the Special Issue of the Journal of Narrative and Life History. Story structure analysis. We have found that displaying the . and then trying to arrive at a satisfactory account of how and why the metaphor was there. 1997).orientation .Step 10. In exploring the role of figurative language in the construction of significant moments in experiential therapy.complicating events . 1988) and the differential impacts of novel and "frozen" metaphors (McMullen. the Labov and Waletzky scheme does at least provide a starting point for attempting to make sense of how a story is structured. Identifying figurative use of language. It forced us to reflect on the meaning and role of these linguistic events. 1997). Nevertheless. We also discovered that there were occasions when stories seemed to operate in a figurative way. Recent studies have examined the role of metaphor themes (Angus. 1999). and so when carrying out micro-analyses of text segments have been sensitive to this aspect of meaning construction. 1985). Step 11. Another approach that we have used in opening out the possible meanings implied by stories has been to analyse the narrative structure of the story. We have wanted to develop our understandings of the figurative use of language. thus opening up new understandings of what might be happening in therapy.resolution . We asked ourselves: "what are therapist and client doing when they use metaphor?" In doing this we found that the distinction between novel and frozen metaphors did not appear to be particularly helpful. We are not convinced that the Labov and Waletzky model is necessarily valid (see McLeod.coda). metaphors as vehicles for the construction of shared meanings (Angus and Rennie. macronarrative. biological reductionism/medical model. a range of cultural narratives or discourses have been visible: Christian religious. places. This work is still in progress at the time of writing. Nevertheless. So far. The narrative social constructionist perspective being adopted in this research views people primarily as social beings. Romantic /self-discovery /humanistic psychology. Identifying cultural narratives: metanarrative. etc. the stock of cultural narratives. and become more internally differentiated when examined more closely. images. The identification of cultural narratives involves more of an interpretive leap than is necessary when reading for other narrative phenomena. story structures. We are who we are because of the culture we live in. By extracting all the therapist statements in sessions (see above) we have been able to see the extent to which the therapist's talk consistently incorporates what the client has . being a woman. The first is the metanarrative. etc. words and concepts. we have relied heavily on Polanyi's (1985) approach to applying the Labov model. The most obvious metanarrative in therapy is the therapist's theoretical model. These cultural narratives exist in the culture. Step 12. A central element of culture comprises its stories. In attempting to carry out a narrative analysis of therapy transcripts. we have identified two categories of cultural narrative. We are born into a world of stories. In recent work. it is therefore vital to include an analysis of cultural narratives. In the cases we have worked with so far.text in stanza form makes it much easier to pick up the various structural phenomena that Labov describes. It is clearly necessary to bring to this task some prior understanding of the kinds of cultural narratives (or discourses) that prevail in the cultural setting in which the therapy takes place. such as voices. a "good marriage". because we found that her book offered a particularly clear and concise set of guidelines on how to proceed. These discourses are "fuzzy". in books. and shape our identities and life choices in terms of the cultural narratives that are available to us. myths. rituals. but what is already apparent is the importance in experiential therapy of therapist attunement to evaluative elements of client stories. This refers to the story the person or the therapist (usually the latter) constructs in order to enclose and explain the problematic events being recounted in therapy. they provide a basis for making sense of the connectedness of the person and the culture they live in. and this culture exists before our time and will continue to exist after we have gone. they merge into each other at the edges. Twelve Steps. Communicating what has been found The inquiry process described in the preceding sections is in many ways the most enjoyable and satisfying part of the work. Her depression could be understood as arising from her incapacity to reconcile. The experience of deeply engaging with a text and using various narrative techniques to open out new possible meanings is like being on a journey of exploration. and we have used the inquiry procedures to keep pushing at the limits of our horizons of understanding. This refers to an overarching "story of the good life". sometimes clients offer therapeutic metanarratives. The task of communicating these "discoveries" is another matter entirely. As Gergen (1997) has argued. which enjoined her to make sacrifices. and drew upon phrases and images from this discourse in her attempts to make sense of events in her life. our research to date has convinced us that in many cases the process of change in therapy can best be explained as a matter of finding a way of retrieving or repairing the person's individual lived version of the cultural narrative(s) within which he or she lives their life. For example. However. PHASE 3. the client had clearly been exposed to the popular "recovery" or "12-step" literature. self-discovery and expression of feelings. Sometimes there are particular words. However. and obey her parents. To conclude this section. our sense is that there is a great deal that remains to be understood about the place of psychotherapy in relation to cultural narratives.said into a therapeutic language. within her own lifeworld. The second category of cultural narrative is what we have called the macronarrative. in the exemplar case the client was much influenced by a Christian image of the good life. stay loyal to her husband even when he exploited her. such as ideas from the "12-step" movement. It is as though people tell stories about actual events in their lives. around a Romantic/humanistic discourse of autonomy. Sometimes voices represent particular cultural narratives. We are committed to the idea that qualitative inquiry should be discovery-oriented. The evaluation clauses in stories also appear to reflect higher-order cultural narratives. phrases or images that give clues. In the exemplar case used in this chapter. there are a variety of different . she had also espoused another strong cultural narrative. these competing stories of the good life. There is no simple way to identify cultural narratives. but evaluate these stories in relation to the extent to which they match up with cultural narratives of how things should be. At the same time. which brings with it another set of methodological choices and techniques. We therefore believe that it is useful for qualitative research studies to conclude with what we call a summary representation. An example of the use of a summary representation can be found in McLeod and Balamoutsou (1996). Among these traditions. where there is an expectation that some kind of cumulative knowledge and understanding is achievable. let the text speak directly to them. For these reasons it is important to accept that communicating what has been found is an integral stage in the research process. as far as possible. It is also an area in which there is a pluralistic approach to methods in which quantitative approaches may be employed to study the same questions. Construction of a summmary representation. where the findings of the study are laid out as clearly as possible in a series of potentially refutable (or revisable) propositions. Also. Of course. However. this does not . doing the writing is an intrinsic part of the inquiry process. The challenge of putting the research into words can stimulate further analysis and conceptualisation: if it can't be written maybe it needs to be re-thought. It is misleading to characterise the use of theoretical interpretation as a separate research procedure or technique. Theoretical interpretation. as Wolcott (1994) has observed. the writing conventions specified by the American Psychological Association (APA) do not always provide a satisfactory framework for communicating the returns of this kind of work. However. psychotherapy research is an applied. This technique also forms part of a research strategy of using a series of intensive case analyses. in the effort to "fuse horizons" (Gadamer's term). As therapists and social scientists we are continually engaged in the effort to conceptualise and understand. practice-oriented discipline. These forms of writing are part of a humanistic tradition of scholarship of which qualitative research forms one strand. Step 14. Step 13. The findings of the first case (the summary representation) are tested and modified in the light of data from subsequent cases. There are also technical problems associated with writing papers or conference presentations that (ideally) should include long passages of text. It seems to us that much qualitative research. quite rightly. we would recommend that researchers should try to bracket off their assumptions during the main part of the study and.rhetorical traditions that social scientists can employ. includes lengthy descriptive passages and also fairly discursive interpretive writing. Some readers have worked through entire case texts and offered interpretations of the meanings or themes apparent to them within the case. analysis (finding patterns) and interpretation (placing what has been found in a wider theoretical context). The timing of other reader involvement has been staged to reflect a sense that there are times when the primary researcher needs to retreat into the material undisturbed. We would also. Writing. Wolcott (1994) makes a distinction in qualitative research between description. Throughout the research process: Use of other readers. In all these modes of using other readers. One of the challenges in the final stage of a qualitative narrative analysis is to stand back from the immediate material in order to open up a dialogue with the work of other writers. each of whom seem to us to communicate very effectively. other readers are used where possible. ideally. through small group discussion. The rationale for the use of multiple readers/co-researchers was outlined earlier. Mishler and Polanyi.happen in a literal sense. like to develop ways of producing genuinely "multi-voiced" texts. Some efforts have also been made to use case participants (client and therapist) as readers. This idea of . or to comment on the researcher's interpretation. where access to these persons has been possible. and other times when it is valuable and necessary to test these meanings against the formulations of other people. by notes written in the margin of the text. summary representations. We have also asked readers for their responses to specific key stories. and are still experimenting with this. and to position ourselves in our texts in a way that reads well. In finding good ways to write narrative analyses. Some of the writing strategies that we have used have been mentioned already: inclusion of sections of text. We have used other readers in a number of different ways. to find his or her own meaning in it. We have experimented with various formats for collecting reader interpretations: in written reports. use of exemplar cases. we have been influenced by the work of Riessman. use of stanzas. But qualitative descriptions and analyses that read as though powerful theoretical axes are being ground are not convincing. Other readers have been asked to identify stories. often depending on what these readers were willing to do. to produce a richer interpretive account. Throughout the steps outlined above. the intention has been to find ways of broadening the interpretive range of the primary researcher. We have found it difficult to include a more reflexive style of writing. Step 15. we feel as though what we don't know about how to do this is much more extensive than what we do know. However. CONCLUSION: ISSUES IN THE USE OF QUALITATIVE NARRATIVE ANALYSIS The aim of this chapter has been to describe the assumptions and methods used in our research into qualitative narrative analysis of experiential psychotherapy transcripts.the "validity" of the research. chapter X) would make it possible to be more confident in some of the interpretive judgements that are being made. It would be quite wrong to present this work as any kind of final answer or fully developed methodological package.qualitative research as cyclical has been influenced by Reason (1994). How can we know how plausible or "true" our findings might be? The discussion of quality criteria for qualitative research by Stiles (1993) is an excellent review of the issues associated with truth- claiming in qualitative research.ethical issues. We have concerns about the morality of publishing papers that include long sections of transcript material. In brief. The collection of papers by Josselson (1996a) on ethical issues in narrative research has particularly sensitised us to this set of issues. . Cunningham (1988) and Douglass and Moustakas (1985). A combination of transcript and IPR data (see Elliott. a number of important critical issues can be highlighted: . Even if participants agree to this. The qualitative narrative method described here has been informed by Stiles (1993) arguments. In analysing transcripts there can often be a sense that one is reading it wrongly. Most of the time. they may not be fully aware of what they are agreeing to. . we have concerns about the non-dialogical nature of any approach that works predominantly with transcripts. that the actual participants could readily point out what was "really" happening or what they "really" meant. partiality and anger. How far do we need to go in exploring and explicating the personal and cultural "historical consciousness" which we each bring to the research? What do we do with all this reflexive material: how relevant is it to readers? How honest can we be in describing our experience of the research? The issue of researcher reflexivity is a substantial topic which has not been addressed adequately in the qualitative research literature and which can only be flagged up here in the most general of terms. This process has generated more questions than answers. The research described here has been guided by a commitment to the importance of reflexivity. Like the majority of psychotherapy researchers. Many of the concepts and procedures of qualitative narrative analysis are borrowed from fields such as linguistics and literary criticism. to be able to assemble an multidisciplinary research team to carry out this kind of research. It would be much better. This feeling shaped how we analysed material and what we wrote about it. two examples of reflexivity dilemmas can be given to illustrate the kinds of issues that we have faced. in an ideal world. However. reflexivity dilemmas. Members of the research group have kept personal research journals and participated in many discussions about the meaning of the research for each of us. In the end. the historical development of cultural narrative around racism and difference. the reflexive account stimulated by this moment encompassed several threads of meaning: the personal history of the researcher. Perhaps the best way to make sense of . What does a researcher do when the transcript reveals actions and attitudes that he or she believes are morally wrong? One instance of this type arose in a narrative study of cross-cultural therapy conducted by a member of the research group. our primary training has been within psychology. We have often been worried about whether we fully understand or properly apply some of the techniques we have used. all members of the research team have experienced their own varieties of anguish at the possible betrayal of trust involved in publishing the stories of research participants. A paper by Josselson (1996b) captures very well the kind of anguish we experienced. and. the historical origins of contemporary assumptions about the goals of research and the ways in which research is reported.expertise. First. but we have not devised a way of integrating the story of anguish into our publications of conference presentations. Another reflexivity dilemma has been associated with an type of engagement with the research material characterised by researcher judgementalism. In principle. It is necessary to build from individual case analyses to a more general sense of how narrative operates in experiential therapy. moving in the direction of generalisation. In conclusion. (1996) and Kuhnlein (1999). in order to provide appropriate platforms for discovery concerning the role of narrative and storytelling in psychotherapy. set in motion by the process of the research itself. But on the other hand it creates huge problems around writing: how much of this do readers want to see? It is perhaps useful to think about a hermeneutic approach as comprising two contrasting types of specification of the "horizon" of the researcher. The methods described in this chapter are offered in the spirit of the bricoleur. generated by previous studies or by taping one's own or colleagues' clinical work.. . There are many ways in which they can be adapted and augmented. it may be necessary to apply systematic procedures of case comparison. there are many texts available for analysis. it can be stated that there exists a range of procedures for conducting qualitative narrative analysis of psychotherapy texts. There is the controlled delineation of the horizon. in that it opens up the possibility of exploring many different ways in which his or her "horizons" may be changed in the encounter with the research "text". and not only determined by a specific theory (e. where the researcher summarises the sources of their approach. The technique of concluding each case analysis with a summary representation is a useful way of allowing the material collected in later cases to be employed to test and elaborate the findings derived from early cases.researcher reflexivity is to acknowledge that hermeneutic research must be viewed as tradition-informed: the horizon of understanding that the researcher applies in interpreting data is not only personal.g. Once enough cases have been studied. Our hope is that others will join us in this rewarding enterprise. There is also an uncontrolled discovery of new horizons. On the one hand this acknowledgement is liberating for researchers. such as those used in studies by Frommer et al. theory of therapy) but is constructed in a more holistic way in and through the cultural traditions and forms of life in which the researcher participates. as in the opening five paragraphs of this chapter. I. (1990) Acts of Meaning. (1986) Actual Minds. Cambridge. Lincoln(eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Angus. and Moustakas.References Angus. 54(1) 11-32. Chichester: Wiley. Stanford. MA: Addison-Wesley. Denzin and Y. M. London: Sage. (1985) 'Heuristic inquiry: the internal search to know'. and Lincoln. D. Douglass. MA: Harvard University Press. Social Research.K.S. pp. Thousand Oaks. Human Inquiry in Action.L. New York: Erlbaum.(1994b) 'Introduction: entering the field of qualitative research' in N. in P. Cambridge. Cushman. Constructing America: A Cultural History of Psychotherapy. Bromley. Reading. N. Y. in . 35(2): 190-203. (1986) The Case-Study Method in Psychology and Related Disciplines. Canadian Psychology.). P. Bruner.S. J.) The Culture of Autobiography: Constructions of Self-Representation. Critical Inquiry. in R. Folkenflik (ed. (1991) 'Narrative activity as perspective taking: the role of emotionals. and Rennie. B. L. 5(4): 275-90. Mio and A. Katz (eds) Metaphor: Pragmatics and Applications.E. in J. (1995) Constructing the Self. Cunningham. D. R.K. C. L. and Hardtke. Bruner. J. Elliott. J. negations. Denzin. 163-81. Psychotherapy. 25: 39-55. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.S. K. (1996) 'An intensive analysis of metaphor themes in psychotherapy'. and voice in the construction of the story realm'. Reason (ed. Bruner. 25: 552-60. MA: Harvard University Press. (1987) 'Life as narrative'. (1988) 'Interactive holistic research: researching self managed learning'. (1988) 'Therapist participation in metaphor generation: collaborative and noncollaborative styles'. Angus. CA: Sage. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. CA: Stanford University Press. (1991) 'The narrative construction of reality'. (1994) 'Narrative processes in psychotherapy'. 18: 1-21. Bruner. J. Possible Worlds. Bruner. J. (1984) 'A discovery-oriented approach to significant change events in psychotherapy : Interpersonal Process Recall and Comprehensive Process Analysis'. Bamberg. L.G. (1993) 'The autobiographical process'. 9: 289- 303. G.J. 25: 517-572. Journal of Narrative and Life History. W.. Josselson. (1998) 'Reformulation of assimilation analysis in terms of voices'.F.P. Psychotherapy Research. 35: 23-33. Greenberg (eds) Patterns of Change : Intensive Analysis of Psychotherapy Process. Greenberg. and Williams. and Elliott.. J. Gee. New York: Guilford. O. (ed. Hill.S. 9: 391-422. Thompson. . Goncalves. K. and Langenbach.) Cognitive and Constructive Psychotherapies: Theory.(eds) (1998) Handbook of Experiential Psychotherapy. and Lietaer. E. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory. J. Gergen. R. Cambridge. (1995) 'Cognitive narrative psychotherapy: the hermeneutic construction of alternative meanings'. J.N. B. CA: Sage. R. H. L.P. (1999) ‘Narrative processes in the construction of helpful and hindering events in experiential psychotherapy’. Glaser. J.B. 6: 56-69.S. Chicago: Aldine. A. S.. 2nd edn. Mahoney (ed. M.N. New York: Guilford. L. B. in M. K. Psychotherapy Research. Gergen. Greenberg. MA: Harvard University Press. New York: Continuum. Honos-Webb.. Thousand Oaks. 10(3): 151-73. (1975) Truth and Method. W. L. (1994) Realities and Relationships: Soundings in Social Construction. Rice.L. Tress. (1986) 'Units in the production of narrative discourse'. Discourse Processes. (1993) Facilitating Emotional Change: the Moment-by-moment Process. (1991) A linguistic approach to narrative. (1997) Who speaks and who replies in human science scholarship? History of the Human Sciences.S.C. (1997) 'A guide to conducting consensual qualitative research'..) (1996a) Ethics and Processes in the Narrative Study of Lives. C. Reissner. New York: Springer. Rice and L. Watson. Grafanaki. Research and Practice.J. and Stiles. V. and McLeod.E. 1(1): 15-39. L. New York: Guilford Press. Counseling Psychologist.N. Frommer. (1996) Subjective theories of illness in patients with personality disorders: qualitative comparison of twelve diagnostic interviews. J. and Strauss. Gee.J. Gadamer. Psychotherapy. E. (1996a) 'Qualitative research methods in counselling psychology'. CA: Sage. J. (1991) 'Representing discourse: the rhetoric of transcription'. Woolfe and W. London: Sage. Journal of Narrative and Life History. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. Dryden (eds) Handbook of Counselling Psychology. X: X-Y McLeod. McLeod. J. Journal of Narrative and Life History. and Crits-Christoph. J. Kuhnlein. (1981) After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. and Balamoutsou. London: Duckworth. I. London: Sage.G. 2: 610-619. American Psychologist. Mishler. 1(4): 255-80. in J. Josselson(ed. Labov. J. (1967) 'Narrative analysis: oral versions of personal experience'. McMullen. and Waletzky. Mishler. J. (eds)(1990) Understanding Transference: the CCRT Method. (1996) 'Representing narrative process in therapy: qualitative analysis of a single case'.Josselson. (1997) Narrative and Psychotherapy. McLeod. McLeod. E. (1995) 'Models of narrative analysis: a typology'. Counselling. W. (1974) 'Scientific method and the adversary model'. Psychotherapy Research. New York: Basic Books. (1985) 'methods for studying the use of novel figurative language in psychotherapy'. 9: 274-288. 5: 87-123. Woolfe and W. M. P. A. Helm (ed. (1999) ‘Psychotherapy as a process of transformation: the analysis of posttherapeutic autobiographical narrations’. Dryden (eds) Handbook of Counselling Psychology. . McLeod. J.)Ethics and Processes in the Narrative Study of Lives. Thousand Oaks.) Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts. (1996b) 'The humanistic paradigm' in R. Luborsky. Mishler. (2000) Qualitative Research in Counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage. Seattle: University of Washington Press. J. 29: 661-77. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press. McIntyre. London: Sage. (1996b) ‘On writing other people’s lives: self-analytic reflections of a narrative researcher’. L. L. E. R. Levine. (1986) Research Interviewing: Context and Narrative. McLeod.G. (1999)‘Counselling as a social process’. in R. S. 9: 61-76.G. in R. Psychotherapy. S. W.D.) Psychology and Postmodernism. C. Polanyi. Implications and Theory. . Payne. Runyan. Rogers. (1951) Client-centered Therapy: Its Current Practice. Thousand Oaks. C. in A. in N. (1985) Telling the American Story: a Structural and Cultural Analysis of Conversational Storytelling.K. (1994) 'Three approaches to participative inquiry'. D. London: Constable. Van Balen (eds). (1992) 'The consequences of poetic representation: writing the other. Flaherty (eds) Investigating Subjectivity: Research on Lived Experience. M.E. Lietaer. London: Sage. Riessman. Client-Centered and Experiential Therapy in the Nineties. Riessman. L. Norwood.Murray. Rennie. (1988) Narrative Knowing and the Human Sciences. Rennie.E. New Jersey: Ablex. Albany: SUNY Press. Fisher (eds) Gender and Discourse: The Power of Talk. Richardson.R. (2000) Narrative Therapy: an Introduction for Counsellors. (1992) 'Postmodern epistemology of practice'. Lincoln (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Rennie.L. Kvale (ed. New York: Oxford University Press. (1980) 'Alternative accounts of lives: an argument for epistemological relativism'. Polanyi. D.D.M. Biography. D. (1998) Person-centred Counselling: an Experiential Approach.K. (1938) Explorations in Personality: A Clinical and Experimental Study of Fifty Men of College Age. P. Todd and S. C. (1990) 'Toward a representation of the client's experience of the psychotherapy hour'.L. (1988) 'Worlds of difference: contrasting experience in marriage and narrative style'.L. London: Sage. J. London: Sage. D. New York: Sage. (1994) 'Storytelling in psychotherapy: the client's subjective experience'.A. in G. (1993) Narrative Analysis. Leuven: University of Leuven Press. London: Sage. Denzin and Y. H. Rombauts and R. L. NJ: Ablex. Reason. Polkinghorne.G. (1982) 'Linguistic and social constraints on storytelling'. Ellis and M. Psychotherapy. Polkinghorne. Journal of Pragmatics. 3: 209-24. CA: Sage. in S.K. rewriting the self'. in C. 31: 234-43. L. 6: 509-24. London: Sage. D. Sarbin. (1993) 'Positioning and autobiography: telling your life'.K. CA: Sage. (ed) (1991) Research and Reflexivity. Psychotherapy. W. Analysis and Interpretation. Sarbin (ed.F.) Narrative Psychology: the Storied Nature of Human Conduct. R. London: Sage.Russell. 2nd edn. (1992) Retelling a Life. (1992) 'Changing narrative schemas in psychotherapy'. (1982) Narrative Truth and Historical Truth: Meaning and Interpretation in Psychoanalysis. Wolcott. Stiles. . van Langenhove. New York: W. F. (1986) 'The narrative as a root metaphor for psychology'. Spence. Yin. Clinical Psychology Review. New York: Norton. Schafer. R. R.P. (1961) The Changing Nature of Man: an Introduction to a Historical Psychology. CA: Sage. M.W. and Epston.B. New York: Basic Books. Steier. White. Nussbaum (eds) Discourse and Lifespan Identity. Thousand Oaks.L. J. 29: 344-54. 13: 593-618. in T. and Harre. Norton. (1990) Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. and Van den Broek. in N. (1994) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. New York: Praeger. New York: Norton. R. Thousand Oaks. T. Coupland and J.F. (1994) Transforming Qualitative Data: Description. P. H. D. (1993) 'Quality control in qualitative research'. Van den Berg.R.H. L.R.

2019-04-25T02:08:49Z

https://www.scribd.com/document/6901573/McLeod-J-2000

An apparatus for placement of a suture anchor having a suture connected thereto includes a handle dimensioned for engagement by the user and an elongated member connected to the handle and extending therefrom. The elongated member has an anchor mount for mounting a suture anchor. The handle includes a frame having a suture retainer adapted for retaining a suture, at least one cover releasably mounted to the frame to at least partially enclose the suture retainer and a release button mounted to the frame and movable to release the at least one cover from the frame to expose the suture portion. The present disclosure generally relates to the surgical repair of tissue and, more particularly, relates to a system and method for installation of a suture anchor for the surgical repair of tendons, ligaments, muscle, etc. Suture anchors are commonly used to attach soft and hard tissue to bone. Typically, an anchor is implanted into a drilled bore in bone mass. One or more sutures with attached needles are connected to the suture anchor. The suture is passed through the tissue and subsequently tied to secure the tissue to the bone. Over a period of time, healing occurs whereby the tissue naturally reattaches itself to the bone. In certain procedures, the suture anchors are placed temporarily to optimize the particular surgery being performed. Suture anchors find particular application in joint reconstruction surgery especially for attachment of ligaments or tendons within the knee, shoulder and elbow areas. Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus for placement of a suture anchor having a suture connected thereto. The apparatus includes a handle dimensioned for engagement by the user and an elongated member connected to the handle and extending therefrom. The elongated member has an anchor mount for mounting a suture anchor. The handle includes a frame having a suture retainer adapted for retaining a suture and at least one cover releasably mounted to the frame to at least partially enclose the suture retainer. A release button may be mounted to the frame and is movable to release the at least one cover from the frame to expose the suture portion. The handle may include a latch operatively connected to the release button. The latch is released upon movement of the release button. Preferably, the latch is engagable with a locking shelf of the at least one cover in a first unactuated position of the release button to secure the cover to the frame. The latch is adapted to release the locking shelf upon movement of the release button to a second actuated position thereof. The at least one cover includes a leaf spring adapted to bias the latch into engagement with the locking shelf in the first unactuated position of the release button. The release button includes a camming surface, engagable with the leaf spring upon movement of the release button to the second actuated position to permit release of the locking shelf. The at least one cover may include a needle park for securing a needle. The at least one cover may also include a drape grab for engaging a portion of a surgical drape to facilitate securement of the at least one cover to the surgical drape. The suture retainer of the frame includes a spool wherein the suture portion is wrapped about the spool. The elongated member includes at least one longitudinal groove for accommodating a suture portion extending to the suture anchor which is mounted to the anchor mount of the elongated member. Preferably, the elongated member includes first and second longitudinal grooves. The apparatus may include a suture anchor and at least one suture extending from the suture anchor. The suture anchor is releasably secured to the anchor mount of the elongated member. The at least one suture extends along the elongated member and is engagable with the suture retainer of the frame. A needle is connected to the at least one suture and is releasably secured within the at least one cover. Preferably, the at least one cover includes a needle park for securing the needle. In one embodiment, the handle includes first and second suture retainers for retaining first and second suture portions and first and second covers releasably mounted to the frame for substantially enclosing respective first and second suture retainers. The release button is movable to release the first and second covers. In an alternate embodiment, an apparatus for placement of a suture anchor having a suture connected thereto, includes a handle dimensioned for engagement by the user and an elongated member connected to the handle and extending therefrom. The elongated member has an anchor mount for mounting a suture anchor. The handle includes a frame having first and second opposed frame sections with a suture retainer adapted for retaining a suture portion, first and second covers releasably mounted to respective first and second frame sections to at least partially enclose the suture retainers and having a needle park for retaining a needle, and a release button mounted to the frame and movable to release the first and second covers to expose the suture portions. In another preferred embodiment, a suture anchor includes an outer sleeve having a threaded portion and defining a longitudinal axis, and an inner suture pin positionable within the outer sleeve. The suture pin includes first and second bores for receiving respective first and second sutures. The bores each define a bore axis extending in transverse relation to the longitudinal axis. The suture pin includes grooves formed in an outer surface thereof and extending from respective transverse bores. The grooves are dimensioned to accommodate suture portions extending from the transverse bores. The bore axes of the first and second bores may be in general parallel relation to each other. The suture pin includes first and second pin sections having the first and second bores respectively. The first pin section defines a cross-sectional dimension greater than the second pin section. The threaded portion of the outer sleeve may include flutes defined therein. The inner suture pin includes a pin head and a pin shaft. The pin shaft has the first and second bores and at least partially positionable in the outer sleeve. The pin head has at least one chamfer defined in an outer surface thereof. Preferably, the pin head includes a pair of chamfers arranged in general diametrical opposed relation. FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of the suture anchor for use with the system of FIG. 29. The suture anchor installation system of the present disclosure is adapted to secure a suture relative to bony tissue. The suture is preferably used to attach soft tissue or a prosthetic implant to bone tissue. As used herein, the term “soft tissue” refers to all of the non-bony tissues within a body including, but not limited to, muscles, tendons, cartilage, skin, ligaments, etc. The term “prosthetic implant” refers to any article implanted in the body including, but not limited to, artificial ligaments, muscles, joints, etc. The suture anchor installation system can be used in minimally invasive surgical procedures. In such procedures, the operating instrumentation is deployed through a cannula inserted through a small incision or opening in a wall of body tissue (e.g. the skin and underlying tissue), or directly through the incision or opening itself. Such procedures include laparoscopic, endoscopic, and arthroscopic surgical operations. In operations where, for example, a body cavity is insufflated to provide a clear operating field, gaseous seals are usually employed to prevent the inflow or egress of fluids into or out from the operating site. It should be understood that the suture anchor installation system is not limited to minimally invasive procedures, and can be used in open surgical procedures as well. The suture anchor installation system described herein includes a suture anchor assembly retained in a suture anchor insertion tool. The suture anchor assembly features a two-piece suture anchor for insertion into a pre-drilled hole in bone and at least one suture having at least one surgical needle affixed thereto. The two-piece suture anchor includes a suture pin positionable within an outer screw sleeve which is threaded into the sides of the hole which has been drilled into the bone. In the discussion which follows, as is traditional, the term “proximal” refers to that portion of the instrument closest to the operator while the term “distal” refers to that portion of the instrument most remote from the operator. Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, there is illustrated the suture anchor installation system in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. System 10 includes three main components, namely, installation apparatus or tool 100, suture anchor 200 releasably mounted to the tool 100 and sutures 300 which are connected to the suture anchor 200 and are at least partially housed within the installation tool 100. With reference to FIGS. 1-3, installation tool 100 will now be described. Installation apparatus 100 includes handle 102 and elongated member 104 extending distally from the handle 102. Handle 102 includes frame 106 consisting of frame half sections 106 a, 106 b, and a pair of covers 108 which are releasably mounted to the respective frame sections 106 a, 106 b. Frame sections 106 a, 106 b are preferably fabricated from a suitable rigid polymeric material including, e.g., a polycarbonate or polystyrene, and formed through known injection molding techniques. Covers 108 may be fabricated from a transparent material, preferably a polymeric material. Alternately, frame half section 106 a, 106 b may be fabricated from a biocompatible metallic material including titanium, stainless steel and/or alloys thereof. Frame sections 106 a, 106 b are connected to each other with the use of ultrasonics, cement, adhesives, etc. Other means for connecting the frame sections 106 a, 106 b are also envisioned including snap fit arrangements, bayonet couplings, etc. Referring now to FIG. 4, in conjunction with FIGS. 1-3, each frame section 106 a, 106 b defines a central recessed area 110 over which cover 108 is positioned. Within each central recess area 110 is a pair of suture retainers or spools 112 disposed in adjacent side by side relation. Spools 112 face outwardly toward their respective covers 108 and away from the central longitudinal axis “a” of apparatus 10. Spools 112 are adapted to accommodate portions of suture 300 which are wound around the spools 112 in a coiled configuration. Specifically, each spool 112 defines an annular recess 114 to receive the wound sutures 300. Spools 112 are arranged to define an oval, racetrack or oblate configuration for receiving multiple revolution of sutures 300. Disposed between each pair of spools 112 of frame sections 106 a, 106 b is a pair of suture cleats 116, i.e., one cleat 116 for each spool 112. Cleats 116 each define channel 118 for receiving a portion of suture 300 extending from a corresponding spool 112. Generally, sutures 300 are preferably wrapped about spools 112 under tension and then passed under tension through a respective cleat 116 associated with the spool 112. Cleats 116 preferably serve as the primary tensioning means for suture 300 while spools 112 provide a secondary tensioning means. Frame 106 further defines a pair of grooves 120 in the outer surface of each frame section 106 a, 106 b. Grooves 120 converge to single groove 122 adjacent the distal end of frame 106 and are adapted to accommodate the portions of sutures 300 extending to elongated member 104 and suture anchor 200. Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, frame 106 further includes a pair of spring leafs 124 disposed adjacent elongated member 104 in diametrical opposed relation. Spring leafs 124 are preferably in contacting relation with the elongated member 104. Spring leafs 124 are normally biased radially inwardly relative to longitudinal axis “a” and function to contain sutures 300 relative to elongated member 104. Spring leafs 124 may be separate components connected to frame 106 through conventional means. Preferably, spring leafs 124 are molded with frame 106 and incorporate the resiliency of the material of fabrication (e.g., the polymeric material) of frame 106 to normally engage elongated member 104. The functioning of leaf springs 124 will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow. Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 4, frame 106 further includes a plurality of slotted openings 126 disposed in a peripheral wall of each frame section 106 a, 106 b. Frame 106 also includes vertical enclosure 128 disposed within each half section 106 a, 106 b adjacent central recessed area 110. Vertical enclosures 128 define longitudinal locking surfaces 130. Slotted openings 126 and locking surfaces 130 assist in mounting covers 108 to frame 106. As best depicted in FIG. 6, in conjunction with FIG. 2, frame 106 further includes mounting slots 132 on each side of frame sections 106 a, 106 b and alignment posts 134. Alignment posts 134 coordinate alignment of frame sections 106 a, 106 b through reception within corresponding apertures (not shown) of the frame sections 106 a, 106 b during assembly. Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 7, covers 108 are adapted to be mounted to respective frame sections 106 a, 106 b. Each cover 108 is identical defining an internal surface 136 which faces respective frame sections 106 a, 106 b in the mounted condition of the cover 108. Covers 108 define internal needle parks 138 which are centrally located within the internal surfaces 136 of the covers 108. Two needle parks 138 are provided for each cover 108 and are generally located along the axis “a” of the apparatus 10. Needle parks 138 are adapted to receive a corresponding needle 302 attached to suture 300. Preferably, needle parks 132 include a channel 140 for receiving the needle 302 in frictional engagement therewith. Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 7, covers 108 also each include guard 142 disposed between each needle park 132. Guards 142 entrap the suture portion within suture cleats 116 of frame 106 when in the assembled condition of cover 108 and frame 106 (see FIG. 2). Guard 142 defines a pair of alignment tabs 144 which extend to at least partially encompass each needle park 138. Alignment tabs 144 facilitate mounting and manipulation of needles 302 relative to a suturing apparatus as will be discussed. Cover 108 also includes distal tab 146 which is positioned within vertical enclosure 128 of frame 106 to engage locking surface 130 of the enclosure 128, and peripheral tabs 148 which are received within slotted openings 126 of the frame 106. Distal tab 146 and peripheral tabs 148 assist in mounting covers 108 to frame 106. Peripheral tabs 148 also serve to distribute forces to frame 106 upon rotation of handle 102 to minimize failure/breakage of the cover 108. Alternatively, covers 108 may be fixed to frame 106 with adhesives, tapes, snap-fit connection, or a press fit pin, etc. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, cover 108 further includes drape grabs 150 defined in the forward end of the cover 108. Drape grabs 150 define recesses which are advantageously dimensioned to receive and engage a surgical drape to permit the surgeon to hang cover 108 onto a surgical drape for subsequent use. With reference to FIG. 8, in conjunction with FIG. 2, cover 108 further includes latch opening 152 adjacent its proximal end and resilient leaf spring 154 within the latch opening 152. Leaf spring 154 is normally biased to the position depicted in FIG. 8, but is capable of deflecting radially outwardly against its inherent bias. The structure and function of leaf spring 154 will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow. Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 and 9-10, release button 156 will be discussed. Release button 156 is mounted within the rear or proximal end of frame 106. Release button 156 includes a pair of diametrically opposed mounting tabs 158. Mounting tabs 158 are recessed within corresponding mounting slots 132 (FIG. 6) of frame sections 106 a, 106 b to mount release button 156 to frame 106. Mounting tabs 158 are capable of deflecting to permit slight longitudinal movement of release button 156. Release button 156 further includes diametrically opposed release latches 160 extending radially outwardly relative to axis “a”. Each release latch 160 defines a remote latch shelf 162 which engages a corresponding cover shelf 164 of cover 108 to secure the cover 108 relative to frame 106. Each release latch 160 also defines cam surface 166 extending continuously from latch shelf 162. In the assembled condition of cover 108, leaf spring 154 of cover 108 engages cam surface 166 to bias release latch 160 in a proximal and radially inward direction as depicted in FIG. 10. Consequently, latch shelf 162 is secured against cover shelf 164 of cover 108 thereby releasably locking the cover 108 to frame 106. Leaf springs 154 cause ejection or “pop-off” of covers 108 from frame 106. Release button 156 is adapted for limited longitudinal movement (as permitted by the deflection of mounting tabs 158) from a first unactuated position depicted in FIG. 3 to a second actuated position depicted in FIG. 11 to release release latches 160 from their engagement with cover 108. As shown in FIG. 3, depression of release button 156 causes release latches 160 to also distally advance. During this movement, cam surfaces 166 of release latches 160 displace leaf springs 154 in a general radial outward direction which permits the latches 160 to become released from engagement with cover shelf 164 of cover 108. Consequently, each cover 108 is expelled from frame 106 to expose sutures 300 and needles 302 within frame 106. Leaf springs 154 cause ejection or “pop-off” of covers 108 from frame 106. In particular, each leaf spring 154 is energized during initial advancement of release button 156, which causes radial deflection of the leaf springs 154. Further advancement of button 156 causes release of leaf springs 154 and release of the “energy” of the deformed or deflected leaf spring 154, consequently, causing an active ejection of covers 108. Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, elongated member 104 will be discussed. Elongated member 104 includes hollow shaft 168 connected to handle 102 and anchor mount 170 which is connected to the distal end of shaft 168. Hollow shaft 168 may be connected to handle 102 by conventional means, e.g., with the use of adhesives, interference fit, mounting flanges, etc. Hollow shaft 168 includes a pair of longitudinal grooves 172 extending along its outer surface and along a major portion of the length of the hollow shaft 168. Longitudinal grooves 172 are disposed in diametrical opposed relation and are in communication with respective single grooves 122 in frame 106. Longitudinal grooves 172 accommodate sutures 300 extending from handle 102 to suture anchor 200. Shaft 168 may be a solid shaft if desired. Anchor mount 170 is secured to hollow shaft 168 through a friction fit or the like. Anchor mount 170 also includes longitudinal grooves 174 within its outer surface aligned with longitudinal grooves 172 of hollow shaft 168. Longitudinal grooves 174 of anchor mount 170 accommodate sutures 300 extending from hollow shaft 168 to suture anchor 200. Anchor mount 170 defines distal mount end 176 for mounting suture anchor 300. Mount end 176 preferably defines a polygonal cross-section for reception within a corresponding polygonal bore of suture anchor 300 in frictional relation therewith. Accordingly, rotation of elongated member 104 causes corresponding rotation of suture anchor 300. Although depicted as two separate components, hollow shaft 168 and anchor mount 170 may be a single component monolithically formed with the appropriate longitudinal grooves for reception of the sutures 300. Referring now to FIGS. 12-15, suture anchor 200 will be discussed. Suture anchor 200 includes two components, namely, outer screw sleeve 202 and suture pin 204 which is positionable within the screw sleeve 202. Screw sleeve 202 defines longitudinal axis “b” and has longitudinal bore 206 extending the length of the sleeve 202. The proximal face of screw sleeve 202 defines a polygonal recess 208 (FIG. 13) e.g., a hexagon arrangement, for reception of mount end 176 of anchor mount 170 of tool 100. Screw sleeve 202 includes a threaded outer surface 210. Threaded outer surface 210 includes flutes or cut-outs 212 adjacent the distal end of screw sleeve 202. Flutes 212 provide a relief area for bone material removed during the insertion of suture anchor 200. As best depicted in FIGS. 13 and 15, screw sleeve 202 includes a recessed or arcuate face 214 (as opposed to a straight edge or face) in its proximal end. Arcuate face 214 is dimensioned to receive the suture ends subsequent to insertion of suture anchor 200 within bone. Specifically, in ligament repair, the sutures may be loaded with tension at an angle to the axis of the anchor 200. Thus, in this application, arcuate face 214 would receive the sutures 300 a, 300 b which are loaded at the angle. Additionally, the rounded non-traumatic contour of arcuate face 214 advantageously minimizes the potential of severance of the sutures 300. Suture pin 204 includes pin shaft 216 and pin head 218 adjacent the distal end of the pin shaft 216. Pin shaft 216 includes a pair of transverse bores 220, 222 for receiving the looped sutures 300. Pin shaft 216 further defines grooves 224, 226 (FIG. 13) in its outer surface contiguous with respective transverse bores 220, 222 and extending in a proximal direction. Grooves 224, 226 accommodate portions of sutures 300 extending from suture anchor 200 back to tool 100. In a preferred embodiment, the diameter or cross-section of the portion of pin shaft 216 containing transverse bore 222 is greater than a corresponding cross-section of a portion of the pin shaft 216 containing transverse bore 220. With this arrangement, the suture 300 received within transverse bore 222 is slightly outwardly displaced relative to the suture received within bore 220. This arrangement minimizes the potential of entanglement of the sutures 300 and facilitates sliding of sutures 300 within suture anchor 200. Pin head 218 defines proximal collar section 228 of constant diameter and distal conical section 230. Distal conical section 230 terminates in rounded end surface 232. Pin head 218 further includes a pair of chamfers or flats 234 defined in its outer surface, specifically, extending through collar section 228 to the proximal end of conical section 230. Chamfers 234 are arranged in diametrical opposed relation as shown. Chamfers 234 may be positioned to be in general longitudinal alignment with flutes 212 of outer screw sleeve 202 when suture pin 204 is oriented within the screw sleeve 202. However, longitudinal alignment of chamfers 234 and flutes 212 is not necessary to achieve the objects of the present disclosure. Chamfers 234 also assist in manufacture and assembly of suture anchor 200 by presenting a generally flat surface for reception within a fixture or chuck during, e.g., loading of sutures 300. Chamfers 234 may also provide relief zones during insertion and/or self tapping of suture anchor 200 within tissue to collect bone or tissue material displaced during the insertion process, preferably, during initial insertion. The presence of chamfers 234 also may reduce the profile of pin head 218 thereby facilitating passage of suture anchor 200 through tissue. In a preferred method of arrangement depicted in FIG. 14, a pair of sutures 300 a, 300 b is passed though respective transverse bores 220, 222 to define suture loops extending from suture anchor 200 to insertion tool 100. The end of the sutures 300 a, 300 b are then directed into corresponding longitudinal grooves 172,174 of hollow shaft 168 and anchor mount 170, and routed into handle 102 in the aforedescribed manner. With this arrangement, each longitudinal groove 172, 174 accommodates a length of suture of each suture 300 a, 300 b. In the alternative, as depicted in FIG. 16, the suture ends are arranged whereby each end of an individual suture 300 a, 300 b is routed to a respective single longitudinal groove 172, 174, i.e., a single longitudinal groove 172 accommodates the suture ends of a single suture thereby substantially isolating the sutures 300 a, 300 b from each other. This arrangement may minimize the potential of entanglement of the sutures 300 a, 300 b. Suture anchor 200 may be fabricated from a biocompatible metal including stainless steel, titanium and/or alloys thereof. Alternatively, suture anchor 200 may be fabricated from a synthetic bioabsorbable polymeric resin such as polymers of glycolide, lactide, caprolactone, p-dioxone, trimethylbone carbonate and physical and/or chemical combination thereof. Referring now to FIG. 4, the arrangement of sutures 300 within insertion tool 100 and suture anchor 200 will be discussed. First and second sutures 300 a, 300 b are loaded in insertion tool 100 and suture anchor 200. Each suture 300 a, 300 b has an attached needle 302 at both ends of sutures 300 a, 300 b. The preferred needle 302 is disclosed in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,344 to Stone, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As best depicted in FIG. 7, needle 302 is a double ended needle having pointed ends 304 and a pair of recesses 306 positioned adjacent each pointed end 304. The end of the suture 300 is received within central aperture 308 of needle 302 and retained therein with adhesives, glues, crimping or any other conventional means. As an alternative, sutures 300 may be devoid of needles 302. Each suture 300 a, 300 b is passed through a respective transverse bore 220, 222 of suture pin 204 and routed through longitudinal grooves 174 of anchor mount 170 and longitudinal grooves 172 of hollow shaft 168 in the manner discussed hereinabove in connection with the discussion of the embodiment of FIG. 14, or, alternatively, the embodiment of FIG. 16. Each end of the suture loop of respective sutures 300 a, 300 b are wrapped or coiled under tension about a respective spool 112 within handle 102 and passed through a corresponding suture cleat 116. Suture cleat 116 preferably securely engages the suture portion. The procedure is performed for all sutures 300 a, 300 b with each frame section 106 a, 106 b. The needles 302 attached to each suture end are mounted to the corresponding needle parks 138 in covers 108 (FIG. 2). Covers 108 are then mounted to their respective frame sections 106 a, 106 b. Sutures 300 may be fabricated from any non-absorbable or absorbable material including nylon, polyesters, etc. or any of the materials of fabrication of suture anchor 200 identified hereinbelow and may or may not be coated with a suitable coating. FIG. 17 illustrates a suturing apparatus which may be used with insertion apparatus of FIG. 1. Suturing apparatus 400 is disclosed in the afore-mentioned commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,344 to Stone. Suturing apparatus 400 includes handle 402 and elongated member 404 extending from the handle 402. A pair of jaws 406 is pivotally mounted to the distal end of elongated member 404. Jaws 406 include recesses 408 for receiving respective needle ends 304 of suturing needle 302. Generally jaws 406 open and close to pass the needle 302 between the jaws 406 and through tissue in alternating manner. Thus, needle 302 draws suture 300 through tissue to suture the tissue and eventually secure the suture 300, tissue and suture anchor 200. Further details of structure and operation of suture apparatus 400 may be ascertained by reference to the '344 patent. The use of the suture anchor installation system 10 in conjunction with an endoscopic surgical procedure will be discussed. With reference to FIG. 18, an underlying tissue site is accessed with cannula 500 through conventional endoscopic means to provide direct communication with the tissue site. In laparoscopic procedures, the abdominal cavity is insufflated with insufflation gases to raise the cavity wall to permit unrestricted access to the tissue site. In arthroscopic applications, the targeted area, e.g., joint (such as knee, shoulder or elbow) may be supplied with fluids to distend the joint. Thereafter, insertion tool 100 with mounted suture anchor 200 and sutures 300 are introduced into the cannula 500 and advanced toward the tissue (e.g., bone) site. Suture anchor 200 is implanted within the appropriately sized pre-drilled bore in the bone “b” by rotation of insertion tool 100 in the direction of directional arrow “z”. Such rotation causes corresponding rotation of screw anchor 200 which causes threaded outer surface 210 of screw sleeve 202 to engage the body tissue and advance within the bore of the bone. The bore within the bone “b” may be tapped prior to insertion of the anchor 200 or screw sleeve 202 may be self tapping. The procedure is continued by actuating release button 156 which causes covers 108 to be released in the manner discussed in connection with FIG. 11. FIG. 19 depicts covers 108 removed from frame 106. Installation tool 100 is then removed from trocar 500. As illustrated in FIG. 20, sutures 300 a, 300 b are able to be released from longitudinal grooves 172 of hollow shaft 168 through deflection of spring leafs 124 of frame 106. Covers 108 may be mounted to a surgical drape “d” if desired by reception of drape portions within drape grabs 150 as depicted in FIG. 21. Referring now to FIG. 22, suturing apparatus 400 is then positioned with respect to cover 108 to load needle 302 in the apparatus 400. In a preferred embodiment, suturing apparatus 400 includes opening 410 in elongate member 404. Suturing apparatus 400 is positioned whereby opening 410 receives post 178 of cover 108. As shown in FIG. 23, jaws 406 are then positioned to engage alignment tabs 144 of cover 108 to appropriately orientate jaws 406 of suturing apparatus 400 with respect to needles 302 within needle park 138 of cover 108. As depicted in FIG. 24, it is also contemplated that guard 142 adjacent needle parks 138 may include enlarged thickened sections 180 within alignment tabs 144 which cooperate with arcuate surfaces 412 of jaws 406 of suturing apparatus 400. The presence of thickened sections 180 and arcuate surfaces 412 of jaws 406 ensure that jaws 406 are properly loaded with respect to the needle park 138. Suturing apparatus 400 is actuated to close at least one of the jaws 406 such that the one jaw 406 receives and engages a needle end 304 of needle 302 within recess 408. Needle 302 which is now connected to the one jaw 406 of apparatus 400 is then removed from needle park 138. Suturing apparatus 400 is utilized in the aforedescribed manner to stitch the tissue and/or prosthetic implant relative to the hard bone. The sutures 300 may be tied down to the bone tissue and bone anchor. This procedure may be repeated for the remaining three needles 302 within covers 108. FIG. 25 illustrates an alternate embodiment of cover 108 of handle 102. In accordance with this embodiment, cover 108 is devoid of guard 142. Needle parks 138 a are adapted to receive conventional surgical needles 310. This embodiment of the suture anchor installation system is preferably used during a conventional open procedure without the use of suturing apparatus 400. FIG. 26-27 illustrate an alternate embodiment of frame 106. In accordance with this embodiment, second cleats 182 are provided on each frame section 106 a, 106 b. Second cleats 182 are adapted to securely engage sutures 300 a, 300 b extending from elongated member 104. In this regard, second cleats 182 tension sutures 300 a, 300 b before the sutures 300 a, 300 b are wrapped about spools 112 and positioned within first cleats 116. Second cleats 182 provide a more direct and higher degree of tension on the suture portions 300 a, 300 b extending to suture anchor 200. Second cleats 182 incorporate a pair of posts 184 spaced to grab at least one or more the suture portions 300. FIG. 28 illustrates an alternate embodiment of suture anchor 200. In accordance with this embodiment, suture pin 204 includes a single transverse bore 228 for receiving a single loop of suture 300. In this application, handle 102 incorporates one cover 108 and one central recessed area 110 with corresponding spools 112. FIGS. 29-31 illustrate another alternate embodiment of the suture anchor installation system 10. In accordance with this embodiment, installation tool 100 incorporates three central recessed areas 110 with corresponding pair of spools 112 within each area 110 of handle 102. Similarly, handle 102 also includes three corresponding covers 108 mountable to frame 206 for enclosing recessed areas 110. Elongated member 104 includes three external longitudinal grooves 172 for accommodating the three sets of sutures 300. Suture anchor 200 includes suture pin 204 having three transverse bores 230, 232, 234 for accommodating sutures 300 a, 300 b, 300 c. In all other respects, the system operates in the same manner as the embodiment of FIG. 1. an elongated member connected to the handle and extending therefrom, the elongated member having an anchor mount for mounting a suture anchor. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a release button mounted to the frame and movable to release the at least one cover from the frame to expose the suture portion. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the handle includes a latch operatively connected to the release button, the latch being released upon movement of the release button. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the latch is engageable with a locking shelf of the at least one cover in a first unactuated position of the release button to secure the at least one cover to the frame. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the latch is adapted to release the locking shelf upon movement of the release button to a second actuated position thereof. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the at least one cover includes a leaf spring adapted to bias the latch into engagement with the locking shelf in the first unactuated position of the release button. 7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the release button includes a camming surface, engageable with the leaf spring upon movement of the release button to the second actuated position to permit release of the locking shelf. 8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the leaf spring is adapted to eject the cover in at least a general radial outward direction upon movement of the release button to the second actuated position. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one cover includes a needle park for securing a needle. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one cover includes a drape grab for engaging a portion of a surgical drape to facilitate securement of the at least one cover to the surgical drape. 11. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the suture retainer of the frame includes a spool wherein the suture portion is wrapped about the spool. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the elongated member includes at least one longitudinal groove for accommodating a suture portion extending to the suture anchor mounted to the anchor mount of the elongated member. 13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the elongated member includes first and second longitudinal grooves. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a suture anchor and at least one suture extending from the suture anchor, the suture anchor being releasably secured to the anchor mount of the elongated member, the at least one suture extending along the elongated member and engagable with the suture retainer of the frame. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14 including a needle connected to the at least one suture, the needle releasably secured within the at least one cover. 16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the at least one cover includes a needle park for securing the needle. wherein the release button is movable to release the first and second covers. 18. The apparatus according to claim 2 including means for releasably securing the cover to the frame and wherein the release button is adapted to release the securing means. an inner suture pin positionable within the outer sleeve, the suture pin including first and second bores for receiving respective first and second sutures, the bores each defining a bore axis extending in transverse relation to the longitudinal axis. 21. The suture anchor according to claim 20 wherein the suture pin includes grooves formed in an outer surface thereof and extending from respective transverse bores, the grooves dimensioned to accommodate suture portions extending from the transverse bores. 22. The suture anchor according to claim 21 wherein the bore axes of the first and second bores are in general parallel relation to each other. 23. The suture anchor according to claim 20 wherein the suture pin includes first and second pin sections having the first and second bores respectively, the first pin section defining a cross-sectional dimension greater than the second pin section. 24. The suture anchor according to claim 21 wherein the threaded portion of the outer sleeve includes flutes defined therein. 25. The suture anchor according to claim 20 wherein the inner suture pin includes a pin head and a pin shaft, the pin shaft having the first and second bores and at least partially positionable in the outer sleeve, the pin head having at least one chamfer defined in an outer surface thereof. 26. The suture anchor according to claim 25 wherein the pin head includes a pair of chamfers arranged in general diametrical opposed relation. ITVE20130011A1 (en) * 2013-04-05 2014-10-06 Metalmeccanica Alba S R L Coupling perfected for furniture components.

2019-04-18T22:39:37Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20050240199A1/en

Why Has Finance Gotten So Rich in a Competitive World? 1. Rent extraction from profit-making firms. The wage share has fallen, but the profit share hasn’t risen correspondingly. The reason is that finance has found ways to extract the difference. Exactly how is a longer story, but it’s at the core of what “financialization” means in practice. 2. Externalities. In a lot of trading activity there are external costs that are not accounted for, especially the cost of public backstopping in the event of insolvency. Finance has gotten better at playing the risk/reward game by externalizing the risks. I have just returned from a conference of the Japan Association for Evolutionary Economics at the University of Tokyo. There I met Yoshinori Shiozawa of Osaka University who has applied a form of math I did not know of previously, tropical mathematics, to Ricardian trade theory, providing a version that depends on input-output analysis that he claims is consistent with Ricardian-Sraffian classical theory with the labor theory of value intact. His first paper on this appeared in the journal of SIAM, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and one last year appeared in the Japanese journal, Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, in a special issue edited by mathematician, Donald Saari. His papers on this and related topics can be accessed at Research Gate. Tropical math comes out of algebraic geometry and involves semi-rings with two operations, one a minimizing one and the other an additive one. This generates a linear piecewise linear skeletonized hypersurface, which in the context of trade theory looks to me to bound facets of a PPT that define zones of comparative advantage for different products. Shiozawa uses a version that depends on a variant called "sub-tropical algebra" (and geometry). This form of math was invented by Brazilian-based (for which the name "tropical" was given) but Hungarian-born Imre Simon, who died in 2009. The other application in economics that I am aware of has been by Paul Klemperer in designing product-mix auctions, first used by the Bank of England in 2007 for carrying out in a single auction of multiple differentiated product what used to involve a multiple series of auctions. Klemperer has a few papers on this, with probably the most prominent being "The product-mix auction: a new design for differentiated goods," Journal of the European Economic Association, 2010. It has never been formally stated, at least not in a diplomatic ceremony or treaty, but well before the end of the Cold War a focal point norm had gradually developed among the nations that possessed nuclear weapons that nobody would be the first to use nuclear weapons, although there was a sort of implicit remnant of "Unless we are seriously invaded and our national existence is threatened." But the very lack of statement in any official way was part of what made the focal point norm exist. Many credit Thomas Schelling with being the crucial figure in all this, both by inventing the idea of focal points in game theory (which was what he officially received his Nobel Prize for) as well as for privately and behind the scenes pushing specifically for such a focal point norm, with apparently getting at least the relevant US figures to go along with it, with the US of course being the only nation ever to actually use nuclear weapons against another nation (and I am especially aware of this having just been at a conference in Tokyo). And it was US figures, most notoriously the late Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, who most loudly advocated using them in various situations, such as in his old "Bomb them back to the stone age," with regard to North Vietnam. Now Donald Trump has blown apart the focal point, even if few seem to be focusing on that as perhaps the worst thing he has done so far in his generally nauseating campaign, where there seems to be more attention on how his wife has behaved and what size his body parts are. He has allowed as how he might consider using tactical nukes against ISIS, and it would appear that Ted Cruz does not disagree with him, although maybe the Dem candidates do, or at least Bernie. But the cat is now out of the bag. No longer is use of nuclear weapons not in response to a nuclear attack a forbidden norm/focal point. Anything can happen. OK OK, I recognize that at least one commentator in Russia made noises about using nukes against the US, and now Kim of North Korea has produced a video of a nuclear attack on Washington. But neither of these were or are really taken seriously, at least not in the near future. But Trump is another matter, and if he gets into the White House with his finger on the nuclear trigger, all bets will be off. All that effort by Thomas Schelling will be down the drain. This morning’s rebuttal by Kevin Drum against Matt Taibbi’s endorsement of Bernie Sanders strikes a familiar note. A lot of the commentary on the Democratic contest has taken the form of policy differences between the two candidates don’t matter because nothing much can be enacted because of the Republicans/public opinion/supreme court/zeitgeist/etc. This is a politics that takes futility for granted. The error in this way of thinking is that it’s all static, no dynamic. It’s a judgment of what is feasible under current political conditions. It assumes away even the possibility of changing those conditions. If you think about the Reagan presidency’s long run effect on America, for instance, how much of it was about specific policy victories versus the shift in agenda and discourse that has been with us ever since? What rankles a lot of us about Obama is not that he compromised, but that he pre-compromised by watering down his proposals before they were challenged, compromised down from that, and then acted and spoke as if none of this had been a compromise at all—as if his deepest desire was to leave the political context as unruffled as possible. A lot of Bernie’s appeal is that he promises to do the opposite. Maury Obstfeld et al., writing on the IMF’s blog site, don’t do a very aggressive job of advertising their main observation, so let me do it here. The problem is that you’d think that the decline in global oil prices since 2014 would be a net plus for the world economy, in the same way that the price spikes of the 70s were a (big) net minus. That’s not what we’re seeing, however. Overall, it’s a wash or possibly a slight negative, even if we don’t read too much into the link between oil and stock prices. You might argue reverse causation, that it’s the slack in the economy that’s pulling down oil and other commodity prices, and there’s some truth in this, but, as Obstfeld and his coauthors point out, econometric studies have put most of the explanation for the price drop on increases in supply rather than reductions in demand. So what gives? The bottom line (which they fudge around a bit) is that monetary policy really, really needs help. Fiscal expansion is essential. This is a small but typical example: the New York Times today ran a story about frictions in the switch to embedded-chip credit cards. The process has been bumpy, and retailers think the banks and payment processors have been exploiting them, while the processors blame the retails for dragging their feet. I don’t know anything at all about this, but one thing I do know is that the same transition occurred years ago in Europe. You’d think a reporter delving into this topic would contact sources in Chipland, so our experience could be compared to theirs. Maybe we could learn something that would help us sort out the tangle of charges and countercharges (so to speak). But no. Not a single word about the world beyond our borders. I see this all the time. People fulminate about the role of money in politics and the sins of Citizens United but pay no attention to the various forms business influence takes in other developed countries with a variety of campaign finance laws. We can have a big debate about the economics of Bernie Sanders’ proposal to make public higher education tuition-free without so much as a glance at the many countries where that has been a reality for decades—one of which is right over the border to the north. The problem isn’t American exceptionalism, it’s American self-absorption. I just finished listening to the video clip that has been making the rounds, in which a spokesman announces to the assembled workers at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis that their jobs will be moved to Mexico. It’s embedded in a long article in today’s New York Times that uselessly follows the framing of this and similar events in American political discourse: it’s about whether you are for “free trade” or not, how you feel about Mexican workers versus US workers, etc. The whole discussion takes as given the way corporations in the US (and Mexico) are run and the purposes they serve. It invites us down a rabbit hole that leads to nowhere useful—tariffs and other barriers, or whether we need more programs to redirect some of the “gains from trade” to unemployed workers in the form of checks and education subsidies. Not that trade doesn’t matter, of course, but it’s really missing the point to think that the deindustrialization of America is the simple result of engaging in international trade. Over all, United Technologies [Carrier’s parent] earned nearly $7.6 billion last year, and $2.9 billion of that came from the climate, controls and security division that includes Carrier. Those profits aren’t under pressure; in fact, margins in the unit have steadily expanded in recent years. But that’s not good enough, said Howard Rubel, a senior analyst at Jeffries, who notes that United Technologies has vowed to cut at least a half-billion dollars in costs annually for the next few years. “The stock hasn’t done well,” Mr. Rubel pointed out. So here’s the problem: Carrier is profitable and there are no apparent threats to its continued profitability. But it could be more profitable if it replaced workers in Indiana with workers in Mexico who can be paid about a tenth as much. Investors, of course, demand these higher profits. If the purpose of the company is to satisfy its investors, that’s what it needs to do. But what should be the purpose of a company? Businesses have many beneficial purposes: they can produce things people want and are willing to pay for, they can provide employment for workers and an economic base for their communities, they can promote education through training programs and linkages with schools and universities, and they can pitch in to promote social objectives like sustainability and racial and gender equality. Through their R&D they can contribute to society’s fund of useful knowledge, and through their management and governance they can help cultivate democratic values of participation, cooperation and respect. Of course, to do all these good things they need to be profitable, not just now and then, but on an ongoing basis, anticipating future threats to profitability and responding with innovation and toughness when necessary. But putting the interests of investors above all others, and putting profit maximization above any other benefit they can provide, can turn them into instruments of economic, social and political decline. It’s not just about shipping jobs to Mexico; moving jobs around the US to force workers to make concessions or simply because the costs of dislocation don’t matter to them, can be just as harmful. Or maybe the way to make an extra buck is to cut corners on the environment, or to avoid paying taxes or to invest in politicians who can rig the system for you. The ability of clever executives to devise new ways to boost profits at the expense of society will always exceed the capacity of regulators to keep them in line. To put it in a nutshell, the actions of Carrier and the rest of corporate America reflect a system in which investors come first, and the primary goal of business is to maximize profits. We need a system in which investors are just one of many constituencies, and the financial goal is to maximize the probability of remaining profitable over an extended time horizon. Profit has to become a means, not an end. The socialist agenda, as I understand it, is about the many reforms that move us closer to such a world. It includes worker participation in corporate governance, but also representation of other community interests. It can include measures to broaden ownership, including a role for public and social ownership vehicles along with private ones. Financial reform also has a large contribution to make, especially if it expands the role of public and cooperative banking. Consideration should also be given to measures that would alter the incentives to issue preferred rather than common stock or otherwise attenuate the connection between ownership and control—in other words, perform a Reverse Jensen. And this is just the beginning: once you start thinking about it, you can see the agenda is enormous, especially because it’s been in mothballs for generations. I wish there were a socialist running for president right now. The Sanders campaign has combined what ought to be mainstream liberalism and rhetorical radicalism. Consider—you don’t have to go all the way to Denmark; Canada already has single payer healthcare and free higher education. This is not a program from out in the ozone somewhere; it’s perfectly normal welfare state capitalism. He dresses it up, however, in language about revolution and upheaval, even using the daring s-word. This has shown a lot of appeal to young voters but may also intimidate others who might support him, and it would probably be a handicap in a general election against a truly radical, destabilizing Republican. You would want to call attention to the risk posed by a Trump or a Cruz by presenting yourself as a safer choice. Why not do it the other way around? Push the policies further to the left by proposing changes to corporate governance and more far-reaching reform of labor law (for instance), while speaking in soothing language about “updating” the economy, improving performance, evidence-based approaches, etc.? I think the more ideologically attuned portion of his base would value stronger substance, while the less fire-breathing posture (sorry about the mixed metaphor) would assuage the worries of those less inclined to take a giant leap. I realize it’s way too late for this, and it goes against Bernie’s personality type, but perhaps it can be given more thought next time around. Because even if Sanders had won three out of five primaries, Clinton would have picked up 55% of the delegates. The mainstream media's disdain for a non-center-right Democratic campaign comes as no surprise, however. What fascinates the Sandwichman is an insistant narrative from certain "left" critics that the Sanders campaign is the worst thing since Vidkun Quisling. I feel their pain. The U.S. Democratic Party is a card-carrying member of the military-industrial-financial complex's bipartisan repressive duopoly. You can't teach an old hyena new tricks -- and it's dangerous to try. And all that. But there is a tone to left anti-Sanders ranting that is reminiscent of the post-2000 Ralph Nader hate fest. "If only Nader hadn't run..." the narrative began and then proceeded to ignore the actual popular vote count, the electoral irregularities in Florida and the Supreme Court's tendentious squashing of a judicial recount AND to assume that every Nader voter would have been a Gore voter if it hadn't been for Nader. (Not to mention that if only Gore had won the presidency, the millennium would have arrived in the year 2001). The every-Nader-voter assumption is preposterous. Probably a majority of Nader voters would not have voted if Nader hadn't been on the ballot. Some proportion of Nader voters would have voted for Bush. Some voters, who might otherwise not have voted, may have been drawn to the polls by the prospect of voting for Nader and changed their mind in the voting booth. In short, speculative reallocating of third party votes is pointless. There is a sense in which the anti-Sanders left is making the same mistake as the anti-Nader crowd. They imply that if it wasn't for Sanders there would somehow be a genuine socialist alternative; that if all those naive BernieBros and the young women who pursue them would only give up their illusions about the Democratic Party, there would be a real revolution. The funniest part of the anti-Sanders left ranters is how eagerly they adopt DLC anti-Bernie talking points from the mainstream media. May I suggest a slogan? "I stand with the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN Against U.S. Imperialism and White Millennial Bro-dom!" Brad DeLong has triggered some loud huffing and puffing with a new post in which he argues with Paul Krugman about the benefits of free trade (he thinks the gains from trade are greater than PK does), and labels what he is doing "flying my neoliberal freak flag high!" I have linked to Mark Thoma's link to Brad's initial post so that people can go into the comments where Mark's most faithful commentator, anne, links to the Wikipedia definition of "neoliberalism," from which she finds Brad to be in cahoots with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, not to mention General Pinochet, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman. Lots of other commentators have piled on to denounce Brad for his "return to his elitist roots" and so on, which may be true, but I think also involves some misunderstanding stemming from outright ignorance of how and why Brad identifies himself with this term. After all, he has never been a fan of Ronald Reagan, and I am quite certain that Reagan himself never used the term to describe himself. What is up here? The main reason anne is misguided is that the Wikipedia entry simply ignores a particular strand of use of the term that began in Washington in1983 and that viewed itself as a movement for at least two decades, even as this use of the term and this movement has faded substantially, even if arguably it is still kicking around, arguably in the current US presidential race, even as those most associated with it (see Hillary Clinton) seem now to be running from some of its most famous tenets, such as support for free trade (or at least of bills claiming to be such, notably the troubled TPPP, which has been noted by many as mostly involving strengthening monopoly rights of Big Pharma and such than expanding trade opportunities for such places as Vietnam). This Washington use of the term was coined in a May, 1983 article in the Washington Monthly by Charles Peters called "A Neoliberal's Manifesto." Reading this one finds him clearly unaware that the term had an earlier existence as he describes himself as the "sole culprit at the christening," and his immediate followers, most of them coming out of the Democratic Party, seem to have been equally ignorant. Among those he identified as fellow travelers were journalists Nicholas Lemann, Joseph Nocera, Jonathan Alter, political economists Robert Reich and Lester Thurow, and eventual presidential candidates Bill Bradley, Paul Tsongas, and Gary Hart. It was a reaction to the fairly recently formed neoconservative movement of that day (which supported Reagan), and he said, "If neoconservagtives were liberals who took a critical look at liberalism and decided to become conservatives, we are liberals who took the same look and decided to retain our goals but to abandon some of our prejudices." They would be noted for being unsympathetic with unions and pro-hi tech, with their supporting free trade against the increasing protectionism of the unions a flashpoint and relevant to the current flap involving Brad DeLong. A group associated with this brand of neoliberals would be the "radically centrist" DLC, which Bill Clinton would become associated strongly with and many of these neoliberals would support him, with Brad himself serving in Clinton's administration in the Treasury Department. These people did not support Reagan, and Reagan did not support them (nor did most neoconservatives). Nevertheless, because the term would also become associated with the "Washington Consensus" at the IMF, this provided a link between the two strands of the use of the term out there, with the other one that which is recognized and explained in the Wikipedia entry about the term. So, what about the older history of the term that Peters was so unaware of? It turns out that there was a conflict earlier on between two branches of the neoliberal movement, and that Peters's view may well be seen as in synch with one of those. So the term was initially coined in the 1930s by Walter Lippman, who saw it as a "Third Way" between classical liberalism and socialist central economic planning, arguably not too far from Peters's view. This sort of burbled underground during WW II, only to reemerge most forcefully in Germany after the war with the Ordo-Liberals based in such places as Freiburg and Cologne, most importantly with such figures as Walter Eucken, Wilhelm Roepke, and Alfred Muller-Armack. In 1946, Muller-Armack coined the term "sozialmarktwirtschaft," or "social market economy," which would be picked up by Ludwig Erhard and would be adopted as the defining ideology of West Germany, a mostly free market economy without state ownership or planning, but a strong social safety net, arguably a milder version of the social democracy of the Nordic economies. Eucken and Roepke both took up this idea, with Eucken linking it with his Ordo-Liberalism. The link with the Anglo-American classical liberals came with the founding of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947, where the A-A view was led by Hayek and Friedman. At the time they adopted and accepted the descriptor, "neoliberal," and many have since commented on the role of the MPS in the history of neoliberlism. During the 1950s, these two branches would diverge (perhaps triggered by a 1953 speech to it by Erhard), with the classical liberal branch gaining control. So it was that the dominant branch of neoliberalism essentially became an updated classical liberalism without all that social safety net baggage. And, in fact, in most of the English speaking world, the term "neoliberal" basically disappeared from usage during the 1960s and 1970s, preparing the ground for Peters to revive it in 1983 without realizing that it had already been around for some time, with his version probably not too far from the social market economy version of Muller-Armack and Eucken. The term survived in the Spanish language literature, especially that dealing with Latin America, and it was associated with Hayek and Friedman and their views of the world. That both of them gave some support to the economic policies of the Pinochet regime cemented this link in this Spanish language literature. The Wikipedia entry notes that it was from this literature that the more modern use of it migrated back into the English language academic literature especially from the 1990s on. This literature generally either ignored or was unaware of this Washington-based Peters version of it, even as he was unaware of this other history of the term's usage. What is curious is indeed the partial convergence of uses of the term with respect to the Washington Consensus, which indeed has mostly focused on increasing marketization and privatization, in short, fully in synch with the classical liberal version of it associated with Hayek and Friedman. The WC mostly ignored the issue of social safety nets, and indeed often supported cutting them back in such places as Latin America and then later in the transition economies of Eastern Europe in the 1990s, although the backlash against such cutbacks in some of the more successful such nations such as Poland eventually led to some rethinking about that aspect of it at the IMF and other such places. So we have these two strands of what the term means. Wiki says that Thatcher and Reagan were neoliberals, although neither ever associated themselves with the term. Those following the Peters line such as Brad DeLong would say they were not neoliberals, at least of their type. The problem or issue for Brad is whether or not his current freak flag flying is really a continuation of this Lippman-Eucken-Peters version of the idea, or whether in the current situation such flying is not just pushing himself into the Hayek-Friedman-Pinochet version of it. I do not have the answer to that. It was over 20 years ago that IBM's Deep Blue chess playing program defeated world chess champion, Kasparov. Now, Google's Go playing program has defeated Lee Se-dol of Korea in the first of several rounds of playing. But the reports have it that this first round involved a pretty decisive outcome, so probably this is it and AI has triumphed over humans yet again. It is a sign of how much more complicated Go really is than chess that it has taken this long for this outcome. By most accounts the program involved deep neural network learning systems far beyond what has been done before. In a way it is curious in that the rules of Go are much simpler than those of chess, with only black and white stones that are placed in locations on a 19 by 19 board in an effort to securely surround territory, in contrast with chess where pieces have these different powers and functions, although on a smaller board. There are far more possible strategies in Go, making it much harder to use the brute force methods used in other game playing programs. I do not claim any great expertise in the game, although relative to most I am probably better at it than I am at chess, where I have now been beaten by two of my grandsons (they have not been able to beat me in Go yet). I never could beat my old man at it, although I once gave him a serious run for his money at it. In any case, when I played against a relatively crude program some years ago, it slaughtered me. So, I have my limits. Nevertheless, I thought I might give a picture of how subtle the strategies are in the game by recounting a story my late father told me from his days as a grad student in math at Princeton in the early 1930s, a time when the place was crawling with some truly brilliant people. A Go master from Japan came and played against a group of the math grad students (Go has long been popular among people like John Nash and other brilliant math types). As first the grad students were ahead, but as the game progressed the Go master gradually caught up, finally winning by precisely 8 stones (not a lot). Later someone found out that if a player is really far superior to another he will win by that amount, which represents the 8-fold way of Buddhism, supposedly not to humiliate the opponent, although clearly really doing so seriously. In any case, that a computer program can now beat someone who is probably capable of pulling that off is quite an achievement. One invents flimsy rationales for policies the elites want to impose. The other explains to the public that those policies are "not good economics." There is always a hypothetical better economics that isn't being implemented. So when the modern Republican Party (R.I.P), in the name of “small government” and opposition to “class warfare,” set its face against policies to redistribute the gains from economic growth, it destroyed the theoretical basis for thinking that a rising tide would lift all the boats, rather than lifting the yachts and swamping the trawlers. Free trade without redistribution (especially the corrupt version of “free trade” with corporate rent-seeking written into it) is basically class warfare waged downwards. Imagine an economy with two sectors. One benefits from free trade and the other loses. Let’s assume that the first received a 15% increase in income while the second saw a 5% decrease in income. Let’s also assume each sector has a 50% weight in overall income. Aggregate well being may have increased by 5% but when the elites say everyone gains from free trade – they display their total ignorance of international economics. Mark is noting that it is theoretically possible to impose a tax equal to 8% of the income of the winners and rebate it to the losers. The winners on net gain 7% and the rest of us on net gain 3%. Has this ever happened? Likely not. Will it happen under Republican rule? No – more likely Republicans will cut taxes on the winners and further punish the losers. True, Ted Cruz is alone among the top contenders in calling explicitly for a return to the gold standard — you could say that he wants to Cruzify mankind upon a cross of gold. establishment Republicans may talk free trade, but they are if anything more protectionist than Democrats in practice (although neither party is seriously protectionist these days.) Remember, it was Bush, not a Democrat, who imposed a WTO-illegal steel tariff, then had to back down in the face of European pressure. And going back, remember that Reagan, not Carter, imposed import quotas on Japanese cars. Krugman writes about how a trade war might leave net exports unaffected on net. Even if we did not have a trade war, the Mundell-Fleming model predicts a similar result. Yes we restricted imports of Japanese automobiles in the early 1980’s but that likely further appreciated the currency even on top of Volcker’s tight monetary policy. What happens if we adopt the fiscal stimulus advocated by both Democrats running for the White House? The exchange rate appreciates and the trade balance worsens until the initial increase in G is completely offset. The IS curve is pushed back to the original position, and Y cannot increase at all. OK – this is the textbook answer that assumes both floating exchange rates and an upward sloping LM curve. If the Federal Reserve sensibly ignores Ted Cruz and keeps interest rates low, then maybe we can avoid a massive appreciation of the dollar. We would still get a fall in net exports as the economy improves but this translates into stronger net export demand abroad. Of course we could go with the Republican idea of balancing the budget which would lower our trade deficit by creating a recession and at the same time reduce net export demand abroad. Whether it was in the preface of his 1690 Discourse about Trade, that Child called it a vulgar error -- so commonly held as to have become "almost proverbial" -- to suppose that "We have people enough, and more than we can employ"? And whether Child did not also observe there that "the profit of the merchant, and the gain of the kingdom, are so far from being always parallels, that frequently they run counter one to the other..."? The wording is loose; Tucker did not trouble to elaborate a consistent theory; he was looking for arguments in support of proposed naturalization legislation, and this coloured his approach. He did, however, enunciate the concept which in a more fully developed form was to become known as "the Law of Markets". Whether Abba Lerner, in his review of the collection of International Economic Papers in which it was contained, called Lambert's article, "an oppressively learned examination of the origins of Say's Law"? Whether Lerner wrote that the article "shows very clearly how the proposition that production creates its own demand developed as an illegitimate extension of the innocent proposition that money is a medium of exchange by which goods and services are exchanged for goods and services"? And whether he wrote that it "concludes with a fascinating account of how Malthus forced Say to re-define "products" to exclude products that could not be sold at a price that covered costs, so that his Law would properly read 'production creates its own demand except when it doesn't'"? Whether backdating the origins of the law of markets from Tucker to Child casts doubt on the innocence of the proposition? Whether it would be frivolous to concede the compatibility of slavery with liberty? Whether liberty is compatible not only with slavery but with the proud assumption of "an infallible maxim"? Whether John Stuart Mill wrote in On Liberty, "To refuse a hearing to an opinion because they [those who desire to suppress it] are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty"? Whether Mill maintained that "All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility"? Whether any assumption of infallibility, in Mill's view, would be legitimate? Whether Mill's view gives rise to a paradox similar to the liar's paradox? Whether this is what a correspondent to The English Churchman implied by stating, "If all principles be uncertain, upon what grounds can this principle be made the exception? Is this the one great infallible maxim, the one self-evident axiom?" Whether the criticism in The Churchman misses its mark? Whether instead of proposing an infallible maxim about infallible maxims, Mill was distinguishing between subjective certainty and absolute certainty and maintaining that one cannot ascertain the latter on the basis of the former? Whether the claim of infallibility is rendered even more dubious by disputes over what the law of markets asserts and who should be recognized as its author? And whether some credit John Stuart Mill's father, James, as the author? Whether one cannot refute the hydra-headed maxim unless one refutes all its myriad themes and variations, which, of course, regenerate from their bloody stumps as one proceeds from version to version? Whether there is any alternative to wrestling with Say's Mill's Tucker's Child's polycephalous serpent? Whether Mill wrote also, "He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that"? Whether the other side in this case is the one labeled "vulgar error" by Tucker and Child: "We have more hands than we can employ; we have people enough, and more than we can employ"? Whether the word "can" in those passages refers to anything substantive? Whether we can employ all, provided those in power implement policies that they would never agree to? What kind of a possibility would that be? There is, say they, a certain quantity of labour to be performed. This used to be performed by hands, without machines, or with very little help from them. But if now machines perform a larger share than before, suppose one fourth part, so many hands as are necessary to work that fourth part, will be thrown out of work, or suffer in their wages. The principle itself is false. There is not a precise limited quantity of labour, beyond which there is no demand. Trade is not hemmed in by great walls, beyond which it cannot go. Whether the latter argument glides between a given and a hypothetical possibility? Whether either Graunt's pessimistic assumption or Rasbotham's sanguine projection is infallible? Whether Rasbotham's refrain, became "almost proverbial" in the course of the 19th century industrialization of Great Britain? Whether Josiah Child's warning about the frequent conflict between private profit and public gain is chronically ignored? And whether his speculations about the domestic employment generating prospects of colonial plantations was discretely expunged of its unsavory association with chattel slavery? Have you noticed that most environmentalists (in the US at any rate) take a religious approach to their cause? They see environmental problems, including of course climate change, as resulting from the low ratio of enlightened to unenlightened consciousness—too few who see the light, too many who continue in their earth-destructive ways. Part of the solution is education: expose the miscreants to the facts, show them the horrors we are visiting on the natural world and how their behavior perpetuates it. Beyond that, call them out for their selfishness, putting their own comfort ahead of general good, not to mention the sustenance of Mother Earth herself. We get great discussions in class, but weeks later, when I read their exams and papers, I see a return to the original assumption: the core problem is unenlightenment, and the task of the environmental activist is conversion. If only each of us understood the plight of “x” (a species, a treasured ecosystem, the earth itself), we would shop differently, change our diet, reduce our use of resources and become the solution. Somehow the attention to laws, economic incentives, and the structure of power wanders. To be clear, I think there’s always a need for more enlightenment in this world. I’m a big fan of environmental education, which I think has had a large, positive influence on millions of people. The problem is that this is not sufficient in itself, as the second slide should make clear. Worse, to the extent they fixate on education/conversion as the sole pathway for social change, environmentalists fail to take on the political and economic aspects of the job. Even worse—much worse—by assigning a moral reading to this enlightenment → social change template, the environmental movement gets bogged down in an unseemly and counterproductive obsession with virtue. Why this conversion thing? As far as I know, no one has studied the question systematically. It would be nice if there were a body of empirical evidence, opinion surveys of environmentalists in different countries tracking these views over time. Are some environmentalists more given to the conversion template than others? Does the availability of collective action (more open political structures) diminish conversionism? We need data! In the absence of information, I can only speculate. What I’m thinking at the moment is that, just perhaps, the view of environmental action as conversion has roots in personal experience. Presumably those who become activists on behalf of environmental causes undergo their own process of conversion at some point. Maybe it’s in school, studying environmental science or ethics, or in the field, doing research or service work, or simply exploring nature in play and recreation. Whatever the trigger, something happens, and the beauty and necessity of the natural world pours in: another environmentalist is born. These moments are wonderful. There should be more of them. Yet we also know there is a tendency to project our own experiences onto to the rest of the world, so our own conversion becomes a model for transforming society as a whole and how it treats the environment. Social change is not a simple analog of personal change, however, so in this respect projection is unenlightening. I am just speculating. There are probably other hypotheses I haven’t thought of that are just as plausible, maybe more so. Again, this is a topic that would benefit from empirical research. As someone who teaches emergent environmental activists and practitioners, I’d like to know a lot more. Simon Wren-Lewis appeals to the history of the past few decades to develop an argument for making central banking less independent. I think there’s a simpler way to put it: good macroeconomic policy typically requires coordination between monetary and fiscal policy. This was true in the early-mid 1980s in the US when very expansive fiscal policy combusted with tight monetary policy to drive up the value of the dollar and require a Plaza Accord to repair the damage. It’s true today, as SWL says, to facilitate some sort of helicopter to fly us out of chronically deficient demand. This is old-fashioned Keynesian economics, the sort I learned in the 1970s, and it still makes sense. Incidentally, one of the arguments for ICB’s that SWL cites has never impressed me much, that it counteracts the pro-inflation bias of populist politicians. If the rest of the political economic landscape were perfectly neutral with respect to competing policy objectives, there might be a point. But in the world we actually live in there is a politically powerful financial sector in every country demanding hard money at each moment of the business cycle (except of course the crash). This lends a contractionary bias to monetary policy under systems in which central banks are insulated from other political pressures. Obviously, reducing CB independence is not a solution in itself, because politics is often misguided, but if there were truly a soft money bias from electoral pressures, it might take us closer to neutrality overall.

2019-04-25T00:09:42Z

http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2016/03/

1) The paper facilitates an understanding of how the cadastral concept has evolved over time into the broader concept of Land Administration Systems in support of sound Land Governance. The role of land professionals and FIG is underlined in this regard. The paper also represents the essence of a range of papers presented by the author as President of FIG over the term of office 2007-2010. In most countries, the cadastral system is just taken for granted, while the impact of the system in terms of facilitating an efficient land market and supporting effective land-use administration is not fully recognised. The reality is that the impact of a well-functioning cadastral system can hardly be overestimated. A well-tailored cadastral system is in fact acting as a backbone in society. The famous Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto has put it this way: “Civilized living in market economies is not simply due to greater prosperity but to the order that formalized property rights bring” (De Soto, 1993). The point is that the cadastral system provides security of property rights. The cadastral systems thereby paves the way for prosperity – provided that the basic land policies are implemented to govern the basic land issues, and provided that sound institutions are in place to secure good governance of all issues related to land and property. This institutional context is of course country unique. Since the early 1990´s there has been a major evolution in this area of land administration. FIG has played a significant role in terms of facilitating the understanding of the role of land administration, and by establishing a powerful link between appropriate land administration and sustainable development. Throughout the world, the cadastral concept has developed significantly over the past few decades. The most recent examples are current world concerns of environmental management, sustainable development and social justice. The human kind to land relationship is dynamic and is changing over time as a response to general trends in societal development. In the same way, the role of the cadastral systems is changing over time, as the systems underpin these societal development trends. In the Western world this dynamic interaction may be described in four phases as shown in figure 1 below. Over the last few decades land is increasingly seen as a community scarce resource. The role of the cadastral systems has then evolved to be serving the need for comprehensive information regarding the combination of land-use and property issues. New information technology provides the basis for this evolution. This forms the new role of the cadastral systems: the multi-purpose cadastre. The international development in the area of Cadastre and Land Administration has been remarkable with FIG taking a leading role. Throughout the last 10-15 years a number of initiatives have been taken with a focus to explain the importance of sound land administration systems as a basis for achieving “the triple bottom line” in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability. International organizations such as UN, FAO, HABITAT and especially the World Bank have been key partners in this process. The International Federation of Surveyors (FIG, 1995) defines a cadastre as a “parcel based and up-to-date land information system containing a record of interests in land (e.g. rights, restrictions and responsibilities). It usually includes a geometric description of land parcels linked to other records describing the nature of the interests, ownership or control of those interests, and often the value of the parcel and its improvements. It may be established for fiscal purposes (valuation and taxation), legal purposes (conveyancing), to assist in the management of land and land-use control (planning and administration), and enables sustainable development and environmental improvement”. A rage of publications is presented below showing the impact of the FIG agenda. In 1995 FIG published an important and very timely publication entitled “The FIG statement on the Cadastre”. In many countries throughout the world the cadastral systems were revised, mainly due to technology development. Cadastral reform was on the agenda in most developing countries. At the same time, there was also an increasing focus on the cadastral systems in Eastern Europe – the so-called countries in transition. And in the third world there was an increasing awareness about the importance of these systems as a basis for developing a modern and market oriented society. The FIG Statement on the Cadastre, this way, established a standard. The concepts were explained, settled, and made operational according to the specific conditions in different parts of the world. The co-operation between FIG and the UN-organizations was strongly intensified through the second half of the 1990´s. The so-called Bogor Declaration is a good example as a result of an interregional meeting of cadastral experts held in Bogor, Indonesia, March 1996. The Bogor meeting was based on a recommendation from the UNRCC-AP Conference in Beijing in 1994. The meeting was also part of the efforts to develop an active response to the problems of land management and environmental protection as stipulated in Agenda 21 from “The Earth Summit” in Brazil 1992. The cadastral systems were hereby officially recognized for the first time as a core part of the infrastructure supporting a sustainable environmental and nature resource management. The Bathurst Conference was organized by FIG Commission 7 and attracted 40 invited experts from 23 countries. Half of the participants were surveyors from FIG, the other half experts from other professions and representatives from UN organizations such as UNDP, FAO, UN-HABITAT and the World Bank. The Bathurst conference examined the major issues relevant to strengthening land policies, institutions and infrastructures. The resulting Bathurst Declaration on Land Tenure and Cadastral Infrastructures for Sustainable Development established a powerful link between good land administration and sustainable development and provided a range of recommendations on how land tenures and land administration infrastructures should evolve to meet the challenges of upcoming 21st Century. The cadastral systems differ throughout the world in terms of purpose, content and design and the technical and economic effectiveness vary a lot. There was a need for a vision for future cadastral systems to fulfil a multipurpose role and in response to technology development. “Cadastre 2014” presented such a vision in terms of six statements for development of cadastral systems over the following years towards 2014. The vision is based on a fully digital environment and using privatisation and cost recovery as the core organisational components. This publication of FIG Commission 7 has obtained remarkable international attention and established a new agenda for discussing the cadastral issues. The publication is translated into a range of foreign languages. In the Western cultures it would be hard to imagine a society without having property rights as a basic driver for development and economic growth. Property is not only an economic asset. Secure property rights provide a sense of identity and belonging that goes far beyond and underpins the values of democracy and human freedom. Historically, however, land rights evolved to give incentives for maintaining soil fertility, making land-related investments, and managing natural resources sustainably. Therefore, property rights are normally managed well in modern economies. The main rights are ownership and long term leasehold. These rights are typically managed through the cadastral/land registration systems developed over centuries. Other rights such as easements and mortgage are often included in the registration systems. Cadastral Systems are organized in different ways throughout the world, especially with regard to the Land Registration component (figure 2). Basically, two types of systems can be identified: the Deeds System and the Title System. The differences between the two concepts relate to the cultural development and judicial setting of the country. The key difference is found in whether only the transaction is recorded (the Deeds System) or the title itself is recorded and secured (the Title System). The Deeds System is basically a register of owners focusing on “who owns what” while the Title System is a register of properties presenting “what is owned by whom”. The cultural and judicial aspects relate to whether a country is based on Roman law (Deeds Systems) or Germanic or common-Anglo law (Title Systems). This of course also relates to the history of colonization. International experience suggests three basic approaches to cadastral systems. These approaches are based on countries grouped according to their similar background and legal contexts (German style, Torrens/English approach, and French/Latin style). While each system has its own unique characteristics, most cadastres can be grouped under one of these three approaches. Just as there are three different styles of land registration systems, these translate to three different roles that the cadastre plays in each system. Again, while the role of the cadastre and the land registration styles are not definitive, figure 3 describes the three approaches in general terms. Figure 3. General relationships between land registries and cadastres. Modern land administration theory acknowledges the history of the cadastre as a central tool of government infrastructure and highlights its central role in implementing the land management paradigm. However, given the difficulty of finding a definition that suits every version it makes sense to talk about cadastral systems rather than just cadastres (figure 4). These systems incorporate both the identification of land parcels and the registration of land rights. They support the valuation and taxation of land and property, as well as the administration of present and possible future uses of land. Multipurpose cadastral systems support the four functions of land tenure, value, use, and development to deliver sustainable development. By around 2000, cadastral systems were seen as a multipurpose engine of government operating best when they served and integrated administrative functions in land tenure, value, use, and development and focused on delivering sustainable land management. A mature multipurpose cadastral system could even be considered a land administration system in itself. Figure 4: Cadastral systems provide a basic land information infrastructure for running the interrelated systems within the areas of Land Tenure, Land Value, and Land Use (Enemark, 2004). A website has been established http://www.cadastraltemplate.org to compare cadastral systems on a worldwide basis. About 42 countries are currently included (August 2010) and the number is still increasing. The web site is established by Working Group 3 (Cadastre) of the PCGI-AP (Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific). The cadastral template is basically a standard form to be completed by cadastral organizations presenting their national cadastral system. The aim is to understand the role that a cadastre plays in a state or a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), and to compare best practice as a basis for improving cadastres as a key component of NSDIs. The project is carried out in collaboration with FIG Commission 7 (Cadastre and Land Management), which has extensive experience in comparative cadastral studies. (Steudler, et.al. 2004). It is generally accepted, however, that a good property system is a system where people in general can participate in the land market having a widespread ownership where everybody can make transactions and have access to registration. The infrastructure supporting transactions must be simple, fast, cheap, reliable, and free of corruption. It is estimated that only 25-30 countries in the world apply to these criteria. It is recognized that these legal or formal systems do not serve the millions of people whose tenures are predominantly social rather than legal. “Rights such as freehold and registered leasehold, and the conventional cadastral and land registration systems, and the way they are presently structured, cannot supply security of tenure to the vast majority of the low income groups and/or deal quickly enough with the scale of urban problems. Innovative approaches need to be developed” (UN- HABITAT 2003). This should include a “scaling up approach” that include a range of steps from informal to more formalised land rights. This process does not mean that the all societies will necessarily develop into freehold tenure systems. Figure 5 shows a continuum of land rights where each step in the process can be formalised, with registered freeholds offering a stronger protection, than at earlier stages. Figure 5. Continuum of land rights (UN-Habitat, 2008). Most developing countries have less than 30 per cent cadastral coverage. This means that over 70 per cent of the land in many countries is generally outside the land register. This has caused enormous problems for example in cities, where over one billion people live in slums without proper water, sanitation, community facilities, security of tenure or quality of life. This has also caused problems for countries with regard to food security and rural land management issues. The security of tenure of people in these areas relies on forms of tenure different from individual freehold. Most off register rights and claims are based on social tenures. The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), facilitated by UN-HABITAT is a coalition of international partners (such as FIG) who has taken up this challenge and is supporting the development of pro-poor land management tools, to address the technical gaps associated with unregistered land, the upgrading of slums, and urban and rural land management. GLTN partners support a continuum of land rights (figure 5), which include documented as well as undocumented land rights, from individuals and groups, and in slums which are legal as well as illegal and informal. This range of rights generally cannot be described relative to a parcel, and therefore new forms of spatial units are needed. A model has been developed to accommodate these social tenures, termed the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM). A first prototype of STDM is available. This is a pro-poor land information management system that can be used to support the land administration of the poor in urban and rural areas, which can also be linked to the cadastral system in order that all information can be integrated. The need for a complete coverage of all land by Land Administration Systems is urgent. Not only for the registration of formal rights and for the recordation of informal and customary rights. Also for managing the value, the use of land and land development plans. This relates to the global land administration perspective presented in Figure 6 below. Complete coverage of all land in a Land Administration System is only possible with an extendable and flexible model such as STDM that enables inclusion of all land and all people within the four land administration functions. So STDM will close part of the technical gap in developing countries in terms of making Land Administration cover the total territory. The FIG Working Group 7.1 of Commission 7 on Cadastre and Land Management took the lead from 2002 onwards, in the development of the STDM in close co-operation with UN-HABITAT. ITC, financially supported by the GLTN, developed a first prototype of STDM that is supported by the World Bank. The FIG Publication 52 presents the need for STDM, the properties of STDM as a tool, and the benefit and use of STDM as a key means of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Land tenure types, which are not based on formal cadastral parcels and which are not registered, require new forms of land administration systems. STDM is a pro-poor land tool aiming to include informal land rights into flexible, unconventional systems of land administration that eventually can be incorporated into more formal systems. When countries in Eastern and Central Europe changed from command economies to market economies in the early 1990s, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) saw the need to establish the Meeting of Officials on Land Administration (MOLA). In 1996, MOLA produced Land Administration Guidelines (UN-ECE 1996) as one of its many initiatives. In 1999, MOLA became the UN-ECE Working Party on Land Administration (WPLA). The UN-ECE Guidelines on Land Administration was sensitive to there being too many strongly hold views in Europe of what constituted a cadastre. Another term was needed to describe these land-related activities. It was recognized that any initiatives that primarily focused on improving the operation of land markets had to take a broader perspective to include planning or land use as well as land tax and valuation issues. As a result, the publication replaced “cadastre” with the term “land administration”. Widening the concept of a cadastre to include land administration reflected its variety of uses throughout the world and established a globally inclusive framework for the discipline. An updated version of the guidelines was published in 2005: “Land administration in the UNECE region: Development trends and main principles”. For the first time, efforts to reform developing countries, to assist countries in economic transition from a command to a market-driven economy, and to help developed countries improve LAS could all be approached from a single disciplinary standpoint, at least in theory. That is, to manage land and resources “from a broad perspective rather than to deal with the tenure, value, and use of land in isolation” (Dale and McLaughlin 1999, preface). Consolidation of land administration as a discipline in the 1990s reflected the introduction of computers and their capacity to reorganize land information. UN-ECE viewed land administration as referring to “the processes of determining, recording, and disseminating information about the ownership, value, and use of land, when implementing land management policies” (UN-ECE 1996) The emphasis on information management served to focus land administration systems on information for policy makers, reflecting the computerization of land administration agencies after the 1970s. The focus on information remains but the need to address land management issues systematically pushes the design of land administration systems (LAS) toward an enabling infrastructure for implementing land policies and land management strategies in support of sustainable development. In simple terms, the information approach needs to be replaced by a model capable of assisting design of new or reorganized land administration systems to perform the broader and integrated functions now required. Such a global perspective is presented in figure 6 below. Land management covers all activities associated with the management of land and natural resources that are required to fulfil political and social objectives and achieve sustainable development. The operational component of the concept is the range of land administration functions that include the areas of land tenure, land value; land use; and land development. The four land administration functions (land tenure, land value, land use, and land development) are different in their professional focus, and are normally undertaken by a mix of professionals, including surveyors, engineers, lawyers, valuers, land economists, planners, and developers. Furthermore, the actual processes of land valuation and taxation, as well as the actual land-use planning processes, are often not considered part of land administration activities. However, even if land administration is traditionally centred on cadastral activities in relation to land tenure and land information management, modern land administration systems designed as described in figure 6 deliver an essential infrastructure and encourage integration of the four functions:. Land Tenure: the allocation and security of rights in lands; the legal surveys of boundaries; the transfer of property through sale or lease; and the management and adjudication of disputes regarding rights and boundaries. Land Value: the assessment of the value of land and properties; the gathering of revenues through taxation; and the management and adjudication of land valuation and taxation disputes. Land-Use: the control of land-use through adoption of planning policies and land-use regulations at various government levels; the enforcement of land-use regulations; and the management and adjudication of conflicts regarding land-use and natural resources. From this global perspective, land administration systems act within adopted land policies that define the legal regulatory pattern for dealing with land issues. They also act within an institutional framework that imposes mandates and responsibilities on the various agencies and organisations. LAS designed this way forms a backbone for society and is essential for good governance because it delivers detailed information and reliable administration of land from the basic foundational level of individual land parcels to the national level of policy implementation. FIG is strongly committed to the Millennium Development Goals and the UN-Habitat agenda on the Global Land Tool Network. FIG should identify their role in this process and spell out the areas where the global surveying profession can make a significant contribution. Issues such as tenure security, pro-poor land management, and good governance in land administration are all key issues to be advocated in the process of reaching the goals. Measures such as capacity assessment, institutional development and human resource development are all key tools in this regard. In pursuing this agenda FIG is working closely with the UN agencies and the World Bank in merging our efforts of contributing to the implementation of the MDGs. This provides a platform for focusing on specific issues of mutual interest such as taking the land administration agenda forward. At the same time it will contribute further to the well founded cooperation between FIG and our UN partners. In recent years FIG has established a number of relevant initiatives. A rage of publications is presented below showing the impact of the FIG agenda. Following the Bathurst Declaration in 1999 a number of FIG initiatives looked at addressing the goal of the global agenda namely sustainable development. FIG published a policy statement in 2001 on FIG Agenda 21 (FUG pub. 23) and a report with guidelines on Women´s access to land with some key principles for equitable gender inclusion in land administration (FIG pub. 24). Sustainable development was also in focus in the Nairobi Statement on Spatial Information for Sustainable Development (FIG pub. 30) and the following best practice guidelines on city-wide land information management (FIG pub. 31) both published as an outcome of 1st FIG regional conference in Nairobi 2002. The concept of organising regional conferences has proven to be strong by bringing FIG to various regions in the world especially developing countries and providing a unique opportunity to address issues at the top of the regional and local agenda. The resulting FIG publications include: The Marrakech Declaration on Urban-Rural Development for Sustainable Development (FIG pub. 33, 2004); The Costa Rica Declaration on Pro-Poor Coastal Zone Management (FIG pub. 43, 2008); and the Hanoi Declaration on Land Acquisition in Emerging Economies (FIG pub. 51, 2010). A pro-poor approach to land administration and management has been addressing through the report on Informal Settlements – The Road towards more Sustainable Places (FIG pub. 42, 2008) and the comprehensive report on Improving Slum Conditions through Innovative Financing (FIG pub. 44, 2008) produced as an outcome of the joint FIG/UN-Habitat seminar during the FIG Working Week in Stockholm, June 2008. The pro-poor approach has been further addressed through development of the Social Tenure Domain Model (FIG pub. 52, 2010) in cooperation with GLTN, UN-Habitat. The big challenges on the global agenda such as climate change, natural disasters, and rapid urban growth have been addressed in The Contribution of the Surveying Profession to Disaster Risk Management (FIG pub. 38, 2006) and the research study on Rapid urbanisation and Mega Cities: The Need for Spatial Information management (FIG pub. 48, 2010). The overall challenge of Good Land Governance in support of the global agenda has been analysed in cooperation with the UN-agencies and the World Bank. Key outcomes have been the Aguascalientes Statement on Development of Land Information Policies in the Americas (FIG pub. 34, 2005) and the very recent key publication on Land Governance in Support of the Millennium Development Goals (FIG pub. 45, 2010) resulting from the joint FIG/World Bank conference held in Washington, March 2009. Based on this conference the World Bank has also published a joint WB/FIG/GLTN/FAO publication “Innovations in Land Rights Recognition, Administration and Governance”. All countries have to deal with the management of land. They have to deal with the four functions of land tenure, land value, land use, and land development in some way or another. A country’s capacity may be advanced and combine all the activities in one conceptual framework supported by sophisticated ICT models. More likely, however, capacity will involve very fragmented and basically analogue approaches. Different countries will also put varying emphasis on each of the four functions, depending on their cultural basis and level of economic development. Arguably sound land governance is the key to achieve sustainable development and to support the global agenda set by adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Land governance is about the policies, processes and institutions by which land, property and natural resources are managed. Land governance covers all activities associated with the management of land and natural resources that are required to fulfil political and social objectives and achieve sustainable development. This includes decisions on access to land, land rights, land use, and land development. The cornerstone of modern land administration theory is the land management paradigm in which land tenure, value, use and development are considered holistically as essential and omnipresent functions performed by organised societies. Within this paradigm, each country delivers its land policy goals by using a variety of techniques and tools to manage its land and resources. What is defined as land administration within these management techniques and tools is specific to each jurisdiction, but the core ingredients, cadastres or parcel maps and registration systems, remain foundational. These ingredients are the focus of modern land administration, but they are recognised as only part of a society’s land management arrangements. The land management paradigm is illustrated in figure 7 below. The Land management paradigm allows everyone to understand the role of the land administration functions (land tenure, land value, land use, and land development) and how land administration institutions relate to the historical circumstances of a country and its policy decisions. Importantly, the paradigm provides a framework to facilitate the processes of integrating new needs into traditionally organised systems without disturbing the fundamental security these systems provide. While sustainability goals are fairly loose, the paradigm insists that all the core land administration functions are considered holistically, and not as separate, stand-alone, exercises. Land policy is simply the set of aims and objectives set by governments for dealing with land issues. Land policy is part of the national policy on promoting objectives such as economic development, social justice and equity, and political stability. Land policies vary, but in most countries they include poverty reduction, sustainable agriculture, sustainable settlement, economic development, and equity among various groups within the society. Land management activities reflect drivers of globalization and technology. These stimulate the establishment of multifunctional information systems, incorporating diverse land rights, land use regulations, and other useful data. A third driver, sustainable development, stimulates demands for comprehensive information about environmental, social, economic, and governance conditions in combination with other land related data. The operational component of the land management paradigm is the range of land administration functions (land tenure, value, use and development) that ensure proper management of rights, restrictions, responsibilities and risks in relation to property, land and natural resources. Sound land management requires operational processes to implement land policies in comprehensive and sustainable ways. Many countries, however, tend to separate land tenure rights from land use opportunities, undermining their capacity to link planning and land use controls with land values and the operation of the land market. These problems are often compounded by poor administrative and management procedures that fail to deliver required services. Investment in new technology will only go a small way towards solving a much deeper problem: the failure to treat land and its resources as a coherent whole. The recent book Land Administration for Sustainable Development (Williamson, Enemark, Wallace, Rajabifard, 2010) explores the capacity of the systems that administer the way people relate to land. A land administration system provides a country with the infrastructure to implement land policies and land management strategies. From the origin of the cadastre in organising land rights to the increasing importance of spatially enabled government in an ever changing world, the book emphasises the need for strong geographic and land information systems to better serve our world. The land management paradigm makes a national cadastre the engine of the entire LAS, underpinning the country’s capacity to deliver sustainable development. This is shown diagrammatically in figure 9. The diagram highlights the usefulness of the large scale cadastral map as a tool by exposing its power as the representation of the human scale of land use and how people are connected to their land. Wherever the cadastre sits in a national land administration system, ideally it should assist the functions of land tenure, value, use, and development. This way the cadastral system becomes the core technical engine delivering the capacity to control and manage land through the four land administration functions. They support business processes of tenure and value, depending on how the cadastre is locally built. They identify legal rights, where they are, the units that form the commodities and the economy related to property. These cadastres are much more than a layer of information in national SDI. The diagram is a virtual butterfly: one wing represents the cadastral processes, and the other the outcome of using the processes to implement the land management paradigm. Once the cadastral data (cadastral or legal parcels, properties, parcel identifiers, buildings, legal roads, etc.) are integrated within the SDI, the full multipurpose benefit of the LAS, so essential for sustainability, can be achieved. The body of the butterfly is the SDI, with the core cadastral information sets acting as the connecting mechanism. This additional feature of cadastral information is an additional role, adding to the traditional multipurpose of servicing the four functions. This new purpose takes the importance of cadastral information beyond the land administration framework by enlarging its capacity to service other essential functions of government, including emergency management, economic management, effective administration, community services, and many more functions. The diagram demonstrates that the cadastral information layer cannot be replaced by a different spatial information layer derived from geographic information systems (GIS). The unique cadastral capacity is to identify a parcel of land both on the ground and in the system in terms that all stakeholders can relate to, typically an address plus a systematically generated identifier (given addresses are often duplicated or are otherwise imprecise). The core cadastral information of parcels, properties and buildings, and in many cases legal roads, thus becomes the core of SDI information, feeding into utility infrastructure, hydrological, vegetation, topographical, images, and dozens of other datasets. Place matters! Everything happens somewhere. If we can understand more about the nature of “place” where things happen, and the impact on the people and assets on that location, we can plan better, manage risk better, and use our resources better (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Spatially enabled government is achieved when governments use place as the key means of organising their activities in addition to information, and when location and spatial information are available to citizens and businesses to encourage creativity. New distribution concepts such as Google Earth provide user friendly information in a very accessible way. Consider the option where spatial data from such concepts are merged with built and natural environment data. This unleashes the power of both technologies in relation to emergency response, taxation assessment, environmental monitoring and conservation, economic planning and assessment, social services planning, infrastructure planning, etc. This also include design and implementation of a suitable service oriented IT-architecture for organising spatial information that can improve the communication between administrative systems and also establish more reliable data based on the use of the original data instead of copies. The technical core of Spatially Enabling Government is the spatially enabled cadastre. “Spatially enabled society is about managing information spatially – not managing spatial information” (Williamson, 2010). The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and the world’s leading development institutions. The first seven goals are mutually reinforcing and are directed at reducing poverty in all its forms. The last goal - global partnership for development - is about the means to achieve the first seven. These goals are now placed at the heart of the global agenda. To track the progress in achieving the MDGs a framework of targets and indicators is developed. This framework includes 18 targets and 48 indicators enabling the on-going monitoring of the progress that is reported on annually (UN, 2000). The MDGs represent a wider concept or a vision for the future, where the contribution of the global surveying community is central and vital. This relates to the areas of providing the relevant geographic information in terms of mapping and databases of the built and natural environment, and also providing secure tenure systems, systems for land valuation, land use management and land development. These aspects are all key components within the MDGs. The global challenge can be displayed through a map of the world (figure 11) where the territory size shows the proportion of worldwide wealth based on the Gross Domestic Product. In surveying terms, the real challenge of the global agenda is about bringing this map back to scale. Figure 11. Map of the world where the territory size is shown based on the Gross Domestic Product. In a global perspective the areas of surveying and land administration are basically about people, politics, and places. It is about people in terms human rights, engagement and dignity; it is about politics in terms of land policies and good government; and it is about places in terms of shelter, land and natural resources (Enemark, 2006). Land administration is addressing societal needs. In Western cultures it would be hard to imagine a society without having property rights as a basic driver for development and economic growth. In most developing countries, however, about 70% of the land is outside the formal land administration system. Furthermore, land administration should also address the key challenges of the new millennium such as climate change, natural disasters, and rapid urban growth. The key challenges of the new millennium are clearly listed already. They relate to climate change; food shortage; urban growth; environmental degradation; and natural disasters. These issues all relate to governance and management of land. Land governance is a cross cutting activity that will confront all traditional “silo-organised” land administration systems. (Enemark, 2009). The challenges of food shortage, environmental degradation and natural disasters are to a large extent caused by the overarching challenge of climate change, while the rapid urbanisation is a general trend that in itself has a significant impact on climate change. Measures for adaptation to climate change must be integrated into strategies for poverty reduction to ensure sustainable development and for meeting the MDGs. Adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, by their very nature, challenge governments and professionals in the fields of land use, land management, land reform, land tenure and land administration to incorporate climate change issues into their land policies, land policy instruments and facilitating land tools. More generally, sustainable land administration systems should serve as a basis for climate change adaptation and mitigation as well prevention and management natural disasters. The management of natural disasters resulting from climate change can also be enhanced through building and maintenance of appropriate land administration systems. Climate change increases the risks of climate-related disasters, which cause the loss of lives and livelihoods, and weaken the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems and societies. Adaptation to climate change can be achieved to a large extent through building sustainable and spatially enabled land administration systems. This should enable control of access to land as well as control of the use of land. Such integrated land administration systems should include the perspective of possible future climate change and any consequent natural disasters. The systems should identify all prone areas subject to sea-level rise, drought, flooding, fires, etc. as well as measures and regulations to prevent the impact of predicted climate change. Key policy issues to be addressed should relate to protecting the citizens by avoiding concentration of population in vulnerable areas and improving resilience of existing ecosystems to cope with the impact of future climate change. Building codes may be essential in some areas to avoid damage e.g. in relation to flooding and earthquakes. Issues may also relate to plans for replacement existing settlements as an answer to climate change impacts. The measures of building integrated and spatially enabled land information systems does not necessarily relate to the inequity between the developed and less developed countries. Implementation of such systems will benefit all countries throughout the globe. Therefore, the integrated land administration systems should, in addition to appropriate registration of land tenure and cadastral geometry, include additional information that is required about environmental rating of buildings, energy use, and current and potential land use related to carbon stock potential and greenhouse gases emissions. This also relates to the fact that climate change is not a geographical local problem that can be solved by local or regional efforts alone. To address climate change, international efforts must integrate with local, national, and regional abilities. Urbanisation is another major change that is taking place globally. The urban global tipping point was reached in 2007 when over half of the world’s population was living in urban areas; around 3.3 billion people. This incredibly rapid growth of megacities (more than 10 million inhabitants) causes severe ecological, economic and social problems. It is increasingly difficult to manage this growth in a sustainable way. It is recognised that over 70% of the growth currently happens outside of the formal planning process and that 30% of urban populations in developing countries living in slums or informal settlements, i.e. where vacant state-owned or private land is occupied illegally and used for illegal slum housing. In sub-Saharan Africa, 90% of all new urban settlements are taking the form of slums. These are especially vulnerable to climate change impacts as they are usually built on hazardous sites in high-risk locations. Even in developed countries unplanned or informal urban development is a major issue (FIG/WB 2010). Urbanisation is also having a very significant impact on climate change. The 20 largest cities consume 80% of the world’s energy use and urban areas generate 80% of greenhouse gas emissions world-wide. Cities are where climate change measures will either succeed or fail. Rapid urbanisation is setting the greatest test for Land Professionals in the application of land governance to support and achieve the MDGs. The challenge is to deal with the social, economic and environment consequences of this development through more effective and comprehensive spatial and urban planning, resolving issues such as the resulting climate change, insecurity, energy scarcity, environmental pollution, infrastructure chaos and extreme poverty. In conclusion, the linkage between urban growth, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development should be self-evident. Measures to manage urban growth and for adaptation to climate change will need to be integrated into strategies for poverty reduction to ensure sustainable development. The land management perspective and the role of the operational component of land administration systems therefore need high-level political support and recognition. The role surveyors are changing. In a global perspective there is a big swing that could be entitled “From Measurement to Management”. This does not imply that measurement is no longer a relevant discipline to surveying. The change is mainly in response to technology development. Collection of data is now easier, while assessment, interpretation and management of data still require highly skilled professionals. The role is changing into managing the measurements. There is wisdom in the saying that “All good coordination begins with good coordinates” and the surveyors are the key providers. The concept of a modern Positioning Infrastructure (combining satellites and reference stations on the ground) still supports the activities traditionally associated with a geodetic datum but extends toward much broader roles on the global scale. It can be argued that GNSS could be considered one of the only true global infrastructures in that the base level of quality and accessibility is constant across the globe (Higgins, 2009). Such a Positioning Infrastructure moves the focus from measurement of framework points to management of the data received from the positioning system. The change from measurement to management also means that surveyors increasingly contribute to building sustainable societies as experts in managing land and properties. The surveyors play a key role in supporting an efficient land market and also effective land-use management. These functions underpin development and innovation for social justice, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. The big swing is implies a change from land surveyors to land professionals. FIG is an UN recognised NGO representing the surveying profession in about 100 countries throughout the world. FIG has adopted an overall theme for the current period of office (2007-2010) entitled “Building the Capacity”. This theme applies to the need for capacity building in developing countries to meet the challenges of fighting poverty and developing a basis for a sustainable future, and, at the same time, capacity is needed in developed countries to meet the challenges of the future in terms of institutional and organisational development in the areas of surveying and land administration. Professional development: FIG provides a global forum for discussion and exchange of experiences and new developments between member countries and between individual professionals in the broad areas of surveying and mapping, spatial information management, and land management. This relates to the FIG annual conferences, the FIG regional conferences, and the work of the ten technical commissions within their working groups and commission seminars. This global forum offers opportunities to take part in the development of many aspects of surveying practice and the various disciplines including ethics, standards, education and training, and a whole range of professional areas. Institutional development: FIG supports building the capacity of national mapping and cadastral agencies, national surveying associations and survey companies to meet the challenges of the future. FIG also provides institutional support to individual member countries or regions with regard to developing the basic capacity in terms of educational programs and professional organisations. The professional organisations must include the basic mechanisms for professional development including standards, ethics and professional code of conduct for serving the clients. Global development: FIG also provides a global forum for institutional development through cooperation with international NGO´s such as the United Nations Agencies (UNDP, UNEP, FAO, HABITAT), the World Bank, and sister organisations (GSDI, IAG, ICA, IHO, and ISPRS). The cooperation includes a whole range of activities such as joint projects (e.g. The Bathurst Declaration, The Aguascalientes Statement), and joint policy making e.g. through round tables. This should lead to joint efforts of addressing topical issues on the international political agenda, such as reduction of poverty and enforcement of sustainable development. FIG, this way, intends to play a strong role in improving the capacity to design, build and manage surveying and land management systems that incorporate sustainable land policies and efficient spatial data infrastructures. These systems should also respond to the global agenda in terms of the Millennium Development Goals and the new key challenges in terms of climate change, natural disasters, and urban growth. Cadastral Systems underpin efficient management of the four key functions within the land management paradigm. And the large scale cadastral map is a key tool in providing the representation of the human scale of land use and how people are connected to their land. The role of cadastral systems has evolved over time from primarily serving as a basis for land taxation and/or security of land tenure towards being the key driver for achieving good governance of land and natural resources in support of national policies and the global agenda. Over the last decades FIG and the global surveying community has taken a leading role in driving this evolution. Sound land governance is the key to achieve sustainable development and to support the global agenda set by adoption of the Millennium Development Goals. FIG, this way, is building the capacity for taking the land policy agenda forward in a partnership with the UN agencies and the World Bank. This is documented in recent publications such as: “Land Governance in Support of the Global Agenda” (FIG/WB, 2010) and “Innovations in Land Rights Recognition, Administration and Governance” (WB/GLTN/FIG/FAO (2010). De Soto, H. (1993): The Missing Ingredient. The Economist, September 1993, pp. 8-10. Enemark, S. (2009): Spatial Enablement and the Response to Climate Change and the Millennium Development Goals. Proceedings of the 18th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 26-30 October 2009. FIG Publications, FIG Office, Copenhagen, Denmark. Steudler, D., Williamson, I., Rajabifard, A., and Enemark, S. (2004): The Cadastral Template Project. Proceedings of FIG Working Week 2004, Athens, 22-27 May. 15 p. UNEP (2009): The Role of Ecosystem management in Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction. Copenhagen Discussion Series. UN-HABITAT (2003): Handbook on Best practices, Security of Tenure and Access to Land. ISBN: 92-1-131446-1. UN-Habitat, Nairobi. UN-HABITAT (2008): Secure Land Rights for all. UN Habitat, Global Land Tools Network. WB/GLTN/GLTN/FAO (2010): Innovations in Land Rights Recognition, Administration and Governance”. World Bank, Washington D.C. Williamson, I. and L. Ting (1999): Cadastral Trends. Proceedings of FIG Commission 7, FIG Working Week, Sun City, South Africa, June 1999, pp. 1-19. Stig Enemark is President of the International Federation of Surveyors, FIG 2007-2010. He is Professor in Land Management and Problem Based Learning at Aalborg University, Denmark, where he was Head of School of Surveying and Planning 1991-2005. He is a well-known international expert in the areas of land administration systems, land management and spatial planning, and related educational and capacity building issues. He has published widely in these areas and undertaken consultancies for the World Bank and the European Union in a range of countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Sub Saharan Africa.

2019-04-24T08:54:48Z

http://www.fig.net/resources/monthly_articles/2010/enemark_december_2010.asp

A jury trial (or trial by jury) is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge. These "peers of the accused" are responsible for listening to a dispute, evaluating the evidence presented, deciding on the facts, and making a decision in accordance with the rules of law and instructions from the judge. Typically, the jury determines guilt or innocence and penalty is set by the judge. Trial by Jury has many advantages over other decision making exercises, not the least of which is its centuries-old academic and practical history. We know what works and what doesn’t work with this decision mechanism. Of course it’s not perfect. But it’s far better than anything else anyone has been able to devise. Avoids deadline bias+: teams select their own court dates and there are serious consequences for missed dates. Teams are incented to claim their slot on the schedule early and not to miss their schedule. Has a mechanisms (i.e., strong burdens and standards of proof) dedicated to falsifying the claims of the project team – to avoid false positives. Allows regular evaluation of your decision-making process to see if it is leading to more project team satisfaction with the decisions – are there fewer skunkworks+? Trial by Jury works well within an overall organizational form that allows it the time and the weight it requires. It would be difficult to maintain the discipline of the docket if R&D management felt the pressure to deliver a certain number of compounds by the 4th quarter. There would be great pressure to move up the court dates scheduled for next year, especially those we pushed back as a form of retribution. To continue with a theme elaborated earlier, any decision mechanism must enforce consequences: the more serious the consequences the more trial by jury adds to improving the decisions and the evidence that goes into making those decisions. Of course, in keeping with our theme of building fun and excitement into the work, these trials are keenly engaging and competitive for all who participate in them. Below we present snippets of discussions from a Trial by Jury to decide whether or not a new drug, FZR3452 for Alzheimer’s, should be graduated into full commercialization+. As the careful reader will note, there can be three verdicts: guilty, not guilty, or needs more study. Also, analogous to damages, the estimated market value of the drug candidate, is determined by the jury. Perhaps it’s not a blockbuster+ product and the jury can decide instead it’s a quite attractive sub-blockbuster candidate. Okay what’s the docket look like for the 2nd Quarter? We have FZR3452 for Alzheimer’s, FZR3599 for Autism and FZR3090 for Incontinence. ‘90 is a continuance from 2nd Quarter of last year. ‘52 is apparently going for blockbuster status, ‘99 is back again. You remember the hung jury they had last year. Yes, I’m surprised those ’99 guys managed to keep it together after that decision. They must have other good drugs in the supply chest. Three court cases … that’s a pretty full calendar. Oh, sorry, might’a missed one. Looks like we also have FZR3602 for Myeloma. Also, this is apparently a request for continuance on ’99? That’s hard to believe. ‘02 can’t come up again until next year … we had an agreement with the plaintiff. They had some problem with the forensic review of the evidence. Check with the plaintiff’s office to make sure nothing’s changed. The ’99 team requested this current session immediately after last year’s hung jury thinking they could quickly fix their problems. Later they requested a continuance but the plaintiff refused to go along. When plaintiff threatened to push it back to next year ’99 decided they could make it in time for this court session. We’ll see. Okay line up the preliminary hearings. Let’s see what kind of workload we’re really talking about here. Dockets in the legal system are used to queue up trials. They take into account the time needed by both sides to prepare their cases. Requests for slots on the docket will be driven by a teams’ urgency to meet deadlines before an annual assessment. If teams can’t show definitive progress as evidenced by a favorable verdict in court they may not survive the annual assessment. Inability to get on the court docket is no excuse for poor performance. Teams will sense the urgency of meeting the deadline of their slot on the docket. A missed court date may push back the project by as much as a year – the next open slot on the docket. The drug could be overtaken by competitors by then. The concept of the docket also avoids the hockey stick phenomena – everyone pushing delivery back to the 4th quarter. There will be a limited number of open slots in the 4th quarter docket. Dockets are used to encourage settlements, especially in cases where the legal fee ‘clock is ticking.’ Dockets are a powerful tool for forcing concessions or agreement without the need to go to trial. This is important for teams requesting graduation+ on marginal drug candidates. The court might be willing to allow a hearing for sub-blockbuster graduation of these drug candidates – for certification of the drug candidate as having less than blockbuster market potential. Many of these ‘procedural maneuvers’ are key to keeping the court system functioning smoothly. Okay, let’s get down to the statement of charges. Today’s date is January 15th. Plaintiff has indicated you intend to request blockbuster status for your Alzheimer’s drug during our 2nd Quarter court session. Is this correct? We have FZR3452 for Alzheimer’s as a ?-Secretase inhibitor. Based on preliminary clinical results we intend to show this drug will have blockbuster commercial potential in its single primary indication. We will show our product has a much higher tolerability and efficacy profile than any other therapy on the market. We will be ready for the court session. Plaintiff has offered to acknowledge the strength of FZR3452 for a sub-segment of the market, less than blockbuster status. They have offered a 1 quarter continuance to consider this offer. Otherwise the plaintiff intends to prove ’52 is worthless. We have reviewed the offer and have decided to continue with our current schedule and intentions. We will show blockbuster status for FZR3452 in the 2nd quarter court session. Therefore your honor we intend to prove FZR3452 is worthless and deserves no further project funding. How many witnesses do you intend to call? We intend to call 15 witnesses your honor. We also intend to call 15 witnesses your honor. Will you both be able to ready your cases by June 15th? We have received and reviewed the evidence from the Defense. We have received their list of intended witnesses. Barring unforeseen events we will be ready. Agreed. We see no obstacle to meeting that date. What is the defense trying to prove, blockbuster potential? This is the charge. A project team looking for a judgment that their drug has blockbuster potential will be measured against that potential. Less onerous would be a project team merely wishing to show their drug could achieve $300 million in sales per year. In this case the defense and plaintiff can possible reach agreement with less than a full jury trial. The statement of charges is essentially the hurdle the drug intends to pass in order to reach Late R&D both from a scientific and commercial perspective. A verdict for the defense will mean the drug has surmounted the hurdle. A lesser charge (i.e., lower award by the jury) may mean the drug hurdle has been lowered. For example, the jury decides that a drug does not have blockbuster potential, but it will agree that a drug should be able to achieve $300 million per year in sales. The project team needs to anticipate the plaintiff: what tactics will the plaintiff take to discredit our evidence? What new evidence (e.g., from outside studies or outside witnesses) might the plaintiff bring to the trial? The independent evaluator+ can be valuable in this preparation for the defense. Typically independent evaluators have broader and more frequent participation in a trial by jury and can play the role of expert advisors for the defense. The project team must develop a convincing narrative for their evidence: they must look at the evidence in the same light as would a jury member. They must anticipate how the plaintiff will present its narrative and how to respond to the plaintiff’s narrative. Project teams can use techniques such as war gaming or mock trials to prepare for a trial by jury: 2 weeks and a deck no longer suffices. Finally, any project member can derail a trial. Flaws in the evidence can be ‘leaked’ to the plaintiff. All project team ‘dissenters’ must be appeased or teams risk losing the trial. Marsha, I need you to get me a life-size cut out Figure of a typical Alzheimer’s patient. Let’s make it look like a person a professional would be able to relate to. Most of our jurors will be higher income professionals. John, I need you to do research on that list of witnesses we received from the plaintiff. They’re being called for a reason. See if you can dig up what their main arguments will be. Sandra, pull together a mock plaintiff team. We’ll run a mock mini-trial this time next week. I want to be a spectator to see how well the human dimension of this evidence comes across. Jerry, can you take those market projections and get them blown up into presentation tables. Also, see if you can simplify the projections a bit. There are too many variables for a jury to understand in a trial setting. Combine a few of them. Do you want to include our outside witnesses in the mock trial? Yeah. Lisa see if you can get Dr. Ixis from the Alzheimer’s association at least on the phone. We need her to give an impassioned defense of those surrogate markers we used. She funded development of the markers, so we probably can’t do better. We should also have her practice her presentation of those latest clinical trials. She tends to be a bit preachy. Let’s see if we can humanize her testimony a bit. We’re investigating Dr. Ixis and the other witnesses to make sure they don’t have any conflicts of intersts. Who’s going to pull together the outline of the overall strategy for questioning during the trial? Mark and I are doing that right now. We’ll get it out to the team before the mock trial. And let’s make sure all the latest experimental and trial results are in the hands of the plaintiff. We wouldn’t want any of our evidence declared inadmissible. Lisa can you pull together the inventory? Thanks. Let’s go get ‘em. There is no plaintiff’s office in today’s pharmaceutical company, though certain ‘seasoned’ executives, those with enough seniority and success to be able to plainly say what they believe, take special delight in challenging the evidence of project teams. It has been likened to challenging someone’s religion, great fun for certain types of personalities. The plaintiff’s office is looking for flaws in overall defense reasoning as well as poor experimental method for individual pieces of evidence. They also examine witness testamony for bias, contradictory prior statements, etc. Importantly the plaintiff will come up with a narrative to offset the defense narrative. The plaintiff’s office can also ‘cut a deal’ with the project team up to and during the trial. It’s always tough stepping into these projects near the end. We are at such a disadvantage in those devilish details. Luckily these teams can’t seem to learn how easily we can trip them up on their inability to summarize their own scientific reasoning. Johnson I’ll need you to get with Dr. Wilson to go through the original research plan for this drug … what was their original hypothesis. We can be sure they didn’t build an ACH. Looks like they took the first hypothesis that popped into their heads and ran with it. Let’s build an ACH, get me the top 4-5 alternate hypotheses they haven’t investigated, and let’s see if it gives us some holes in their argument. I’d like to be able to show the clinical results they got are not due to the mechanism of action they’re proposing. Livingston, go through the forensic documentation. I don’t think we’ll find a gaping hole in their evidence, but if we can kill one or two of the minor experiments using the inadmissibility rules it might just shake them up enough to get them to stumble.3 Also, I want you to build up the case they were not as diligent as they should have been in eliminating investigator or patient bias. Didn’t use any of the standard tricks – I guess they were relying on their randomized, double blind, placebo controlled stuff. Their independent evaluator must not be giving them very good expert advice. This stuff is 101. Here’s a nugget. These guys just don’t seem to get it. They run these 30 person placebo controlled clinical trials and basically do our work for us. We can Simpsonize these guys without even breaking a sweat.4 As a matter of fact, let’s do a double-Simpson. Split this patient population twice and show in both cases we can make the placebo group better than the active group. Winston can you please do this? Try to stick to the categorizations in the demographic section of the protocol, but if you can’t then just make up a split with some reasonable differentiators for Alzheimer’s patients. We’ve got to get our witnesses prepped so they don’t come off sounding like a bunch of academics. Let’s do a rehearsal next week. Lingley will take point on this. We can’t get our alternate hypothesis together until Johnson and Wilson finish their work. We’ll need that ASAP. Let’s plan to go over it next Wednesday. Is there anything else? I think this one will be a slam-dunk. The process used for the selection of the jury is critical to the perception of fairness of the trial. As in U.S. trials, both sides must generally agree on each juror. Both defense and plaintiff are experienced in getting at the true motivations of the jurors. They will ask leading questions, trick questions, baiting questions, anything that is needed to better understand the thinking process of the juror, as well as merely to test the skills of the opposing counsel during juror questioning. The biases of individuals, whether emotional or rational, are specifically the topic of interest in Jury Selection. The key selection criterion is the ability of the juror to empathize with the planned narrative. How does our current narrative evoke empathy from these now familiar members of the jury, and how should we now change the narrative to build upon that empathy? Defense is interested in jury members with a family member having a history of the disease, for example. The plaintiff is interested in jury members who have family members harmed by ethical pharmaceutical drugs, to take an extreme example. Technical competence is not the overriding criteria for jury selection, as illustrated in many of the celebrated product liability trials in recent years. As shown by the recent product liability cases, having only 1 or 2 jurors with a working knowledge of the technical considerations behind the drug is many times enough. There is anecdotal evidence that less technically competent jurors are less prone to being duped by a convincing narrative or fancy technology to the detriment of the overall question of whether or not the drug is commercially viable. [Addressing potential jurors] You have all been pre-selected based on your freedom from preconceptions on the relative merits of either side of this case. Although we cannot sequester you as we might in a criminal trial, we rely on your professional standing that you will not do independent research on topics discussed during this trial. Your duty is to judge the results of this trial based solely on the merits of the arguments placed before you. I also instruct you to inform the court of any inappropriate discussions that take place between you and the defendant, the plaintiff or any of their staff. You will not be selected based on any special technical skill, rather we expect you to exercise your best judgment based on your respect for fairness and considered reasoning. Please do not disappoint us. With this opening statement, will defense begin questioning our first potential juror? Thank you your honor. Good day Juror #1. Can we start off with a bit of a background about your understanding of the pharmaceutical industry? … So you understand the amount of work it takes to bring a drug to market? … Are you taking any prescription drugs? … Do you find them helpful? … Does anyone in your family have Alzheimer’s? … She does, it must be very difficult caring for them … Can you describe to me a time when you had to make a decision about something as complex as this case? … That must have been very time-consuming. What swayed you to go with the vendor you selected? … I see. That’s all. Thank you for your time. You mentioned you had a sister-in-law you’re very close to with Alzheimer’s. Do you know if she’s taking any medications? … Yes that medication can be very difficult to tolerate. Despite the drawbacks do you think it’s helping? … I too have a relative with Alzheimer’s and found the same thing. It’s hard to tell if it’s the medicine or just periods of lucidity. Have you ever thought of giving up on the medications? … Yes, we have too. So if we were to go after a new medication what would be some of the things you would be looking for? … Of course we try very hard to keep down the side effects, but there will always be some … Yes that’s true too, so you should be looking to make sure this medication is really going to be helpful over the long term. That’s true. Switching a bit, you mentioned in your earlier example you selected a vendor based on selection criteria. I suspect though you wanted to know the operating system and coding software used? That’s right. No matter how good the software looks on the vendor’s machine, we’ll need assurances it will work on our machines. Thank you very much. No further questions your honor. Can we increase the value of a piece of evidence through its presentation by a compelling witness? On the other hand, can we trash the value of a piece of evidence through cross-examination of a key witness? Witnesses do not have to be members of the project team nor of the parent company. As a matter of fact, the plaintiff will most likely use external expert witnesses to bring an industry or commercial perspective to the overall evidence. This, of course, forces the defense to take external evidence into account when developing its own case. [Addressing defense team] Who’s going to present the results of the clinical trial? Dr. Winston was the lead investigator, should we use him? … Yes, he can be a bit of a put-off. But he does have the most in depth understanding of the individual patients. And he will probably stand up quite well to cross-examination – he can handle himself in an argument. Lisa? … Yes that’s right we will need to ‘get under the skin’ on our clinical trials. The raw numbers will put everyone to sleep. But Dr. Winston can bring these patients alive, especially if we use the full-sized cutout. George? … No we don’t need a detailed patient history on every participant, just a few illustrative cases. We should put in 1 or 2 that didn’t fare too well and give a convincing argument why they might not have responded. Fred? … No we won’t need to call up biostatistics. Dr. Winston can present a simplified version of the numbers. Anyone else? Okay, that’s a go. Dr. Winston will be our key witness. [Addressing plaintiff team] Can you believe defense is going to call Dr. Winston for their key witness on the clinical trial results? I bet we can have him histrionic in less than 5 minutes. Johnson, get me the blood work-ups, before and after, on patients #24 and 27. They’re both RA sufferers and I bet their white blood cell counts are greatly elevated after taking ’52. Let’s watch ‘ole Winney wiggle out of that discussion. This is the first time we’re running a trial by jury process and we were lucky enough to get the Lindbergh Trial courtroom in Flemington, NJ. Well at least the courtroom where the trial would have been held if it weren’t such a media circus. The real Lindbergh Trial was held in the larger hotel across the street now converted into a restaurant. It’s our first day in court. We’ve amassed a significant body of evidence+ as to why our proposed Alzheimer’s drug candidate should be graduated into Late R&D. We selected jurors who understand the urgency of our research – we even were able to seat a mother who had a sister-in-law with Alzheimer’s. Corporate commercial seems excited about our prospects. We have retained the best-known researcher in the field, Dr. Elliot Weisal. Defense is ready! All stand! The case of Fizer Corporation vs. Fizer- nACHr is now in session. Defense will proceed with opening statements. Thank you your honor. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the jury. I would like to remind the jurors that what we are looking for in this hearing is a large body of evidence showing the proposed intervention in these molecular cascades will indeed provide clinical benefits, either in Alzheimer’s or in the other named commercially attractive markets. If in the end you believe there is a large enough body of evidence then by all means fund this line of inquiry. The plaintiff unfortunately does not believe this will be the case. Thank you Counselor, and now the jury will hear from the defense. In conclusion, we have great expectations for a singular early commercial success in halting progression of Alzheimer’s in many cases, and a long-term scientific competitive advantage with the two key molecular cascades implicated in Alzheimer’s, ADD, certain childhood forms of arthritis, and in several types of bipolar disease. For the sake of the patients we urge you to fund this research by allowing our first drug coming out of this research to proceed to market. A Trial by Jury may appear to industry veterans to give insufficient weight to the intrinsic merits or risks of a drug candidate. Many thoughtful individuals in the industry conclude that the decision about the merits of a drug should not be a matter of consensus, even if using a jury – a lone dissenter many times holds the correct answer. Several major pharmaceutical companies use a decision mechanism that is a combination of a peer review panel with a final decision belonging to a single senior executive.5 This brings us to a discussion about the role of the Judge in a Trial by Jury. Similar to the U.S. criminal system the role of the judge is to act as a stopgap, and to counteract common biases, mistakes or limitations of the jury. We know that well-structured groupthink often outperforms the decision of a single individual even in trials requiring a highly technical background. But not always, though. For that we have the judge. The judge tells the jury about the burdens of proof for each side in the case. The judge is the conductor of the trial, deciding who speaks and in what order and under what conditions. The judge gives instructions to the jury: what constitutes acceptable evidence, what is the role of the jury, how the jury can request additional information, etc. Also the judge arbitrates disputes during the course of the trial, admonishing both parties to keep arguments within the bounds of proper judicial procedure. Importantly the judge permits or disqualifies witnesses based on standards that have been developed for this purpose. Similarly the judge permits or qualifies specific bits of evidence using well-proven standards of evidence and burdens of proof. The judge has no personal stake in the outcome of the trial, guilty or not guilty. Instead the judge’s overriding concern is that the trial be perceived as fair by both parties in the trial. But in the end, the judge does weigh the fairness of the deliberations of the jury, and does have the final pronouncement on the guilt or innocence of the drug candidate. I want to remind the jury of their obligation to only judge based on what is said in this courtroom. If you have prior opinions based on articles you have read or other work you have performed I ask you to park these at the door. Also, I remind the jury that we judge evidence in this court according to the Fizer Standards of Evidence. We are looking for evidence of diligent use of ACH, elimination of investigator bias+, and all the other standards of evidence explained to you in preparation for this trial. These will be posted in your deliberation room as a reminder. For those of you who have been involved in a U.S. trial before, the rules in this trial are a bit different. You are allowed to ask questions of me, but only through the jury foreman. You are allowed to take notes, but only using court provided writing materials. For the statistical aspects of the clinical trial we will provide you with some tools to help you in your deliberations. On the other hand, we will be using many of the same elements from the U.S. trial rules that you may have already experienced. There will be no badgering of witnesses, no evidence introduced based on hearsay or unsubstantiated claims, and we will strictly observe the rule of order in this courtroom. Again, you’ve heard the charges against the defendant. You will be asked to rule exactly on those charges. If you have any questions at all during the statement of charges you should ask them at the earliest possible moment, again using your jury foreman. Perhaps one of the most damaging outcomes that can happen to a party to a trial is to have valuable evidence declared inadmissible. Inadmissible evidence+ is at the discretion of the judge and may be due to the simple fact that the evidence was not made available to the plaintiff in a timely fashion. Note that this is similar to rules for experts: they too must meet minimum qualifications for their claimed ‘expertise’. Inadmissibility also arises from lack of proper controls on the experimental method. Although the researcher may instinctively know that the change to the method was inconsequential, the plaintiff will not care. Valuable witness time will be spent justifying method rather than presenting compelling evidence. Scientific method, including timely record-keeping, becomes critical to the trial process. The U.S. criminal justice system explicitly recognizes the ‘tyranny of models’ and does not allow models to be presented as evidence unless they are representative of a physical state of play on a smaller scale. For example, a diagram showing the relative positions of vehicles at an intersection would be admissible to clarify ‘who was where when’ claims. An animated model showing how individuals could have moved based on speed and distance calculations by a computer would not be admitted. There is no room for ‘causal relationships’ based on numercial modelling in the U.S. justice system, and there should be little room for these in the presentation of evidence for drug assessments. [addressing counselors aside from the jury] I want to remind you that we will not allow computer models of molecular docking onto cellular receptors unless they are merely supportive of hard evidence demonstrating the docking. The court will not admit molecular modeling based on covalence or ionic bond calculations in the absence of hard evidence that such modeling meets basic minimum standards of reliability. We need to know the compound is indeed docking at this receptor in our actual clinical patients and not that it can merely be modeled to do so. The role of the jury is to make findings of fact, following instructions from the judge. The jury must limit its verdict to the instructions. Did the defendant prove their contention about the drug candidate? Then the drug candidate can graduate into Late R&D. However, the plaintiff also has a burden of proof. Did the plaintiff prove its contention about the drug candidate? Did the plaintiff proves its claim the drug candidate is useless? [Directed aside to Defending Attorney and the Plaintiff] Mr. Defendant, have you considered the Plaintiff’s renewed offer of a continuance in exchange for a sub blockbuster+ ruling? We have your honor and we intend to place the future of FZR3452 into the hands of the jury. Okay, and then let’s begin our deliberations. I remind you of the Statement of Charges. Defense must have shown that FZR3452 can reach blockbuster status in accordance with the commercial schedule they presented in Exhibit 36. The plaintiff must have shown that FZR3452 will never reach NDA. That it is worthless. Your charge as jurors is to decide whether either or neither of these charges has been proved. I remind the jurors of our criteria for decision-making under uncertainty. Reminders of some of the rules-of-thumb for this type of decision-making are on display in the jury room, but I especially would like to remind the jurors to take advantage of the Bayesian net toolkit and facilitator we have made available should you need them during your deliberations. Are there any questions? … Yes Mr. Foreman you will be able to direct further questions to me, the judge, in the course of your deliberations, but I would ask that you attempt to rely on the collective memory of your jury members and to keep questions to a minimum. …. Yes the exhibits will all be available to the jurors during the course of their deliberations. No further questions? Great, then please begin your deliberations. The schedule for deliberations is displayed on the wall in the deliberation room. Defense (and the plaintiff) are allowed to watch jury deliberations on a video monitor, to see how others viewed their evidence. Having the project team watch these deliberations will make any subsequent presentations to the FDA much better. Team members will be surprised at the importance attached to some of their minor comments, and how little importance gets attached to what they considered to be crucial evidence. The key to improved decision-making (i.e., large and small) throughout the corporation is experience in both making decisions and in watching others as they make decisions. There is not a better laboratory for this experience than in the deliberations of a jury. It should be now evident how a trial by jury process will strengthen the Burden of Proof and Standards of Evidence used in R&D. The immense emotional value of stating all our work in terms of the patient becomes clear. Arrogance and conceit are seen by individuals as merely getting in the way: a certain level of humbleness (even if false) goes a long way towards reaching the hearts and minds of jurors. This jumps out when watching jury deliberations. The lessons of the trial will redound across all evidence gathering and decision-making in R&D. Mr. Foreman has the jury reached a decision? Yes, your honor, we have. We have found that neither the defense nor the plaintiff has demonstrated their case. FZR3452 has neither blockbuster potential nor is it worthless. We the jury believe it can be approved for usage in the those cases where patients show antimicroglia antibodies in their sera, which in accordance with Exhibits 36 and 53 can reach approximately $300 million in sales per annum. Additionally we do not believe that further work on this drug will achieve the endpoints the defense would like to achieve in other disease indications. Thank You, Mr. Foreman and ladies and gentlemen of the jury. We have our verdict. FZR3452 is certified for a sub-blockbuster status at about $300 million per annum commercial potential. The trial of FZR3452 is now concluded. 1. Comment made during the DIA 2006 DIA Pharmaceutical Industry Survey+ as to how much time decision makers are generally given prior to peer review session for today’s drug approval process. 2. Merely for discussion purposes. The argument can be just as easily crafted with a verdict of ‘guilty’ needed to graduate a drug candidate into Late R&D. The direction taken in this book is consistent with all the legal literature, such as Best’s Evidence. You can read Evidence and by analogy all the legal precedents (Section 401, 502, etc.) apply. The direction in this book makes it easier to borrow learnings via analogy from the legal profession. 3. In legal proceedings evidence has to conform to certain standards in order to be admissible. 5. Personal communication from major pharmaceutical company. This has the advantage of giving the presenting (defense) team a consistent target for their presentations: they know how to present evidence to the key decision maker in the most effective manner.

2019-04-26T03:44:48Z

http://www.worldclassrd.org/content/case-study-trial-jury

Lung cancer is responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually, and it is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and the second most common in women. Lung cancer staging is the assessment of the degree to which a lung cancer has spread from its original source. As with most cancers, for lung cancer staging is of paramount importance for the treatment planning process and prognosis. Two primary methods of lung cancer staging are available: clinical staging and pathologic staging. In clinical staging, information is provided by noninvasive or minimally invasive techniques, such as physical examination, radiologic examination, endoscopic ultrasound, bronchoscopy, mediastinoscopy, and thoracoscopy. In pathologic staging, information obtained from clinical staging is combined with findings from both the invasive surgical procedure and the pathologic evaluation of excised tissue. Clinical staging is important and can help to determine the next appropriate step in therapy, such as the decision to proceed with pathologic staging, which remains the reference standard because the overall level of agreement between the two systems only ranges from 35% to 55% . Definition of the stage is an essential part of the approach to patients with lung cancer, and it has led to the development of a universally accepted stage classification systems for most tumors. The Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) periodically define, review, and refine the stage classification systems. Nearly half of all patients with lung cancer have mediastinal disease at diagnosis, and this implies metastases to ipsilateral or subcarinal nodes (N2) that are classified as stage IIIA disease. Management of stage IIIA disease is more controversial, but many centers treat it with radiation and chemotherapy, with surgery performed under investigational protocols. Direct mediastinal invasion (T4) or metastasis to contralateral mediastinal nodes (N3) is classified as stage IIIB disease. The 5-year survival rate in this case is at best 5%, and patients are generally offered treatment with chemoradiotherapy without surgery. The previous tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) classification, the sixth edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors, was published in 2002. The last revision of the staging system for lung cancer has been presented by Dr. Clifton Mountain in 1997 , after his proposal had been adopted in 1973 by the AJCC in the same year and by the UICC in 1974, and this revision remained unaltered on the 2002 manual . The 1973 original system was based on a database of 2,155 patients from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Subsequent revisions of the TNM staging system continued to be based on this database, which grew to include 5,319 cases at the time the lung cancer staging system was revised in 1997 and it was also validated by Dr. Naruke from Japan in 2001. Mountain’s revision was based on a relatively small population of patients who underwent surgical treatment in a single geographic area, and no validation was presented to justify the individual descriptors . In order to overcome the limitations of the sixth TNM classification, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) launched the Lung Cancer Staging Project in 1996, and in 1998 created an International Staging Committee (ISC) of multidisciplinary members to conduct revisions . Changes to the sixth edition were proposed by the IASLC based on an international collection and review of 100,869 patients from 46 sources of 20 countries. Data were drawn from lung cancer cases treated by all modalities between 1990 and 2000. After exclusion of ineligible cases, 81,015 patients (67,725 NSCLC and 13,290 SCLC) remained for investigation . Proposals for revision were submitted to the AJCC and UICC for consideration in the new edition of the staging manual, the 7th, and both accepted the recommendations. In the last months of 2009, the Seventh Edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors was published, with a new lung cancer staging system. The new edition took effect on January 1, 2010 . The changes recommended by the IASLC for the 7th edition of TNM classification for lung cancer were based on differences in survival , and the results of the data analysis were internally and externally validated . These changes include new T and M definitions and consequent new stage groupings, a new lymph node map, a novel definition on pleural invasion, as well as recommendations to apply the TNM system to broncho-pulmonary carcinoid tumors and SCLC. The success story of EBUS-TBNA starts in 2003 with a publication in Thorax by Mark Krasnik and Peter Vilmann from Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark . This article gave the first description of the principle of EBUS-TBNA. In the same journal, in 2006, the same group, together with a group from the Thoraxklinik in Heidelberg and Harvad Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess MC, published their study on 502 patients that showed that EBUS-TBNA resulted in 93% diagnostic yield, a sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 100% and accuracy 94%, with PPV at 100% and NPV at 11% . In 2006, an international EBUS-TBNA focus group was formed by Felix J.F. Herth (Copenhagen), Kazuhiro Yasufuku (Chiba), Robert Rintoul (Cambridge) and Armin Ernst (Boston) that published in the Journal of Bronchology a description of how to do an EBUS-TBNA thus offering a detailed description of local lymph node position and orientation within the mediastinum . EBUS-TBNA has been studied and compared also in relation with existing modalities like EUS –FNA (by Vilmann et al. in 2005 on 33 pts. and by Herth et al. in 2005 on 160 pts.), PET-CT (by Yasufuku et al. in 2006 on 102 pts.), classical TBNA and EUS-FNA (by Wallace et al. in 2008 on 138 pts.). EBUS-TBNA was proven in 2007 by Wong and Yasufuku et al. on 65 patients to be a safe method allowing a high yield also for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis . It soon became widely accepted that EBUS-TBNA is a reliable diagnostic tool for enlarged lymph nodes in patients with NSCLC and that lymph nodes below the one centimeter range could also be sampled. This led to a study with 100 patients published in 2006 in European Respiratory Journal that showed that every sixth patient with no evidence of mediastinal disease on CT was diagnosed positive using EBUS-TBNA. Thus, EBUS-TBNA showed potential to avoid unnecessary exploratory thoracoscopies. Following the same idea, in 2008 Hwangbo et al. showed that in cases with both CT- and PET-negative and –positive scans, EBUS-TBNA is an excellent tool for detecting mediastinal metastasis, thereby confirming that EBUS-TBNA is an effective invasive method following CT and PET scanning . In the same year, Armin Ernst et al. showed in Journal of Thoracic Oncology on 66 patients that EBUS-TBNA can have a superior yield compared to cervical mediastinoscopy, which intuitively suggested that mediastinoscopy is not necessarily of additional diagnostic benefit in evaluating negative EBUS-TBNA staged lymph nodes . However, mediastinoscopy has an important role especially in operable patients with non-enlarged lymph nodes for assessing local mediastinal invasion and the exclusion of metastatic disease. Herth et al. evaluated EBUS-TBNA for re-staging in 124 patients with tissue-proven IIIA-N2 disease after induction chemotherapy (Journal of Clinical Oncology 2008) and concluded that EBUS-TBNA is a valuable and practical tool for re-staging with a sensitivity of 76%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 20% and diagnostic accuracy of 77% . These results imply that a negative EBUS-TBNA for re-staging should be surgically re-staged. In 2006, the compatibility between EBUS-TBNA and the Aloka Prosound alpha5 ultrasound processor made additional Doppler modes available, and this led to a consecutive study by Herth et al. on 89 patients that described changes in flow resistance parameters (resistance index by Pourcelot) in malignant lymph nodes . Yasufuku et al. from Chiba University have shown great dedication to evaluating the benefits of EBUS-TBNA samples for immunohistochemical analysis and reported encouraging results with cell cycle-related proteins in chemotherapy patients in Thorax 2008, and a year earlier in Chest the same group showed that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation can be easily detected in metastatic lymph node samples for EBUS-TBNA and so the samples gained by EBUS-TBNA allowed genetic evaluations of tumour cells from lymph nodes [19, 20]. In 2009 Tournoy et al. provided a detailed analysis of endosonographic landmarks (where available), describing the anatomic borders of the lymph node stations as defined in the 7th edition of the IASLC’s TNM-staging nomenclature, which is relevant for correctly staging patients with lung cancer . Building on the strong results of combined EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA procedures – a study published by Vilman et al. in 2005 had already indicated their complementary nature – Annema et al. challenged in 2010 the pre-dominant surgical staging algorithm by comparing the combined EBUS-TBNA and EUS-TNA with surgical staging alone and showed that combining endosonographic and surgical staging resulted in greater sensitivity for mediastinal nodal metastases and fewer unnecessary thoracotomies. These results indicated that the combination of both procedures may be able to replace surgical stages as the primary staging method for patients with lung cancer. Instead of using different scopes for EBUS-TBNA and EUS-TNA, two separate studies published in Chest in 2010 by Hwangbo et al. and Herth et al. used only one bronchoscope for both procedures, starting via the trachea and continuing via the oesophageal route. They came to the conclusion that EBUS-TBNA and EUS-TNA are complementary methods and showed that both procedures can be performed with a single EBUS echoendoscope in one sitting by one operator. A further study in 2011, “Nonsurgical staging of the mediastinum: EBUS and EUS” conducted by Herth, stated that the combination of both procedures achieves a complete and accurate mediastinal staging. Therefore it can be expected that the implementation of combined EBUS-TBNA and EUS-FNA will reduce the need for surgical staging of lung cancer significantly . The summary of scientific studies on EBUS-TBNA provided about clearly shows the procedure’s power in helping to improve mediastinal staging of lung cancer during the past 10 years. The technological development of less invasive staging and sampling devices continues endoscopists using endosonography, we can expect further exciting developments in clinical practice in the years to come. The development and introduction of the new convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (CP-EBUS) that performs endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration has changed the practice of bronchoscopic biopsy of the mediastinum in respiratory diseases. In particular, the role of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis and mediastinal lymph node staging of lung cancer, the leading cause of death from malignant disease worldwide , is becoming an interest to pulmonologists as well as thoracic surgeons. The newest CP-EBUS now being used in clinical practice is a hybrid bronchofibervideoscope which features a unique optical system that exploits both video and fiber-optic technologies (BFUC160F- OL8, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). This CP-EBUS is a linear curved array transducer that scans parallel to the insertion direction of the bronchoscope. Images can be obtained by directly contacting the probe or by attaching a balloon on the tip and inflating with saline (Figure 1). The outer diameter of the insertion tube of the CP-EBUS is 6.2 mm, and that of the tip is 6.9 mm. The angle of view is 80º and the direction of view is 35º forward oblique . Tip of the new convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (CP-EBUS, BF-UC160FOL8, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). The outer diameter of the insertion tube of the flexible bronchoscope is 6.2 mm. CP-EBUS has a linear curved array ultrasonic transducer of 7.5 MHz. The balloon attached to the tip of the bronchoscope is inflated with normal saline (A). The dedicated TBNA needle is inserted through the working channel (B) . The built-in CCD in the control section allows sharp images similar to those of regular videoscopes and allows a slimmer insertion tube of 6.2 mm. The ultrasound images can be frozen and the size of lesions can be measured in two dimensions by the placement of cursors. It is also equipped with the Color Power Doppler mode. The display range covers 2–24 cm (Figure 2). The convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (CP-EBUS, BF-UC160F-OL8, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) and The dedicated ultrasound processor (EU-C60/EU-C2000, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) . The dedicated 22-gauge needle is used for EBUS-TBNA (Figure 3). The needle is a single use aspiration needle with echogenic dimpled tip design to improve visibility on ultrasound images. This needle has various adjuster knobs which work as a safety device to prevent damage to the channel. The maximum extruding stroke is 40 mm and to prevent excessive protrusion, a safety mechanism stops the needle at the stroke of 20 mm. The needle is attached onto the working channel of the bronchoscope which allows the operator to actually perform EBUS-TBNA. The needle is also equipped with an internal sheath which is withdrawn after passing the bronchial wall, avoiding contamination during TBNA. This internal sheath is also used to clear out the tip of the needle after passing the bronchial wall. The use of this sheath has significantly increased the yield of EBUS-TBNA. The exit of the needle is at 20° with respect to the outer covering of the insertion tube. The needle can be visualized through the optics and on the ultrasound image . A Dedicated 22-gauge needle (NA-201SX-4022, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) and the Vaclok syringe used to create negative pressure. B The needle attached to the working channel of the EBUS-TBNA bronchoscope. The maximum extruding stroke is 40 mm and to prevent excessive protrusion, a safety mechanism stops the needle at the stroke of 20 mm . Mediastinal staging can be divided into noninvasive staging (imaging) and invasive (sampling) staging. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and PET-CT are used for noninvasive imaging . Other imaging modalities include the use of transesophageal ultrasonography (EUS) and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) using a radial probe for detecting even small mediastinal lymph nodes [35-36]. Mediastinoscopy is still the gold standard for mediastinal lymph node staging . However, it requires general anesthesia and complications cannot be ignored. Rami-Porta R et al. evaluated in 2007 for the 7th Edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors only patients without metastasis and, although there was information about different aspects of the T component, they only could analyze in detail tumor size, existence of accompanying nodules and pleural dissemination. The prognostic value of the tumor size was studied in patients with completely resected pathological T1 and T2 N0 M0 tumors who had not received adjuvant therapy. The statistical calculations determined three cut-points at 2, 5 and 7cm, which, in addition to the 3cm, the border between T1 and T2, gave rise to 5 groups of tumors with significantly worse survival with larger tumor diameters. The groups and their 5-year survival rates were: T1≤2cm, 77%; T1>2cm and ≤3cm, 71%; T2>3cm and ≤5cm, 58%; T2>5cm and ≤7cm, 49%, and T2>7cm, 35%. This prognostic gradation was maintained when less selective patient populations were evaluated: clinical staging, incomplete resection and different lymph node affectation. With such arguments, it was decided to subdivide the T1 tumors into T1a (≤2cm) and T1b (>2cm and ≤3cm), and T2 tumors into T2a (>3cm and ≤5cm) and T2b (>5cm and ≤7cm). Likewise, the 5-year survival was compared between patients with T2>7cm tumors and T3 tumors. Similar results were found in the different populations, except in the N0 cases with complete resection, in which it was verified that the survival was even higher in the T3 (41%) than in the T2>7cm (35%), therefore it was decided to reclassify the latter as T3. When they analyzed the tumors that, with pathological staging, presented additional nodules, it was observed that: (a) the 5-year survival of the T3 (31%) was similar to the T4 classified as such due to the existence of an additional nodule or nodules in the same lobe as the primary tumor (28%); (b) the T4 due to other factors had the same survival as those classified as M1 due to an additional nodule(s) in a different homolateral lobe than the primary tumor (22%); and (c) the T4 due to pleural dissemination had a clearly worse prognosis (11% 5-year survival). For the new classification, it was therefore recommended to consider as T3 those tumors with additional nodule(s) in the same lobe as the primary tumor, to consider as T4 those tumors with additional nodule(s) in a homolateral lobe other than that of the primary tumor, and to include in the M category those tumors with pleural dissemination (Table 1). T descriptor 6th ed. 7th ed. - T2 > 7 cm became T3. - Separate nodule(s) in the primary lobe: became T3 from T4. - Separate nodule(s) in a different ipsilateral lobe: became T4 from M1. - Pleural dissemination (pleural nodules or malignant effusion): became M1a from T4. - Malignant pericardial effusion: became M1a from T4. In the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual and UICC TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors the T factor is divided into four descriptors (T1-4) depending on size, site, number, and local extent of the primary tumor: the size and non-size based descriptors . The value of tumor size in NSCLC prognosis is supported by large clinical evidence [41-45]. The tumor size threshold of 3 cm was set-up on the 2nd edition of the TNM classification of malignant tumors in 1974., and despite the advances in surgical procedures, adjuvant treatment, and mostly in imaging technology, this measure remained unchanged for 35 years. The 7th edition of the TNM for lung cancer confers more importance to the size-based T descriptors and divides them as seen earlier. These modifications have been validated by recent studies that showed better survival stratification and prognosis estimation with the new T definitions [47-49]. Table 2a describes lower survival rates as the T factor increases [50-51].; survival rates are improved with the new system due to reclassification (up- and down-staging) of patients when compared to series reporting survival rates with the previous TNM, showed in Table 2b [52-53]. a. Five year survival by pT classification with the 7th edition. b. Five year survival by pT classification with the 6th edition . In 1975, Martini and Melamed were the first to propose clinical and histopathologic criteria for the differential diagnosis of second lung cancers . MPLCs are defined synchronous, if detected simultaneously, or metachronous, if tumors are separated in time [57-58]. Synchronous nodules may represent a MPLC (second primary), a metastasis, or an extension from the primary (satellite nodule) (Table 3). Deslauriers et al. described in 1989 intrapulmonary nodular metastasis in patients with NSCLC as satellite nodules, and the 5- year survival rates for these patients with satellite nodules were 21.6% compared to 44% for patients without satellite nodules. They concluded that patients with satellite nodules should be classified as stage IIIA . Definitions of second primary, satellite nodules and metastasis [61-62]. The concept of satellite nodules was not considered in NSCLC staging system until 1992 by the AJCC and in 1993 by the UICC [63-64]. Prior to this, all nodules were classified as M1. tumor with a malignant pleural or pericardial effusion, or with satellite tumor nodule(s) within the ipsilateral primary-tumor lobe of the lung. The IASLC lung cancer staging project committee has acknowledged the multiple reports showing better survival for primary tumors with satellite nodules than other T4 tumors and this is the reason why they downstaged them accordingly [38,65]. Later studies found that the new T descriptor for satellite nodules proposed by the IASLC reflects better the outcomes of that group of patients, which showed superior survival rates, and now these patients are to be considered for surgery [66-67]. According to the TNM staging manual, pleural dissemination is defined as the presence of ipsilateral malignant pleural effusion (MPE) or pleural nodules . Pleural nodules are defined as pleural tumor foci separated from direct pleural invasion by the primary tumor, classified as T4 . These pleural tumors must be differentiated from direct tumor invasion to the visceral (T2) or parietal pleura (T3) (Table 4). PL0 Tumor within the subpleural parenchyma or, invading superficially into the pleural connective tissue below the elastic layer. PL0 is not a T descriptor and the T component should be assigned on other features. PL2 Tumor invades to visceral pleural surface. Introduction of a new accurate definition of visceral pleural invasion (VPI); VPI is a pT2 descriptor (Table 4). The abbreviation PL is used instead of P which is also used for designation of pTNM in distinction from cTNM. The IASLC also recommends the use of elastic stains to distinguish between PL0 and PL1 when hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) sections are not helpful . Ipsilateral MPE is a locally advanced disease that precludes surgical treatment in lung cancer [82-83]. Unlike other malignant effusions, those caused by NSCLC have low sensitivity to chemo- and radiotherapy [84-86]; therefore these patients are candidates for palliative therapy. In a similar way, NSCLC is the most frequent cause of malignant pericardial effusion, which has a grim prognosis too [87-89]. The IASLC reclassified pleural dissemination from T4 to M1a based on the magnitude of evidence demonstrating that postoperative survival rates of patients with stage IIIB due to MPE are no different from those with stage IV disease and significantly lower than in patients with no pleural effusion and even with non-malignant pleural effusion [90-95]. The accurate assessment of lymph node involvement is an important part of the management of lung cancer. Lymph node “maps” have been used to describe the location of nodal metastases. However, there are discrepancies in nomenclature among maps used by Asian and Western countries. The IASLC proposed a new lymph node map that reduces these differences among currently used maps, and provides precise anatomic definitions for all lymph node stations. It has also been proposed a new method of grouping lymph node stations together into “zones” for the sake of future survival analyses . No changes were made to N descriptors. Analysis from the international database of the IASLC showed that current N descriptors provide good survival stratification, and therefore considered appropriate to maintain them without modifications . New International Lymph Node Map: The IASLC has developed a new lymph node chart to resolve disagreements in nomenclature between Naruke’s (The Japan Lung Cancer Society) and Mountain-Dresler’s maps (American Thoracic Society). Although the nomenclature has changed, the general concept remains the same. Patients without nodal metastatic disease are designated as N0. Patients with N1 disease are defined as having metastatic involvement of lymph nodes in the ipsilateral peripheral or hilar zones. The N2 designation signifies metastatic extension to lymph nodes in the ipsilateral mediastinal (upper, aorticopulmonary, lower) or subcarinal lymph node zones. The N3 nodal designation includes metastatic involvement of any nodes in the supraclavicular lymph node zone or nodes in contralateral mediastinal, hilar–interlobar, or peripheral zone. New classification of lymph nodes by grouping stations into seven “Nodal Zones” for prognostic analysis: supraclavicular, upper, aorticopulmonary, subcarinal, lower, hilar–interlobar, and peripheral (Table 6 and Figure 4); this proposal needs to be validated with prospective studies and it is not yet effective in the new TNM system. Grouping of lymph node stations into “zones”. Survival differences were also calculated on the basis of the number of lymph node zones involved in any single nodal designation. For instance, in pathologically staged patients with any T and M0, those with nodal metastases to a single N1 zone had a median survival of 52 months whereas those with metastatic spread to nodes in multiple N1 zones had a median survival of only 31 months. Similar decreases in survival were also seen in patients with multiple N2 nodal zone involvement (median survival 19 months) compared with those with disease in a single N2 nodal zone (median survival 35 months) . These results showed improved survival in patients with a single N2 zone involved compared with those with multiple N1 zones involved. These findings were validated by an external study , and raising the possibility of subdividing the N1 and N2 classifications into N1a (single-zone N1), N1b (multiple-zone N1), N2a (single-zone N2), and N2b (multiple-zone N2). A parallel between previous Mountain-Dresler modified lymph node map originally proposed by the American Thoracic Society and the proposed grouping of lymph node stations into “zones” for the purposes of prognostic analyses from Rusch VW et al. . Given the continuous ascension of endoscopic ultrasound techniques such as EBUS (endobronchial ultrasound) and EUS (endocopic ultrasound) guided transbronchial (TBNA) and transesophageal (FNA) fine needle aspiration for the sampling of mediastinal lymph nodes, the borders between lymph node stations have been reconsidered, limiting as much as possible the subjectivism and trying to better standardize and define nodal stations. As Tournoy et al. showed in this graphic representation, the reach of EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA is partly overlapping and partly complementary. EBUS-TBNA follows the large airways, whereas EUS-FNA is excellent for the left, posterior and lower mediastinal and paraoesophageal stations. When both techniques are available, many of the mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes can be reached for fine-needle aspiration. In addition, with EUS-FNA, the left liver lobe, celiac trunk nodes, and the left adrenal gland can be assessed. With EUS, lymph nodes can be identified if they are located in the vicinity of the esophagus. The nodes to be identified with EUS are described in relation to vascular structures (including the aorta, the azygos vein, the left atrium, and the pulmonary artery) and the diaphragm [103-104]. With EBUS, the ultrasound window angle is much smaller, when compared with EUS (50–60 degree angle versus 150– 180 degree angle), which makes the visualization and identification of large vessels or ultrasound landmarks easier with the latter (Figure 5). EUS helps in the identification of structures and landmarks through movements of backward, forward and rotation of the scope. In contrast to EUS, EBUS has the advantage of having a real-time bronchoscopic view into the airways during procedures, which helps with a more accurate identification of the lymph node stations . Size (in short axis): less or more than 1 cm. Shape: oval or round; when the ratio of short vs. long axis of lymph nodes is smaller than 1.5, the lymph node is defined as round; if the ratio is bigger than 1.5, it is oval. Margin: indistinct or distinct; if the majority of the margin (>50%) is clearly visualized with a high echoic border, the lymph nodes are determined as distinct. If the margin is unclear, they are determined as indistinct. The presence or absence of central hilar structure (CHS); CHS defined as a linear, flat, hyperechoic area in the center of the lymph node. Devices used in endoscopic and endobronchial ultrasound. Endoscopic ultrasound probe (left) and endobronchial ultrasound scope (right) . Since we consider that in the light of the latest TNM classification the knowledge of lymph node stations and their borders is of absolute importance, we will debate about it on a larger scale in this chapter. This, according to our opinion, is going to help especially the EUS-EBUS practitioners, since we are going to correlate from literature the schematics with CT’s and ultrasound in every lymph node station, in order to have a detailed mental image of the mediastinum. (Figure 6). Station 1 lymph nodes (Figure 7) are located caudal to the inferior margin of the cricoid but cranial to the incisura jugularis of the sternum and cranial to the clavicles bilaterally. Therefore, the supraclavicular nodes are also part of station 1. The latter can be felt by a clinical examination when enlarged; however, external ultrasound has shown to be useful for their localization, identification, and puncture.21–24 21 [107-110]. Although the paratracheal part of station 1 can be reached by EBUS-TBNA (1R/L; bilateral–the midline of the trachea serves as the border) or EUS-FNA (1L; left), the proposed anatomic borders cannot be recognized with endoscopic ultrasound. Because these nodes are localized extrathoracic, an endoscopic approach is very unpractical. The endoscopes are not stable for these very proximal stations making interpretation and sampling technically difficult and uncomfortable for the patient. Therefore, endoscopic ultrasound is of limited value for identification, delineation, and sampling of the paratracheally located station 1 nodes . Station 2. The inferior border of station 2L is the transverse plane through the superior border of the aortic arch. For 2R, the inferior border is then the intersection of the caudal margin of the brachiocephalic vein with the right-sided border of the trachea. The sagittal plane tangent to the left tracheal wall now makes the difference between right and left. For endoscopic ultrasound node identification and delineation, these revised definitions are important. Ultrasonographic discrimination between stations 2 and 4 is evident, especially on the left side because the apex of the aortic arch can readily be visualized by either EUS-FNA or EBUS-TBNA. For the right-sided nodes, the margin simply follows this transverse plane, which can serve as a surrogate for the intersection of the trachea and brachiocephalic vein (Figure 8). Discriminating left and right-sided nodes has clinical implications (N2 versus N3). In most of the cases, there is no discussion about the position because the presence and the size of the nodes as seen and measured on the CT scan also help the endoscopist in the identification (Figure 9). However, it can be that similarly enlarged nodes are found in this region and that attention is needed for making the difference between N2 and N3. As a general rule, it can be said that EUS-FNA can only reach the left paratracheal lymph node stations. With EBUS-TBNA, both stations can be approached while no clear endoscopic or ultrasonographic landmarks are available to discriminate left and right. Although the bronchoscopic image helps during EBUS-TBNA, the left side of the trachea never identifies as a straight plane. The large arteries (subclavian artery or the aortic arch) cannot help much because their position relative to that sagittal plane is variable. In addition, the smaller ultrasonography window of EBUS-TBNA also makes the visualization of the anatomic ultrasound landmarks is more limited . Station 2 node in front of the trachea, i.e. a 2R-node. There is also a small prevascular node, i.e. a station 3A node. Station 3 lymph nodes are defined with an anterior part being the prevascular nodes and a posterior part being the retrotracheal nodes. The craniocaudal extent goes for both from the sternal notch down to the main carina. Although the prevascular station 3A can be visualized with EBUS as lying ventrally from the large vessels, there are no anatomic ultrasound landmarks to recognize the superior border of this lymph node station. Sampling station 3A by endoscopic ultrasound is impossible because of the interposition of the large vessels. This contrasts with station 3P, which is situated in between the pars membranacea of the trachea and the vertebrae (Figure 11). It can be seen and sampled by both EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA. Although there is no ultrasound landmark for the superior margin of 3P either the inferior margin being the main carina level corresponds with the level of the main stem or left pulmonary artery during EUS and can be seen as an anatomic structure during EBUS. The margin between 3P and 2/4L is the left posterior tracheal corner, which is identifiable by EUS-FNA or EBUS-TBNA. The margin between 3P and 2/4R is the right posterior tracheal corner that can be identified during EBUS-TBNA. Station 4 lymph nodes are located paratracheally but situated caudal to the transverse aortic arch plane (Figure 12). The sagittal plane on the left side of the trachea is the margin between left and right, just like in station 2 nodes. By consequence, EUS-FNA in general cannot approach a right paratracheal node. The comments made to discriminate between 4R and 4L with EBUS-TBNA are identical to those for stations 2. However, what can be helpful for the endoscopist is that 4R nodes are situated posterior to the superior vena cava and/or ascending aorta, both presenting as large vessels with a vertical course, which can be readily visualized by EBUS-TBNA. The inferior margins of station 4 nodes have been redefined with important clinical implications, also for endoscopic ultrasound. The pleural reflection no longer serves as the border between stations 4 and 10. Station 4L has now an inferior border defined by the superior rim of the left main pulmonary artery and a lateral margin defined by the aortopulmonary ligament (Figures 12 – 14). With both EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA, the cranial rim of the left main pulmonary artery can be visualized. The aortopulmonary ligament is invisible for ultrasound. Station 4R’s inferior border has now been redefined as the inferior border of the azygos vein. This new definition is better because the anatomic margin being the pleural fold is invisible for conventional or endoscopic imaging, whereas the azygos vein is always visible. During EBUS-TBNA, it typically presents in the right tracheobronchial corner as a kidney-shaped vessel (Figures 12, 13). By consequence, EBUS-TBNA now can be used more confidently to discriminate between mediastinal 4R and hilar 10R nodes. The 4R nodes are by consequence characterized by their position just dorsally from the superior caval vein and/or aorta and medially but not distally to the azygos vein. Prevascular and Prevertabral nodes. Station 3 nodes are not adjacent to the trachea like station 2 nodes. They are either: 3A anterior to the vessels or 3P behind the esophagus, which lies prevertebrally. Station 3 nodes are not accessible with mediastinoscopy. 3P nodes can be accessible with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) . 4L nodes are lower paratracheal nodes that are located to the left of the left tracheal border, between a horizontal line drawn tangentially to the upper margin of the aortic arch and a line extending across the left main bronchus at the level of the upper margin of the left upper lobe bronchus. These include paratracheal nodes that are located medially to the ligamentum arteriosum. Station 5 (AP-window) nodes are located laterally to the ligamentum arteriosum . Examples of mediastinal lymph nodes and their anatomic relations with described borders . Station 5 lymph nodes are situated laterally to station 4L nodes with the ligamentum arteriosum as anatomic border (Figures 11, 13). The inferior edge is similar for both, whereas the cranial edge is not. Although 4L nodes are situated caudal to the superior border of the aortic arch, station 5 nodes are located caudal to the inferior border of the aortic arch (Figure 19). Because the ligamentum arteriosum cannot be discerned by means of ultrasound, the differentiation between 4L and 5 can be difficult, especially when both stations contain suspect lymph nodes. Station 5 nodes can be identified by EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA although the latter is often more demanding. Because of the interposition of aortic arch or pulmonary artery, station 5 can only be punctured in selected patients with enlarged nodes. Station 6 mediastinal lymph nodes are located lateral to the ascending aorta and aortic arch, in between the transverse planes at the superior and inferior border of the aortic arch. (Figures 13, 14) These nodes can most often be identified by means of EUS-FNA, whereas this is not always possible with EBUS-TBNA. The nodes in station 6 can only be punctured by a transaortal approach, but extended mediastinoscopy is advised instead [21, 112]. Lymph nodes stations 5 and 6 and their relation with the great vessels . Station 5. Subaortic nodes: Subaortic or aorto-pulmonary window nodes are lateral to the ligamentum arteriosum or the aorta or left pulmonary artery and proximal to the first branch of the left pulmonary artery and lie within the mediastinal pleural envelope. Station 6. Para-aortic nodes: Para-aortic (ascending aorta or phrenic) nodes are located anteriorly and laterally to the ascending aorta and the aortic arch from the upper margin to the lower margin of the aortic arch . Station 7 lymph nodes have an inferior border that is redefined. (Figure 15).On the left side, this is the superior border of the lower lobe bronchus, and on the right side, this is the inferior border of the intermediate bronchus. (Figure 16) The lymph nodes in this station can be seen and biopsied by both EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA. Formerly, an anterior and posterior part of this node was recognized. This was meaningful because a cervical mediastinoscopy cannot reach the posterior part of this station. With EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA, the entire subcarinal area can be approached. Although identification of the nodes in this station is easy for both EUS-FNA (the nodes lay just dorsally to the origin of the left pulmonary artery and cranial to the left atrium) and EBUS-TBNA (by means of the endoscopic view), the delineation of the inferior border by means of endoscopic ultrasound is, however, not easy. With EUS-FNA, the left atrium is generally seen as the anatomic border above which the subcarinal nodes are situated, although this is with the new definition probably too restrictive. The relation of the left atrium or pulmonary artery to the bronchus intermedius and the left lower lobe bronchus, the latter being the newly defined inferior borders of station 7, can be variable. With EBUS-TBNA, the delineation of the inferior border is possible because this investigation allows a simultaneous bronchoscopic view of the bronchial tree although there are no distinct corresponding ultrasound landmarks. Virtual borders between lymph node stations and their relation with the great vessels of mediastinum . Stations 8 and 9 are the paraoesophageal and pulmonary ligament nodes, respectively, and are situated inferior to the inferior margins of station 7 lymph nodes. The superior border of these lymph nodes is as such defined by the inferior margin of the subcarinal area. Station 8 nodes are located along the left atrium (Figures 17, 18), whereas station 9 nodes are lying within the pulmonary ligament (Figure 19). Although the latter is a structure that cannot be seen with endoscopic ultrasound, station 9 nodes are located just cranial to the diaphragm, which is readily identifiable with EUS-FNA. Stations 8 and 9 lymph nodes can be thus approached by means of EUS-FNA. Occasionally, station 8 nodes can be found by EBUS-TBNA. However, and as suggested above, one has to take into account the inferior stretch of the subcarinal nodes making this station in addition to station 9 becomes invisible for EBUS-TBNA. When performing EUS-FNA, one cannot confuse a lesion or lymph node with the esophagus. When performing EBUSTBNA, the esophagus can be seen as a multilayered structure with a hyperechogenic line in the middle corresponding with air not to be misinterpreted as a lymph node. The discrimination between the left- and right-sided nodes is the midline. Although no formal ultrasound characteristics for the midline are available, the relative position of the endoscope to the descending aorta can help. Station 8 Paraesophageal nodes: these nodes are below the carinal nodes and extend caudally to the diafragm. On the left an image below the carina. To the right of the esophagus a station 8 node . Station 9. Pulmonary ligament nodes: pulmonary ligament nodes are lying within the pulmonary ligament, including those in the posterior wall and lower part of the inferior pulmonary vein. The pulmonary ligament is the inferior extension of the mediastinal pleural reflections that surround the hila . Hilar nodes Hilar nodes are proximal lobar nodes, distal to the mediastinal pleural reflection and nodes adjacent to the intermediate bronchus on the right. Nodes in station 10 - 14 are all N1-nodes, since they are not located in the mediastinum . Station 10 or hilar lymph nodes are situated immediately adjacent to the main stem bronchus but caudal to the inferior border of azygos vein on the right and superior rim pulmonary veins and artery on the left. These nodes can be seen and sampled by EBUS-TBNA (Figures 20, 21). The inferior margin of station 10R is the interlobar region. There is no unique ultrasound feature that defines that border, but because a bronchoscopic view is available during EBUS-TBNA, the secondary carina or the upper lobe split off can serve as surrogate here. EUS-FNA has been thought to be unable to see and sample hilar stations. However, there is no doubt that in certain cases, station 10 nodes located medially from the main stem bronchi can be assessed. Endoscopists should be aware of this because misinterpretation could lead to overstaging . Once the secondary carina is reached, station 11 lymph nodes (or interlobar nodes) are encountered. From this station on, the nodes can only be approached by EBUS-TBNA and not by EUS-FNA. These nodes are located just underneath the mucosa of the secondary carina on the left. There is a division between 11s and 11i on the right side. The former indicate the nodes between upper lobe and intermediate bronchus, the latter are situated in between middle and lower lobe ultrasound landmarks are not available; however, the synchronous endoscopic view enables the identification of the relevant lobe split offs. Once the lobar bronchi originate, then station 12 is reached. Again, there are no unique ultrasound borders, only the endoscopic view can help for guidance. Stations 13 and 14 are segmental and subsegmental nodes. Frequently, the EBUS-TBNA endoscope is too large to approach the segments and subsegments and their lymph nodes. The creation of a supraclavicular lymph node area that includes the supraclavicular, lower cervical (caudal on the lower edge of the cricoid cartilage) and the suprasternal fossa lymph nodes. If these lymph nodes are invaded by a tumor, they are classified as N3, regardless of the side of the tumor. The widening of the subcarinal lymph node station. It now includes all the lymph nodes from the tracheal bifurcation until the upper edge of the lower left lobar bronchus and the lower edge of the intermediary bronchus. If they are affected by tumors, these lymph nodes are classified as N2. This new subcarinal station includes lymph nodes that before, at least according to the Japanese map, were hilar (adjacent to the lower sides of the main bronchi), that could be classified as N1 or N3, depending on the side of the tumor. The larger size of this subcarinal station will mean an increase in N2 tumors in detriment of N1 and N3 tumors. The incorporation of precise limits for station number 10, the hilar station, which facilitates the prospective collection of data in order to clarify the prognostic role of this station, whose placement on other maps has always been controversial. The shift in the midline of the upper mediastinum from the tracheal anatomical midline to the left paratracheal margin exclusively affects the upper and lower right and left paratracheal stations. This modification implies that the affected lymph nodes that are to the left of the anatomical midline, but to the right of the new left paratracheal line, will be N2 for tumors of the right lung, but N3 for those of the left lung. The patients with lung cancer studied for the 7th edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors presented the following survival rates at 1 and 5 years: T4 any N M0, 53% and 16%; pleural dissemination, 45% and 6%; contralateral pulmonary nodule(s), 46% and 3%, and distant metastasis, 22% and 1%; in this latter case, with significantly lower survival rates than previously cited . With such references, it was decided to subdivide the M component into M1a (presence of pleural dissemination or contralateral pulmonary nodule(s)) and M1b (distant metastasis). Reclassify pleural dissemination (malignant pleural effusions, pleural nodules) and malignant pericardial effusions as a metastasis descriptor: from T4 to M1a. Subclassify M1 by additional nodules in the contralateral lung as M1a. Subclassify M1 by distant metastases as M1b. The MX and pM0 designation has been eliminated from the AJCC/UICC TNM system. M descriptor changes: comparison between 6th and 7th edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors . Introduction of a new accurate definition of visceral pleural invasion (VPI); VPI is a pT2 descriptor (Table 8). To avoid confusion, the abbreviation PL is employed instead of P which is also used for designation of pTNM in distinction from cTNM. The IASLC also recommends the use of elastic stains to distinguish between PL0 and PL1 when hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) sections are not helpful . Clinical TNM staging now is valid for SCLC, and stratification by stage I to III should be included in clinical trials of early stage disease . Pathologic TNM staging must be used for all SCLC cases ..The International Staging Committee of the IASLC has confirmed that the survival of patients with SCLC worsened as the T and N categories increased . It was also observed that, except in stage IIA, which had only 55 patients for analysis, the 5-year survival worsened as the stage progressed: IA, 38%; IB, 21%; IIA, 38%; IIB, 18%; IIIA, 13%; IIIB, 9%, and IV, 1%. Based on this, the proposal to use the TNM system for staging SCLC was confirmed. Carcinoid tumors are now included within the TNM classification , a new staging system for neuroendocrine tumors. Lung carcinoids are staged in the same way as carcinomas. Even though the 6th TNM classification specified that it was not applicable to carcinoid tumors, several studies have used it, finding prognostic differences among the stages. The IASLC has also confirmed that those classified as stage I lived significantly more than those in stage II, and these significantly more than those in stages III–IV; therefore, the new TNM classification of 2009 is recommended to describe the extension of these tumors . Knowing the previous arguments for reorganizing some sections of the T and M components, a sophisticated statistical study was carried out with 17,726 patients whose tumors were better staged . The different survival curves for each stage were obtained, which, without overlapping among them, presented worse levels as the tumor extension increased. This confirms the new stage grouping (Table 9), whose 5-year survivals for each stage were, according to clinical and pathological staging, respectively, the following: IA, 50% and 73%; IB, 43% and 58%; IIA, 36% and 46%; IIB, 25% and 36%; IIIA, 19% and 24%; IIIB, 7% and 9%, and IV, 2% and 13%. Stage Grouping Comparisons: Sixth Edition Versus Seventh Edition Descriptors, T and M Categories, and Stage Groupings. Cells in bold indicate a change in the stage from the sixth edition. Adjacent stage in parentheses represents staging from the sixth edition. T = primary tumor; N0 = no regional lymph node metastasis; N1 = metastasis in ipsilateral peribronchial and/or ipsilateral hilar lymph nodes and intrapulmonary nodes, including involvement by direct extension; N2 = metastasis in ipsilateral mediastinal and/or subcarinal lymph node(s); N3 = metastasis in contralateral mediastinal, contralateral hilar, ipsilateral or contralateral scalene, or supraclavicular lymph node(s); M = distant metastasis . Stage groupings were modified due to changes to the TNM descriptors (Table 5). T2 smaller tumors, now T2a (>3 cm =5 cm), N1M0 are down-staged from IIB to IIA. T4 tumors due to additional nodules in primary lobe, now T3, are down-staged from IIIB to IIB (N0) or to IIIA (N1-2). M1 cases due to additional nodules in other ipsilateral lobe(s), now T4, are down-staged from IV to IIIB (N2-3) or to IIIA (N0-1). T4 tumors due to other factors, N0-1 are down-staged from IIIB to IIIA. T2 larger tumors, now T2b (>5 cm =7 cm), N0M0 are up-staged from IB to IIA. T2 tumors >7 cm, now T3, are up-staged: T3N0M0 from IB to IIB and T3N1M0 from IIB to IIIA. Tumors with pleural nodules or malignant pleural (or pericardial) effusion were reclassified from T4 to M1a, therefore are up-staged from stage IIIB to IV . The main limitations are derived from the retrospective character of some databases that were not designed to study the TNM classification and lack precise anatomical details about the tumor extension, the number and lymph node stations affected or the differences between the different forms of M1 disease. For this reason, the IASLC itself has initiated a prospective project aimed at once again updating the TNM classification in 2016, validating all the T, N and M descriptors, especially those who have not been until now. Thus, a large international database is being constituted that, correcting the geographical omissions and disproportions in the therapeutic modalities, includes patients with non-small-cell tumors, small-cell tumors and their neuroendocrine subtypes. In conclusion, the IASLC staging classification is unquestionably a major advance. The size of the database, the broad international spectrum, the careful and detailed analysis, as well as the internal and external validation, are tremendous achievements and relatively unique among types of cancer . The size of the database, the largest ever collected for any cancer type. For the first time, data was collected from different countries. The timeframe of 10 years allowed for 5 years follow-up. Cases included all treatment modalities. Pathologic and clinical staging where considered in survival analysis. The statistical analysis included meticulous internal and external validation. Changes to the TNM descriptors and stage groups were derived strictly from the outcome measure of overall survival. The new TNM system is less intuitive and more complex than the 6th edition, and will be more difficult to learn. The oncology community needs to overcome the higher learning curve in order to offer patients the most appropriate treatment choices based on more accurate prognostic information . It is known that diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy is limited by its inability to guide biopsy instruments directly to the lesion. As it was expected, diagnosis success rate is dependent on the size and location of the lesion. The diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy is expected to be between 20 and 84%. However, current nonsurgical techniques available to diagnose small peripheral lung lesions (SPLL) are limited either by low accuracy [122–125] or by potential complications [126–129]. For lesions less than 2 cm in diameter, the diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy is 14% for peripheral lesions in the outer third of the chest and as high as 31% if in the proximal two-thirds . The diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy for mediastinal lymph nodes using transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is reported to be between 15 and 83% . Also, diagnostic yield of TBNA in staging of bronchogenic carcinoma is reported to be between 50 and 60% . Computer software that utilizes thin-slice CT to create a three-dimensional rendering of the lung and tracheobronchial tree, which can then be used for virtual bronchoscopy. A sensor probe that fits through the small working/suction channel of a bronchoscope with a steering mechanism. Because the sensor probe is recognizable within the electromagnetic field, it can be navigated through the small airways of the lung toward peripheral lesions not reachable by conventional bronchoscopy (Figure 22). An electromagnetic field encompassing the patient’s thorax, so that the real anatomy can be merged with the computer generated (virtual) anatomy by use of standard “registration points” (e.g., carina, takeoff of the right upper lobe bronchus, bifurcation between the left upper and lower lobes). A hollow, extended working channel (EWC) that can be secured in a small peripheral airway and used to pass diagnostic instruments such as brushes, aspirating needles and biopsy forceps . The ideal patient for EGB should be one with peripheral pulmonary lesion (solid or fatty solid nodule located beyond the visible range of flexible bronchoscopy) detected by chest radiography and CT or presenting with suspicion of cancer by CT morphology or positive positron emission tomography (PET) scan, as well as with a nondiagnostic conventional bronchoscopy in most of these cases; he should have absence of other metastatic lesions accessible for biopsy, a negative TTNA or contraindication for TTNA (severe pulmonary impairment, bleeding diathesis, lesions not accessible by TTNA as judged by a radiologist panel) and contraindication for straightforward curative surgery; in case of associated mediastinal lymph nodes should have a negative transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) or difficult to reach with TBNA lymph nodes. Those patients who should not undergo EGB are those with contraindication to short-acting anesthetic agents, bleeding diathesis, presence of concomitant endobronchial lesion, presence of a pacemaker/defibrillator or a diagnosis by other means (sputum cytology, microbiology) that offers a reliable and easy to control course of treatment. Navigation aim is to closely approach the target lesion (distance between sensor tip and lesion centre ≤15 mm) and take as many biopsies as possible for each lesion. At every three attempts is advised that the forceps should be withdrawn and the position of the sensor probe in relation to the target lesion checked. Makris D et al. also recommends that all patients should undertake a CT scan prior to EGB with the following technical criteria: slice thickness 2–3.5 mm, interval between slices (with overlap of 1 mm) 1-2.5 mm, image size 512x512 pixels and dicom format . As for anesthesia, Gildea TR et al. considers that all procedures (flexible bronchoscopy, bronchial washings, bronchoalveolar lavage and the actual EGB) can be safely performed using conscious sedation with intravenous 2 mg boluses of both midazolam and morphine with topical lidocaine . In an emblematic study from Gildea TR et al. in 2006, the role of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy using super-Dimension/Bronchus System as a novel method to increase diagnostic yield of peripheral and mediastinal lung lesions was investigated. The superDimension/bronchus system is an image-guided localization system, which is designed to guide bronchoscopic tools to predetermined points within the bronchial tree. The device uses three separate technologies that are combined to enable navigation of dedicated tools within the lung in real time. The first component is the planning software, which converts digital imaging and communications in medicine standards (DICOM) images from a computed tomography (CT) scan into multiplanar images with three-dimensional reconstruction and virtual bronchoscopy of the airways. The second component is a steerable probe that contains a position sensor attached to an eight-way steerable instrument that has the ability to navigate turns in the endobronchial tree . The steerable probe (SP) with bronchoscope . The third component is an electromagnetic (EM) board, which is a field generator connected to a computer containing the planning data. The exact position of the steerable probe when placed within the EM field is depicted on the system monitor. Registration is the process by which the computer links the five to six virtual fiducial markers to the actual position in the patient. Upon registration completion, the average fiducial target registration error (AFTRE) score was given in millimetres (mm). The AFTRE is the radius of expected difference of the location of the tip of the steerable probe in the actual patient compared with where it is expected to be in the virtual patient . After registration, navigation is performed with simultaneous advancement of the steerable probe toward the target and directing steerable probe to the lesion. The closest distance between the steerable probe tip and the lesion centre is recorded. When navigation is completed, the steerable probe is removed, leaving the extendable working channel through which brushings and TBBXs or TBNA were performed . In this study, biopsies were performed using a C-arm fluoroscopy unit. All instruments were visualized under fluoroscopy only after navigation was completed to confirm proper function and position of the bronchoscopic tools relative to the lesion and the pleura. Brush biopsies involved two to three passes, and four pieces of tissue were obtained by TBBX. TBNA usually was done with 2 to 4 passes of a combination of 19-G and 22-G needles depending on physician choice [130, 135-139]. Eberhardt et al. reported in 2007 92 peripheral lung lesions biopsies from 89 consecutive subjects. The diagnostic yield of EGB was 67%, which was independent of lesion size. Total procedure time ranged from 16.3 to 45.0 min (mean [± SD] procedure time, 26.9 ± 6.5 min). The mean navigation error was 9 ± 6 mm(range, 1 to 31 mm). They reported two incidences of pneumothorax for which no intervention was required. When analyzed by lobar distribution, there was a trend toward a higher ENB yield in diagnosing lesions in the right middle lobe (88%). They concluded that EGB can be used as an independent bronchoscopic technique without the need for fluoroscopy when compared with other available studies. There was no increased risk of pneumothorax (2 of 89 patients; 2%). The upper lobes tend to have sharper angles in the bronchial tree that may be challenging to navigate even with a steerable sensor probe. The EWC ends close to the tip of the sensor probe and makes it less flexible. This reduces the range of deflection and, consequently, the ability to navigate. It can also make the probe flip into a different position when negotiating some tight angles in the bronchi. Navigation in the lower lobes is more affected by diaphragmatic movement during breathing and could result in larger errors than recorded. This is because the planning data are based on CT scan images acquired in a single breathhold [140, 141]. Eberhardt et al. also showed that the improved yield of EGB compared to conventional transbronchial lung biopsy in small lesions (diameter ≤ 2 cm) can be attributed to the improved precision in navigation. This study has shown the yield, safety, and timesaving with use of the EGB system without the need for fluoroscopy. This system eliminates radiation exposure and could reduce procedure costs. The diagnostic utility of the use of EGB in the biopsy of peripheral lung lesions appears to be equivalent to other advanced techniques like endobronchial ultrasound [142-144]. Apparently, these techniques have pushed bronchoscopic biopsy yields closer to those achieved by CT scan-guided transthoracic needle biopsy and surgery. Given the relative comfort and safety of flexible bronchoscopy, and the recognized risks of both CT scan-guided [147-149] and surgical biopsies , there is growing need to develop and refine these techniques. The expanded role of lung cancer screening, in which the vast majority of lesions is benign, makes this all the more important . Multimodality diagnosis by combining ENB with other bronchoscopic and imaging techniques may further enhance the diagnostic yield . Visible light perceived by the human eye comprises the whole wavelength range, between 400–700 nm. Conventional bronchoscopy illuminates mucosal structures of the airwaves with the full wave spectrum; therefore, light gets reflected, backscattered or absorbed by the structures it encounters, thus providing the human eye with an image . Tissues show a natural autoflorescence when excited in the 200-460 nm range; however, only the visible part of this range is used in medical applications . However, the light source attached to the bronchoscope can emit only blue light, as a proportion of the blue spectrum excites the cellular chromophores, such as collagen, elastin or keratin, contained in the layers of the submucosa, especially within the connective tissue comprised in the elastic fiber bundles, or on the exterior surface of the cartilages (perichondrium). When excited by blue-violet light in the 400-450 nm spectrum, the excited chromophores of normal cellular lines found in the mucosa display a green tint. Another aspect of the autoflorescence theory refers to the thickness and cellular morphology of the examined tissue. Tumors and premalignant lesions have an increased mucosal thickness and therefore absorb more of the excitation occurring from fluorescence light, in what is called “the architectural effect” [153, 154]. Tissues that underwent a morphological change due to various pathological conditions, predominantly premalignant dysplasia or metaplasia-like phenomenon, are colored differently as the green fluorescence is affected by either alterations of cellular chemistry, morphology or epithelial thickness [155–157]. A wide range of AFB devices are currently available on the market: the Storz D-light system , Pentax SAFE-1000 , the Xilix LIFE system or the DAFE system by Richard Wolf . The main advantage of AFB is that progressive dysplasia of the mucosal layers also results in a progressive transition from normal green autoflorescence to a red-brown color, specific to precancerous or malignant lesions. This makes early premalignant lesions far easier to spot during bronchoscopy as compared to regular white-light based techniques. Inflammatory reactions, granulomas, scars, dysplasia/metaplasia and early malignant lesions which are hard to spot due to their submucosal confinement are therefore easily spotted due to their dark red-brown appearance, surrounded by normal green tissue [155–157]. The addition of AFB to conventional endoscopy can significantly increase diagnostic rate of early malignant or premalignant lesion, without the need of tumor sensitizers and therefore with no additional complications to standard bronchoscopy techniques. The detection rate of high-grade dysplasia and carcinoma in-situ (CIS) is increased to 88% after using AFB, up from the median 40% detection rate that conventional white-light bronchoscopy provides [161, 162]. However, as already stated, both premalignant lesions and various inflammatory conditions have similar appearances in AFB. Therefore, the specificity is rather low, with a high rate of false positive investigations [163, 164]. Since diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measures directly the changes in the path of white light through tissue scattering and absorption levels, some have theorized that combining autofluorescence with diffuse reflectance probes may enhance the specificity of this method. Preliminary findings have shown that a combination between the two can significantly improve the positive predictive value of AFB without altering the already attained high sensitivity for premalignant and early malignant lesions (Bard MPL et al, 2005). Other attempts to improve specificity by local spectroscopical measurements have shown promising results, making way for one-stop techniques which would combine two types of wavelength measurement and fluorophore weighting [153, 165]. One study investigated the use of AFB in primary lung cancer, after treatment of head and neck cancer, detecting 29% (12/44 patients) of all second primary lung cancers, while detecting early lesions in two patients which would otherwise be missed by conventional imaging methods . Early reports of Lam and his team in asbestos and diesel-exposed individuals showed an 86% sensitivity for moderate to severe dysplasia and CIS in the case of AFB, compared to just 52% for white light bronchoscopy . A multicenter study performed by Lam in 1998 with the LIFE system, on 173 patients (142 biopsy-proven cases of severe dysplasia, CIS or invasive cancer) showed that AFB has a relative sensitivity of 2.71 compared to conventional bronchoscopy, successfully detecting 91 cases in comparison to only 35 with bronchoscopy alone. When considering intraepithelial lesions alone, the relative sensitivity increases to 6.1 for AFB compared to standard bronchoscopy . A correlation between the loss of fluorescence and the grade of dysplasia; therefore, a trained endoscopist can differentiate these gradations to some extent, being even able to identify inflammatory or granulomatous lesions . This would In turn greatly improve the specificity of AFB. A different approach consists in the usage of computer assisted analysis of signals of different wavelengths, represented in a spectrogram which in turn can classify benign from malignant lesions. NBI is a novel imaging technique capable of improving the visualization of superficial structures of the respiratory mucosa [168, 169]. NBI is used for an accurate classification of lesions, even though it does not have an established role during routine bronchoscopy [170–172]. High magnification bronchoscopy in combination with NBI can visualize the altered micro-vascularization which is formed in dysplastic or neoplastic lesions . As the tumor progresses, it requires an adequately enlarged blood supply, therefore in most cancers, including those of the lungs and airways, neo angiogenesis is a constant phenomenon through which newly formed vessels are constantly produced in order to supplement local needs. These vessels form irregular aberrant patterns, having unequal diameters, tortuous configurations and uneven segment lengths. The principle of NBI is simple: three optical filters segment the RGB (red-green-blue) light spectrum in sequence, thus narrowing the bandwidth of the spectral transmittance . This allows for visual marking of capillary structures of the sub-mucosa in deep red color, allowing an easier identification and characterization, as different wavelengths penetrate the tissue at different depths. The filtering system is placed in the optical illumination system and basically contains two narrow wavelength components: NBI-B corresponding to the 400-430 nm range (blue and green visualization) and NBI-G for the 530-550 nm range (red visualization), while a third filter can be installed for an accurate segmentation of the blue-green features, operating in the 430-460 nm range; the optical light-source usually operates in the 400-700 nm wavelength range. All current models include a 2-filter system, which emphasizes capillaries in the superficial mucosal layers by the 400-430 nm light, coloring them in shades of brown, while deeper mucosal or submucosal vessels are displayed in cyan by using the 530-550 nm filter. Modern systems allow for easy switch between the normal WLI and the enhanced NBI operations . Limitations of the technology arise from the fact that not all lung malignancies develop submucosal neo vascularization visible from the airways, therefore potential false-negative NBI findings can be frequent when used in combination with WLB. Its sensitivity may be however increased when used in conjunction with other specific techniques such as AFB; however, its role in the screening process for lung malignancies is yet to be determined. A step further in this direction would be the standardization of imaging findings, based on clinical descriptions and classification of abnormal airway vascularity. High magnification bronchoscopy can improve the specificity of the technique, as it may allow a more clear description of the vascular patterns . Good prospects come from new techniques such as probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy which can provide an in situ diagnosis of malignancy if used in conjunction with any endoscopic technique. Gastrointestinal applications of pCLE are numerous, the system being successfully tested in real-life conditions . It can be used for identifying premalignant lesions otherwise invisible to classic endoscopic techniques, such as Barrett’s esophagus , classification of polipous lesions at colonic level , gastric metaplasia or early stage lesions at all levels of the digestive tracts [178, 179]. The technique requires injection of fluorescein or another fluorophore, followed by endoscopic imaging of the dye to identify mucosal details such as mucosal and vessel architecture to distinguish among normal, dysplastic, and neoplastic tissue. The use of fluorescein as an in-vivo contrast agent for detecting vascular structures has been deemed safe by several studies . It thus allows for better visualization of vascular structures, serving as an overall tissue contrasting agent as it may leak beyond capillary confinement. The imaging microprobe is connected to 30,000 fiber-optic threads that enable point-to-point real-time detection at 12 frames/sec. The microprobe’s flexibility and size (1.5 mm in diameter) allow for great user maneuverability to scan tissues in situ at angles that would not be possible with any available confocal microscope objective. The mini-probe is inserted through a working channel of any standard bronchoscope and can reach the alveolar duct. A laser generator emits 488 nm blue argon laser light which is transmitted through the optical fibers and excites the elastin scaffold of the acinus. In turn, a real time image of the elastic fibers which sustain the alveoli, as well as the microvessel architecture is revealed. The probe can be translated over a larger tissue sample, and the images later reconstructed in order to extend the field of view covered . A monitor attached to an imaging unit is available for real-time visualization of cellular images, the device being capable of recording full length movies which can be recorded and later on analyzed with dedicated software . This technology is still in its early stages; however, it was deemed safe by regulatory organisms in the United States of America for applications in patient settings. In conjunction with safe contrasting agents such as fluorescein or methilen blue , it can be used for the in vivo histologic assessment of the bronchial epithelium at all levels of the airway system [185–187]. Several studies reported good initial results in control groups of healthy smokers or patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for diagnosing various forms of parenchymal lung disease [188, 189]. A pCLE investigation seems to be a quick and safe procedure for patients with various pulmonary conditions, with minimal side-effects related to both the technique and the contrasting fluorescent agents used for imaging. General consensus is that further studies are needed in order to extent the diagnostic capabilities and enhance its sensibility in comparison with standard cytological and histological techniques.

2019-04-19T07:23:31Z

https://www.intechopen.com/books/endoscopy/bronchology-a-well-branched-tree

Oh, to peek inside a man’s brain. . . Warning: the following blog post you are about to read is real. No names have been changed to protect the innocent. This is, pure, stream-of-consciousness writing, as it comes out of the head of Jeff Parkes. You see, I’ve been lying awake these past few nights having several inner dialogues ever since I sent that email, and they’ve been keeping me up. So I decided to put on out in blog-land, just to get it out of my system. Maybe I’ll turn schizophrenic or something; who knows? – OK, so here it is. – We’ve started, then, have we? – Well, now that it’s time to do this, it isn’t flowing as well. – The inner dialogue. You stay up for hours yelling at yourself in your head and now it’s all congenial. Where’s the malice? Where’s the second-guessing and the insults and the self-loathing? – Hey, steady! I do not have that much self-loathing! – Where’s the proof of that? Where’s the proof that I have a large amount of self-loathing? – You’re going to put the burden of proof on me? – Well, yeah, now that you mention it, I am. – Great. Now I’ve got to prove it. – Hang on, I’m thinking. – You can’t do it, can you? – I can! The ideas aren’t coming. – You can’t do it! – I CAN TOO! Look, this conversation is enough proof, isn’t it? – This is just goin’ ‘round in circles! This is circuitous logic! – That doesn’t even mean anything! – OK, fine. Let’s start this over. – Are we on that kick, still? Look, let’s skip that bit and go to what’s really keeping you up at nights. – Us. Keeping us up. – Me. We are a single person, you know. – Are we? I hadn’t noticed. – Just stop the sarcasm and let’s get this thing under way. – First of all, is she going to write you back? – But you don’t know that, do you? – Of course I don’t know it. I’m not psychic, you know. – All right. Tell me, when has being forward as you were in that email ever worked out in your benefit? – That statement didn’t even make grammatical sense. – You know what I mean. Don’t argue semantics to change the subject. – Fine. Well. . . – It hasn’t, has it? – To be perfectly frank, I haven’t done it that often. – Because it always blows up in your face, right? – Not always. OK, so with Holly it did. – You gave her a rose. Said you loved her. – And then she started ignoring you and trying to get away. – What did you do to encourage that? Try to kiss her? – Try to hold her hand? – How did she know you liked her, then? – Ah, with words. No physical contact, eh? – Well, I hugged her every so often. – You afraid of holding hands? – No! Well, I don’t know! – What do you mean, you don’t know? – Well, holding hands means something, right? It’s not just something people do to pass the time. And if a girl doesn’t obviously want to hold my hand, or cuddle, or whatever, well, who am I to force them, right? – But how do you know if she wants to hold your hand? – Well, she. . .uh. . . – You don’t know, do you? – Well, neither do you! – Of course I don’t! We’re the same person! Face it, Jeff, you’re scared of physical contact. – This is not going to degenerate into that type of argument! I’ve held girls’ hands before, done some light cuddling before! – Not for years, Jeff. Not for years. I can think of only two occasions since your mission. – Doesn’t mean I’m scared of it! In fact, I’d prefer it! I just don’t know how to initiate it when I’m not sure it’s wanted. – Scared you’ll be wrong, eh? Is that why you barely date as well? – Look, I dated Holly loads! – Ah, back to Holly. And it wasn’t loads, it was four, maybe five dates? Is that a committed relationship? – Well, I also gave her a rose! – A rose, eh? Which you didn’t even have the courage to deliver personally. – Now, hang on! That wasn’t my fault! She wasn’t home! I was on a tight schedule! Leaving it at the door was the only possible way to get it to her! – Only possible way? Didn’t you have a car? Couldn’t you have waited until she was home? – I didn’t know when she would get home. – She didn’t love you, though. – Apparently not. Look, is this going anywhere? I’m not here to dredge up past failed relationships. – I’m just trying to provide a point of reference. – Point of reference? For what? – For anticipating what will happen in this case? – This won’t help! Each case must be decided by a case-by-case basis. Just because all the girls in the past have been put out and creeped out by me doesn’t mean that it will necessarily happen this time. It won’t! – You must admit, though. Although people are different, there are certain societal norms that one must adhere to to be accepted as a member of society. – Meaning that, in this case, sending an email to a girl you think you love when, in fact, you have barely even seen her for more than two years, and with whom you’ve had contact basically only through Facebook and not much else might seem to be a bit creepy, especially if in that email you state your intentions! – Whoa, hang on! I never said I loved her! – Not in the email! But you do! – OK! Maybe I believe I do! But I’m not going to say it here! This is a public blog! Have you forgotten? – No, I haven’t forgotten. You’ve already said as much in past entries. – Yes, in a more lucid way! This very conversation, when it gets out there, if people read it, will cause people to think I’ve gone insane! – Will it? You’ve been an awfully poor judge of character in the past. Besides, your blog isn’t the most-read piece of websiteness that there is out there. It’s still relatively private. Aside from the very first day, you’ve never had a day where more than eight people read it, and that includes instances where they just hit “refresh” or go to a different page. – You don’t know that! You don’t know how the stats work! They may just be logged by IP address, in which case every single visit wouldn’t be unique. – Let’s not split hairs here. The point is that not many people come around here, so who’s to say whether I will be judged insane by posting a conversation with myself? – I don’t even know what our original topic is anymore. – We didn’t really have one. This was just an exercise so you could go to sleep tonight without staying up worrying about that email and what kind of response you’ll get. – Suppose she did read it, and then came to this blog and saw this insanity going on. How do you think she’ll react then? – You saying we should make this private? – That’s a pretty darn good idea. – Fine, it’s private, same password as before. – Thank you. Now, where were we? – Yes, well, she hasn’t really reacted yet. – What makes you think she will? – Of course she will! I asked her to email me back or even call me! – She hasn’t yet, and it’s been nearly 48 hours, including a Sunday in which, generally, people have more time to do those sort of things. Call people and whatnot. – Maybe she hasn’t read it yet. She may check her email only on occasion. Remember, this morning, she had posted on your wall about your new profile pic and the fact that your status at the time was “nangy-nurgle.” That was in reference to the Tongue-tied video, which you had linked to in the email. Now, if she had seen the video she may have known what you were talking about, but since she didn’t she obviously hasn’t read it yet. Ipso, fatso. – Look, just because she was confused by your status doesn’t mean she hasn’t read the email. It was a confusing status. – But why did she even comment on it at all? – Maybe she likes you back? – Then why not tell me so? – Maybe she’s shy, too. Her blog says as much on occasion. – OK, fine. So she may be kind of shy. – Therefore, when she reads the email, she doesn’t really know what to do with it and does nothing. Ergo, you receive no reply, ergo, your current situation. – But I want a reply! – Of course you want a reply! Who wouldn’t? You want her to confirm that she has had this secret crush on you for two years, and that when you both see each other again you will become the best of friends and start going out and eventually get married and have two kids, Nathaniel and Superfly! – Don’t start quoting; there’s nobody else around to be impressed. – Who’s impressed by quoting? Oftentimes people use quotes to make up for their own lack of imagination. – Now, that’s not true! Plenty of people use quotes for good reasons! People with great imaginations! – Perhaps, but when their only brand of humor consists of quoting things they find funny, where does that leave them? – Fine. Such a person may not be a stand-up comic for a living. It doesn’t mean they’re stupid! – I never said they were stupid! Look, we’re straying again. – The topic that you really want Liz to email you back! – You’re right, I do! But I’m not necessarily waiting for all that smeg you said about her really loving me and stuff. I’m not necessarily waiting for that. – You’re not? What kind of reply would you take? – Any kind! A “Let’s just be friends,” a “You’re really creeping me out, stay away from me,” a “I like pie, don’t you?” whatever! Just as long as I get something! I can’t do this like the way I handled Kim! – You mean that you couldn’t actually ever contact her after the mission? – You didn’t really try, you know. – How do you figure? I sent her a couple of emails. – Which she never replied to. – So what did you do further? – I assumed that she didn’t want to contact me, and that was that. – Then you went to her wedding reception. She introduced you as the guy she used to have a crush on, then put you and her husband in the same category. – Meaning that, she obviously wasn’t deliberately not trying to contact you, but would have welcomed the contact, had you been more persistent. Had you tried to call her, or anything. – Well, I didn’t have her phone number! – You could have looked for it! And now she’s gone! Gone gone gone gone gone! Married to a man that is the same “category” as you, whatever that means! You and your low self-esteem just assumed that she didn’t want to ever speak to you again! When it was really just your problem and it ended up only hurting you in the end! – Hey man, that hurts! – You’re damn right it does! Where was the risk-taking? You’ve always played it safe when it comes to relationships. – So what do you want me to do? Drive to Rexburg, plant a hundred flowers outside of Liz’s house, like the guy on Big Fish? – That might be romantic, yeah. – Or creepy! Remember, if a guy does something he thinks is romantic to a girl who doesn’t like him that way, it’s creepy, and she’ll phase him out of her life. – That happened with Holly! You have no guarantee that’ll happen with anyone else! You haven’t even tried that with anybody else! – Haven’t I? What about Anya Young? – You liked her in high school. Took her to the prom. – Where she promptly ignored me and talked to everybody else all night. – She didn’t ignore you. She didn’t give you her 100% complete attention, but she didn’t ignore you. Are you so cocky that you expect a girl to give you all of their attention all the time to show you that they like you? – Hey, I’m not cocky! I thought you said I had a low self-esteem! – No, that was you! – That doesn’t even make sense! We’re the same person! – Not quite. We’re different aspects of the same person, having a metaphysical argument with no real definite personality traits for each side. – Fine, whatever. Anya Young, remember, Dr. Sidetracker? – You know, maybe this doesn’t need a password. – You heard me. Maybe this would be better if all could see it. It would give people a greater perspective on who I am. – Jeff, not that many people care that much about your inner psyche! Maybe Haley Greer, that’s probably about it! But if people do read this they’re going to come to the snap judgment that you have lost your marbles! – I AM NOT CRAZY! Psychological science has shown that! – Yes it has! There are tons of people in the world crazier than I! – Just because people are crazier doesn’t mean you’re not crazy! – I’m not, though! Remember the brief stint we had with the psychologist? All he said was that I was too hard on myself. – Well, he was right, wasn’t he? You are too hard on yourself, you git. – Oh, now, that’s cleverly ironic. Who are you, Rimmer? – Don’t start that with me! I’m not Rimmer! – No, on the outside you’re much more likeable than him. But on the inside you are. You feel like him. You feel like a lot of your life’s potential has not been utilized in an effective way. It’s been spent in frivolous pursuits instead of really accomplishing something in the world. – That’s Lister, not Rimmer, you gimboid. – Perhaps, but it’s Rimmer’s self-loathing that really brings him down and causes him to not be a friendly sort of guy who would be there for his mates. – I’m there for my friends! – Whenever they need me to be there! – Not always! Perhaps, when they come knocking at your door, you’ll open it and invite them in. But when do you go knocking at their door? When do you let them invite you in? – I don’t want to interrupt other people’s life with my unwanted presence! – Unwanted? How is your presence unwanted? – Because if they wanted to be with me, they would come to my door! – Mr. Think-of-yourself-all-the-time or what? That’s a very selfish thing to say! – Yeah, well, sometimes I’m very selfish. – Look, can we get back to whatever topic we were on before this part happened? – I don’t remember what it was. – Well, the overarching topic was that of Liz and the email and her ever giving you a good reply. – Well, we had talked about the botched chance with Kim because you didn’t do anything, and the botched chance with Holly because you did do something. – So, with Liz you decided to do something. You know, better find out what she thinks than spend years wondering. – Except she hasn’t replied yet. – But she has communicated with you since you sent it. – Yes, but she made no reference to it, or even a hint that she had read it. – True. So what now? – Wait. There’s nothing more that can be done. Discussing it will get you nowhere. – It will provide an interesting glimpse into your psyche again. – Sometimes I think the only reason I keep a blog is so that in the future a therapist of mine will have some material to draw upon when I finally snap and start picking people off with a sniper’s rifle from the clock tower, as the cliche goes. – Shall we end this now? Or do you want to yell at yourself some more? – No, I do that enough on my own, without the blog world watching. What I think I will do, though, is post this publicly, but delete the notification from Facebook when it pops up. – You think that’s wise? – I don’t know if it’s wise. I don’t know if anything I do is wise anymore. What I know is that not taking action will get me nowhere, as it has all my life, so I’m going to do all sorts of crazy crap to get somebody to start caring. – There’s that blanket statement again! People care! – You don’t really want her to say that. – You’re right, I don’t. But I’d rather that happen than get no response at all! I’m sick of no responses! I’M SICK OF NO RESPONSES! SICK OF IT! SICK OF IT! SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK!!!!!!!!! WRITE ME BACK,****IT! – Well, thanks for the profanity! I’m sure that will endear you tenfold to whoever reads this! – Look, just shut up. You can go back and edit that if you want. – No, we promised not to edit this thing. Whatever comes out comes out, and we deal with it. – True, but I don’t want this profanity in my thing. Take it out. – Fine, I’ll asteriskize it. It won’t have the same impact, but it might get the message across. – Look, just give her some time. I’m sure that she’ll write you back. – How are you sure? – Ok, fine, I’m not 100% sure. But it’s barely been 48 hours! Your email came out of the blue! Surely she’s got to figure a lot of things out about it. She’s got her own life too, you know. You can’t expect her to behave exactly how you would like her just because you want it to be. Patience, Jeffery. – And if she doesn’t? If it’s like Kim again? What if she doesn’t respond before Playmill tryouts next Saturday? What will we do then? – I don’t know. I really don’t know. Look, give it at least a week. Heck, maybe she’ll read this blog entry and decide to take pity and toss you a bone. – You are crazy, you know that? – I know. But it makes me unique. And it’s something you like about me, isn’t it? – Look, just start liking yourself. You can’t love others if you don’t love yourself. That’s a fact. – I’ve got more to say, but I think I’m going to end this session now. Another time, perhaps? – Another time. Hey, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. – And with your track record, few will read this and nobody will respond, anyway, (except for possibly Haley), so at least you’ve got somebody to talk to about these things. – You’re right. Hey, thanks for being there for me. – No problem. This is pretty metaphysical, isn’t it? – Yeah, it is. But it’ll do until I’ve got a real person I can talk to about stuff like this. – And you haven’t got anyone? Have you tried? – Look, we just started getting friendly. Don’t turn the antagonism back on. – Ok, sorry. Geez, touchy. – Look, we said we’d end this. – Fine, we’ll end this. Our issues haven’t been resolved yet, though. – I doubt we can fix them all by ourselves. – In any case, no more for now, right? – Just stop typing now, right? What an insane weekend! I went to no less than a funeral, a baptism, and a wedding reception, in the space of two days! It was like a movie starring Rowan Atkinson, but with less swearing and more pinball. First of all, my great-grandpa Clayton Bollschweiler (aka Grandpa Bolly) passed away last week at the tender age of 99. That leaves only my Grandpa Petty alive as a male in a direct line from me who’s older than Ben, and his health isn’t doing too hot at the moment either. Grandpa Bolly was known as the “Whistler” and the man could do some amazing whistling feats. He even made a cheesy film where it’s just him in front of a camera with a train conductor’s hat on managing the “whistle stops,” which is basically him whistling to Lawrence Welk music and performing bad skits in between songs. They were so (probably unintentionally) funny that Casey and I ended up putting a reference to him in the first Pimp Lando movie. Even to this day, Casey calls the old 3D actor that we used for the part “Grandpa Bolly,” although he’d never met the actual Grandpa Bolly. I haven’t told Casey yet about his death; perhaps we’ll dedicate the next Pimp Lando in his memory, even though he knows less about Pimp Lando than Casey does about him. Secondly, my cousin Walker got baptized. He’s only a month younger than I and has been married for around five years now, but had never gotten baptized. His parents were both members in various states of activity, and they told their children that they wouldn’t be forced to go to any church, but could make their own decisions when the time came. Consequently, Walker was never really exposed to the church until recently, since his wife also wasn’t all that active (although she was baptized). I guess it just takes a combination of the right ward, the right time, and the right prompting from the Spirit to get someone into the church. Walker’s awesome, and I’m glad he did get baptized. When we were younger we were kind of alienated from that side of the family, due to some awkward issues revolving around my father, but now that he’s gone my siblings and I are finding it easier to get along and integrate with his side of the family, and that’s helped out a lot of previously held notions that they’ve had about us and vice versa. However, it was when she introduced me to her friend as “the guy I used to have a crush on” and then went on about liking a certain type of guy, like the one that she eventually married, that really struck home. If I had made more of an effort to contact Kimberly after my mission, could I have been the one standing in that line? I know I’ve been cautious in the past when it comes to relationships, mostly because I’m dreadfully afraid of getting burned somehow (either from a rejection or a relationship that eventually sours). But something I’ve come to realize over the past while is that doing nothing hurts much worse than doing something. (Warning: slightly gross personal story coming up!) It’s like when I had gallstones. I was in constant pain every night for more than a month. Horrible, wrenching pain. The only way to get rid of it was to go through the hospital, endure much worse pain (both surgery and recovery) to take the gall bladder out, and have a huge ugly scar and a few nerve problems in the area for the rest of my life. Doing nothing about relationships is like having gallstones. It hurts. A lot. And doing nothing about it may help familiarize the pain, make it more bearable, but it will never eliminate it. Taking that big leap into a relationship is like going into surgery. It may hurt like the dickens and leave a huge ugly scar, but at least the isolation pain is gone. This guy was right. I was being a wuss. And if I ever hope to get out of this rut, I needed to act now, or forever regret it. So I took his advice and sent out an email. I have yet to receive a reply. I may never receive a reply. It may be Holly Fuellenbach all over again. But maybe it won’t. And for once in my life, I took that chance. . . .let’s outline the pros and cons of going to the Playmill this summer. First of all, it’s a neat opportunity that will not only make memories for a lifetime, but also look good on a resume (particularly if I’m allowed to do tech on one or more of the shows). Also, since this is the first year since 2003 that Ben and Kjersti haven’t been up there, it will allow me to get the Playmill experience without having to worry much about how I’m living up to their expectations (Ben in particular). In addition, since I am fairly well acquainted with Roger Merrill, who runs it, I believe I stand a pretty good chance of making the cut. And, while it’s not much, money is money, and it’s free room and board for a summer, and I could work the box-office or the candy store or whatever during the day to supplement that. I don’t have anything else lined up yet this summer, job or otherwise, and I don’t want to spend yet another summer lounging around Riverton doing nothing terribly productive. Now, the cons. To start with, the three shows they’re doing this year are Footloose, Annie Get Your Gun, and See How They Run. While I don’t particularly dislike any of those shows, I’m not a huge fan of any of them either (except I don’t know anything at all about See How They Run, so it might be the best show I’ll ever see!). Secondly, I’m not a huge outdoorsy person, and while I do enjoy the occasional romp through the wilderness, I’m more of a cybergeek than a frontiersman. While living in West Yellowstone doesn’t preclude me from using a computer, we don’t have any sort of Internet access outside of the theater itself, and that would mean I could only be online via use of my Pocket PC. Yes, it sounds geeky, but then, I am a geek, so it makes sense to me. Also, I have the possibility to take spring and/or summer courses here at BYU in order to graduate sooner, specifically my Music History classes (which are the “have to take classes sequentially” classes that are giving me a bit of trouble when it comes to planning when I shall graduate). This particular objection may be refuted, however, by the fact that I could, quite possibly, take those classes during the summer of ‘08, since I’ll still be in school for at least that long. However, that will leave some of my Pell Grant money unused, and that might look bad with applying for future grants, and I simply can’t afford college without that financial aid. Finally, while my siblings won’t be up there, there are people up there that know them quite well and therefore will have a certain understanding of who I am that is more influenced by my siblings’ stories of me than actual observance of the type of person I am. While that may sound a bit obtuse, it makes sense to me. If somebody gives me a compliment (or insult), I like it to stem from who I am or what I’ve done, not what my siblings have built me to be. This was a big problem in my internal psyche my first time at BYU-I: wondering if people would think as much of me as they did if Ben and Kjersti hadn’t prepped everyone for my presence and given everybody some pre-conceived notions. I have weird concerns sometimes; what can I say? Not much makes sense anymore. My situation is that I am entirely out of money, with no job (although I’ve received plenty of application rejections in the past weeks), no girlfriend, no real direction, and a major that, the more I learn about it, the more it scares me (making a living with it, I mean). I’ve been praying and fasting these past weeks to get some sense of direction, but not much has come yet. I do need to get away, get some perspective on things, and the Playmill may be just the place to do that. Or it may be just the place to distract me for a summer, taking me away from something important here: school, family, or something else. Do you know where I’m the happiest these days? I am happiest when I spend time with my family, or more specifically, Annelise’s family. Currently I have two nieces, Ivy and Madeleine Murphy. Both of them are very dear to my heart, as they are to all of us partnerless, childless Parkes siblings (not to mention the one with a partner and children). Madeleine is a very open girl, always willing to share a smile and time with nearly anybody, and she’s got a fun smile and laugh that would brighten up anybody’s day. Ivy (click the pic on the left for a bigger version), while also a great girl, is a bit more reserved and pensive about things (at least it seems that way to me), and doesn’t as readily give her time or trust to others. I, however, have somehow gained a level of trust with her that very few outside of her immediate family have. Even when we’re with a big family group with a lot of people she has known for at least as long as I, she always seeks out either Mommy, Daddy, or Uncle Jeff when she wants something. Maybe it’s because I’m the only one in our family (besides her parents, of course) who had regular contact with her when she was younger. Maybe it’s because I watch her play her computer games while everyone else is busy doing more important things, like cleaning the house or making food. Maybe it’s some inexplicable thing that kids do. Whatever the reason, she trusts me like she trusts few others, and that’s something special. When I’m around Ivy (and Madeleine), sometimes it almost feels as though I have my own kids. My time with them reaffirms my long-held belief that nothing will give me greater joy in this life than fatherhood. It’s hard enough to live in Provo and be far away, but living at the Playmill would mean I’d see them maybe once in four months. And yet, I know that they’re not my kids, they are, and always be, my sister’s children. Mine are still waiting for me to get off my bum and start dating more. And sometimes, when I’m doing stuff with my sister’s children, it seems like I’m trying to get ahead of myself, like I’m trying to gain the experiences of parenthood when I don’t even have a girlfriend yet, let alone a wife and family. Like I’m focusing on what I’ll do when I get to point C, when I haven’t even gotten from point A to point B yet. Normal life vs. college/single life is strange. When you grow up you grow up in the world of families. Everybody either has children or is a child. At church the only single people you regularly see are either in high school or younger, or perhaps old Sister Widow, who lost her husband ten years ago and gets regular visits from Thomas S. Monson. But when you turn into a college student, especially post-mission, you suddenly enter this entirely different place. Everybody is single, looking out for him/herself. Sacrament meetings are actually quiet during the sacrament. Families are often looked at with more of a sense of wonder or anticipation (or dread), because they are suddenly the exception. The entire focus is not on the previous generation (parents) or the next (children), but the current. Thus when one goes home for a while, suddenly the role which he should play becomes blurry. Too old to just be one of the kids playing around, yet too young (or at least not of the right marital/parental status) to truly be one of the “adults.” This is one reason why I spent a lot of time alone when I lived at home. I realize this post has started to become rambling, and I’ve got to get some sleep, so I will sign off for now. But please, if anybody reads this (especially the Playmill part) and has any insight to offer to help me make a good decision this summer, please let me know! Leave a comment, or send me an email, or whatev’! P. S. I’m probably not going to Kim Isom’s wedding reception, mostly because this Saturday my cousin Walker Van Uitert is getting baptized! Which is awesome! Long-time readers of this blog (from at least the Angelfire era) may know that for every post I did there, there was a “Now Playing” line, in which I would type whatever was playing on my Winamp playlist at the time. Obviously, WordPress doesn’t have this option, so for those of you just dying to know what type of stuff I listen to, I present this, copied and pasted from somebody else’s blog, with my songs filled in. Take my hand with your glove of love? Cheesy love song that gets rejected? What is this saying about me?!? It’s like the beginning of “Joe vs. the Volcano.” Daily grind, that sort of thing. Parody of Ed Sullivan act. Keeping all those plates spinning, symbolically, in high school, I guess. This is a bit of the score, where Ariel finds out that Eric is engaged to someone else. Yeah, this one fits! Pretty nonsensical. Give me some skin to call my own, it says. And it’s got a banjo. I guess if my life ever had a fight scene that, somehow, a banjo would be involved. Michael’s the black, hip, reporter dude from Maniac Mansion, and his theme song sounds like a pimp song. Take what you will from that; I’m not sure what it means. What plays when you successfully complete a mission on Rainbow 6. I went to prom! Mission accomplished! A funky song I experimented with a while back, starts with a vaguely melancholic piano line. Never finished. It’s like my life? A piece of music depicting the insanity of the Count of Montecristo, who breaks out of jail and kills all the people who wronged him in the past. If I ever do that, this will be the song for it. Driving down the street, with seventy-six trombones! I like it! ‘Tis a blast from the past, that KQVI is. Especially since the chord progression in this song was used by me several times during my days as a Comic Frenzy pianist, usually so Christian could strut his stuff and bellow a lot. The only way for me to get back together with someone: for someone to travel back to the past, and put right what once went wrong. A SaXon Geat MIDI file, most known as that song that Casey and I used for Lode Runner. Sorry, I can’t even abstractly relate this to a wedding. Wait. . .wedding – clergy – monks – mad monks – Lode Runner enemies. There it is! They say that family is what grounds a man. It certainly will for me. This theme is the main Zelda theme that everybody knows. Good heroic battle music, I suppose. The lyrics to this song in English are: “Let us rejoice therefore / While we are young. / After a pleasant youth / After a troublesome old age / The earth will have us.” I guess that works, too. We sang this song in Madrigals. In rehearsals we changed the lyrics to “What a day! What a day! Chris Roy and Nate / We both we marry virgins, hey! What a day!” Apparently the day Nate gets married is the day I die. Song about a naive guy who keeps getting burned and taken advantage of, but at least he’s learning! Hmm. . . So as you can see, some of these fit pretty well, others less so. I’ve also got a pretty random selection of tunes here. Fun! Protected: What’s this? Jeff cares about his privacy? January 18, 2007 | Categories: Relationships | Enter your password to view comments. I am a researcher who works for the Christian salvation of humanity. I present to you, in the copy-book here included, a research of physics and Astronomy that I think to be important to know. All I ask of you gently, is to send this research directly to some University (of your choice) in the United States of America, where it will be examinated carefully by skilled teachers. The reason why I have preferred your community to another American institution in Spain, is to prevent the possibility that this study falls in the hands of military and police control of your country, where some truths concerning the Solar System are strictly reserved. I feel to be persecuted from European polices (by Interpol) because of these writings that are still in my possession as well, but I have been informed by French police, some time ago, of a not well-defined “Research of Psychiatry” about me, that hasn’t any real fundament. Although I have passed the frontier as a clandestine, I have been followed and finally stopped by Spanish police some months ago, without consequences for me and my study; I suspect that they are driven to a determined person by a kind of International Mafia who dominates all common people, and not only by using the instrument of police. The prosecution of my work of searching the key of science has been affected by such political interferences, but I hope to accomplish my pourpose as well. That’s it, letter for letter, even with such words as “examinate,” “fundament,” and “divulgate.” The letter was accompanied with a few dozen pages of incomprehensible diagrams and such. My companion didn’t send it to any university, either causing one of the greatest scientific secrets to be stifled, or just leaving the wishes of a crazy man unfulfilled. Just a random missionary story for you. I could tell from your walk. Daniel, para usted,¿cómo es Dios? I love Pizza Day, the best day of the week, says Michael Jackson of Encino, California. From China we crossed the great Indian Sea. Things looked fuzzy before I got glasses. And boy, was he fat. Well, g’night. Zzzzz. . . ¡Voy a la parque con Parkes! It was a Junior Mint! And I ate the candle! And you can look that up on the map, best beloved. Please don’t rip Joseph by Howling. It shall be done, grrrrr. Taxes to bury the Axis! Es la hora de levantarnos. You can do miracles when you believe. It’s in the singing of a street corner choir. Doing nothing is the hardest work of all, because one can never stop to rest. Man, do my feet hurt. Shouldn’t you get back to stocking, Stock-Boy Cratchit?!? ‘Cause sometimes I do this! You’re under arrest for turning me on! Und zis disease is known as Alzheimer’s Disease. I can’t tell the difference between the rat poison and the grits! I’ve slept with ice cream, and it turns to mush by dawn. Sell my clothes, I’ve gone to heaven! ‘cause he’s a shoe salesman from Portofino. There’s a MONSTER at the end of this book! ¡Palomitas en el árbol crecer! Animo. . . ¡Para siempre! On the plus side, I knocked over the Sun Sphere! So hard to stay warm. . . No hormigas in the migas! Yo quiero bailar, toda la noche. Gotta git ridda them Mawmons, ‘fore they git maw o’ dem Mawmon chuhches! And what about every mother that holds a new child? So, Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. Shine for me again, star of Bethlehem. After dark the robots come out! And we traded our zone leader for a suitcase! Crazy turkey talking to a kid! Time keeps on slippin’ into the future. Fake your death, then go to Canada. What fun will Fruit Roll-Ups roll out with next? But with joy, wend your way! Se ha perdido el anillo. The Gaymart. . .I’ve only been there once. That is all, we will report back later. Back off my grill, sugar! Yeah, uh, about that. . . It was the tight pants. Had to be the pants. And I will not be a casualty to this war I didn’t start. So just remember which two gumshoes are picking up the slack of the crimes that sometimes go slipping through the cracks! There’s no case too big, etc. etc.! I’m going to go get some ice cream now. Maybe even eat it out of the carton. Somebody searched for this, so here it is. A link to Nate Winder’s blog, who is currently in South America touring around and finding llamas and visiting all the places from which I met people on my mission to Spain. He’s got a lot of fun pictures, for those of you interested in old South American architecture, or llamas for that matter. Well, it took nearly an entire day of effort, but I managed to transcribe most of my old journal onto this site. This is mainly for archival purposes, and so I could readily access that old information (and possibly refer to it in future blog entries). That is the main reason that the archive now goes awfully far back in time, for a blog. ‘Tain’t many blogs that go back to 1992. In any case, I plan on making a few comments on those old entries, because many don’t make sense without a bit of explanation. A few things have been edited (mostly punctuation and stuff), but for the most part I tried to preserve my writing in its most pristine form, with the added bonus that online it should be readable without having to decipher my handwriting. In other news, I now nearly have a job! It’ll be at BYU’s office of IT. Which means my days will be filled with stuff like this. Ah, well. It’s only between 15 and 20 hours a week, so it shouldn’t be horrendous. Today’s my last day of Hunt Mystery Sound Guyness, so I need income somehow, and this’s better than nothin’. Jiminy Jillikers! That’s all I got! I’ve got 50MB of space now, so to help fill it up faster, here are some random pics from my hard drive. Anybody who has ever worked in the real estate or title work business (which will, not surprisingly, be very few of you), can possibly appreciate this next pic. The idea came about when I was working at Title One and somebody had misspelled “Plat Map” on an order sheet. The rest of these should be pretty self-explanatory. The reason why you shouldn’t sleep on your smegging back! It’s around 2:30 in the morning. That’s OK, because nobody else in the apartment is sleeping either except for Steve, and I’m not going to bed until he quits snoring, so I might as well update this thing. So with this new blog comes something new: a blog statistics report. This means I can see how many people have read this, from what site they got the link, and which entries they have read. I obviously don’t know who they are, though, and more deceptively, I also don’t know how many of those visits are unique visitors as opposed to people going back and forth between pages. Currently it says I’ve had 42 views in the past three hours, but only two people have followed a link from another website, so I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume that the latter number is more accurate. Because if suddenly 42 people were reading this thing I’d feel a little more nervous about its content. But, in all honesty, I’ve really got nothing to hide. Although I may talk about a lot of personal issues here that most people may not post online for all to see, nothing I post is a secret. If something’s too personal to be shared in public, then it’s not going to be posted here. Still, certain entries may be embarrassing if read by the wrong people. Oh, well. Knowledge is power, and all that, so what happens happens. I only hope that, if people judge me by what is written here, that they will take into account all that has been laid out and not just one or two entries. Somehow that paragraph doesn’t entirely make sense, but it is 2:30 in the morning and Steve’s snoring has gotten louder, making it harder to concentrate. Hopefully I got across the gist of what I was trying to portray. Good night, hopefully soon! Inauguration of the new blog! Well friends, it’s time for a new blog site! The reason for the change is pretty simple: Angelfire allows only 20MB of stuff, and I’m already running a bunch of websites out of that URL, so I decided to move at least one thing off. Since there are a bunch of blogging hosts out there, I picked one, transferred everything over, and here we are! This is the first real post I’ve made here at WordPress. All the posts previous to this one were made on my old Angelfire blog, and as such may refer to things that aren’t there anymore (such as the “Now Playing” line or the mood indicator), so don’t be thrown! Also, there are a few comments that say they were by me, today, but in the text say the real commenter and time when the comment was submitted. Don’t be thrown by them! It’s tricky! I’m still tweaking things so the design may change still. The old SaXon Geat background is gone now, unfortunately. Maybe in the future it’ll return; as of now, enjoy the brownness and DS9 slice. I found out an interesting piece of minutae this holiday season. And that is that Kimberly Isom, a name familiar to long-time readers of this blog, is engaged. So far, I’m not sure how I feel about that particular piece of news. On one hand, I was pretty sure there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d ever be in the running, due to past mistakes and present difficulties regarding contacting her. But there’s always that possibility that remains in the back of your mind, that, if fate went crazy and somehow we finally had that conversation about what an idiot I was and apologized, things might turn out differently. While I still would like to have that conversation at some point, if for nothing else but to put my conscience at ease, I know it won’t lead to anything else. On the other hand, to truly love someone is to put their happiness above your own, and if she’s happiest with someone else, then I’m happy for her. And that, my friends, is the truth. In other news, I may try out for the Playmill this year. I haven’t decided yet.

2019-04-21T02:15:42Z

https://jefferykrit.wordpress.com/2007/01/

1 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Greater Sydney Commission lead the preparation of a place-based strategic business case for the pilot growth infrastructure compact in the Greater Parramatta to the Olympic Peninsula area by the end of 2018. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. The NSW Government will confirm the timing with the Greater Sydney Commission. 2 Infrastructure NSW recommends that, subject to the outcomes of the pilot growth infrastructure compact, the Department of Planning and Environment prepare place-based strategic business cases to inform future updates to Regional Plans and District Plans. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support, subject to the outcomes of the pilot growth infrastructure compact. 3 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Government agencies integrate the infrastructure priorities necessary to support Growth Areas, Planned Precincts and growth infrastructure compacts (subject to the outcomes of the growth infrastructure compact pilot) into asset management plans and capital infrastructure plans. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support in principle. The government will further improve collaboration between agencies to identify and schedule proposed infrastructure to provide better outcomes for the community. 4 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government Architect develop a ‘Movement and Place’ practitioner’s toolkit by the end of 2018 to support both Better Placed – An Integrated Design Policy for NSW’ and the Movement and Place Framework. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The Government Architect will be requested to commence work and advise an appropriate timeframe. 5 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Greater Sydney Commission establish a trial program to use predictive analytic tools to support the Greater Parramatta to Olympic Park growth infrastructure compact pilot by the end of 2018. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. 6 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Planning and Environment develop a plan by the end of 2018 for a ‘Collaborate Before You Build’ model for co-use of utility assets. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. 7 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Planning and Environment introduce planning rules to integrate telecommunications infrastructure (such as nodes, towers and pit and pipe infrastructure) into new developments by the end of 2018. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support in principle. The government will undertake further work to understand the impact this recommendation would have, if any, on housing affordability and assessment timeframes and explore the best way to improve clarity for planners and industry. 8 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government provide funding for a second round of the Corridor Identification and Reservation Fund. (Investment: 0-5 years) Support in principle. The government will consider the best approach to funding corridor work going forward. 9 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continues the implementation of the reforms to Crown land and that, as part of the Land Negotiation Program, a review is undertaken by mid-2018 of the potential for Crown land to assist in meeting open space or employment objectives outlined in Regional Plans. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government expects that new Crown land management legislation will come into effect in 2018. Noted. The Department of Planning and Environment currently publishes housing supply forecasts based on known zoning and pipeline projects. The government will continue to seek ways to improve public information sharing of future population, and housing supply and employment projections. 11 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Government agencies work together on a common timeframe to publish population and employment projections, the housing and employment supply pipeline, and agency infrastructure planning actions to coordinate the availability of key information to support Capital Infrastructure Plans and annual Budget decisions. This new common timeframe should commence in preparation for the 2019-20 Budget cycle. (Policy: 0-5 years) Noted. The government acknowledges the importance of co-ordinated data and information sharing to inform budget decisions. We will continue to seek opportunities to improve cross-agency collaboration to further enhance decision making in the budget process. Support. The government supports the ongoing improvement of major project planning approval processes. 14 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government establish a whole-of-government process, led by Infrastructure NSW and in partnership with industry, to identify and deliver major project procurement reforms by mid-2019. The reforms should focus on driving innovation, reducing bid costs and promoting competition. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 15 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government introduce a revised asset management policy that includes a new assurance model managed by Infrastructure NSW, including updated supporting policy and guidance materials, by the end of 2018. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. 16 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Treasury update by the end of 2018 the data requirements for asset management plans prepared by agencies as inputs into NSW Treasury’s Capital Investment Planning policy. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the Government subject to resourcing requirements. 17 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government invest in initiatives to improve the collection of natural hazard information and complete the NSW Flood Data Access Program by 2020. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. 18 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government nominate an agency to assume central accountability for coordinating the collection of statewide natural hazard information. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 19 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Planning and Environment develop a Natural Hazard Policy, supported by a broader strategic process to embed resilience considerations into land use planning, by the end of 2019. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support in principle. The government will consider the best way to embed resilience in strategic land use planning and assess the merit of a standalone policy or continued integration in land use planning processes, balancing the trade-off between resilience in infrastructure and potentially higher costs. 20 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Office of Environment and Heritage and Office of Emergency Management jointly lead the development of infrastructure-specific risk assessment tools and guidance by mid-2019 to support government agencies, the private and not-for profit sectors, and local government, to better assess the vulnerabilities of new and existing infrastructure and to identify cost-effective adaption and mitigation measures. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government will develop tools and guidance material on development of the Natural Hazard Policy. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. 21 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Treasury and Infrastructure NSW require consideration of risk to natural hazards and human-related threats and resilience outcomes for new and upgraded infrastructure in project business cases, capital asset planning and assurance processes as a matter of course. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Support in principle. Digital connectivity is principally a responsibility of the Commonwealth. The NSW Government will, however, continue to invest in communications infrastructure to address mobile black spots, improve emergency service communications coverage and support NBN rollout where appropriate. 24 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation lead a stock-take of all fibre networks owned or managed by the NSW Government during 2018 and establish a fibre optic cable network database. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 25 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation identify opportunities to leverage NSW Government-owned telecommunications assets to improve statewide connectivity in partnership with the telecommunications industry. These assets include towers, fibre optic cable networks, and buildings, as well as expenditure on telecommunications services. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 26 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the rollout of the Critical Communications Enhancement Program be completed and funding be provided to the NSW Telco Authority to deliver the required infrastructure. (Investment: 0-5 years) Support in principle. The 2017-18 Budget committed an investment of $163.2 million over two years for the Critical Communications Enhancement Program, and further funding for the rollout will be considered. Support. data.nsw.gov.au brings together a list of NSW Government datasets available in one searchable website. Some of this data is already searchable in real time and spatially enabled. The completion of the framework will be subject to resourcing needs. 28 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation lead the development of a data infrastructure ecosystem, starting with the Foundation Spatial Data Framework, to access the future benefits of digital mapping and modelling of infrastructure. (Investment: 0-5 years) Support. Further improvements to the framework will be subject to additional analysis to inform resourcing needs. 29 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation prepare a business case for upgrading the Foundation Spatial Data Framework from a map to a model (a real-time 3D model of the physical environment). (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. Further improvements to the framework will be subject to additional analysis to inform resourcing needs. 30 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government develop a Smart Cities Strategy and program business case during 2018 to identify opportunities to deliver better services through collaboration and embracing the benefits of technology for infrastructure and public services. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. 31 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation lead the development of a whole-of-government policy framework to guide investment in the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected infrastructure to maximise the benefits and manage the potential risks of connected infrastructure. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 32 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation leads the development of a whole-of-government policy that sets the requirements for smart technology to be embedded in all new and significantly upgraded infrastructure from 2020 onwards. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Support. The government is currently considering the findings from the NSW Auditor General’s Report on Internal Controls and Governance (December 2017). A review of the government’s digital information security policy is currently under way, with a new strategy due to be completed in 2018. 34 Infrastructure NSW recommends that from 2018, cybersecurity risk assessments be included as part of the assurance process for all ICT and connected infrastructure investments, in accordance with the risk framework developed by the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The cybersecurity framework being developed will consider the government’s risk assessment process. 35 Infrastructure NSW recommends that a secure-by-design approach for new initiatives and development be adopted in accordance with standards set by the Government Chief Information Security Officer, including the IoT and connected infrastructure, and that this be included in the connected infrastructure policy framework by 2020. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 36 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Government agencies (with NSW Treasury) assess their ability and capability to respond to the Commissioning and Contestability Policy and implement steps to separate purchaser and provider roles. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 37 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue to proactively identify and support infrastructure or related services where regulation can enable new markets and products to develop. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 38 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Government agencies apply the Commissioning and Contestability Policy to the development of long-term infrastructure strategies to enhance customer outcomes and enable closer collaboration, particularly in health, education, TAFE and justice. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. A key principle of the policy is that the commissioning of services should focus on improving outcomes for individuals and the community and delivering quality services. Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the Social Housing Strategy, committed to by the government in September 2017 as part of the response to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s Review of Social and Affordable Housing Rent Models. 40 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Corridor Strategies and guidelines for submissions to the Regional Road Freight Corridor Fund, Fixing Country Roads and Bridges for the Bush programs adopt an increased focus on achieving goals related to road safety and network resilience. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. These programs will focus on the outcomes sought in the Future Transport Strategy, and also take a broader multi-modal perspective in line with corridor strategies, particularly in considering the role of both road and rail for passenger and freight movement. 41 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue the Regional Road Freight Corridor Fund for a further 10 years once the current Rebuilding NSW reservation is exhausted around 2025 to overcome physical challenges and network restrictions. Investment should target freight productivity upgrades on key east-west routes linking the National Land Transport Network via a ‘top down’ strategic approach, supported by completed Corridor Strategies and business cases. (Investment: 10-20 years) Support. The government will consider allocating further funding once the current allocation is exhausted, and in line with the strategic investment priorities and outcomes provided in Future Transport 2056. 42 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue the Fixing Country Roads and Bridges for the Bush programs for a further 10 years once the current Rebuilding NSW reservation is exhausted around 2025 to overcome physical challenges and network restrictions. Investment should occur via a ‘top down’ strategic approach to target safety and productivity upgrades to the road network to unlock High Productivity Freight Vehicle network capacity. (Investment: 10-20 years) Support. The government will consider allocating further funding once the current allocation is exhausted, and in line with the strategic investment priorities and outcomes provided in the Future Transport Strategy 2056. 43 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue the Fixing Country Rail program for a further 10 years once the Rebuilding NSW reservation is exhausted around 2025 to overcome local rail system constraints. Investment should occur via a ‘top down’ strategic approach underpinned by a high-level network strategy. (Investment: 10-20 years) Support. The government will consider allocating further funding once the current allocation is exhausted, and in line with the strategic investment priorities and outcomes provided in the Future Transport Strategy 2056. Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 45 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop business cases by the end of 2020 for the deployment of Smart motorway technology along the M1 Princes Motorway between Sydney and Wollongong and the M1 Pacific Motorway between Sydney and Newcastle to help manage congestion, improve network resilience and capitalise on future vehicle technologies. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. Noted. The government has no plans for changes to current road funding arrangements. 47 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop a program to reallocate and prioritise road space for on-road rapid transport links for buses and high efficiency vehicles on major routes into the Sydney CBD as major projects like WestConnex, Sydney Metro and SmartRail are completed progressively over the next five to 10 years. (Investment: 0-10 years) Support in principle. The Future Transport Strategy 2056 includes investigations towards these initiatives. 49 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue the Easing Sydney’s Congestion program over the next 10 years with further progressive investment in targeted, small scale, high impact network management programs (such as pinch points, clearways and bus priority programs) and Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (such as upgrades to the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System and Transport Management Centre). (Investment: 0-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 50 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by the end of 2018, Transport for NSW develop business cases on a city-by-city basis for an annual program of investment in a network of protected cycleways linking major strategic centres across the three cities. This should be delivered in partnership with local government and be integrated with the Greater Sydney Commission Green Grid. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 0-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 51 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW, in partnership with local government, develop a 10-year rolling program that prioritises active transport at high volume and high profile locations in the Sydney CBD and other strategic centres. (Investment: 0-10 years) Support. 52 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW complete business cases for Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the SmartRail program by the end of 2018 and 2019 respectively to enable progressive delivery of this program as a priority to provide capacity needed beyond 2021. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 0-10 years) Support. (SmartRail is now known as the More Trains, More Services program). The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 53 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW complete the Sydney Metro West business case before the end of 2018 and continue to progress corridor planning and protection activities for future links in the Central River City and Western Parkland City. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 55 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop business cases to complete the deployment of Smart motorway technology and digital infrastructure across the network in time for the expected opening of the Western Harbour Tunnel. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. Support. The government has committed to completing this work by mid-2018. 57 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW complete the business case for the Western Sydney Airport motorway for delivery in time for opening of the Western Sydney Airport. Corridor planning and protection for future strategic road links in the Western Parkland City and to the Illawarra-Shoalhaven should continue to be progressed. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. Development of the M12 motorway is underway with the corridor announced in February 2018. Support. The NSW Government will begin the development of a High Productivity Vehicle network plan that covers the needs of these and other sectors. Final timing will be determined by the Government subject to resourcing requirements. 59 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Planning and Environment update the relevant State Environmental Planning Policies by the end of 2019 to further protect strategically important ports, airports, industrial lands, freight precincts and key corridors from incompatible uses to ensure the efficient movement of freight in Sydney and NSW, now and into the future. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 60 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW finalise business cases by the end of 2018 to enable the NSW Government to partner with the Commonwealth Government to fund investment in Sydney Gateway, Port Botany Rail Duplication and Foreshore Road/Botany Road, as well as the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Road Access Strategy, to remove bottlenecks on connections to and from Sydney Airport and Port Botany and to capitalise on development of the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 0-5 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline, and where appropriate in consultation with the Commonwealth. Support in principle. Business cases will explore public transport options to service Parramatta Road and Victoria Road transport corridors on a mode neutral basis. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. Support in principle. Multi-modal business cases would consider whether reallocating road space and prioritising movements for these services will enable people and goods to move more effectively than would otherwise be the case. 63 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop a business case by the end of 2019 to augment the capacity and productivity of the Liverpool to Parramatta and North West T-Ways with additional services, enhanced signal priority and a Wentworthville T-Way-to-T-Way connection to link the two separate networks. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 0-5 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 64 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop a business case by the end of 2019 to establish an outer Parramatta ring road bypass to protect the Parramatta CBD from traffic intrusion. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 65 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop business cases by the end of 2019 for the progressive upgrade of key north-south arterials between the M2 and the M5 to Smart road facilities to improve connectivity, safety and reliability. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. Support in principle. Business cases will explore public transport options to service these corridors on a mode neutral basis. 67 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW develop the business case for Stage 2 of Parramatta Light Rail project by the end of 2018 to enable the NSW Government to make an informed investment decision on the project. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 0-10 years Support. The government has already committed to completing this work by the end of 2018. 68 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by the end of 2018, Transport for NSW and the Greater Sydney Commission develop a Greater Parramatta Access Plan leading to a strategic business case for a program of works under the pilot growth infrastructure compact. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 0-20 years) Support. 69 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government plan and protect the corridors and precincts necessary for future transport, freight, logistics, energy and communications facilities and infrastructure in the Western Parkland City. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 70 Infrastructure NSW recommends the NSW Government partner with the Commonwealth Government to plan the staged investment in mass transit to support the Western Parkland City over the period from 2036 to 2056. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 20-40 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline, potential Commonwealth investment, and findings of any business case work. Noted. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline, potential Commonwealth investment, and findings of any business case work. 72 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government implement the COAG Energy Council endorsed recommendations and, through leadership and close monitoring, ensure that actions taken by the energy market closely reflect the specific needs and circumstances of NSW energy consumers. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The NSW Government will continue to work with other governments to ensure actions recommended to the national energy market reflect the needs of NSW energy consumers. 73 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government avoid funding new generation capacity or introducing schemes that send distortionary price signals that prevent private sector investment. (Policy: 0-5 years) Noted. The government supports appropriate private sector led investment in energy generation. 74 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government undertake a review of the benefits of transitioning the existing State-based transmission and distribution reliability standards to a national framework administered by the Australian Energy Regulator. The review should be undertaken by mid-2020 prior to a further review of Regulatory Investment Tests, to be commissioned by the COAG Energy Council. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government will consider the timing and scope of the proposed review. This will be informed by the COAG Energy Council’s existing work on integrated grid planning. 75 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by mid-2018, the Department of Planning and Environment accelerate the competitive release of exploration areas, in accordance with the NSW Government’s Strategic Release Framework for Coal and Petroleum Exploration. (Policy: 0-5 years) Noted. Assessments for release under the framework are considered by the Advisory Body for Strategic Release, who in turn make a recommendation to the NSW Minister for Resources. 76 Infrastructure NSW recommends that during 2018, the Department of Planning and Environment review local planning rules and the electricity supply regulatory framework to enable new technologies and energy infrastructure and other solutions including vehicle charging. This includes using regulatory trials to determine whether these solutions are eligible to be complying developments. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. In late 2017 the NSW Government consulted with stakeholders to obtain information that will be used to inform a future policy and regulatory response to emerging energy delivery models and new technology. Support. In late 2017 the NSW Government consulted with stakeholders on whether the consumer protection frameworks in NSW are meeting the changing needs of energy customers. The government is now considering whether, and what type of regulatory reform may be needed in NSW to support the energy market transformation. Noted. The NSW Government has co-funded a new $14 million demand response initiative with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Australian Energy Market Operator. 79 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government focus existing mechanisms, such as the Regional Economic Growth program, on supporting skills development and jobs for industries affected by the energy transition. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government has invested in a number of funds to support regional growth and skills development. Support. Improved energy performance standards for new commercial buildings are already being developed for implementation nationally in 2019 as part of the National Energy Productivity Plan. Support. A review of the Government Resource Efficiency Policy is currently underway. 82 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government assesses the climate science capability it requires for water resource management and infrastructure investment decision-making and act to meet its requirements by mid-2019. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Support. Final timing will be determined by the government, subject to resourcing requirements. Support. The NSW Government has a statutory commitment to deliver Water Resource Plans prior to July 2019. The Water Resource Plans are a major input to the regional water strategies, and therefore regional water strategies for non-priority catchments will be developed following delivery of Water Resource Plans. 85 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by the end of 2018, the Department of Industry and Water NSW complete the development of regional water strategies that identify investment priorities and other policy options in the priority catchments of Gwydir and Macquarie. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government has commenced work on developing regional water strategies for the Gwydir and Macquarie catchments. 86 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by early 2019, the Department of Industry, in consultation with relevant water service providers, develop regional water strategies for the Richmond and Bega priority catchments. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Bega and Richmond catchments have been identified as high priority through the Catchment Needs Assessment. Subject to available resources, work will commence on developing these strategies in 2018. Support. NSW Health and the Department of Industry are working on jointly developing a methodology for risk-based prioritisation of water infrastructure needs across the State. Final timing will be determined by the government, subject to resourcing requirements. 88 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Industry finalise the Hunter regional water strategy by early 2018 to achieve longer-term water security for the region, including the Central Coast. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government is developing the Hunter Regional Water Strategy, which is due for completion in 2018. 89 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Industry review water-sharing arrangements by early 2019 to enable an informed response to the closure of power generation plants in the Hunter region. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Subject to available resources, work will commence on this review in 2018. 90 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by early 2019, Water NSW prepare a strategic business case for the option of connecting Lostock and Glennies Creek dams. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 91 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by early 2019, Hunter Water prepare a strategic business case for the option of constructing a potable water pipeline to Singleton, connecting to the Hunter Water network. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timings in the context of the overall investment pipeline. 92 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Sydney Water develop a 20-year Strategic Capital Plan for Sydney’s water and waste water systems by early 2019 for consideration by the NSW Government and inclusion in its Pricing Submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal due in mid-2019. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government supports Sydney Water, in partnership with Water NSW, developing a long-term capital plan for the consideration of government and IPART. 93 Infrastructure NSW recommends the completion of the South Creek Corridor Strategic Business Case by late 2018. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. The government has commenced work on the South West Creek Structure Plan. 94 Infrastructure NSW recommends that Water NSW and Sydney Water consider a portfolio of options for the augmentation of Sydney’s water supply, including the findings of the South Creek Strategic Business Case, and provide advice to the NSW Government for its consideration by early 2019. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. The NSW Government will consider this advice alongside the 20-year Strategic Capital Plan. 95 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue the high-level of investment in fit-for-purpose health infrastructure over the 10-year period from 2018 to 2028. (Investment: 0-10 years) Support. Future levels of investment in health infrastructure will be assessed alongside other Government priorities as part of the budget process. Support. The government will also investigate Rouse Hill among the sites for future health facilities where new development is expected. 97 Infrastructure NSW recommends that NSW Health continue to deliver the NSW eHealth Strategy 2016-2026, including full delivery of eHealth Integrated Digital Patient Records and the eHealth whole-of-system digital platform. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The 2017-18 Budget provided funding for NSW Health to deliver eHealth integrated digital patient records and a whole of system digital platform. 99 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government increase investment in walking and cycling infrastructure and parks and open spaces as part of the ongoing integration of health into land use planning and transport strategies. (Investment: 0-5 years) Support. 100 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government fully fund and implement the School Assets Strategic Plan. (Investment: 0-20 years) Support. To ensure the School Asset Strategic Plan is fit for purpose, the government will complete the Schools Community Planning Program prior to updating the strategic plan. Support. The NSW Government has established ‘School Infrastructure NSW’ which will provide professional program management of the overall infrastructure program. The government has also appointed a School Infrastructure NSW Advisory Council, and information on the status of assets and planned school projects is now published on the School Infrastructure NSW website. 102 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Education establish a consultation framework by the end of 2018 that ensures consideration of community views and whole-of-government and place-based outcomes in the delivery of new and upgraded schools. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 103 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Education develop a program to progressively convert all existing permanent learning spaces to Future Learning environments over the long term. (Investment: 0-40 years) Support in principle. This recommendation will be implemented on an as-needed basis through business cases to ensure project proposals are worthwhile and appropriate. Support. The NSW Government has already undertaken to review and consider options to amend operational policies and practices, to reduce infrastructure requirements as part of the response to the NSW Auditor General’s report, Performance Audit Report on Planning for School Infrastructure (May 2017). 106 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Education prepare a School Energy Strategy (2018 – 2030) by mid-2018. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Current school infrastructure planning has a strong focus on energy provision and efficiency. A broader School Energy Strategy will be developed during 2018. Support. The NSW Government has published and is implementing the Department of Education’s Strategic Information Plan 2016-19. A Digital Transformation Strategy will be developed to take effect after the current plan expires. 108 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Education prepare a business case by mid-2018 for a Connecting Metropolitan Schools program to improve digital connectivity in metropolitan schools. (Planning: 0-5 years) Support. The government will consider appropriate timing for a business case in the context of broader plans to improve digital connectivity across NSW schools. 109 Department of Education support the non-government school sector to meet its growth challenges and to identify and, where possible, remove barriers to that sector growing its student share. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. The government will continue to provide support to the non-government school sector through the Building Grants Assistance Scheme. Support. The government will consider appropriate timing of an infrastructure strategy in the context of the larger TAFE modernisation reform agenda. Support. This work will commence in 2018 as a priority, with final timing subject to resourcing requirements. 113 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the Department of Justice prepare a long-term 20-year Justice Infrastructure Strategy. The Strategy, to be informed by the asset management review, should be completed by the first quarter of 2019. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. 114 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by the end of 2018, the Department of Justice prepares business cases to address court capacity in the Sydney CBD, South West Sydney and key locations in regional NSW. (Planning: 0-5 years; Investment: 5-10 years) Support. Final timing will be determined by the government subject to resourcing requirements. Support in principle. The government will continue to consider the need for additional long-term prison bed capacity across the state. 116 Infrastructure NSW recommends that, following appropriate consultation, the NSW Government publish its response to the recommendations of the 2016 Cultural Infrastructure Strategy. (Policy: 0-5 years) Support. 117 Infrastructure NSW recommends that by mid- 2018, the Office of Sport complete a Sport Infrastructure Strategy, a whole-of-sector, evidence-based investment framework and management plan. (Policy: 0-5 years). Support. In terms of timing, the government will allow sufficient time to ensure the delivery of a robust and comprehensive strategy. completes, during 2018, business cases for three facilities: Sydney Football Stadium, Stadium Australia and the proposed new Sydney indoor sport arena. Support. The government is currently undertaking a mid-term review of the Visitor Economy Industry Action Plan, with an industry-led Visitor Economy Taskforce. Support. The NSW Government is currently finalising the Cruise Development Plan. In terms of Circular Quay, business case timing will be determined by the government subject to consultation to be undertaken. 121 Infrastructure NSW recommends that the NSW Government continue the Regional Growth, Environment and Tourism Fund for a further 10 years once the current Rebuilding NSW reservation is exhausted around 2023. (Investment 5-10 years) Support. The government will consider allocating further funding once the current allocation is exhausted. 122 Infrastructure NSW recommends that concurrent with the update to the Sydney Airport Master Plan in 2019, the NSW Government encourage the Commonwealth Government and Sydney Airport to conduct a review of regulatory settings to improve operation in the period preceding the opening of Western Sydney Airport. (Policy: 0-5 years) Noted. Sydney Airport Corporation Limited has engaged with the NSW Government on the review of the airport’s master plan.

2019-04-22T20:08:27Z

https://www.nsw.gov.au/improving-nsw/projects-and-initiatives/nsw-state-infrastructure-strategy/appendix/

With the release of Visual FoxPro 3.0, FoxPro became object-oriented. For those of you who have already made the leap to object-oriented programming, you know how difficult the transition can be. Fortunately, once you’ve learned OOP in VFP, it’s easy to learn the basics of OOP in .NET. This chapter shows how different object-oriented features are implemented in C# and Visual Basic .NET, while providing a comparison to Visual FoxPro’s object-orientation. By its very nature, this chapter is one of the more controversial in this book. The two previous chapters were devoted to the basics of C# and Visual Basic .NET syntax, but this chapter moves into the meatier topic of object-orientation, providing a side-by-side comparison of the two languages. Many of you may use the information in these chapters to decide which .NET language to choose—and choice of language is often a religious issue! As in the previous chapters, I’ll point out the differences in C# and VB .NET and offer some editorial comments on the approach I think is better. Although both languages compile down to the same intermediate language (MSIL), they implement .NET’s object-oriented features a little differently—and in some cases, one language has object-oriented features not available in the other language. Throughout this chapter, I’ll draw comparisons to Visual FoxPro’s object-oriented features so you can leverage your existing knowledge of OOP. Visual FoxPro allows you to place code in class methods, in functions or procedures stored in PRG files, or as procedural code stored in PRG files. Visual Basic .NET takes an approach more like Visual FoxPro, in allowing you to place code and variables in either classes or modules. Similar to a class, a module is derived from the System.Object class and used to encapsulate items contained within it. The main differences between a class and a module are a class can be instantiated and implement interfaces, but a module cannot. Another difference is in referencing members of a class, you must specify the name of the class followed by the member (for example, Customer.GetCreditLimit). In contrast, members declared in a module are like global variables and functions accessed from anywhere within your application. By default, members of a module are shared (For details, see the “Instance and static (Shared) members” section later in this chapter). You can compare placing code in modules to creating global variables, functions, and procedures in a Visual FoxPro PRG. Are modules a “good thing” or a “bad thing”? I think the answer to this is subjective. Personally, I tend to prefer a more “pure” object-oriented approach, because I believe it promotes better programming practices. However, you may prefer the convenience of being able to create standalone functions and procedures in a Visual Basic .NET module. At the very heart of any object-oriented language are classes. I’ll begin by discussing the mechanics of where and how you define classes. In Visual FoxPro, you define classes visually in VCX files or manually in PRG files. Defining classes in C# and VB .NET takes an approach somewhere in between. In these languages, you can place class definitions in source files (either .cs or .vb files), which are similar to Visual FoxPro’s PRG files. However, Visual Studio .NET lets you easily navigate to a particular class and a specific method in a source code file using the class and member combo boxes at the top of the code-editing window. The class combo box (Figure 1) contains a list of all classes defined in a source code file. Selecting a class from this combo box takes you to the class definition in the source code. Figure 1. The class combo box, at the top left of the code-editing window, contains a list of all classes defined in the source code file. The member combo box (Figure 2) contains a list of all members defined for the currently selected class. Selecting a member from this combo box takes you to the member in the source code file. Figure 2. The member combo box at the top right of the code-editing window contains a list of all members for the currently selected class. As you manually page or arrow up/down in the source code file, the selected items in these boxes change to reflect your current location in the source code—a nice feature. In Chapter 3, “Introduction to C#”, and Chapter 4, “Introduction to Visual Basic .NET”, you learned the basics of defining classes. In this chapter I’ll review some of that information and expand on it. In both cases, this code defines a class named “SimpleClass”. The public keyword is an access modifier specifying the visibility of the class. If you don’t specify an access modifier, the visibility defaults to “internal” for C# and the equivalent “friend” for VB .NET. Table 1 lists the access modifiers that apply to classes. Indicates no restrictions for accessing the class. Indicates the class is only accessible from code within the same assembly where the class is defined. As discussed in Chapter 3, “Introduction to C#”, variables declared at the class level are known as fields, and as discussed in Chapter 4, “Introduction to Visual Basic .NET”, they are known as member variables in VB .NET. I don’t want to skip mentioning this here, but check out the corresponding chapter for details on each of these. C# and Visual Basic .NET properties are similar to Visual FoxPro properties with associated access and assign methods. They are implemented as get and set accessor methods containing any code you want. Here is an example of a property used to retrieve and store the value of a private field (member variable in VB .NET). In this code, the property has a get method used to retrieve the value from a private field, and a set method that stores a value to the private field. Notice the C# code sample takes advantage of C#’s case sensitivity, by naming the private field age and the property Age. Because VB .NET isn’t case sensitive, you need to give any associated member variable a different name than the property. It is not required for a property to have an associated field (member variable), although they often do. For example, rather than getting and setting the value of a field, code within a property might read and write data instead. Notice in the C# sample code, the set method uses an intrinsic parameter named value. When client code saves a value to a property, it is stored in this intrinsic value variable. In contrast, although the Set method in the VB .NET sample code explicitly declares a variable named Value, you are allowed to change the name of this variable (although I can’t think of a compelling reason to do so). If you want to create a write-only property in C#, just leave out the get accessor method. You do the same thing in Visual Basic .NET, but you must also add the WriteOnly keyword to the property definition. This code defines a method named “SimpleMethod” that returns nothing (void, in C#). Both C# and VB .NET require parentheses after the name of the method. As shown in the next section, these parentheses contain a list of parameters passed to the method. In this case, even though there are no parameters, you must still add the parentheses as a placeholder. This is exactly the same as the previous C# method declaration, except I specified the return value is boolean rather than void, and I added a line of code that returns a boolean value. This is extremely consistent syntax. Notice the method is declared as a function rather than a subroutine (Sub) and has an additional As clause specifying the type of the return value. What’s going on here? In VB .NET, to specify a method return nothing, you must declare it as a subroutine (Sub). If a method returns a value, you must declare it as a Function and use the As clause to specify the return value type. In all the methods shown above, the public keyword is an access modifier specifying the class visibility. Table 2 lists all access modifiers for C# and VB .NET members. No restrictions for accessing the member. The member is only accessible from within the class or from classes derived from the class. The member is only accessible from code within the assembly where the member is defined. The member is only accessible from within the class or from code within the assembly where the member is defined. The member is only accessible within the containing class. There are a few different kinds of method parameters in C# and VB .NET (Table 3) described in the following sections. In C#, if you don’t specify otherwise, the parameter is passed by value. In VB .NET, if you don’t specify the kind of parameter, Visual Studio .NET automatically inserts the ByVal keyword for you. You can pass a variable number of parameters to a C# or VB .NET method by declaring an array parameter. Within the method body, you can use a foreach loop to access all items in the passed array. Dim AgeMsg As String = "" AgeMsg += i.ToString() & ": " Notice this code declares the variable JackBennysAge, but never stores an initial value. So why aren’t output parameters available in VB .NET? Because VB .NET does not require you to initialize variables (although it’s a good idea to specify initial values anyway!). At first, optional parameters might seem like a great feature. However, you should probably avoid using them! One reason is C# does not recognize optional parameters—it sees them as mandatory, just like every other parameter. This is an important consideration if you anticipate C# clients may be accessing your code. Optional parameters can also introduce problems if you ever decide to change the default value of the optional parameter. For details, see the MSDN article “Exploiting New Language Features of Visual Basic .NET, Part 2” (http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/08/instincts/instincts0108.asp). In reality, avoiding optional parameters is not a real loss. You can actually accomplish the same thing by means of overloaded methods. In Visual FoxPro, all class methods must have unique names. You may be surprised to learn this is not true in C# or Visual Basic .NET. Both languages allow you to create multiple methods with the same name—as long as the number and type of parameters is different. For example, the following code defines a class with two methods, both named “DisplayMessage”. Although these methods have the same name, they have a different signature. In object-oriented terminology, the word signature refers to the type and order of a method’s parameters. In this case, the first overload of the DisplayMessage method accepts two string parameters—one named “message” and the other named “caption”. The second overload accepts only one string parameter named “message”. When a client calls the DisplayMessage method, the compiler examines the parameters passed to the method and determines which overloaded method should be called. For example, the following code instantiates the OverloadedMethodsDemo class. The second line of code calls the DisplayMessage method with a single string parameter, and the third line of code calls the method with two string parameters. The compiler is satisfied with these two calls because there are overloaded methods matching each set of parameters. However, if you try to call the DisplayMessage method with an incorrect number of parameters (for example, no parameters, more than two parameters, or parameters that are not string types), the compiler displays an error message. Visual Studio .NET’s IntelliSense lets you know if a method you are calling is overloaded. For example, Figure 3 shows the popup displayed by VS .NET when entering code that calls the DisplayMessage overloaded method. Figure 3. When you enter code that calls an overloaded method in Visual Studio .NET’s code editor, a popup displays showing details of the overloaded methods. So, where would you use overloaded methods? When you have a method with optional parameters, you should create overloaded methods representing the different variations of parameters that can be passed to the method. This is much cleaner than having a single method checking which parameters have been passed. All Visual FoxPro classes possess an Init method that automatically executes when a class is instantiated. C# and VB .NET also have constructor methods that perform a similar function. I actually prefer the VB .NET convention, because it’s easier to quickly identify a constructor that’s consistently named the same. Notice in both code samples that neither constructor specifies a return value. This is because .NET constructors are not allowed to return values unlike Visual FoxPro where you can return a boolean False to prevent a class from instantiating. As in Visual FoxPro, you can specify parameters for constructor methods in .NET. This allows you to pass values to a class when it is first instantiated. In this code, the value passed in the constructor is used to initialize the value of a private field. If you don’t explicitly declare a constructor, a default constructor is automatically provided. Here is an example of passing a value to the constructor of a class when it is instantiated. As with other methods, you can also create overloaded constructor methods. Based on the parameters you pass when instantiating a class, the appropriate constructor is called. Visual FoxPro classes have a Destroy method that executes when an object is released. Typically you place code in this method to perform cleanup for the object. This works well because you have complete control over when an object is destroyed in Visual FoxPro. In contrast, .NET has something called non-deterministic finalization. This means you don’t have explicit control over when an object is destroyed. When the last reference to a .NET object is released, the object itself is not released from memory. The object is not released until the next time the common language runtime’s garbage collector runs (see the “Garbage collection” section later in this chapter for details). In both C# and Visual Basic .NET classes, you can add a Finalize method that executes when the object is destroyed. Just remember you can’t determine when this method is executed. One key feature of object-orientation is class inheritance, also known as implementation inheritance. C# and Visual Basic .NET both have single inheritance, meaning a class can only have one parent class. In .NET, the term base class is used in place of Visual FoxPro’s “parent class”. Personally, I prefer the term “parent class” because it’s more descriptive and more readily understood. When you define a class in C# or VB .NET, if you don’t specify otherwise, its default base class is the .NET Framework’s System.Object class. Here is an example showing how to specify a base class. This code defines a class named BaseClassDemo derived from the .NET Framework’s Component class (System.ComponentModel.Component). In C#, you declare a base class by placing a colon followed by the base class name (: Component) at the end of the first line of the class declaration. In Visual Basic .NET, you place the keyword Inherits followed by the base class name on the second line of the class declaration. Inheritance works the same way in .NET as it does in Visual FoxPro. A subclass inherits all members (properties, events, methods, and fields) from its base class, including implementation code. At times, you may want a class to override an inherited method. In Visual FoxPro, the simple act of placing code in a method causes the method to be overridden. Unfortunately, in VFP all it takes is a single space character to unintentionally override a parent method. You can “accidentally” override a method in C# and Visual Basic .NET by creating a method in a class with the same name and signature as an inherited method. For example, the following code declares a class named MyBaseClass with a single method named DisplayMessage. It also declares a subclass of MyBaseClass named “OverrideMethodDemo” that contains a duplicate DisplayMessage method. When you run this code, the OverrideMethodDemo.DisplayMessage method is executed, but the base class method is not. In reality, this is not a legal way to override a method in either C# or Visual Basic .NET. In both languages, the compiler catches this error and displays it as a warning (Figure 4). Figure 4. The C# and VB .NET compilers display a warning if you create a method in a class with the same name and signature as an inherited method. The following code demonstrates the proper syntax for overriding methods by using the override keyword (C#) or the Overrides keyword (VB .NET) in the method declaration. When you instantiate the OverrideMethodDemo class and run its DisplayMessage method, the code in the OverrideMethodDemo subclass is executed, but the DisplayMessage method in the parent is not executed. Virtual methods can be overridden by a subclass. In Visual FoxPro, all methods are virtual because you can override any inherited public or protected method simply by placing code in the method of a subclass. There is no such thing as a “non-virtual” method in Visual FoxPro. In contrast, methods are non-virtual by default in C# and VB .NET and cannot be overridden. In order to override a method, it must be specifically marked as virtual (C#) or Overridable (VB .NET) in the base class. If you look closely at the code in the previous section, you will see the DisplayMessage method in MyBaseClass was marked virtual (Overridable for VB .NET). If you override a virtual method, the method in the subclass marked “override” is automatically virtual too. More often than not, you extend rather than completely override an inherited method. In Visual FoxPro you accomplish this by placing code in a method, then issuing a DODEFAULT command. You can run DODEFAULT first, before executing your subclass code, or you can run your code first, and then issue a DODEFAULT. In this example, code first executes in the subclass method and afterwards calls the base class method. You can easily reverse this order by placing the call to the base class first in the subclass method. named “ClientObj” of the type Client, and then stores a new instance of the Client class into the variable. In this example, the code declares a variable of a specific type, and then instantiates an object from that type—no surprises here. However, in both C# and VB .NET, when you declare a variable of a particular type it can also hold a reference to any subclass of that type. Take for example the class hierarchy shown in Figure 5, which shows Client and Invoice classes derived from the ABusinessObject class. Figure 5. When you declare a variable of a particular type it can also hold a reference to any subclass of that type. Given this hierarchy, you can declare a variable of type ABusinessObject and then store a reference to either the Client or Invoice object in this variable. This technique allows you to write more generic code that works with families of objects, making use of object-oriented polymorphism rather than coding to a specific class. So far, you’ve learned about overriding and extending inherited methods. However, there are other situations where you may want to completely hide an inherited method and redeclare it. In what situations might you choose to completely hide an inherited method? First of all, you can use it to override a method not marked as virtual (or Overridable). Although I said earlier only virtual methods can be overridden, you can get around this rule by redeclaring a method with the new or shadows keyword. Be judicious when deciding to hide an inherited method. If a base class method has not been marked as “virtual”, the developer may have a good reason for not allowing you to override the method. Test your code well! For example, the following code declares a class named BaseClass with a single non-virtual method named “DisplayMessage”. It then declares a subclass of HideMethodBase named “HideMethodDemo” that redeclares the DisplayMessage method. This method even contains a call to the base class DisplayMessage method! There’s one “gotcha” when hiding an inherited method in this way. If you use the polymorphic trick of declaring a variable of the type HideMethodBase, but you actually instantiate an instance of the HideMethodDemo subclass instead, you get unexpected behavior when calling the DisplayMessage method. When you run this code, rather than calling the DisplayMessage method belonging to the HideMethodDemo class, it calls the DisplayMessage method belonging to the HideBase base class instead! This is opposite of the behavior you might expect, so you need to write code with this in mind. Another good example of a scenario where you can hide an inherited method involves third-party .NET components. Say you purchase a third-party component, subclass it, and add a custom method called PrintMessage. What happens if the company who created the component releases a new version and adds their own PrintMessage method? This leaves you with two choices. You can rename your custom method, but you may have countless lines of code in your applications calling the PrintMessage method and they all need to change. Another option is to hide the newly inherited method causing the problem. You can then add a custom method to your subclass that calls it in the base class. In this code, the HideMethodDemo class hides the PrintMessage method in the base class. It then declares a method named PrintMsg that calls PrintMessage method in the base class. As mentioned in the section “Virtual (Overridable) Methods”, C# and VB .NET methods are non-virtual by default, meaning they cannot be overridden in subclasses. In contrast, methods marked as “virtual” can be overridden. There may be cases where you override a virtual method in a base class, but you don’t want other subclasses to override the method in your class. You can prevent someone from overriding your method by marking it as sealed (C#) or NotOverridable (VB .NET). For example, the following code declares a base class named “PreventInheritanceBase” containing a single virtual method named “DisplayMessage”. It also declares a subclass of PreventInheritanceBase named “PreventInheritanceSubclass” that marks the DisplayMessage method as sealed. This prevents subclasses of PreventInheritanceSubclass from further overriding this method. In addition to preventing inheritance at the method level, you can also specify an entire class cannot be inherited using the sealed keyword (C#) or the NotInheritable keyword (VB .NET). For example, the following code declares the “PreventClassInheritDemo” class cannot be subclassed. There are two main types of classes in object-oriented programming—concrete and abstract. All of the classes you have seen so far are concrete; they have code in their methods that implements specific functionality. For example, in the previous section, the DisplayMessage method displays a message to the user. Concrete classes are meant to be instantiated and their methods called by client code. The following code shows how to declare an abstract class named “AppSettingsBase” that represents this concept. To mark a class as abstract, use the modifier abstract (C#) or MustInherit (VB .NET) in the class definition. In the AppSettingsBase class there are two abstract methods. These abstract methods represent the concept of retrieving and saving application settings. An abstract method does not contain implementation code. It simply defines a method signature including the method name, parameters and their types, and a return value and its type. To mark a method as abstract, use the modifier abstract (C#) or MustOverride (VB .NET). You now have a class that defines an interface for retrieving and saving application settings. Now you can create concrete implementations of this abstract class to do the real work. For example, Figure 6 shows the abstract AppSettingsBase class with two subclasses. AppSettingsRegistry accesses settings stored in the Windows Registry and AppSettingsXml accesses settings stored in an XML file. UML syntax dictates abstract class names are shown in italics and concrete classes are shown in regular font. It also dictates abstract methods are shown in italics, but the tool I used to create the diagram (Rational Rose) doesn’t allow you to mark a method as abstract! Figure 6. You can define an abstract class that defines an interface for a family of related classes. Dim setting As String = "" Obviously, these classes don’t do much “as is” because there are comments in the methods where there should be implementation code. Notice the subclass provides an implementation for both the GetSetting and SetSetting methods. When you create a class derived from an abstract class, both C# and VB .NET require you provide an implementation for all abstract methods. If you don’t, the compiler displays a warning accordingly. C# and VB .NET allow you to have both abstract and concrete methods in an abstract class. Why would you declare a concrete method in an abstract class? If there is common or default behavior you want all classes to inherit, you can create concrete methods containing code inherited by all subclasses. A subclass can choose to override a concrete method inherited from an abstract class if the default behavior does not suit that particular class. To make the best use polymorphism with abstract and concrete classes, you should write generic code when working with concrete subclasses. For example during application startup, you might instantiate a concrete AppSettingsRegistry class. For the most flexibility, you should declare a field of the type AppSettingsBase and store an instance of the concrete subclass in this field. This code declares a class named “MyApp” with a field named “AppSettingsObj” of the type AppSettingsBase—the abstract class defined in the previous section. This field holds a reference to the application settings object. In the constructor of this class, a call is made to the CreateAppSettingsObj method containing code that creates an instance of AppSettingsRegistry and stores it in the AppSettingsObj field. This is the only method in your application that needs to know the specific concrete class that was instantiated. All other code in your application references the application settings object as if it were of the type AppSettingsBase. If you add new members to concrete subclasses, you can’t access those members when referencing an object by the abstract base class type. To keep your code as generic as possible, try to add methods at the abstract level rather than the concrete level. The real beauty of this design is its extensibility. Imagine you later decide to save application settings to a DBF, rather than the Registry. All you have to do is create a new concrete subclass of AppSettingsBase (for example, AppSettingsDbf) to access settings stored in a DBF and change the code in the CreateAppSettingsObj to instantiate the new class. This makes your application far more extensible, and maintainable. What you have just seen is an example of “programming to an interface rather than an implementation”. This concept is commonly discussed in object-oriented books, but I find many developers have difficulty understanding this concept. “Programming to an implementation,” is undesirable. It means writing software hard-coded to a specific concrete functionality. For example, you might hard-code reading and writing application settings to an XML file. In contrast, “programming to an interface” is desirable. In this particular case, it means creating an abstract base class to define an interface for a family of classes and writing code to talk to the interface. When Visual FoxPro 3 was released, it introduced implementation inheritance to FoxPro. With implementation inheritance, subclasses inherit the properties, events, and methods of their base class, as well as any associated code. Visual FoxPro 7 introduced interface inheritance, (which was unfortunately limited to COM components). In contrast, C# and Visual Basic .NET have full support for both implementation and interface inheritance. Interfaces are similar to classes in defining properties and methods that other classes can inherit. However, an interface only defines method signatures. It does not contain any implementation code that can be inherited. For example, the following code defines an interface named IDbConnection with four properties and six methods. All your interface names should be Pascal-cased and prefixed with an uppercase “I”. This means the first two letters of an interface name are always in upper case (for example, IDbConnection). This is a naming convention used by Microsoft that helps easily differentiate between classes and interfaces. If you’re familiar with ADO.NET, the IDbConnection interface should look familiar to you. It is one of the interfaces defined in the .NET Framework’s System.Data namespace. As you can see, defining an interface is similar to defining a class, except there is no code in the properties or methods. After you have defined an interface, you can specify that one or more classes implement the interface. When a class implements an interface, it is agreeing to a contract. This contract specifies the class will implement all the properties and methods in the interface. For example, there are a few classes in the .NET Framework class library that implement the IDbConnection interface including SqlConnection, OracleConnection, and OleDbConnection. If you look at the help file for these classes, you see each of them implement all the properties and methods in the IDbConnection interface. What if you want to create a new .NET class that connects to Visual FoxPro data? You can declare a class and specify that it implements the IDbConnection interface. If you compile this class “as is”, the compiler displays ten errors, one for each member of the IDbConnection interface. The error messages inform you that you are not living up to your contract. You have indicated you are implementing the IDbConnection interface, but you have not declared an implementation for each of these members in the VfpConnection class. To satisfy the compiler, you must declare a property and method for each of the properties and methods in the IDbConnection interface. The following code provides a bare bones implementation of each interface member. If you were really creating this Visual FoxPro connection class, you would place implementation code in each property and method. Although C# and Visual Basic .NET have a single implementation inheritance model (a class can be derived from only one base class), a class can implement multiple interfaces. For example, the following code declares a class named “Person” derived from the Component class that implements the IEmployee and IStockHolder interfaces. If you are implementing an interface with more than a few members, it can be quite a bit of work implementing each interface member. If you are implementing an interface found in the .NET Framework class library, this usually entails copying and pasting into your code method signatures from a .NET Help topic detailing the interface. Next, right-click on the class definition and select Synchronize Class View from the shortcut menu. This opens the Class View window with the VfpConnection class highlighted in the tree view (Figure 7). Figure 7. The Class Viewer displays the base class a class is derived from and any interfaces it implements. If you expand the VfpConnection class node, you see a Bases and Interfaces node. If you expand this node, you see the base class of VfpConnection (Object) and the interfaces it implements (IConnection). If you expand the IConnection interface node, you see a list of all properties and methods in the interface. To implement an interface member in the VfpConnection class, just right-click the member and select Add | Override from the shortcut menu (Figure 8). Figure 8. In C#, you can use the Class Viewer to implement interfaces and methods from base classes. This is nice because it’s not just for interfaces. It also works for base class members. If you expand the base class node in the Class Viewer, right-click on a property or method, and select Add | Override from the shortcut menu, a declaration is added for the selected member. In the section on abstract classes, you learned how to declare a variable that is the type of an abstract class, and then reference subclasses using the variable. This lets you write generic code that “programs to an interface, rather than an implementation”. This same principle holds true for interfaces. You can declare a variable of a specific interface type, and then use the variable to reference any class that implements the interface. For example, the following code declares a variable of the type IDbConnection and stores a reference to a VfpConnection object. The subsequent lines of code show you can also store a reference to the SqlConnection, OracleConnection, and OleDbConnection object. When you reference an object through a particular interface, the only members you can access are the members of the specified interface—even if the class has other members in addition to those present in the interface. For example, given the above sample code, VS .NET IntelliSense on the Command object only displays the members shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. When you reference an object via a specific interface, you only have access to the members of that interface. In the previous sections, I used a data access interface (IDbConnection) to demonstrate the basics of .NET interfaces, because it provides a real world example of how you can achieve generic data access in your applications. The .NET Framework class library contains a number of generic data access interfaces implemented by concrete .NET data providers, such as the SQL Server data provider and the Oracle data provider. This is an example of polymorphism, because each interface can take many concrete forms. However, if you instantiate the concrete classes that comprise these .NET data providers and use them directly, you are effectively hard-coding your data access. In contrast, if you reference these classes through the generic interfaces they implement, you are programming to an interface, rather than an implementation. This allows you to access data generically, giving your applications flexible data access. When you get down to it, abstract classes and interfaces provide similar benefits. They both define interfaces that concrete classes can inherit, providing the flexibility that comes with object-oriented polymorphism. So, how do you decide whether to use an abstract class or an interface in a given situation? There are a variety of criteria you can use, but one of the more practical considerations is whether or not the classes implementing the common behavior are related. If you are defining functionality for a family of related classes (as with the application settings classes discussed earlier in this chapter), you can use an abstract class. If the common functionality needs to be implemented across unrelated classes, then use interfaces. For more information, see the .NET Help topic “Recommendations for Abstract Classes vs. Interfaces”. There are two main types of class members—instance and static (Shared in VB .NET) members. Instance members are the default type of member in both C# and Visual Basic .NET. They are fields, properties, methods, and so on, which belong to each instance of a class. For example, the following code declares a class named InstanceMemberDemo with a public instance field named Counter. The class also contains an IncrementCounter method that increments the Counter field and displays its value in a MessageBox. Now take a look at the following code that creates and manipulates instances of this class. The first two lines of code create instances of the class named “InstanceDemo1” and “InstanceDemo2”. At this point, both Counter fields are set to 1. After running the third line of code that calls the IncrementCounter method of InstanceDemo1, the Counter field in InstanceDemo1 is set to two, and the Counter field in InstanceDemo2 is still set to one. After running the fourth line of code that calls the IncrementCounter method of InstanceDemo2, both instances have their Counter field set to two (Figure 10). This is because each instance has its own copy of the variable. This is the way Visual FoxPro works. All members of Visual FoxPro classes are instance members. Now you’re ready to look at static members. Static members belong to the class itself, rather than to each instance of the class. Only one copy of a static member exists in an application regardless of how many instances of the class are created. To illustrate this point, I’ll change the Counter field in the previous example to a static member. Notice I also changed the way I reference the Counter field. Rather than referencing it as this.Counter (C#) or Me.Counter (VB .NET), it must simply be referenced as Counter. When you think about it, this makes sense. The keywords this and Me refer to an instance of an object, and in this scenario, the Counter field does not belong to instances of the class, it belongs to the StaticMethodDemo class itself. Now, take a look at the code that instantiates and manipulates these classes. When the first two lines of code are executed, the Counter field is set to its initial value of one, but remember this value is stored at the class level, rather than with each instance of the class. When the IncrementCounter method is called on the StaticDemo1 object, the Counter field is set to two. When the IncrementCounter method is called on the StaticDemo2 object, the Counter field is set to three (Figure 11). Figure 11. Static members belong to the class itself rather than to each instance of the class. Because this is a static field, the field and its value are stored at the class level. When you reference the Counter field from within either object, it points back to the field and value stored at the class level. Static properties and fields are similar to global variables in Visual FoxPro. As you’ve already seen, when you reference a static class member from within an instance of a class, you don’t use this or Me. So, how do you access static members from outside the class? You do this by using the syntax “ClassName.Member”. For example, look at the following code that references the static Counter field declared in the StaticMemberDemo class. It may take a little while to wrap your mind around static members, because they’re new to Visual FoxPro developers, but in reality I’ve used them extensively in the sample code shown so far. For example, look at the previous code sample calling “MessageBox.Show”. Notice I never instantiated an instance of the MessageBox class—I simply called its Show method directly. As you might guess, the Show method of the MessageBox class is a static member. If you look at the .NET Help topic “MessageBox Members”, you’ll see the Show method is marked with a yellow “S”, to indicate it is static (“Shared” in VB .NET). Figure 12. The .NET Help file displays a yellow “S” next to all static class members. This convention is used throughout the .NET Help file, so you can easily determine whether members are instance or static. Events happen. Objects raise events and other objects respond to them. Visual FoxPro has traditionally been weak in the area of events. Although you can write code that responds to events in VFP, you can’t raise your own custom events as in Visual Basic 6. Although Visual FoxPro’s event model is limited, it is simple and straightforward. All you have to do is place code in an event, and it executes when the event fires. In contrast, C# and VB .NET both have full support for raising and responding to events. The .NET event model is more robust and flexible than Visual FoxPro’s, but with this flexibility comes a small learning curve in understanding and implementing events. The event transmitter is responsible for raising the event, which is usually fired as a result of an action. For example, if the user clicks a button, the button raises its Click event. An event receiver, or handler, is an object that captures and responds to an event. As with the Observer design pattern, the event transmitter does not know which object or specific method on an object handles the event it raises. Due to this loose coupling, you need an object to act as an intermediary between the event transmitter and event receiver. This object is the delegate. A delegate is a class that holds a reference to an object method. This is something new to VFP developers. In Visual FoxPro, there are object references, but a delegate holds a reference to a single method on an object! you define a delegate class, you specify the signature of the methods it references. For example, the .NET Framework class library contains a generic delegate class for handling events called “EventHandler”. This code is a bit different from how you declare “normal” classes. When you declare a delegate, you specify an associated method signature. The EventHandler delegate has a signature with two parameters. The first parameter is an “object” type. It holds a reference to the event transmitter. The second parameter is an “EventArgs” type. It is used to pass any information from the event transmitter to the event receiver. The EventArgs class is the base class for all classes passing data from events. It represents an event that does not pass any data. If your event transmitter does not pass any information to the event receiver, you can use this generic EventHandler delegate class with its object and EventArgs parameters. Otherwise, you must create your own custom delegate class. This section takes you through creating your own custom event transmitter, delegate, and event receiver demonstrating how to localize your application text by means of .NET events (“localizing” is the process of translating text to another language). To do this, you will create a LanguageMgr object that raises a Localize event. You will also create a MyLabel class, which is a Windows Forms label acting as the event receiver, or handler, responding to the Localize event. Finally, you will create a “LocalizeDelegate” class to act as an intermediary between the language manager object and the label object (Figure 13). Figure 13. In the .NET event model, there are three primary objects; the event transmitter, the delegate, and the event receiver. In this example, you need to create a delegate to act as an intermediary between the LanguageMgr and the MyLabel objects. When the LanguageMgr class raises its Localize event, it passes a single integer argument to any objects that handle the event. This integer represents the primary key of a record in a Language table. Because this parameter needs to be passed, you cannot use the .NET Framework’s generic EventArgs class when declaring this delegate (it represents an event that does not pass any data). If you try to make the delegate hold a reference to an object method that does not have this signature, you will get a compiler error. Now it’s time to create an event transmitter. The following code declares a class named LanguageMgr that contains a custom Localize event. This is the part you can’t do in Visual FoxPro. You are allowed to hook into existing VFP events, but you can’t create your own custom events. This class also contains a method named SetNewLanguage that accepts a single integer parameter specifying the unique id of a language. This method instantiates a LocalizeEventArgs class and passes the language integer in the class constructor. It then passes the LocalizeEventArgs object to its OnLocalize method. In C#, the OnLocalize method first checks if the Localize event is null. If no delegates are registered with the Localize event, then it will be null. If it’s not null, the method passes the event arguments object to the Localize event. In Visual Basic .NET, you don’t need to perform this check. If no delegates have been registered with the event, you can raise the event without throwing an exception. When the Localize event fires, it passes the LocalizeEventArgs object to all delegates registered with the event. In the next section, you will create an event handler object and register it with the event transmitter using the custom delegate class. Now you’re ready to create the event handler. The following code declares a class named “MyLabel” derived from the Windows Forms Label class. Notice the Localize method has the same signature as defined in the LocalizeEventArgs delegate. This allows you to use LocalizeDelegate to hold a reference to this method as shown in the next section. Now that you’ve defined all the pieces, you’re ready to register the MyLabel.Localize event handler method with the event transmitter. The following code first instantiates the LanguageMgr class, which is the event transmitter. Next, it instantiates the MyLabel class, which is the event handler. The third line of code is a bit different in C# versus VB .NET. In C#, this line of code instantiates an instance of the custom LocalizeDelegate, passing a reference to the LabelObj’s Localize method in its constructor. It uses the += operator to register the delegate with the Localize event of the language manager. For details on how this works in VB .NET, see the .NET Help topic “Delegates and the AddressOf Operator”. The last line of code triggers the language manager’s Localize event, by calling the SetNewLanguage method. The UML sequence diagram in Figure 14 shows the basic message flow between the LanguageMgr, LocalizeDelegate, and MyLabel objects. Notice the event transmitter (LanguageMgr) never talks directly to the event handler (MyLabel). All communication takes place through the delegate (LocalizeDelegate). Figure 14. This diagram demonstrates the basic message flow between event transmitter, delegate, and event handler objects. In the .NET Help topic “Event Usage Guidelines”, Microsoft recommends creating a protected, virtual method for raising an event so subclasses can handle the event by overriding the method. Microsoft followed this standard when defining events in the .NET Framework classes. This means you can override events defined in the .NET Framework by overriding the event’s associated OnEventName method. For example, the .NET Help topic “Overriding the Paint Event” contains the following sample code for overriding the Paint event of the System.Windows.Forms.Control class. // Call methods of the System.Drawing.Graphics object. ' Call methods of the System.Drawing.Graphics object. This code defines a class named “FirstControl” derived from the .NET Framework’s System.Windows.Forms.Control class. The code shown in grey overrides the OnPaint method of the Control class. Notice the method first calls the base class’s OnPaint method before it performs its own processing. You must call the OnEventName method of the base class in this way to ensure registered delegates receive the event. Although you can use the same technique for creating events in Visual Basic .NET as in C#, VB .NET provides an alternate method using the WithEvents and Handles keywords. This methodology isn’t as flexible as the one described in the previous section, but if your needs are more basic, it provides an easy way to raise and respond to events in VB .NET. A great place to see WithEvents at work is the VB .NET user interface code. For example, the Visual Basic .NET source code for this book has a Windows Form code-behind file named SampleCodeForm.vb. A search for the phrase “WithEvents” takes you to several form-level variables declared using the WithEvents keyword. The following code declares a variable named “cmdClose” of the type System.Windows.Forms.Button. The WithEvents keyword specifies this variable contains an object that is a source of events. Further down in the source code is the following handler code for this event. The Handles keyword specifies this method handles the cmdClose.Click event. · You cannot use a WithEvents variable as a generic object variable. You must specify a class name when you declare the variable. · You cannot use WithEvents to declaratively handle shared events, because they are not tied to an instance that can be assigned to a WithEvents variable. · You cannot create arrays of WithEvents variables. · WithEvents variables allow a single event handler to handle one or more kind of event, or one or more event handlers to handle the same kind of event. As shown in the previous section, creating your own custom events, event handlers, and delegates takes a bit of effort. Fortunately, Visual Studio .NET makes plugging into events much easier than this. Take a quick look at a simple example. Say you have a button on a Windows form named “cmdClose”. If you open this form in design mode in Visual Studio .NET and double-click the button, it automatically adds an event handler method behind the scenes. You can add custom code to this method that automatically executes when the event fires. For example, the following event handler method contains code to close the form. However, this code is only half the story. If you expand the “Windows Form Designer Generated Code” section, you will see the following code. This code should look somewhat familiar! As discussed previously, the C# code instantiates a delegate of the type EventHandler, passing a reference to the cmdClose_Click event handler method. In Visual Basic .NET, the code is even easier, because there are no delegates involved. The WithEvents keyword declares the cmdClose variable contains an object that is a source of events. Double-clicking a user interface element in Visual Studio .NET automatically creates an event handler for the object’s default event. So, how do you create event handlers in VS .NET for other events? 1. From within Visual Studio .NET, select the object in design mode. 2. Go to the Properties Window (press F4 if it’s not visible). 3. Select the Events button at the top of the dialog (the button with the lightning bolt shown in Figure 15). 4. Double-click on the desired event and VS .NET automatically places an event handling method in the form for you. Figure 15. In C#, you can see an object’s events by selecting it in design mode and clicking the Events button in the Properties Window. If you accidentally double-click on an event in the Properties Window, or on a user interface element in design mode, you can easily remove the event handling code automatically added to the form by right-clicking on the event in the Properties Window and selecting Reset from the shortcut menu. 1. In Visual Studio .NET’s code editor, select the desired WithEvents variable from the combo box at the upper left of the code-editing window. 2. Choose the event you want to handle from the combo box at the upper right of the code-editing window. 3. VS .NET automatically places an event-handling method in the file for you. Structures are similar to classes, but rather than being reference types, they are value types (For more information, see the “Value and reference types” section in Chapter 3, “Introduction to C#). Because they are value types, they have a slight speed advantage over classes. · Have properties and methods. · Raise and handle events. · Have protected members (this makes sense because they can’t have subclasses). Because structures are value types, you can copy values from one structure to another by simply assigning one structure variable to another. For example, the following code instantiates two instances of the StructureDemo structure. It sets the properties of the first instance, and then assigns the first structure variable to the second variable. When the last line is executed, it displays a message showing the second structure now has the same property values as the first. Structures are value types, so their data is stored on the stack rather than the heap. This means you should use a structure only if the object you create has a small instance size. Objects large in size should be classes. One common use for structure is as a device for passing parameters. If you have several parameters you need to pass to a method, you can create a structure with a different property to hold each parameter value. Behind the scenes, all value data types such as Boolean, Byte, Int32, and Decimal are actually structures! .NET attributes allow you to place extra descriptive information in your code that the compiler turns into metadata within your project’s assembly. Attributes are useful at a variety of levels, such as an assembly, a class, or a class member. They can also be applied for a variety of reasons, as you’ll see in this section. When you create a new project in Visual Studio .NET, a file named Assembly.cs (or Assembly.vb) is automatically added to your project. This file contains attributes that apply to the entire assembly. The keyword assembly indicates these attributes are applied at the assembly level. If you enter a description between the double quotes for each attribute, the compiler turns the description into metadata within your project’s assembly. If you want a quick way to view this attribute information, you can use the Intermediate Language Disassembler (IL DASM) discussed in Chapter 1, “Introduction to .NET”. This tool is located in the FrameworkSDK\ Bin folder below the directory on your machine containing the .NET Framework. To launch the disassembler, just double-click the ildasm.exe file. To open an assembly, select File | Open from the menu. Use the Open dialog for navigating to and opening the desired assembly. Once the assembly is open, double-click the MANIFEST node (Figure 16). Figure 16. You can view assembly-level attributes using the Intermediate Language Disassembler. This opens a window containing IL code, along with comments displaying the attribute text. Although this is interesting, the most practical way to examine attributes is at runtime by means of reflection. For more information, see the “Reflection” section later in this chapter. Believe it or not, attributes are actually classes. The .NET Framework class library contains a few hundred attribute classes for all occasions! All attribute classes are derived from the System.Attribute class. Here is an example of an attribute applied at the method level. The Obsolete attribute allows you to specify a method is going to eventually be removed. You will see more examples of how attributes are used in Chapter 12, “XML Web Services”. For more general information, see the .NET Help topic “Extending Metadata Using Attributes”. For information on creating your own custom attributes, see the .NET Help topic “Writing Custom Attributes”. The use of Indexers is an object-oriented convenience feature that allows you to access an object as if it is an array. Indexers are similar to properties, but their accessors take parameters. For example, the following code declares a class named “Address” with three public string fields named “Street”, “CityState”, and “Zip”. Indexers give users the option of accessing instances of the class as an array, with each of these fields representing a different row in the array. The code highlighted in grey is the indexer declaration. This particular indexer specifies instances of the Address class can be treated as a one-dimensional array with an int index. Me(0) = "952 Rockledge Drive" Within the body of the indexer declaration the get and set accessors use the integer index to access values in the Street, CityState, and Zip fields. Here is an example of code used to access an instance of this class as an array. Notice how similar this is to accessing an array. You simply reference the object name followed by brackets or parentheses containing the index of the element you want to access. If the phrase “memory leak” makes your skin crawl, you’ll be happy to learn about the .NET Framework’s garbage collector. In Visual FoxPro, you have to be extremely careful about cleaning up after objects when you are done using them. When you release an object, its Destroy method is fired, and the memory allocated for it is freed up—if all goes well. In .NET, as you instantiate objects, the runtime allocates memory for them on the heap. However, rather than having to worry about releasing objects yourself, the .NET runtime takes care of this for you. Periodically, .NET’s garbage collector checks for objects in the heap no longer being used and reclaims their memory. Because the garbage collector periodically releases objects from memory on an “as-needed” basis, you can’t count on an object being released at a specific time. Although it may take a while to get used to giving up this control, you’ll find this works well in most cases. Because there is a delay between the time you are finished with an object and when the garbage collector physically releases it, if your object uses system resources such as database connections, you may want to provide clients with a method they can call to release these resources whenever they choose. The .NET Framework’s IDisposable interface supplies a Dispose method that consumers of your object can call to release resources acquired by your object. For more information on implementing the IDisposable interface, see the .NET Help topics “Implementing a Dispose Method” and “Initialization and Termination of Components”. All classes inherit the Finalize method from the System.Object class. This method automatically fires when the garbage collector releases an object. The Finalize method also automatically calls the Dispose method on classes that implement the IDisposable interface. Because this is the case, you should always call GC.SuppressFinalizeMethod from your Dispose method. Normally, you don’t have to worry about the Finalize method. However, if your object is using unmanaged resources, you may want to add code to your object to clean up these resources when the object is destroyed. C# destructors are designed to automatically call the object’s Finalize method. Although placing cleanup code in destructor or Finalize methods is useful when you need it, be forewarned that doing so can impact application performance. Also, as mentioned previously, you can’t guarantee when the Finalize method of an object will execute, so do not rely on the timing of any code placed in the Finalize method. For details, see the .NET Help topics “Finalize Methods and Destructors” and “Automatic Memory Management”. C#’s using statement has a convenience feature not available in Visual Basic .NET. In this context, using is something completely different than when you are “using” a namespace. The using statement provides a more automatic way of calling the Dispose method of an object. For example, the using statement in the code shown below instantiates a class named “UnmanagedResource”. Within the curly braces of the using statement, you place code that uses the MyRes object. When the object loses scope at the bottom of the using statement, the object’s Finalize method is automatically called. Note the class you instantiate in the using statement must implement the IDisposing interface. The C# language has an advanced object-oriented feature called operator overloading that is not available in Visual Basic .NET. Earlier in this chapter, you learned about method overloading—an object-oriented technique that allows you to create multiple methods with the same name. Operator overloading allows you to do something similar with operators. You can provide new meaning for operators such as +, -, !, ++, and --, by defining static methods in classes using the operator keyword. Although this is an interesting feature, it’s probably not one you will use often. Rather than going into detail here, you can check out two good examples of operator overloading in the .NET Help topic “Operator Overloading Tutorial”. For a list of operators that can be overloaded, see the .NET Help topic “Overloadable Operators”. In Visual FoxPro, there is a certain freedom and flexibility that comes from specifying the class of an object be instantiated at run time. For example, I use an abstract factory in my Visual FoxPro applications allowing me to data drive my class instantiation. I call the abstract factory’s GetClassName method, passing a token specifying the kind of class I want to instantiate. The abstract factory looks up this token in a table, returning the name of the class I should use. I then pass the class name to the CREATEOBJECT command, which instantiates an object from the specified class. If you are using the new command in C# or in Visual Basic .NET (assuming Option Strict is “On”), you are required to specify the type of the class you will instantiate at compile time. · Load assemblies and modules. · Retrieve information about class constructors. · Retrieve information about class methods and invoke them. · Retrieve information about class fields and get/set their values. · Retrieve information about class events and add/remove event handlers. · Retrieve information about class properties and get/set their values. · Retrieve information about method parameters. · Generate MSIL code on the fly. You get type (class) information from assemblies already loaded in memory by calling the static Type.GetType method. This and other reflection methods return a System.Type object you use to derive information about classes. For example, the following code calls the GetType method, passing a string containing the fully qualified name of the Client class declared in this chapter’s sample code. After running this code, you can examine the ClientType object to discover information about the Client class. Because it is a Type object, it has a number of properties and methods you can use to get information about the Client class. Table 4 lists some of the more interesting properties and methods. Table 4. Type objects have a good number of properties and methods you can use to find out information about classes. The assembly where the type is declared. The type from which the current type directly inherits. The fully qualified name of the type, including the namespace. The GUID associated with the type. Specifies if the type is abstract. Specifies if the type is a class. Specifies if the type is a COM object. Specifies if the type is an enumeration. Specifies if the type is an interface. Specifies the .NET Framework base class the type is based on. Even if you have several layers of inheritance in your class hierarchy, this property displays the first .NET Framework base class in the hierarchy. Returns an array of Type objects representing a list of interfaces implemented or inherited by the current type. Returns an array of FilterMember objects of the specified member type (i.e. constructor, property, event, method). Gets a specific event inherited or declared by the current type. Gets a specific field of the current type. Gets a specific interface implemented or inherited by the current type. Gets the specified members of the current type. Invokes a specific member of the current type. To obtain information about types located in assemblies that are not loaded, you can use the Assembly.GetType or Assembly.GetTypes methods. When the type of an object is determined at run time rather than compile time, this is known as late binding. This is the type of binding used with Visual FoxPro’s CREATEOBJECT command. Following is some code that simulates CREATEOBJECT. The code declares a class you instantiate using late binding. The following code instantiates the Message class and calls its ShowMessage method. // Get the type to use from the assembly. // Get the method to call from the type. // Create an instance of the Message class. // Create the arguments array. // Invoke the PrintHello method. ' Get the type to use from the assembly. ' Get the method to call from the type. ' Create an instance of the Message class. ' Create the arguments array. args(0) = "I'm using late binding!!!" ' Invoke the PrintHello method. The first line of code uses the static Type.GetType method to retrieve a Type object that contains information about the HW.NetBook.Samples.Message class. You can use Type.GetType because the Message class is contained in an assembly already loaded. The second line of code calls the Type object’s GetMethod requesting information on the Message.ShowMessage method. GetMethod returns a MethodInfo object you can use to invoke the ShowMessage method. The third line of code uses the static Activator.CreateInstance method to create an instance of the Message class. Next, an array of type Object is created to pass a parameter to the Message.ShowMessage method when it is invoked. Even if the method you are calling does not have any parameters, you still need to declare an empty Object array as follows. Finally, the last line of code invokes the Message.ShowMessage method. If you need to get type information for a class not in a loaded assembly, you use the static Assembly.Load method. For example, the following code loads the MyOtherAssembly file and retrieves the HW.NetBook.Samples.MyClass type from the assembly. In addition to the methodology shown in the previous section, there’s an easier way to implement late binding in Visual Basic .NET using the Object data type. VB .NET treats the Object data type in special way. Unlike C#, VB .NET allows you to store an object reference into a variable of type Object and call methods on the object even though the .NET Object class does not implement those methods. For example, the following code declares a class with a method named “CallMethod” that accepts an Object parameter. In this method there is a single line of code that calls a DisplayMessage method on this object. In order to get this code to compile, you must set VB .NET’s Option Strict setting to “Off” (for more information on Option Strict, see Chapter 4, “Introduction to Visual Basic .NET”). This tells the compiler to ignore the rules of strict typing. Turning strict typing off allows you to pass an object reference of any type to CallMethod. The compiler blissfully ignores the fact you declared a variable of type Object and are calling a method (DisplayMessage) not implemented in the Object class. If you pass an object to CallMethod that implements the DisplayMessage method, everything goes smoothly at run time. However, if you pass an object that does not implement this method, you get a runtime error. The fact that you have to turn off strict typing in order to use this feature should make you think twice before using it. As I recommended in Chapter 4, “Introduction to Visual Basic .NET”, you should never turn Option Strict off because you miss the benefit of catching errors at compile time rather than run time. Although late binding provides flexibility, a substantial price is paid in performance. This is because the compiler does not know at compile time the class being used, so binding must be performed at runtime instead. I suggest using late binding only when you absolutely need it. You should stick to early binding as a general rule. If you are designing your applications well, you can achieve a similar effect by means of abstract classes and interfaces as described earlier in this chapter—and without incurring a performance penalty. This chapter gives a good overview of C# and Visual Basic .NET’s object-oriented features. Again, this is not an exhaustive list of all features, but an introduction to object-orientation in .NET. In the final analysis, both C# and Visual Basic .NET go beyond the OO capabilities of Visual FoxPro and provide a number of advanced features to help you create flexible, well-designed software applications.

2019-04-25T21:50:35Z

http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers_Chapter05.htm

The attached council official's email tells how Hammersmith and Fulham’s elderly, sick and disabled residents are "at risk" after H&F Conservatives introduced a brand new £12.40 hourly care charge earlier this year. It seems that, in these tough economic times, many users of the service have decided to cancel it rather than pay the extortionate new stealth tax. The email was sent three days before Christmas by a senior Social Services manager. It tells H&F Council staff that a number of residents, currently in receipt of essential care, have decided to go without after receiving a letter from the Council demanding payment. The dilemma for Social Services is that they can’t just stop providing care to someone who may be extremely ill or in need. The consequences could be terrible. Because of this, staff have been told that services “cannot be changed until the user has been reassessed”. The email goes on to say that “the user must be advised that they may be placing themselves at risk” if the service is cancelled. You can read the email in full by clicking onto the attached picture. The Council's email is an indictment of H&F Conservative’s harsh new policies towards caring for the elderly sick, and disabled. Prior to the 2006 elections care charges were included in the Council Tax payment. At that time, the Conservatives actually wrote into their pre-election manifesto that they definitely would not introduce any charges for care services. Then, within months of winning that election, they went back on their pledge and started consulting on bringing in the £12.40 hourly fee - much to the disbelief of local groups and residents. Now, along with many other new fees and cost, residents are being charged separately for these vital care service. Hammersmith and Fulham is one of the boroughs with the smallest populations and geographical areas to appear on the list, so proportionally H&F is easily amongst the top spending local authorities in the country. Cllr. Mike Cartwright (Lab), H&F Council’s Vice Chair of the Audit Committee, added “What is sad is that the £836,000.00 is only part of the total spend as the Council has concealed large aspects of its PR budget by allocating it differently. I think there needs to be a full independent inquiry into this highly dubious use of public money. Earlier this month, we again saw how the Council spent residents’ cash to scaremonger and spread disinformation. This can’t be right. This all comes at a time when there are 578 new Tory Stealth Taxes with parking up 12.5%, Meals on Wheels up 40% and the elderly sick and disabled now given a brand new £12.40 hourly charge for their care services. Residents deserve better”. There were about three hundred people crowding around the shops at the bottom of Brackenbury Road yesterday evening. It’s nearly Christmas, the tree was lit up brightly and children from Brackenbury Primary School and Godolphin and Latimer School were singing Carols. Buchanan’s Organic Deli, Stenton Butchers, and Gina’s Cakes all provided hot mince pies, and other assorted refreshments. The Hepsibah Gallery opened its doors as did SISI Hardware & DIY, and the local newsagents . Shoots and Leaves provided the tree, Horton and Garton Estate Agents provided support and the local ward police team were there to help out and do a bit of singing. Santa even arrived and handed out free goody bags to the children. It was all good fun and very festive. The finalé of the evening was when those of us remaining had sheets of lyrics stuffed into our gloved hands and urged to join the carol singing. We did – although I’m pretty sure the looks I was getting after I started to sing weren’t admiring ones. It was a great evening and I, for one, would like to thank the Brackenbury Residents' Association and those involved for arranging and supporting it. Just before the last local elections a prominent member of staff told me that they didn’t think there would be any difference between a Conservative Administration and Labour when it came to H&F Council’s employees’ terms and conditions. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Since the local elections H&F Conservatives has sought to cut some front line staff wages by up to 50 per cent - while giving themselves 18 per cent and 14 per cent salary rises in the respective last two years. The Council has dogmatically transferred jobs to private contractors, despite it being proven not to be best value in street cleaning, refuse collection and many other essential services. Now this October, H&F Council has issued redundancy notices to 4,283 staff with a view to re-employing them on very different terms and conditions. H&F Council is now set to cut maternity pay, it hopes to cut dependency leave and is extending working hours to 7.30am - 8.00pm. Staff rightly feel let down. Many of these new initiatives will most harshly affect women. One noticeable consequence to all this has been that morale has dropped and service levels (that have already been cut financially) will now undoubtedly be affected even further. I have always believed that it is an employer’s responsibility to pay people fairly and manage them professionally. The new deal being offered by H&F Conservatives means that, at the very least, the Council is set to badly fail the first of these criteria. When logging onto their PCs, employees of H&F Council are usually encouraged to answer a rather bizarre weekly survey by the Council’s Press Office. Previous questions have asked council staff about their favourite actor to play James Bond, what they think of the weather and other such fluff. For example, this week’s Council staff survey asks, “Have you been tempted by the pre-Christmas sales?" It then gives borough employees the option of answering “Yes – I like a bargain I do” or “No - not on your Nellie, I’m waiting for the January sales”. I think it’s a waste of public money to pay someone to think this stuff up and then arrange it into a questionnaire. However last week, for the first time I can recall, I was interested in the answer. The Press Office asked employees which free newspaper they prefer to read and included their own spin-sheet in the mix of answers. As you can see from the attached graph, taken from the Council intranet, their paper scored a lowly 5% of responses - which was around 40 employees (many of them, I suspect, working in the Press Office). It's apparent that the overwhelming majority prefer not to read the council tax-payer funded paper. That’s probably because they know, more than most, how quite a lot of it is full of misleading scaremongering and distorting propaganda. “We need to consider the needs of the developer to generate a satisfactory profit on this scheme…” Surprisingly, these words were spoken by a H&F Council official who last Tuesday night was advising councillors on the Planning Committee to grant permission to Linden London for their multi-million pound Glenthorne Road project in Hammersmith. You can view the official planning application by clicking here and going to page 128. My colleagues and I argued that the scheme needed to be postponed by at least a month. We suggested that the Council would lose any leverage to negotiate once permission was given. Not only was there, unusually, a complete lack of clarity on the Section 106 sum which the developer is meant to pay to benefit local residents but, the Council report recommended that the councillors back the property developer's request to radically cut the numbers of affordable homes available for residents to buy or rent. If agreed the amount of affordable housing would be cut from the London minimum of 50% to 21%. Some of my constituents were attending from the Cambridge Grove and Leamore Street Residents Association. On the 17th September, they had also been to the Full Council Meeting to ask if the Council would use the Section 106 monies from this scheme to remedy the long-standing traffic problems in their area and fix the badly deteriorating railings that date back to 1856. At the time Cllr. Stephen Greenhalgh (Con) the Leader of H&F Council, told them “We certainly will make sure that it’s one of our priority projects to sort out.” As these were the only monies identified by the Council, since the Conservatives' £1,633,000.00 cut to the highways budget, residents had become hopeful that many of their problems would be addressed with this new sum. I reminded the committee of Cllr. Greenhalgh’s commitment and handed out the attached photo of the everyday traffic problems residents have to put up with. I suggested that one point that we could all agree on, despite party political differences, was that we were there to represent local residents and not property developers. The Conservative members of the panel looked uncomfortable. It seems that they didn’t agree. The Chair called for a vote. It split down party lines with the seven Conservatives on the committee voting to grant permission to the property developer without further negotiation and the two Labour members voting against. My constituents said they were astonished. I thought the Conservatives had made a mistake as last October, my fellow ward Councillors and I worked with residents to force H&F Council to negotiate an extra quarter of a million pounds in Section 106 money from the developer of the Hammersmith Grove Armadillo - just three days prior to the planning meeting. The Council could have used a similar strategy with Linden London. Instead, on page 148 of the report, they simply wrote that “Approximately £100k for highway/environmental improvement works (subject to detailed surveys and estimates for the various works) to improve the sites vehicular and pedestrian accessibility, including crossovers and reinstatement of the footway in vicinity of the site in accordance with the Councils street smart guidance and a contribution to the repair/renewal of the railings in Cambridge Grove”. The officials were unable to explain why there wasn’t an exact sum in the report concerning the Section 106 agreement, what problems would be addressed or what the eventual contribution would be. The Tories clearly didn't care, despite this all being quite unusual. I’m not sure what Cllr. Greenhalgh’s role has been in this situation. It appears that the Leader of the Council either has little influence on his own officials, that he couldn't be bothered to follow up on his promise or he didn’t mean what he said to residents on September 17th. Either way, the local people who attended weren’t impressed. A classic case of “putting property developers, not residents, first” one later told me. Here’s some photos sent to me by a resident in Richford Street, Hammersmith. As you can see the cleanliness of the streets leaves a lot to be desired. I wholeheartedly agree with my constituent who tells me that “people are paying a lot in taxes to pay to clean up after others - money which could be invested in essential services. It seems to me that at least a fixed percentage of the cost of cleaning up our streets should be met from fines issued on people dumping fridges etc on the street, dropping litter and gum and allowing dogs to foul the pavement. If this approach were taken more money would be available for essential services and the streets would become cleaner (because a real threat of a fine would begin to change attitudes)”. Those readers that have already received our latest newsletter through your door will see that we’re still campaigning to make the Conservative Administration reverse their cuts and to fully take up this approach. I’ll let you know how we get on but meanwhile, please feel free to email me pictures of how your street looks by clicking here, and I will put them to good effect as part of our campaign. The last Labour administration delivered real-terms cuts in council tax, and kept charges for council services low. Now, H&F Conservatives have increased or introduced a staggering 578 new stealth taxes, with some charges rising by hundreds of percentage points above inflation. Residents’ parking charges have increased by 12.5 per cent, and children’s out-of-hours play service charges have risen by a astonishing 121 per cent. The minimum increase across all council charges is 5 per cent. Many of the stealth taxes hit the most vulnerable local residents, with Meals on Wheels prices rising by an incredible 40 per cent - adding £365 to annual food bills for the elderly. The Tories also went back on an election pledge not to introduce home care charges for the elderly, sick and disabled, telling them that if they don’t pay the brand new £12.40 per hour charge, they won’t receive these crucial services. Included in the new stealth taxes is the controversial new charge for the garden waste disposal service, which now costs £7.25 - even though there didn't seem to be much of a service for those that signed up to it. That and many other of these charges used to be included in residents’ council tax payments. Now, residents have to pay these extra cost on top of their council tax. Will H&F Tories Shut Another Sands End Youth Club? When shutting down the Castle Youth Club last November the Conservatives explained that it didn’t matter as there is always the Townmead Youth Club, a few miles away. Now, it seems that this facility may also be closed down unless the Tory run Council releases £20,000 of funding needed to meet its running cost. Readers will recall that the Castle Youth Club was sold to a property developer for £5million. Maybe the Administration could take the money out of that cash bonanza. Residents of Sands End have been in for a tough time during the last couple of years. As well as selling off the Castle Youth Club, H&F Conservatives attempted to close Hurlingham and Chelsea Secondary School and successfully shut Peterborough Primary School. They have had to put up with cuts to police, and £36million of further cuts to front-line services. Then, this autumn it was announced that Hurlingham Park will be closed to the public for a large part of the year so that H&F Conservatives can rent it out to their friends in the international polo-set. The Townmead Youth Club has been in operation since 1967. I hope local residents are able to make H&F Council see sense and maintain this important local asset. The London Olympics are three and a half years away. Children and young people across the country are being urged to take part and get involved in sport, and politicians are being called upon to take a fresh look at local facilities so that our young have a productive use for their energies. So, what is the answer here in Hammersmith and Fulham? Well, as far as H&F Council’s Conservative Administration are concerned it’s er… polo. That’s right, it’s polo… and it's not for H&F's residents or indeed our young either. Instead, Hurlingham Park in Fulham has been given over to World Polo Ltd who intend to put on the traditional sport of the super-rich as an exclusive spectator event. Fences have already been erected around the public park and the mechanical diggers have gone in. Grounds that once saw schools’ sports days, families relaxing at weekends and kids playing ball games during balmy summer evenings will next year be the select reserve of the champagne-swilling international jet-set. The scheme is the brain child of Cllr. Paul Bristow (Con) who gained notoriety this time last year when he proposed to rent out Ravenscourt Park and Furnival Gardens for such events as wrestling, film showings and raves. Opposition Labour councillors worked with local residents to restrict those activities but the people of Sands End, Fulham haven’t been so lucky. Their local Tory Councillors have supported this ruse and in doing so have denied them access to one of the few green spaces in in their area. You can click here to view the BBC News coverage of this story. My fellow ward councillors, and I met with Thames Water recently to question them about the ‘Super Sewer’. Prior to that though, H&F Council’s Conservative Administration had done its best to stop the Opposition from getting a direct and independent briefing from the company itself – as you can see by clicking onto the attached email to an officer in the Opposition office. It’s worth asking what could possibly be the reason that H&F’s Conservatives wanted to manage the information that Opposition councillors had access to? Well, it seems H&F Council’s propaganda machine and the local Tories have indulged in a considerable amount of scaremongering. For example, Ravenscourt Park fails most of the criteria for the much talked about bore hole or indeed any ‘Super Sewer’ works whatsoever but the Tories, who will have known this, still set that story running causing concern to many local residents. when we asked H&F Council officials what the ‘Super Sewer’ story had been based on we were told that it had been "speculation" I believe most local residents would expect politicians of all parties to unite to fight against any plans to dig up any of Hammersmith and Fulham’s local parks. But, given the above points and the tone of H&F Council’s propaganda on this it looks like our local Conservatives are more interested in using council tax payers’ money to run a closely coordinated and dishonest political campaign off the back of this issue, rather than defending residents’ interests. Prior to the last local elections I led the cross-party negotiating team against Thames Water representing all of London’s thirty three boroughs. We secured millions of pounds from Thames Water to compensate for cuts in water pressure. Our success was because we put party politics to one side and got on with the job of representing Londoners against Thames Water’s commercial interest. That is what should happen in this instance. If you want to attend the public meeting about the 'Super Sewer' then please come along tonight (Monday, 17th November) to Hammersmith Town Hall for 7.00pm. Please feel free to email me here to let me know your views on this issue. I will report more later on this week. The BBC is reporting that H&F Council has failed a competence test and missed out on a multi-million pound refurbishment programme for local primary schools. The Beeb explained that H&F “did not satisfy the DCSF with their building and refurbishment plans and will not receive their allocation of the £1.75bn immediately". H&F Council’s Conservative Administration had already been telling local parents that the money was on its way and so this news will dash local parents hopes. As usual, H&F Council’s press office fails to make any mention of this bad news or the reasons why the Council failed local children and parents by not being up to competency standards. But, you can read the BBC article here. This news comes after two and a half years in which H&F’s Conservative Administration has publicly lost the confidence of local parents and been criticised by its own advisers. The Conservative run council set up a schools commission, chaired by a Tory Peer, as a face-saving exercise after it failed in its bid to close a high performing secondary school and sell off the land. However, the Commission lambasted the Administration setting out its failing and explaining why it had “lost the confidence of head teachers and parents”. Around that time, it looked like the Conservatives had realised that they were damaging local children’s chances when, on 27th June 2007, Cllr, Stephen Greenhalgh (Con), the Leader of H&F Council admitted that his Administration “had made mistakes”. But, he and his colleagues then carried on with their plans to close more local schools, selling off the land to private establishments and being accused by local parents of undermining their children’s secondary education. Then, earlier this year a leading head teacher took the unprecedented step of publicly criticising the Administration telling the press that “politics has overridden the value of education” in Hammersmith and Fulham. It will be interesting to see how H&F Council responds to this latest debacle. If the Administration follows its previous form then it will simply use its propaganda machine to deny there is any problem whatsoever. Nobody will be sacked and nobody will resign. I will report more on this as we continue to push the Council to act in the interest of all of the borough's children. Many H&F residents will not know that the bloke in the photo is Mr. Kit Malthouse AM (Con), our recently elected representative in the London Assembly. More will be surprised to find out that he is taking a lead from our very own Conservative Council Leader here in Hammersmith and Fulham and has received an inflation-busting salary hike from the public purse. The Tory Troll is reporting that Mr. Malthouse will now take a £55,000 allowance from the Metropolitan Police Authority. This is a political position that was given to him by Mayor Boris Johnson, who seems happy for him to also be rewarded with a jaw-dropping 44% increase in the renumeration that goes with the role. Mr. Malthouse's MPA pay is on top of his £53,543 joint Deputy Mayor and Assembly Member salary - all of the money coming from our pockets as both roles are completely funded out of our taxes. You can read the full story by clicking here. Readers will recall that H&F's Tory councillors gave themselves an 18% salary rise in their very first budget after winning the 2006 local elections. They then made the pages of Private Eye's Rotten Borough's section for giving one of their Conservative councillors the equivalent of a 75% salary rise. Then, the Tory Leader of H&F Council secretly gave himself a 14% salary hike in a rather peculiar and underhand way. I think it's all very odd how the Conservative's plans to use tax payers' money to give themselves salary rises, increased by percentages that most people can only dream about, aren't openly published for all to see in their pre-election literature. It leaves me to wonder if they thought this was all something they had to hide? David Cameron won't have been pleased by the latest broadcast of Channel 4's Dispatches. It examines where he's getting his money from with some worrying conclusions. If you missed it, you can view the episode by clicking here. Across The Pond And, Once More, "It's The Economy, Stupid" On the 28th October 1980, Ronald Reagan struck a nerve when, during the only presidential debate of that election, he asked Americans: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" The US had gone through a recession and so the answer for many was a heartfelt “no”. It helped propel Reagan to victory. Now, after nearly eight years of the Republican's woefully incompetent handling of the US economy, Barack Obama is essentially asking America that same question. The facts speak for themselves: the average, typical American family is actually $2000 worse off than they were eight years earlier; petrol prices have trebled; healthcare charges are up; the banking system is in crisis; homes are being repossessed across the country; the national debt has spiralled; over 5.5million Americans have been driven into poverty; unemployment is at its highest rate in five years and America has experienced the biggest increase in income inequality since the 1920s. The voting public are concerned. Polls show that the economy is, by far, the number one issue for voters in this election with national security coming a distant second. In particular the economy is a worry for target 'blue collar', 'middle class' voters – key in so many swing states. McCain’s economic policies mirror Bush and barely stand up to scrutiny. His proposed measures to alleviate the current burdens on American households fall well short of public hopes. For example, McCain promises to double existing child exemption to $7,000 but only a small proportion of Americans would qualify for that scheme. McCain says he will provide a credit to buy health insurance but those workers who already have employer provided health insurance will find the benefits of that scheme offset by a proposed new tax on their employer funded health programme. Barack Obama has gone much further than his Republican rival. The Democrats would prioritise the provision of new jobs – many in the green energy sector and pledge to get the economy back on track. They promise to improve life for “ordinary Americans” committing to a $500 tax cut for the average worker; senior citizens earning less than $50,000 will cease to pay income tax and there will be lower health insurance cost for all Americans - with a subsidy for those who don’t currently have coverage. An Obama Administration will introduce a $4,000 collage tuition subsidy for students who agree to undertake community service; it will provide mortgage interest credit (valued at $500 for home owners who don’t itemise their tax deduction) and introduce a child tax credit (that could save $1,100 for a single parent of two dependant children who earns $40,000 or less). So, can McCain prevail without offering more to those being hurt by America’s current economic woes? For the moment, his campaign thinks it can. McCain’s record as a war hero is being used to make a direct pitch to blue collar swing voters on national security issues and the Republicans are urging the US public to believe that both McCain and Palin are "mavericks" that will “change" Washington. Meanwhile, by claiming Barack Obama is an inexperienced "tax and spend liberal" they hope to scare voters into thinking that he’s not in tune with America’s traditional cultural values – a customary claim Republicans make about Democrats. In fact, this week, in fourteen key states (five of them states that voted Democrat in the 2004 presidential election) the Republicans launched an ad with the slogan “ready to tax, ready to spend, but not ready to lead.”. Following the two conventions, polls show that the race for the White House is currently tied. Yesterday’s Rasmussen daily Presidential Tracking Poll puts Barack Obama and John McCain each on 46% of the vote. When 'leaners' are included, it’s Barack Obama 48% and John McCain 48%. But, the fact remains that McCain cannot shy away from voters’ concerns on the economy; or that his economic platform broadly shadows that of the deeply unpopular Bush Administration; or that he seems out of touch with voters concerns (commenting recently that he thinks the US economy is “fundamentally strong”); or, indeed, that 84% of Americans think their country is "going in the wrong direction" and that, during the last eight years, McCain has voted for Bush to take the US in its current direction over 90% of the time. So, as the sign said in Bill Clinton’s War Room during the 1992 election, “It’s the Economy Stupid”. In this election, it’s the solutions Barack Obama proposes that are set to dominate that issue. Linden London have submitted a planning application for 63-75 Glenthorne Road, W6. They hope to build 67 one, two and three beds apartments on the central Hammersmith site. The proposals also include provision for fifteen new car parking spaces. You can click onto the attached revised plans and the Architect's mocked up photos to enlarge them. The Cambridge Grove and Leamore Street Residents Association have raised a number of concerns about the proposals and are keen that Linden London develops the site in such a way as to not cause extra traffic or noise nuisance to the already congested area. They’ve been supported by the Brackenbury Residents Association, the Hammersmith Society, and the Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group. My fellow ward councillors and I have been working with them on this matter and met with the developer earlier this year to hear of their plans. I will write more when I know what date this application will to go to the Planning Committee. Meanwhile, please let me know your views on this development and email me by clicking here if you would like me to send you a PDF copy of Linden London’s brochure for the site. The Tory Troll is reporting that Boris Johnson will today announce above inflation hikes on bus and tube fares. You can read the full story here. Figures released to the GLA’s Budget and Performance Committee show that the cancellation of the Venezuelan 'oil deal' and the scrapping the higher Congestion Charge has left over a £100million hole in the budget. Boris is hoping to make up the difference by passing the charge onto Londoners. News of these increases are contrary to Boris' pre-election pledge not to raise fares which will come as a blow to commuters across the capital. The Rotten Boroughs section in the current issue of Private Eye (no 1217) has set aside seven paragraphs to expose how H&F’s Conservative Councillors have cut back the affordable housing element of another property scheme. This is not the first time that our local Tory Councillors have appeared in Rotten Boroughs. This time last year Private Eye told how H&F Tories voted themselves an 18% pay hike and gave a fellow Conservative Councillor, on the adoptions panel, the equivalent of a 75% pay rise and all at the same time that they also voted over £30million of "savage cuts" to crime fighting, local schools, the elderly, the disabled, youth facilities, street cleaning, refuse collection, the garden waste scheme and the borough's environmental services. The sad thing about the details uncovered in the current Private Eye story is that there are 9200 local families on the housing waiting list in Hammersmith and Fulham and many more residents looking to get an affordable home to rent or buy. All will be bitterly disappointed at this cut back in available affordable homes. However, with H&F Conservatives halting the affordable housing aspect of all major developments; looking to demolish affordable homes across the borough and flying to the south of France to meet major firms to try and sell off “contentious property developments”; then the Private Eye story is just the thin end of the wedge. What Are H&F Conservatives Plans To Demolish 800 West Ken Homes? Lisa Nandy (Lab), H&F Council's Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, is calling on local Conservatives to come clean and tell the public what they're up to after Saffron Pineger of the Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle scooped a story exposing that the they are in secret negotiations to demolish over 800 homes in West Kensington. The Administration wants to replace them with “hotels, offices and luxury housing”. The story has also been picked up in the property magazine Estates Gazette which reported that H&F Council had approached the owners of the Earl’s Court exhibition centre and offered up large areas of West Kensington, including Dieppe Close and Gibbs Green School as part of plans for a massive commercial development of the neighbouring Earls Court area. This move provides an insight to the Conservative Administration’s strategy after a senior Tory Councillor flew to Cannes in the South of France to meet international property developers. The official explanation for his trip to the luxury resort was that he had gone to try to “unlock contentious development sites”. Meanwhile, an official in H&F Council’s Environment Department told me that this is only one of many “contentious development sites” which the H&F Conservatives have identified across the borough. I will report on those as we glean more details. I had a long conversation with a senior executive at Thames Water yesterday and plan to meet with them in September to discuss their proposal to put a gateway to the "super sewer" in Furnival Gardens, Hammersmith. It is now clear TW have identified Furnival Gardens as a possible site but told me that they are very keen to work with H&F Council to look at other possible sites in the area and is meeting with Council representatives today. “You will recall that when Labour was in Administration we arranged a meeting with TW and invited Conservative representatives to attend - which they did. Why therefore, is H&F Council now taking a party political approach to this issue, when it is obvious that local people will be better served if H&F Council puts up a united political front in opposing the use of Furnival Gardens as an entry point to the "super sewer"? Having witnessed the Council's dealings around the Hammersmith Grove Armadillo building, this approach leaves me extremely concerned about what deals H&F Council may be doing behind closed doors”. Please email me here if you want to be kept in touch with this matter. My fellow ward councillors and I will raise you concerns or suggestions when we meet with TW in September. Meanwhile, I have used the Freedom of Information Act to request all documents relating to the H&F Conservative Administration's dealings with Thames Water on this matter. I have also asked for the total amount of Section 106 payment that could be given by Thames Water to H&F Council if it grants planning permission for Furnival Gardens to be used as a gateway to the "Super Sewer". Theresa Boyd lives opposite one of the biggest building sites in London. Her home is on Wood Lane on the other side of the road to the soon-to-be-opened Westfield shopping centre. Theresa says that the construction process has made the last few years the most stressful of all during the time she’s lived in Shepherds Bush, which is why she contacted her local Councillor Mercy Umeh (Lab) to tell her about what she and other neighbours have had to endure. Mercy says that people living close to the area have had terrible problems explaining “The construction has generated amazing levels of dirt and noise. The area is continuously dusty, getting into people’s homes, onto their belongings and covering their windows. At one point rats, escaping from a demolition on the site, ran openly down Wood Lane and into the surrounding streets. It’s been pretty miserable for most local residents. I don’t think Westfield has been a good neighbour. I am taking up this matter with them”. Theresa added “Last year Westfield sent us six chocolate truffles which they said was a “gesture”. This year we got nothing so interested to find out what lay behind their thinking I phoned them and asked why. They told me that they’d laid on an ice rink for the public instead. I went down there and it would have cost £5 for my daughter to use it. I really think they have no idea of what they’ve put us through. I thought the least they would do is clean my house. Truffles and ice rinks… It’s nonsense!”. The Westfiled website boasts “Westfield has approximately £25 billion of assets under management in a portfolio of 119 shopping centres across the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand with 22,000 retailers and approximately 10 million sq m of retail space”. The Shepherds Bush centre is due to open this October. I hope they can find some way of making it up to residents for all the stress the construction process has caused them. Thames Water says that it is hoping to construct the entry point for a proposed 18 mile-long “super sewer” in Hammersmith and Fulham. Known as the Thames Tunnel, the scheme was originally intended to begin in Chiswick but, following a recent letter to H&F Council officials, Thames Water said that the tunnel is now “likely to start in Hammersmith & Fulham”. Council officials say they fear that Furnival Gardens riverside park could be the target site which would turn the area into a building site for at least eight years. Thames Water says they need the Thames Tunnel to stop storm water and raw sewage flooding into the river. The sewer would take foul water from the 57 points along the Thames where 32 million tonnes of raw sewage a year is pumped into the river. It will combine these overflow outlets into a single 7.2 metre diameter tunnel, which will be up to 80 metres below ground in parts. Thames Water would need to dig an access shaft for the giant tunnel boring machine. This, in addition to six other construction sites, will connect sewer outfalls into the new tunnel. The project would start to be built in 2012 and would be one of the biggest engineering projects ever attempted in the capital. The Section 106 payment to H&F could be massive. I have therefore written to H&F Council to see what, if any, Section 106 money would come their way if these works took place in the borough. I believe that Furnival Gardens is completely inappropriate for such a scheme. H&F Council have to fight this proposal with all the resources at their disposal. I am writing to Thames Water to arrange an urgent meeting but if officials are correct, then my fellow ward councillors and I will publicly campaign against this and expect H&F Council to give us their full backing in opposing it. Please email me here if you want to be kept in touch with this issue and take part in our campaign. I will let you know when we find out more. The BBC is reporting that Shepherds Bush Tube Station need not have closed after it viewed documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Andy Slaughter MP (Lab). The official papers show that London Underground (LU) was advised that Shepherds Bush Central Line Station could remain open while all improvement works were carried out. You may still be able to view the BBC News item by clicking here (it is just over halfway through the programme). Shepherds Bush Tube Station shut its doors in February after LU gave only four weeks notice. At the time, LU admitted that it was “unprecedented” to shut down a station like this but both they and H&F Council argued that “there was no alternative to closure”. However, Andy Slaughter told me that the papers “contradict what both the Tory-run council and LU said to residents and shopkeepers at the time”. The papers state that “It is Metronet's view that the escalators can be replaced whilst maintaining station operation” and add “Closure is unlikely to be granted due to the weak business case involved”. You can view the documents by clicking here. During the period running up to the closure Andy Slaughter met with LU in an effort to get them to reconsider their plans. Thousands of residents and businesses supported his campaign to keep the station open during the works and Andy won a wide range of concessions. However, LU and H&F Council refused to change their mind about the closure. Bizarrely, Cllr. Stephen Greenhalgh (Con), the Leader of H&F Council, picketed a public meeting, arranged by Andy, and handed out leaflets from the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate justifying why the station had to close. During the meeting it became clear that Westfield had offered to project manage the escalator works if they were completed for the grand opening of their new shopping mall in October. The recently released papers confirm this and it is believed that LU and H&F Council prioritised Westfield's request over the needs of local businesses and residents. Andy Slaughter added “There is huge anger in Shepherds Bush at the way LU and the Tory Council forced this through. Local shops have lost business and many of my constituents have been unnecessarily messed around - all seemingly to fit with the needs of the new shopping centre". You can read Andy Slaughter's full exposé by clicking here.

2019-04-20T10:25:37Z

http://www.thecowanreport.com/2008/

Click on the to view a year's performances. Click on the to close that view. April 7, 2019, Wedding Ceremony, Congregation Beth Torah, Richardson, Texas. April 7, 2019, Wedding Reception, Canyon Creek Country Club, Richardson, Texas. March 9, 2019, Wedding Ceremony, Truett Chapel/First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas. February 16, 2019, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. February 14, 2019, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. January 5, 2019, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 22, 2018, Christmas Party, Private Residence, Lantana, Texas. December 15, 2018, Christmas Party, Private Residence, Fort Worth, Texas. December 6, 2018, Corporate Christmas Party (IEC,) The Whiskey Ranch, Fort Worth, Texas. November 10, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Historic 512, Fort Worth, Texas. October 27, 2018, Dinner Reception (Turant Turkish American Association of North Texas,) Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas. October 11, 2018, Corporate Event/Realtors Red Carpet Appreciation Event, Supreme Lending, Dallas, Texas. September 22, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Lone Star Mansion, Burleson, Texas. September 15, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, Farmers Branch, Texas. August 4, 2018, Wedding Ceremony & Dinner, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas. June 2, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. June 2, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in The Village, Colleyville, Texas. May 26, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden/Japanese Garden-Mikoshi Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. May 11, 2018, Corporate/VIP Mother's Day Shopping Event, Ellis Home and Garden, Texarkana, Texas. May 5, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Marriott Solana, Westlake, Texas. April 28, 2018, Corporate Event, Land Auction, Morgan Mill, Texas. April 5, 2018, Corporate Event/Awards Gala, Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas. March 23, 2018, Corporate Event, Ellis Home and Garden, Texarkana, Texas. March 10, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Hilton Hotel, Southlake, Texas. February 16, 2018, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in The Village, Colleyville, Texas. February 14, 2018, Valentine's Dinner Party, Brookdale Ridgmar/Sr. Community, Fort Worth, Texas. December 16, 2017, Christmas House Warming Party, Private Residence, Dallas, Texas. December 2, 2017, Christmas Party, Private Residence, University Park, Texas. November 19, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. November 18, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. November 11, 2017, Wedding Cocktail Hour & Reception, Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas. October 21, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Special Moments Chapel, Lewisville, Texas. August 26, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 29, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Northeast Wedding Chapel, Hurst, Texas. July 22, 2017, Memorial Service, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 20, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 16, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Lost Oak Winery, Burleson, Texas. June 16, 2017, Performance, Kimbell Art Museum/Piano Pavilion Café, Fort Worth, Texas. June 10, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in The Village, Colleyville, Texas. May 28, 2017, Adult Birthday Party, Old U.S. Post Office, Mineral Wells, Texas. May 21, 2017, Wedding Ceremony & Cocktail Hour, Hotel Crescent Court, Dallas, Texas. May 19, 2017, Performance, Kimbell Art Museum/Piano Pavilion, Fort Worth, Texas. May 7, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 6, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Historic 512, Fort Worth, Texas. April 21, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 14, 2017, Performance, Kimbell Art Museum/Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. April 9, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 8, 2017, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. January 29, 2017, Sunday Brunch/Restaurant, Tru Fire Kitchen & Bar, Southlake, Texas. December 15, 2016, Holiday Party Extravaganza, Mosaic Dallas, Dallas, Texas. December 11, 2016, Family Christmas Party, Park City Club, Dallas, Texas. November 19, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. October 29, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. October 19, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Little Chapel in The Woods, Denton, Texas. October 15, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Crossroads Christian Church, Grand Prairie, Texas. October 14, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in The Village, Colleyville, Texas. October 1, 2016, Birthday Party, Private Residence, Bartonville, Texas. September 16, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Historic Downtown YWCA, Fort Worth, Texas. September 11, 2016, Party/Sunday Brunch, Private Residence, Duncanville, Texas. September 1, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. August 28, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas. August 2, 2016, School Assembly/Children's Party, Kids Count Too, The Colony, Texas. June 25, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Historic Downtown YWCA, Fort Worth, Texas. June 11, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. June 11, 2016, Wedding Reception, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas. May 30, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in The Village, Colleyville, Texas. May 29, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, St. Philopaterr Coptic Orthodox Church, Richardson, Texas. May 29, 2016, Wedding Cocktail Hour, Sheraton McKinney Hotel, McKinney, Texas. May 20, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 16, 2016, Wedding Cocktail Hour and Dinner, Private Residence, Fort Worth, Texas. January 30, 2016, Birthday Party, Private Residence, Dallas, Texas. January 2, 2016, Wedding Ceremony, Little Chapel in The Woods, Denton, Texas. December 27, 2015, Holiday Party/New Year, Private Residence, Little Elm, Texas. December 19, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in The Village, Colleyville, Texas. December 5, 2015, Christmas Party, Private Residence, Frisco, Texas. December 4, 2015, Corporate Christmas Party (Freedom Title,) Highland Shore Community Event Center, Highland Village, Texas. November 28, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. October 24, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Historic Downtown YWCA, Fort Worth, Texas. October 15, 2015, Wedding Dinner, Aristide Event Center, Mansfield, Texas. October 10, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Cross Timbers Winery, Grapevine, Texas. October 3, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Country Memories, Fort Worth, Texas. October 2, 2015, Wedding Rehearsal Dinner and Cocktail Hour, Wildwood Inn, Denton, Texas. September 27, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, The Rose Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. September 26, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas. September 24, 2015, VIP Reception and Dinner, Bears Basketball Legends for Charity, (Isaiah Austin Foundation,) Baylor Club Ballroom at McLane Stadium, Baylor University, Waco, Texas. September 12, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, A and M Gardens, Azle, Texas. August 29, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Special Moments Wedding Chapel, Lewisville, Texas. July 26, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Special Moments Wedding Chapel, Lewisville, Texas. July 3, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. June 13, 2015, Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour, Ruthe Jackson Center, Grand Prairie, Texas. June 13, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. June 12, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 31, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 23, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in the Village, Colleyville, Texas. May 16, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas. May 9, 2015, Wedding Reception, Private Residence, Fort Worth, Texas. May 1, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Ruthe Jackson Center, Grand Prairie, Texas. March 7, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, Wildwood Inn, Denton, Texas. February 14, 2015, Wedding Ceremony, St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Euless, Texas. February 7, 2015, Children's Party, Private Residence, McKinney, Texas. December 20, 2014, Christmas Open House, Private Residence, Fort Worth, Texas. December 13, 2014, Member Holiday Party/Dinner, Trophy Country Club/Lounge, Trophy Club, Texas. December 10, 2014, Christmas Party, North Texas Specialty Physicians, Rivercrest Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. December 5, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Downtown YWCA, Fort Worth, Texas. November 28, 2014, Featured Performer, Horizon Lounge/Mira Vista Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. November 21, 2014, Benbrook Water Authority Reception & Awards Dinner, Mira Vista Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. November 18, 2014, Pre-Holiday Social/Carillon Home Owners Association, Trophy Club Country Club, Trophy Club, Texas. November 15, 2014, Wedding Dinner, The Orchard, Azle, Texas. November 8, 2014, Wedding Vow Renewal Ceremony, The Ball-Eddleman-McFarland House, Fort Worth, Texas. November 1, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Chapel at Ana Villa, The Colony, Texas. October 18, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Private Residence, Argyle, Texas. October 18, 2014, Reception/Private Event (Confrerie de Saint Etienne,) Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas. September 27, 2014, Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour, Private Ranch, Cleburne, Texas. September 26, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Chapel at Ana Villa, The Colony, Texas. September 6, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Hurst Conference Center, Hurst, Texas. August 24, 2014, Engagement Party, The Crescent Club/Rosewood Crescent Hotel, Dallas, Texas. August 16, 2014, Wedding Reception, First Baptist Church of Dallas, Dallas, Texas. Many genres of music were chosen for this grand event: Classical, Religious, Jazz, New Age, Classic Rock, Standards, Alternative Rock, R&B, Pop, Contemporary, Broadway, and Movie Hits. August 9, 2014, Surprise Marriage Proposal Event, Warwick Melrose Hotel, Dallas, Texas. For this exciting occasion, Laura entertained with French Songs, Jazz Standards, and Alternative Rock. Her husband, T.J., sang "La Vie En Rose." June 21, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas. June 14, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 30, 2014, Corporate Event (Grand Opening,) Encore 6162, Dallas, Texas. May 24, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Lewisville, Texas. May 8, 2014, Mother's Day Tea and Fashion Show, Watercrest at Mansfield, Mansfield, Texas. April 25, 2014, Appreciation Dinner for the Men's Club, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (Johnson Center,) Arlington, Texas. April 18, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 12, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, St. Francis On the Brazos Catholic Church, Waco, Texas. March 22, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. February 15, 2014, Wedding Ceremony, Lebanon Baptist Church/Frisco Heritage Center, Frisco, Texas. December 29, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Ashton Hotel Wine Cellar, Fort Worth, Texas. December 28, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 24, 2013, Christmas Family Reunion, Private Residence, Kerrville, Texas. December 21, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 20, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 17, 2013, Commencement Ceremony/The Art Institute of Fort Worth, Ridglea Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. December 14, 2013, Christmas Party, Private Residence, Dallas, Texas. October 12, 2013, Performance, Ruggeri's Italian Restaurant, Colleyville, Texas. October 5, 2013, Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour, Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, Texas. September 28, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. The Lower Rose Garden was the setting for this elegant wedding. September 26, 2013, Pre-Show Entertainment, B&B Colleyville Cinema Grille & IMAX, Colleyville, Texas. September 21, 2013, Birthday Party, Private Residence, Fort Worth, Texas. September 14, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. September 8, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Ashton Gardens, Corinth, Texas. August 3, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Northeast Wedding Chapel, Hurst, Texas. July 28, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Downtown YWCA, Fort Worth, Texas. July 20, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Downtown YWCA, Fort Worth, Texas. July 7, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 6, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. June 8, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, The Milestone, Denton, Texas. Guests at this wonderful outdoor wedding enjoyed an interesting mix of traditional classical music, and non-traditional genres such as: Jazz Standards, Alternative Rock, Country, Broadway/Movie Hits, Contemporary, and Religious. May 26, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, The Milestone, Denton, Texas. May 25, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Paul W. Powell Chapel, Truitt Theological Seminary, Baylor University, Waco, Texas. May 11, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 5, 2013, Wedding Ceremony and Reception, Northeast Wedding Chapel, Hurst, Texas. April 27, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Piazza in the Village, Colleyville, Texas. April 20, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Dallas Arboretum, Dallas, Texas. April 13, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Ashton Gardens, Corinth, Texas. March 30, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Little Chapel In the Woods, Denton, Texas. March 29, 2013, Celebration of Life (Reception,) Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. March 21, 2013, Grand Opening, US Memory Care, Colleyville, Texas. With a theme of early America, Laura played oldies from the 20's through the 50's. March 17, 2013, Birthday Reception, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. March 9, 2013, Cocktail Hour for a Quinceanera, Dallas Marriott City Center, Dallas, Texas. Laura entertained with mixed genres of music: Classic Spanish, Broadway/Movie Hits, Jazz, New Age, Classic Rock, Contemporary, and Country Ballads. March 2, 2013, Wedding Reception, University Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas. February 21, 2013, Corporate Reception, Conference Center at the Sheraton, Dallas, Texas. With over 600 in attendance, Laura played a combination of Classical and Broadway Hits for the "Public Private Partnership Conference." February 17, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Belltower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. February 16, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Southfork Ranch, Parker, Texas. February 2, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. January 19, 2013, Wedding Ceremony and Reception, The Surrey House and Gardens, McKinney, Texas. January 18, 2013, Birthday Party, Private Residence, Sherman, Texas. January 5, 2013, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 31, 2012, New Year's Eve Dinner Party, Private Residence, Fort Worth, Texas. For this Jazzy New Years's Eve party, Laura played Jazz Standards from different decades, Blues, Ragtime, and soft Rock. December 29, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Belltower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. December 15, 2012, Corporate Function (Adkins) Holiday Party, Canyon Creek Country Club, Richardson, Texas. For this Casino Themed Party, Laura mixed traditional Christmas music (both sacred and secular,) with the genres of jazz, classic rock, new age, pop, contemporary, standards, oldies, folk, Broadway/movie hits, and world music. December 8, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, The Milestone, Denton, Texas. December 7, 2012, Christmas Program for Woman's Club, Justin First United Methodist Church, Justin, Texas. December 6, 2012, Holiday Luncheon for Fort Worth Paralegal Association, The Fort Worth Club (Horizon Room,) Fort Worth, Texas. November 16, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. November 11, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Thistle Hill, Fort Worth, Texas. November 10, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, The Victorian House(Chapel,) Kaufman, Texas. October 25, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. October 24, 2012, Community Event (Social-Charity,) Private Residence, Dallas, Texas. For this High Society Event Laura played a mix of Classical, Broadway/Movie Hits, and well recognized Standards. October 20, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. The music for this ceremony was taken from classic Italian songs, oldies, and country. October 19, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Northeast Wedding Chapel, Hurst, Texas. The music for this wedding consisted of Welsh, English, & Irish Hymn Tunes, mixed with Classical. October 5, 2012, Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Hour, The Stonegate Mansion, Fort Worth, Texas. September 30, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Thistle Hill, Fort Worth, Texas. September 29, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Thistle Hill, Fort Worth, Texas. This lovely wedding at the Mansion built in 1903 featured a mix of Classical, Oldies, Walt Disney Hits, and Classic Rock. September 15, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Dallas Arboretum, Dallas, Texas. September 8, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Robert Carr Chapel, TCU, Fort Worth, Texas. September 1, 2012, Family Reunion, Private Residence, Sunset, Texas. The theme for this fun Reunion was "Through the Years." Laura played music from 10 decades. August 25, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth,Texas. August 25, 2012, Wedding Cocktail Hour, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas. August 18, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. August 1, 2012, Funeral Service, Laurel Land Chapel of Chimes, Fort Worth, Texas. July 28, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rowlett, Texas. Church Established in 1899. July 28, 2012, Wedding Reception, Hilton-Bella Harbor at Lake Ray Hubbard, Rockwall, Texas. July 21, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 7, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Mediterranean Villa, Arlington, Texas. June 30, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, First Baptist Church, Irving, Texas. May 31, 2012, Grand Opening, Concordia University Texas, Grand Prairie, Texas. May 26, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Mediterranean Villa, Arlington, Texas. May 13, 2012, Wedding Ceremony and Reception, Sanford House, Arlington, Texas. May 12, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 3, 2012, Opening, The Courtyards at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura mixed Classical music with Broadway and Movie Hits for this elegant opening. April 29, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 13, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 8, 2012, Easter Brunch, The Vantage at Cityview, Fort Worth, Texas. March 24, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Brazos Covenant Ministries, Granbury, Texas. March 17, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Belltower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. March 10, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, First United Methodist Church, Leonard, Texas. Classical and Religious Music were the genres played for the ceremony held in this beautiful church built in 1906, three years after the founding of the town, Leonard, in 1880. February 2, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. January 13, 2012, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. January 13, 2012, Wedding Reception, Van Cliburn Recital Hall, Fort Worth, Texas. December 17, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Cappella Court Gardens, Carrollton, Texas. December 10, 2011, Corporate Holiday Christmas Party, Union Station, Dallas, Texas. This great party featured a jazz theme with music from the 40's mixed with Christmas Songs and Carols. December 9, 2011, Christmas Party, Private Residence, Dallas, Texas. December 3, 2011, Christmas Party, Carriage Square Apartments, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura mixed Christmas songs (both Sacred and Secular) with music from the 40's through the 60's. November 19, 2011, Wedding Reception, St. Francis Anglican Church, Dallas, Texas. Mixed genres with an emphasis on Classical and Walt Disney Hits highlighted this reception. November 12, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Miller Chapel, Baylor University, Waco, Texas. November 5, 2011, Wedding Cocktail Hour, Private Residence, Burleson, Texas. October 15, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Belltower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. October 15, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. October 1, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Belltower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. October 1, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Anna Acres, Anna, Texas. September 17, 2011, Wedding Ceremony and Dinner Music, Private Residence, Flower Mound, Texas. September 10, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, First Baptist Church, Murphy, Texas. August 19, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. August 13, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church, Granbury, Texas. August 7, 2011, Baby Shower, Private Residence, Lantana, Texas. As requested, Laura played a program of music consisting of Classical, Disney Favorites, Light Jazz, and Broadway Hits. July 31, 2011, Birthday Party, Paradise Cove at Lake Grapevine, Southlake, Texas. Genres were many & varied for this wonderful cocktail and dinner party. Oldies, World Music (Italian, & Spanish,) Broadway/Movie Hits, Ragtime and Classical made up the program. July 30, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 30, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Belltower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. July 29, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Legacy Church of Christ, North Richland Hills, Texas. July 15, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 2, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. June 19, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Little Chapel In the Woods, Denton, Texas. June 18, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. June 5, 2011, Party/Christening, Private Residence, Rockwall, Texas. Religious music, Contemporary, Jazz, and music from the 80's and 90's was chosen for this blessed event. May 21, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 7, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, Farmers Branch, Texas. May 1, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Wildwood Inn, Denton, Texas. April 23, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Intercontinental Hotel, Addison, Texas. April 12, 2011, Volunteer Appreciation Celebration for the JPS Health Network, Oak Hall, Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas. With the theme being that Volunteers are STARS, Laura entertained with Broadway & Movie Hits from many decades. April 9, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, City Club, Fort Worth, Texas. March 26, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, Little Chapel In the Woods, Denton, Texas. March 5, 2011, Wedding Ceremony, First Baptist Church, Wylie, Texas. February 24, 2011, Roaring Twenties Party, Horizon Bay, North Richland Hills, Texas. Laura entertained with popular songs of the 1920's from Broadway Musicals, Silent Movies, and Vaudeville. February 14, 2011, Valentine's Party, Emeritus at Tanglewood Oaks, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura entertained residents with love songs across nine decades of music: 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's & 2000. December 18, 2010, Private Christmas Party, Fort Worth, Texas. December 15, 2010, Music for Christmas Dinner, Watercrest at Mansfield, Mansfield, Texas. December 11, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Colleyville, Texas. December 4, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. November 6, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, White Chapel Estate and Gardens, North Richland Hills, Texas. November 6, 2010, Wedding Reception, The Masonic Center, Grand Ballroom, Fort Worth, Texas. October 24, 2010, 50th Wedding Anniversary Party, Gardens Restaurant, Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura entertained for this wonderful three hour party with a varied mix of many genres: Classical, Folk, Broadway/Movie Hits, Jazz, Oldies, Classic Rock, Country, and Contemporary. October 16, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Bell Tower Chapel and Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. October 16, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. October 9, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. September 18, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. September 4, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, St. Philopateer Coptic Orthodox Church, Richardson, Texas. August 21, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. August 6, 2010, Children's Birthday Party, Embassy Suites, Irving, Texas. For this two hour delightful program of music, Laura mixed several genres: Nursery Rhymes, Children's Songs, Walt Disney's Hits, Broadway, Classic Country, and Christian Music. July 30, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Diamond Oaks Country Club, Haltom City, Texas. July 24, 2010, Wedding Reception, The Lodge of Granbury, Granbury, Texas. July 17, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. July 10, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Windsor Park Baptist Church, De Soto, Texas. June 5, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, Granbury, Texas. May 29, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 24, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. April 20, 2010, Musical Program for Woman's Club of De Cordova Bend Estates, held at De Cordova Bend Estates Country Club, DeCordova, Texas. Laura entertained with Broadway/Movie Hits and World Music. February 20, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, A&M Gardens, Azle, Texas. February 11, 2010, Locator Lunch Performance for Gateways at Centreport, Fort Worth, Texas. Private company party. January 30, 2010, Performance at Saxbys Coffee House, Murphy, Texas. January 23, 2010, Wedding Ceremony, Mediterranean Villa, Arlington, Texas. January 2, 2010, Wedding Reception, The Marquis on Magnolia, Fort Worth, Texas. For this multi-cultural event, Laura played not only her wonderful, contemporary love songs, but World Music, consisting of Jewish, Spanish, and Russian. December 26, 2009, Wedding Reception, Farmers Branch Historical Park-Dodson House, Farmers Branch, Texas. Music from many decades, past and present, set the mood for this lovely reception held in the historical Dodson House built in 1937 and furnished in typical 1930's-1940's fashion. December 19, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 14, 2009, Holiday Open House, Concordia University Texas, Fort Worth Center. Laura played both Sacred and Secular Christmas music for this event. November 14, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, The Wildwood Inn, Denton, Texas. November 14, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Radisson Hotel Fort Worth South, Fort Worth, Texas. November 7, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, held at the Fort Worth Magazine Dream Home-2008, located in the prestigious Palomar Estates, Southlake, Texas. October 31, 2009, Gothic Wedding and Reception, Parson's Table, Aledo, Texas. This 100 year restored, historical church was the setting for Laura's dramatic Goth repertoire of Classical and Contemporary Music. Russian, German, Polish, and Hungarian were some of the many types of music played on Strings, Organ, and Electric Piano. It was a Halloween night to always remember! October 24, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. October 17, 2009, Laura performed six solos as part of Dallas/Fort Worth's 2009 Music Concert with singer Dianna Starkes at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Irving, Texas. This concert was titled "Something to Remember." September 4, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, All Saints Catholic Church, Fort Worth, Texas. August 29, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. August 15, 2009, Wedding Ceremony at The Alexander Mansion, Garland, Texas. August 15, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. Prelude music for this wedding was unique because it included a blend of Spanish/Italian music with Classical. August 9, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas. The Fuller Garden was once again the setting for this early August Wedding. July 25, 2009, Paradise Cove at Lake Grapevine, Southlake, Texas was the setting for this romantic Vietnamese Wedding Ceremony. June 13, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. The Fuller Garden was the setting for this beautiful June ceremony. May 30, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Dallas Arboretum. Nancy's Garden was the venue for this lovely garden wedding in Dallas, Texas. May 17, 2009, Graduation Celebration-Dinner, Radisson Hotel Fort Worth South, Fort Worth, Texas. May 2, 2009, Wedding Ceremony at Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. April 18, 2009, Elegant, outdoor-garden Wedding Ceremony at Stonebriar Country Club, Frisco, Texas. April 4, 2009, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. March 27, 2009, Arts Google, Fort Worth's Near South Side Event. Laura played at the Hattie May Inn, bed and breakfast. February 28, 2009, Open House, Prince Victorian Estate. Laura showcased her talent by demonstrating to bride and grooms the different sounds available on her 88 key portable, electric piano. If you go to: www.princevictorian estate.com you will see on their home page the listing: Ceremony Music Laura Cummings. February 14, 2009, Papparotti's Wine Room, located at 6100 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, was the venue for Laura's special love songs on Valentine's Day. She entertained patrons from 9:00 till 12:00 p.m. January 17, 2009, Ruggeri's Ristorante was once again the venue. Laura played from 6:30 till 9:30 p.m. at this Italian restaurant in Colleyville, Texas. January 16, 2009, New Year! New Venue! Laura entertained customers at Ruggeri's Ristorante. This romantic Italian restaurant is located at 32 Village Ln, Colleyville, Texas. January 10, 2009, The elegant Piazza in the Village, was the setting for this first Wedding Ceremony of the New Year for Laura. The Chapel is located in Colleyville, Texas. December 31, 2008, Wedding Ceremony and Reception, Stonebridge Ranch Country Club, McKinney, Texas. December 30, 2008, Wedding Ceremony at Stonegate Mansion, Fort Worth, Texas. December 12, 2008, Christmas Party, AC Electronics, Arlington, Texas. Laura entertained with Christmas music (both sacred and secular,) and music from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. November 2, 2008, the Seekers Coffee House, located in Hurst, Texas was a new venue for Laura. Customers enjoyed the following genres: Classical, Folk, Light Jazz, Broadway/Film, Contemporary, and Classic Rock. October 4, 2008, Wedding Ceremony, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura played the non-traditional song "Hoppipolla" by Sigur Ros for the bride's entrance. Beautiful fall setting with the wind stirring and the leaves falling. Very appropriate for "Hoppipolla." Ceremony was held in the Fuller Garden. August 31, 2008, Laura played both the Wedding Ceremony and Reception at the elegant Chapelle des Fleurs, in Flower Mound, Texas. August 16, 2008, Rose Chapel in Fort Worth was again the setting for a beautiful Wedding Ceremony played by Laura. July 26, 2008, Laura returned to play another Wedding Ceremony at the beautiful Prince Victorian Estate, located in Fort Worth. June 28, 2008, Wedding Ceremony, Rose Chapel, Fort Worth. June 21, 2008, Wedding Ceremony, Clark Gardens Botanical Park, Weatherford, Texas. May 24, 2008, Wedding Reception and Luncheon, Ridglea Country Club, Fort Worth. May 24, 2008, Wedding Ceremony, Prince Victorian Estate, Fort Worth. December 29, 2007, Wedding Ceremony and Reception, Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, Texas. December 29, 2007, Wedding Ceremony, Rose Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. December 22, 2007, Engagement Party, Lake Arlington Bay Club, Arlington, Texas. December 21, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. December 13, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. December 13, 2007, Christmas Party, Farmers Branch Senior Center, Farmers Branch, Texas. Board members enjoyed background music for a luncheon, followed by a Christmas sing-a-long of carols. December 11, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. December 6, 2007, Christmas Party, The Women's Club of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas. Lone Star Business and Professional Women enjoyed background music for dinner, solo performance of "White Christmas," and a sing-a-long of Christmas carols. November 16, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. November 8, 2007, Performance,On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. November 7, 2007, Luncheon, Trail Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation, Fort Worth, Texas. November 4, 2007, Cocktail Party, The Landing, Flower Mound, Texas. This annual fall party was for Ebby Halliday Real Estate, Inc. Laura played classical mixed with hit Broadway show tunes. October 19, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. October 11, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. September 29, 2007, Wedding Ceremony, The Women's Club of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas. September 13, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. August 9, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. July 12, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. July 7, 2007, Wedding Ceremony, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Fort Worth, Texas. June 23, 2007, Wedding Reception, Ruth Millican Recreation Center, Euless, Texas. June 14, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. June 10, 2007, Wedding Ceremony, Marty Leonard Community Chapel, Fort Worth, Texas. May 10, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. April 29, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. April 20, 2007, Luncheon, Marriot Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura performed background music for the Legacy Marketing Group. April 14, 2007, Wedding Reception and Dinner, First Baptist Church, Lewisville, Texas. March 23, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. March 8, 2007, Performance, On Broadway Ristorante, Fort Worth, Texas. February 9, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. January 27, 2007, Reception/Luncheon,Ridglea Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. The musical theme was Disney music. Plus, Laura added many standard love songs, and light classical selections. January 19, 2007, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. January 8, 2007, Private Birthday Party, Oak Park Retirement Center, Fort Worth, Texas. December 31, 2006, New Years Eve Party, Moose Lodge, Fort Worth, Texas. December 17, 2006, Christmas Party, Community Crossroads Church, North Richland Hills, Texas. December 16, 2006, Concert Appearance, Borders Books Music & Café, Fort Worth, Texas. December 14, 2006, Christmas Tour of Homes, Private Residence, Pecan Plantation Woman's Club, Pecan Plantation, Texas. December 8, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. November 8, 2006, Private Breakfast, Best Western Inn & Suites, Fort Worth, Texas. November 4, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. November 3, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. October 28, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. October 21, 2006, Performance, Eurotazza Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. October 8, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. October 7, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. September 30, 2006, Knights of Columbus Ladies Appreciation Night, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Keller, Texas. Laura provided background music for this Italian themed dinner. September 16, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. September 15, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. September 9, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. August 26, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. August 25, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. August 18, 2006, Performance, Tastebuds Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. August 11, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. August 4, 2006, Performance, The Coffee Urn, Fort Worth, Texas. July 29, 2006, Wedding Reception and Dinner, Trophy Club Country Club, Trophy, Texas. July 15, 2006, Wedding Reception and Diner, Fort Worth Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, Texas. May 14, 2006, Mother's Day Brunch, Central Market, Fort Worth, Texas. May 4, 2006, Musical Program, North Fort Worth Woman's Club, Fort Worth, Texas. April 25, 2006, Musical Tea, Town Village Ridgmar, Fort Worth, Texas. The theme was "Musical Melodies." April 12, 2006, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Special program for seniors from Palm House Retirement Community. April 7, 2006, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Seniors from Tanglewood West and Town Village at Westover Hills enjoyed Laura's music. January 24, 2006, Musical Tea, Town Village, Fort Worth, Texas. The program was based around music from the 1900's period. January 11, 2006, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Seniors from St. Francis Village booked to hear Laura play a variety of movie theme songs, classic country, Broadway musical hits, and ragtime favorites. December 23, 2005, Performance, Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. December 15, 2005, Christmas Party, Arlington Heights Health and Rehabilitation. Fort Worth, Texas. December 3, 2005, Performance, Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. November 19, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. November 15, 2005, Thanksgiving Dinner, Tanglewood West, Fort Worth, Texas. Repertoire consisted of classical and popular standards. October 28, 2005, Performance, Hedary's Lebanese Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. October 20, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura entertained a group from Western Hills Baptist Church. September 16, 2005, Contestant, Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant, Dallas, Texas. Laura performed a medley of ragtime songs from the 1920's. September 12, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Entertained seniors from the Villas of Marine Creek. September 9, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Return visit by Tanglewood West. August 12, 2005, Performance, Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. August 6, 2005, Performance, Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. July 28, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Entertained two groups of seniors. The Courtyards at River Park and Broadway Plaza at Westover Hills. July 23, 2005, Performance, Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. July 16, 2005, Performance, Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. June 28, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. One hour concert for seniors from Lakewood Village. June 24, 2005, Performance, Peter Kaba's Prima Pasta Italian Restaurant, Fort Worth, Texas. June 23, 2005, Performance Event, The Courtyards, Fort Worth, Texas. June 19, 2005, Concert, Cowhorn Creek Estates, Texarkana, Texas. Special Father's Day concert for seniors. June 17, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. A special program was offered for a group of seniors from Primrose at Johnson Creek, Arlington, Texas. May 27, 2005, Wine and Cheese Social Event, The Wellington, North Richland Hills, Texas. Seniors enjoyed light classical music, and movie themes. May 26, 2005, Dinner, Fort Worth Easter Seals Greater Northwest Texas, Fort Worth, Texas. Background music for this dinner consisted of light classical, and ballad's from the 50's and 60's era. May 25, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. This special performance was for the Red Hat Ladies from Renaissance Park Multi-Care Center. May 20, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Laura entertained a group of seniors from The Courtyards at Fort Worth. May 13, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. This social was for seniors from Palm House and Tanglewood West. Laura played ballad's from the 40's, 50's, and 60's. May 6, 2005, Fundraiser for HRA (Helping Restore Ability,) Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, Texas. April 18, 2005, Performance, Artistic Blends Coffeehouse, Fort Worth, Texas. This social evening was for the Harris Southwest Breast Cancer Support Group. April 9, 2005, Reception and Dinner for the Fort Worth Chapter/Society for Professional Journalists, Ridglea Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas. April 3, 2005, Corporate Construction Party, South Colleyvine Ranch, Grapevine, Texas. January 16, 2005, Corporate Event, Cambridge Court Assisted Living, Mesquite, Texas. Laura played a program of classical and jazz from the 30's and 40's era for Healthcare Professionals. December 1, 2004, At Artistic Blends Coffeehouse and Theatre, Laura played music before and after a local theatre performance. November 1, 2004, Laura provided music in November at an Election Night Party at the Rusty Spur Western Bistro in Fort Worth. October 1, 2004, In October, Laura entertained guests for the Southwest YMCA, 7th annual Dream Maker Auction/Dinner held at Fort Worth's Botanical Gardens. June 1, 2004, Since June 2004, Laura has been featured pianist on Wednesday nights from 7-9:00 at Artistic Blends Coffeehouse and Theatre, 5298 Trail Lake Drive, Fort Worth, Texas. In this relaxed atmosphere, patrons enjoy both music and the visual arts through the Art Gallery. An avid photographer with many credits, Laura has several photographs on display. Come and listen to great music and stroll through the Art Gallery.

2019-04-20T18:18:33Z

http://soundsoflaura.com/perf.html

experienced great difficulty in making the transition from the agrarian world of his childhood to the urban, industrialized world of his adult years. Perhaps an inability to cope with rapid modernization became the stumbling block along his path of intellectual growth, a growth perceptibly slowed after the turn of the century. [T]he high/low culture opposition was just on its way to rigidifying in America in the last two decades of the century[,] . . . and the modernism/mass culture opposition . . . was just on its way toward surfacing (in the work of [Henry] James, say, and the burgeoning, pre-filmic amusement industry). Brown also reminds us that Garland’s “realism, like James’, represented the ‘new fiction.’” To my knowledge, Christine Holbo is the only scholar to have taken up Brown’s implicit challenge to reposition Garland in American cultural history. In “Hamlin Garland’s ‘Modernism,’” Holbo speculates that Garland’s use of “modernism” in 1890 to describe Henrik Ibsen’s realism might well form the first use in Anglo-American letters of this term in the sense in which we understand and use it today. More provocatively, she argues that the stories collected in Main-Travelled Roads “challenge expectations of regionalist anti-modernism” such that Garland might not only be “a ‘modern’ writer but even a self-conscious aesthetic ‘modernist’—perhaps America’s first” (1206–07). While I do not directly pursue Holbo’s productive line of inquiry here, I do deploy Garland as a modern whose career usefully registers and even adumbrates the transformations that took place in writing cultures at a time during which, in Garland’s words, “the alteration of our point of view in matters of faith, the rise of great advertising journals, the development of motion pictures” combined “to produce extraordinary and almost bewildering change.” To negotiate such “bewildering change,” he immersed himself in a very modern culture of writing that straddled different modes and different media, most notably motion pictures. I want to claim, then, that Garland, of all people—this “first actual farmer in American fiction”—appeared in the advance guard of the modern. Mark Storey is similarly alert to Garland’s engagements with modernity in his reading of the ways in which its new technologies (the train) and its popular amusements (the panorama) intrude upon the agrarian heartland of Main-Travelled Roads. But, like Holbo and Brown, Storey, for all his revisionary impulse, continues to focus on Garland’s canonical work of the 1890s. Garland abandoned the highly engagée rural realism of Main-Travelled Roads around 1900 to produce a series of romances that never received the serious literary approbation for which he would continue to yearn. The prevailing narrative of Garland’s career characterizes this shift in his critical fortunes in terms of a fall, one that is generally dated to the appearance of the first of his romances, The Eagle’s Heart (1900), an event that signaled what Brown wryly terms “Garland’s artistic and political ‘defection’” (90). From this point on, Garland would avail himself of the opportunities, as he similarly experienced their capriciousness, of an emerging mass and popular culture in an attempt to find a place therein (if indeed he had one) right up until his death in 1940 in Hollywood. In what follows, I set aside the populist or regionalist frameworks according to which Garland has to date been understood and turn to his ostensible period of decline, that is, to his writing and writing practices of the early decades of the twentieth century. This “late Garland” is of enormous interest and significance; it anticipates, and thus provides valuable insights into, the sorts of transactions between the literary and film industries that would largely come to characterize expressive culture of the twentieth century more broadly. Repositioning himself as an author in the wake of an array of new technologies, Garland engaged in wholly modern writing practices, culminating in his 1916 photoplay contract with the Vitagraph Company, one of the most influential motion-picture studios of the silent era. Garland thus became, as far as I have been able to discern, the first American literary author to write directly for the new medium of cinema, rehearsing the comparable negotiations with mass culture and its institutions into which modernists such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Nathanael West, and Gertrude Stein would more famously enter nearly two decades later. The Garland who emerges here is not a hokey regionalist but rather a trailblazing modern embodying the seismic shifts in literary culture in the early years of the twentieth century. I suggest that “late Garland” signals the beginnings of the convergence of mass-cultural and literary industries that had heretofore targeted distinct audiences and distinct outlets, a convergence that authors, from the moment precinematic technologies and entertainments arrived on the cultural scene, have henceforth had to negotiate. Comes now [scenario writer] Mr Charles Goddard to one, Jack London, saying: “The time, the place, and the men are met; the moving picture producers, the newspapers, and the capital, are ready: let us get together.” And we got. Result: “Hearts of Three.” . . . On the Ranch . . . he wrote his first several episodes. But he wrote faster than I, and was done with his fifteen episodes weeks ahead of me. . . . [W]e worked simultaneously at our respective tasks. I could not build for what was going to happen next or a dozen chapters away, because I did now know. In a year a single producing company, with a score of directors, is capable of filming the entire literary output of the entire lives of Shakespeare, Balzac, Dickens, Scott, Zola, Tolstoy, and of dozens of less voluminous writers. . . . The film rights in all novels, short stories, and plays that were still covered by copyright were bought or contracted for, while all similar raw material on which copyright had expired was being screened as swiftly as sailors on a placer beach would pick up nuggets. Thousands of scenario writers . . . pirated through all literature (copyright or otherwise), and snatched the magazines hot from the press to steal any new scene or plot hit upon by their writing brethren. (v–vi). Poster for A Man’s Duty. The “photographization” or “picturization” of novels, short stories and plays that London here describes was of course not the only way in which motion pictures and literature interacted. As London goes on to write, “[S]cenarios . . . in turn, were translated into novels [and short fiction] by novel-writers” (London, foreword, vii). In January 1920, for example, the short-lived African-American magazine The Competitor published “an early example of a movie tie-in,” a story version of A Man’s Duty, a 1919 race film produced by the Lincoln Motion Picture Company. Other forms in which the increasing entanglement of writing and film cultures emerged included the new genres of film reviewing and theory, such as Vachel Lindsay’s The Art of the Moving Picture (1915); the proliferation of screenwriting manuals from the early 1910s; and the fiction and poetry that, from the 1890s, took motion pictures as their subject: for example, O. Henry’s “Vitagraphoscope” (1904), a parody of a scenario from his Cabbages and Kings (1904); Lindsay’s poems such as “John Bunny, Motion Picture Comedian” (1915), and “Mae Marsh, Motion Picture Actress” (1915); and Anita Loos’s “The Moving Pictures of Blinkville” (1919). According to Orgeron, London, “[a]though not the first, […] was among those writers on the cutting edge of [the] transitional phenomenon of selling stories to the [motion pictures] industry” (72). So too was Frank Norris, whose novels were, around 1914, “among the first to be considered for film.” But Garland exceeded these more celebrated contemporaries in significant ways: he not only became, to my knowledge, the first American author to adapt his own fiction for the screen, but also the first established American author to write for motion pictures. That is to say, he did not merely sell the subsidiary rights to his fiction in the way that Norris, London, Booth Tarkington, Thomas Dixon, and so many others began to do, but he actually composed scenarios and associated screen writings. the mutual protection and information of authors in their dealings with publishers. It is a purely business and technical organisation, for the purpose of advising writers as to their legal rights and answering practical commercial questions relating to their profession. more thorough and intelligent co-operation between members [of the League] and the [motion picture] producers. Moving pictures are no longer an experiment, they are an institution; they have attained to a dignity equalling that of the drama, with the result that a demand has risen for good material. This demand has increased steadily, as the public taste has improved under the commendable efforts of the manufacturers, and promises to continue to increase. Motion-picture adaptations of “[f]amous plays” and “literary masterpieces,” Beach continues, in addition to “a market for good plots” and the formation of “several agencies,” have together given rise to “departments for the exclusive handling of moving-picture plays.” From the outset, then, the League took a keen interest in motion pictures, identifying there opportunities for its members and literary culture more widely. In the Bulletin’s second issue—June 1913—Beach is again concerned with motion pictures: since 1911, he writes, literary authors have found a good source of revenue by selling the rights to their short stories for one-reel feature films. But, now, the development of multi-reel features has led to “a demand for more pretentious photoplays” and “many famous books . . . are being photographed.” (In fact, the novels of living American authors had been adapted for the screen—in one- reelers—at least since Tarkington’s Monsieur Beaucaire in 1905.) Beach encouraged the members of the League to familiarize themselves with these developments and to learn properly to market their books to the studios. Photo of Blackton on set of Battle Cry of Peace. On the whole, and over the course of its publication, the League’s Bulletin continued to urge authors to profit from the new medium. To aid in this, it included tips for writing scenarios, advertisements for scenario-writing competitions run by the studios, sample scenarios, advice about rights and copyright, advice on how to negotiate motion-picture contracts, and studio announcements seeking writers of original scenarios. But the Bulletin also contained warnings to those of its members considering crossing over in some way to motion pictures. It published several letters from members complaining that the studios had destroyed their scenarios, turning what they believed was quality into trash. There are also articles warning writers to stay away from motion pictures altogether, to stick to what they do best. (One motion-pictures representative wrote back to this kind of criticism, claiming that motion pictures attracted only the weakest authors). A 1916 issue of the Bulletin reprinted from Photoplay “An Author in Blunderland,” a story that tells of an author seduced—by a serpent no less—to write for motion pictures, with the lure of large financial rewards. On the whole, however, the League, on the evidence of its Bulletin, encouraged its members to embrace the new opportunities motion pictures might offer in terms of additional income and new and larger audiences. [i]n its effort to raise the standard of moving pictures . . . contracted for the stories by many of the most prominent authors of novels and magazine stories [to be] condensed into scenario form and produced upon the lighted screen under the direction of D. W. Griffith, the Mutual’s famous director. A few years later, in 1919, Samuel Goldwyn’s Eminent Authors became the most structured attempt to date by the studios to lure authors to motion pictures. The Eminent Authors comprised a group of bestselling writers, including Atherton, Hughes, Maurice Maeterlinck, and Somerset Maugham, who were to “film their own works, under the guidance of Beach.” From the early 1910s, then, motion-pictures studios invested in stories and scenarios as well as career scenarists, and established authors of page and stage. Together these factors combined to provide new opportunities—and risks—for literary authors. Garland hoped Selig would be interested in producing one of his Western romances—The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop—making clear that he had already had “one or two offers from New York firms” (Garland to Selig, June 3, 1914). In a trajectory that would become all too familiar twenty years later—in the wake of sound film and its concomitant demand for dialogued screenplays, and in the wake of the Depression during which Hollywood, against all odds, initially thrived—Garland was attracted to the motion pictures industry by the promise of vast sums of money. In the early 1890s he had bought a home for his parents in West Salem, Wisconsin, and he now also had a wife and two daughters to support, just as his literary fortunes were on a downward trend subsequent to his turn away from prairie realism to romance. In Back-Trailers from the Middle Border Garland recalls, “while I set forth on this [February 1916] afternoon for the office of the Vitagraph Company with no definite expectation of selling the rights to my stories I secretly nursed a timid hope that fortune might somehow, in some form, come my way.” Blackton assured Garland he would soon earn enough to ride around in his own automobile (Garland, My Friendly Contemporaries, 101). not of drawing-room culture, nor of imitation, nor of fear of masters, nor will it come from homes of great wealth. It will come from the average American home, in the city as well as in the country. It will deal with all kinds of conditions. It will be born of the mingling seas of men in the vast interior of America, because there the problem of the perpetuity of democracy, the question of the liberty as well as the nationality of our art, will be fought out. [T]he great writers of the present day and the great authors of the years to come will deliver their messages to the waiting world by means of the photoplay, and millions of people will see and understand who would never read the message at all, and whose minds would not be attuned to its message. For London, writing in 1915, motion pictures were a means to “[distribute] knowledge in a language that all may understand.” Likewise, and rather ironically, it was in motion pictures that Garland recognized opportunities not only for the creation of a broader imagined community, but also, and like Griffith, for the dissemination of the greatest works of literature—including his own—to the American people, and in that way to forge and circulate even beyond the reach of print culture’s expanding market a self-consciously American culture. discs with hand-drawn images (some coloured) taken from his sequence photographs of animals and athletes using his . . . projector. Audiences would have seen life-size animated images in brief motion. . . . The Zoopraxographical Hall [where these sequences were shown] was arguably therefore the world’s first moving image theatre. The Electricity Building, located in the White City, which the Garlands visited, housed another visual entertainment, Ottomar Anschuetz’s 1887 Electro-Tachyscope. According to the Fair’s official program, “In this apparatus, the natural motion of objects and animals is reproduced with a degree of truth and accuracy that is absolutely bewildering.” Garland may also have attended the hugely popular “Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World,” which set up next to the official Exposition grounds and attracted an audience of over two million. tables float and chairs move without contact. . . . I have seen a tin cone soaring like a dragon-fly over my head. I have had “ideoplastic” hands touch my knees, write on slates under my foot and between my palms. I have secured writing in a closed pad while it was held in my own hand, and I have seen bursting flames and masses of white vapor floating in the air. Garland’s role in the American Psychical Society thus exposed him to a range of emerging entertainment technologies he might not otherwise have encountered, and thus provided him with experiences and knowledge that, arguably, positioned him well to enter the motion-pictures industry. Cheyenne life before the white man came. . . . I have in mind three great introductory pictures. One, the coming of the explorers; second, the arrival of the treaty makers; third, the breaking of the treaty and a declaration of war; fourth, the imprisonment of the Cheyenne on the reservation. This final picture would lead directly to the beginning of my story of modern reservation life. A surviving and undated three-page typed synopsis of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop suggests that these introduced scenes were not included in the final film version. Perhaps most significantly, Garland read and revised scenarios that, after his composition of the respective story treatments, had been initially produced by Vitagraph’s in-house writers—or, as Garland termed them, “hack writers”—such as Joseph Poland and A. Van Buren Powell. We know from extant correspondence that the scenarios of each of the four film adaptations in question were sent on to Garland for “additions and corrections” and Garland’s revised scenarios were used as the final shooting scripts (Jasper Brady to Garland, April 20, 1916). In one instance, Money Magic, Garland ended up writing the scenario himself after his “little hack scenario writer”—possibly Powell, who received screen credit for Money Magic’s scenario—was taken off the property” (Garland, My Friendly Contemporaries, 123–24). The shooting of Garland’s last Vitagraph property, Cavanaugh of the Forest Rangers, was delayed in order to provide Garland as much time as possible to make revisions to the scenario (J. Stuart Blackton to Garland, April 18, 1917). On the whole, Garland was fairly critical of the scenarios produced by Vitagraph’s in-house writers, deeming them formulaic. He declared, for example, that Poland’s scenario of his novel Hesper, a narrative about the Cripple Creek mining war, was “[f]illed with conventional motion-picture concepts and capable only of stereotyped phrases” (Garland, My Friendly Contemporaries, 101). Nevertheless, what is quite clear is that Garland played a significant role in the production of all four of these adaptations, including the composition of their scenarios, a highly unusual undertaking for a literary author at this point in the history of motion pictures. That screen plays [films] have been among the chief agencies in cheapening our fictional and dramatic writing cannot be denied. They have not only pandered to the taste of the public, they have profoundly influenced the novelist who kept in mind as he wrote, the possible sale of motion picture rights. . . . That the screen became still more powerful when it took on sound and color must also be granted. Regardless of the perceived success or otherwise of his motion-picture experiences, in his attempts to hitch his career to the upstart medium, Garland anticipated the impact the arrival of motion pictures would have on literary authorship and culture more broadly in the early twentieth century. He blazed the trail for a wave of authors who attempted to take advantage of the studios’ increasing need for material and writers, and in a new market targeting a global audience. That he was in all likelihood the first living American author to enter into all facets of the new mode of “picturization” means that we can no longer neglect this unexpectedly thoroughly modern writer. Casting wider our nets thus to consider a relatively obscure case in the context of modernity and modernism and the relations among them means we in turn acknowledge the constellation of narratives and discourses that comprise early twentieth-century literary culture and consequently challenge the fetish of aesthetic experimentalism that continues to characterize much scholarship concerning the early twentieth century. In this way might we fully understand an incipient American modernist culture, its practices and its modes of transmission and consumption. I am extremely grateful for a 2011 University of Southern California Library Wallis Annenberg Research Grant, which enabled me to examine the library’s extensive Hamlin Garland Collection. Charles L. P. Silet, Robert E. Welch, and Richard Boudreau, introduction to The Critical Reception of Hamlin Garland: 1891–1978, ed. Silet, Welch, and Boudreau (Troy, NY: Whitston, 1985), 1–13, 2. Bill Brown, “The Popular, the Populist, and the Populace: Locating Hamlin Garland in the Politics of Culture,” Arizona Quarterly 50, no. 3 (1994): 89–110, 99; emphasis added. Christine Holbo, “Hamlin Garland’s ‘Modernism,’” English Literary History 80, no. 4 (2013): 1205–36, 1209. See also Hamlin Garland, “Ibsen as a Dramatist,” Arena 2 (1890): 72–82, 72. Quoted in Joyce Kilmer, “Says New York Makes Writers Tradesmen,” New York Times Magazine, May 28, 1916, 12–13, 13. Garland ascribes this claim to his friend Joseph Kirkland, the author of Zury, in Hamlin Garland, A Son of the Middle Border (1917; rpt. New York: MacMillan, 1920), 371. Richard Abel and Amy Rodgers, “Early Motion Pictures and Popular Print Culture: A Web of Ephemera,” in The Oxford History of Popular Print Culture, vol. 6, US Popular Print Culture 1860–1920, ed. Christine Bold (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 191–209, 191. Intermediality, like the related concepts of transmediality, convergence, and remediation, has in this century gained significant currency to describe the relations between media. However, as some media scholars such as Erkki Huhtamo and Jussi Parikka have recently noted, this scholarship remains largely unhistoricized: it ignores media’s historic ruptures and temporalities (Huhtamo and Parikka, “Introduction: An Archaeology of Media Archaeology,” in Media Archaeology: Approaches, Applications, and Implications, ed. Huhtamo and Parikka [Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011], 1–24). To ask, as I do here with reference to Garland, just exactly how authors and writing cultures responded to the emergence of a potentially great rival—motion pictures—and vice versa, goes some way in addressing this gap in the scholarship. Marsha Orgeron, Hollywood Ambitions: Celebrity in the Movie Age (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2008), 73. Jack London, foreword to Hearts of Three (New York: Macmillan, 1920), v–ix, vii. See Orgeron, Hollywood Ambitions, 88–97, for a more detailed account of the composition and plot of Hearts of Three, which first appeared in book form in 1918 (that is, after London’s death in 1916), and was then serialized in the New York Evening Journal and Oakland Tribune in 1919. Barbara Lupack, Literary Adaptations in Black American Cinema: From Micheaux to Morrison (Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2002), 79. The title of O’Henry’s story is clearly a combination of Vitagraph (the studio) and Vitascope, an early technology of film projection. Michael Wutz, Enduring Words: Literary Narrative in a Changing Media Ecology (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2009), 12. Best-selling authors Irving S. Cobb, Rupert Hughes and Zane Grey, along with several professional scenarists such as Leroy Scott, Wallace Irwin, and Nina Wilcox Putnam jointly composed the scenario for the forty-reel, twenty-episode Graft (1915; lost). Thomas Dixon had some oversight of the making of The Birth of a Nation (dir. D. W. Griffith, 1915) but nothing to compare with Garland’s hands-on contributions at each stage of the pre-production of the adaptation of his four romances, as I explain. And, although a September 1919 Photoplay article proclaims Beach “the first author to personally supervise his works in the filming,” Laughin’ Bill Hyde, which was released in 1918 by Rex Beach Pictures Company, was in fact Beach’s first foray into scenario writing, and thus two years after Garland’s. See Delight Evans, “He Rolled Up His Sleeves,” Photoplay 16, no. 1 (1919): 50–51, 50. Bulletin of the Authors’ League of America (April 1913): 6. No author. Rex Beach, “Editor’s Note,” Bulletin of the Authors’ League of America (April 1913): 2–5, 5. Rex Beach, “Photo Plays,” Bulletin of the Authors’ League of America (June 1913): 6–8, 6. “What Is the Matter with Your Motion Picture Scenario? By a New York Agent,” Bulletin of the Authors’ League of America (November 1918): 14–16, 14. Channing Pollock, “An Author in Blunderland,” Photoplay 1916; rpt., Bulletin of the Authors’ League of America (October 1916): 4–11, 4–7. J. Stuart Blackton, “Literature and the Motion Picture—A Message,” Bulletin of the Authors’ League of America (February 1914): xxv–xxviii, xxv. Epes W. Sargent, “Those Two Reel Stories,” Moving Picture World 17, no. 8 (1913): 837. Peter Decherney, Hollywood’s Copyright Wars: From Edison to the Internet (New York: Columbia University Press, 2012), 36. Miriam Hansen, “Early Silent Cinema: Whose Public Sphere?,” New German Critique 29, no. 10 (1983): 147–84, 151. According to Torey Liepa, motion-picture producers started to seek out literary authors as early as 1912, when the Indiana-based Photoplay Enterprise Association announced a scenario contest in the pages of Moving Picture World. See Torey Liepa, “Figures of Silent Speech: Silent Film Dialogue and the American Vernacular, 1909–1916” (PhD diss., New York University, 2008), 211. “Authors for Mutual Film,” Motography 11, no. 1 (1914): 14. Edison Inc.’s scenario guidelines are held in the “Edison Manufacturing Co., scripts,” Film Study Center, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York City. Cal York, “Plays and Players,” Photoplay 26, no. 5 (1919): 86–130, 130. Garland to Ince, January 21, 1913, Hamlin Garland papers, Collection no. 0200, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California. Cecil B. DeMille was Lasky’s partner, with Sam Goldwyn and Oscar Apfel, in Jesse L. Lasky’s Feature Play Company. Hamlin Garland, My Friendly Contemporaries: A Literary Log (New York: Macmillan, 1932), 14. It is not clear to which “leading company” he here refers. Roberta E. Pearson and William Uricchio, Reframing Culture: The Case of the Vitagraph Quality Films (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993), 3. These are adaptations of, respectively, Garland’s The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop (1902), Hesper (1903), Money Magic (1907), and Cavanagh: Forest Ranger (1910). Hamlin Garland, Companions on the Trail: A Literary Chronicle (New York: Macmillan, 1931), 13–14. While Owen Wister’s 1902 novel The Virginian is often considered the first Western, in fact Garland had already published his own, The Eagle’s Heart, two years earlier in 1900. Hamlin Garland, Back-Trailers from the Middle Border (New York: Macmillan, 1928), 20. On veritism, see especially Hamlin Garland, “Productive Conditions of American Literature,” Forum 27 (August 1894): 690–94. See Richard Brodhead’s seminal account of regionalism, the new mass magazines, and circulation in “The Reading of Regions,” in Cultures of Letters: Scenes of Reading and Writing in Nineteenth-Century America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993), 107–41. Brodhead argues that regionalism—its short stories particularly—depended for its very life on increased circulation resulting from advances in various communications (particularly pertaining to printing) and transportational technologies. Hamlin Garland, Crumbling Idols: Twelve Essays on Art Dealing Chiefly with Literature, Painting and the Drama (Chicago: Stone and Kimball, 1894), 8, 189–90. Griffith is quoted in Russell E. Smith, “The Belasco of the Motion Picture Art,” Motography 11, no. 8 (1914): 261–62, 261. Jack London, “The Message of Motion Pictures,” in Authors on Film, ed. Harry M. Geduld (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1972), 104–07, 106. London’s article first appeared in Paramount Magazine in February 1915. Hamlin Garland, “My Aim in Cavanagh,” The World’s Work 20, no. 8 (1910): 13,569. See also Chapter 3 of Cavanagh, Forest Ranger, in which Forest Supervisor Redfield waxes lyrical about the coming of the New West: “If a neat and tidy village or a well-ordered farmstead is not considered superior to a cattle-ranch littered with bones and tin cans, or better than even a cow-town whose main industry is whiskey-selling, then all civilized progress is a delusion.” Garland, Cavanagh, Forest Ranger (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1910), 40. Hamlin Garland, Hesper (New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1903), 223; Hamlin Garland, “Automobiling in the West,” Harper’s Weekly 46 (September 6, 1902), 1254; Garland, “Ibsen as Dramatist,” 39. Diary entry, April, 1912, Item 707a, excerpts from the Garland Diaries, original incomplete, Hamlin Garland papers, USC; “On an Old Magazine,” three typed pages, no date, item 409, Hamlin Garland papers, USC. For an account of his early reading habits, see Garland, A Son of the Middle Border, 89, 114, 120–21. Luke McKernan, “Victorian ‘Cinemas,’” Who’s Who of Victoria Cinema Website, victorian-cinema.net/venues. World’s Columbian Exposition: Official Catalogue of Exhibits on the Midway Plaisance (Chicago: W. B. Conkey Company, 1893), 11. Available online at “Exhibits on the Midway Plaisance, 1893,” Encyclopedia of Chicago, encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11421.html. Hamlin Garland, Forty Years of Psychic Research: A Plain Narrative of Fact (New York: Macmillan, 1936), 146; Daniel Herman, “Whose Knocking?: Spiritualism as Entertainment and Therapy in Nineteenth-Century San Francisco,” American Nineteenth Century History 7, no. 3 (2006): 417–42, 437. Hamlin Garland, “The Spirit World on Trial,” McClure’s 52, no. 3 (1920): 33–92, 33. Additionally, Tom Gunning notes, “[T]he images that appear in [spirit] photographs were generally described with the . . . term extras.” See Gunning, “Phantom Images and Modern Manifestations: Spirit Photography, Magic Theater, Trick Films and Photography’s Uncanny,” in Fugitive Images from Photography to Video, ed. Patrice Petro (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995), 42–71, 51. Garland, Forty Years of Psychic Research, 184. Tom Gunning, “The Cinema of Attractions: Early Film, Its Spectator and the Avant-Garde,” Wide Angle 8, nos. 3–4 (1986): 63–70. Ectoplasm, also known as “etheric fluid,” “resembles smoke but easily becomes viscous. . . . Sometimes it exudes from the body of the psychic as a vapor and settles on her dress like hoar frost” (Garland, Forty Years of Psychic Research, 128). Ectoplasm was part of the discourse of fluids, energy, and relays that characterized so much popular science writing at this time, concerning, for example, new telecommunications technologies, and it finds its analogy in electricity. Hamlin Garland, The Shadow World (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1908), 103. J. Stuart Blackton, “Yesterdays of Vitagraph,” Photoplay 26, no. 1 (1919): 28–32, 28. Garland’s contract with the Vitagraph Company, June 21, 1916, item 669, Hamlin Garland papers, USC. Clara Beranger, “The Story,” in Introduction to the Photoplay: 1929: A Contemporary Account of the Transition to Sound in Film, ed. John C. Tibbetts (Los Angeles: National Film Society, 1977), 136–57, 142. See also Bert Ennis, “Them Were the Happy Days: The Vitagraph Years,” Motion Picture Classic, vol. xxiv, no. 2, October 1926, pp. 18–19, 45. According to Joshua Yumibe, applied color techniques “were common in the cinema through the mid-1920s,” a technique derived from magic-lantern slides and photography (Joshua Yumibe, Moving Color: Early Film, Mass Culture, Modernism [New York: Rutgers University Press, 2012], 3). Hamlin Garland, “Suggestions for tinting,” item 668h, Money Magic, typed carbon copy, one leaf, Hamlin Garland Collection, USC. For this same property, there had also been talk of Eanger Irving Couse, “the Indian Painter,” helping to arrange “our scenes of Indian life and also in our costuming” (Garland, My Friendly Contemporaries, 112). A one-page fragment, “The Red Pioneer,” which was the sometime title of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop, reveals that Garland envisaged “an introductory reel showing the early stages of the red mans [sic] history” comprising seven scenes: before the Whiteman; The Coming of the Whiteman; “the white man is trading with the Indians”; the Indians “decided to drive the invader away”; “Captivity” on the reservation; and “Before the President,” who promises to replace “the bad agent” with “a brave man a soldier.” Only then does the plot recognizable from Garland’s novel begin (“The Red Pioneer,” Item 197 [also] [Gray Horse], 1p., n.d., Hamlin Garland Collection, USC). Hazel Simpson Naylor, review of Money Magic, Motion Picture Magazine (May 1917): 9. Hamlin Garland, “The Value of Melodious Speech,” Emerson Quarterly (November 1929): 5–24, 22. Hamlin Garland, “Literary Fashions Old and New: An Address for the American Academy,” Item 606, New York, b, typed fair copy, thirteen leaves, November 1938, Hamlin Garland Collection, USC. Sarah Gleeson-White is Associate Professor in American Literature in the Department of English, University of Sydney. She is the author of William Faulkner at Twentieth Century-Fox: The Annotated Screenplays (Oxford University Press, 2017), and Strange Bodies: Gender and Identity in the Novels of Carson McCullers (Alabama University Press, 2003), as well as articles and book chapters on Faulkner, McCullers, Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty.

2019-04-23T07:48:18Z

https://modernismmodernity.org/articles/hamlin-garland

"The boys won't let me play with them." "They say girls can't play football." "They can, for I've done it!" and Mrs. Bhaer laughed at the remembrance of certain youthful frolics. "I know I can play; Demi and I used to, and have nice times, but he won't let me now because the other boys laugh at him," and Daisy looked deeply grieved at her brother's hardness of heart. "On the whole, I think he is right, deary. It's all very well when you two are alone, but it is too rough a game for you with a dozen boys; so I'd find some nice little play for myself." "I'm tired of playing alone!" and Daisy's tone was very mournful. "I'll play with you by and by, but just now I must fly about and get things ready for a trip into town. You shall go with me and see mamma, and if you like you can stay with her." "I should like to go and see her and Baby Josy, but I'd rather come back, please. Demi would miss me, and I love to be here, Aunty." "You can't get on without your Demi, can you?" and Aunt Jo looked as if she quite understood the love of the little girl for her only brother. "'Course I can't; we're twins, and so we love each other more than other people," answered Daisy, with a brightening face, for she considered being a twin one of the highest honors she could ever receive. "Now, what will you do with your little self while I fly around?" asked Mrs. Bhaer, who was whisking piles of linen into a wardrobe with great rapidity. "I don't know, I'm tired of dolls and things; I wish you'd make up a new play for me, Aunty Jo," said Daisy, swinging listlessly on the door. "I shall have to think of a brand new one, and it will take me some time; so suppose you go down and see what Asia has got for your lunch," suggested Mrs. Bhaer, thinking that would be a good way in which to dispose of the little hindrance for a time. "Yes, I think I'd like that, if she isn't cross," and Daisy slowly departed to the kitchen, where Asia, the black cook, reigned undisturbed. In five minutes, Daisy was back again, with a wide-awake face, a bit of dough in her hand and a dab of flour on her little nose. "Oh aunty! Please could I go and make gingersnaps and things? Asia isn't cross, and she says I may, and it would be such fun, please do," cried Daisy, all in one breath. "Just the thing, go and welcome, make what you like, and stay as long as you please," answered Mrs. Bhaer, much relieved, for sometimes the one little girl was harder to amuse than the dozen boys. Daisy ran off, and while she worked, Aunt Jo racked her brain for a new play. All of a sudden she seemed to have an idea, for she smiled to herself, slammed the doors of the wardrobe, and walked briskly away, saying, "I'll do it, if it's a possible thing!" What it was no one found out that day, but Aunt Jo's eyes twinkled so when she told Daisy she had thought of a new play, and was going to buy it, that Daisy was much excited and asked questions all the way into town, without getting answers that told her anything. She was left at home to play with the new baby, and delight her mother's eyes, while Aunt Jo went off shopping. When she came back with all sorts of queer parcels in corners of the carry-all, Daisy was so full of curiosity that she wanted to go back to Plumfield at once. But her aunt would not be hurried, and made a long call in mamma's room, sitting on the floor with baby in her lap, making Mrs. Brooke laugh at the pranks of the boys, and all sorts of droll nonsense. How her aunt told the secret Daisy could not imagine, but her mother evidently knew it, for she said, as she tied on the little bonnet and kissed the rosy little face inside, "Be a good child, my Daisy, and learn the nice new play aunty has got for you. It's a most useful and interesting one, and it is very kind of her to play it with you, because she does not like it very well herself." This last speech made the two ladies laugh heartily, and increased Daisy's bewilderment. As they drove away something rattled in the back of the carriage. "What's that?" asked Daisy, pricking up her ears. "The new play," answered Mrs. Jo, solemnly. "What is it made of?" cried Daisy. "Iron, tin, wood, brass, sugar, salt, coal, and a hundred other things." "How strange! What color is it?" "Part of it is, and a part isn't." "Did I ever see one?" "Ever so many, but never one so nice as this." "Oh! what can it be? I can't wait. When shall I see it?" and Daisy bounced up and down with impatience. "Is it for the boys, too?" "No, all for you and Bess. The boys will like to see it, and want to play one part of it. But you can do as you like about letting them." "I'll let Demi, if he wants to." "No fear that they won't all want to, especially Stuffy," and Mrs. Bhaer's eyes twinkled more than ever as she patted a queer knobby bundle in her lap. "Let me feel just once," prayed Daisy. "Not a feel; you'd guess in a minute and spoil the fun." Daisy groaned and then smiled all over her face, for through a little hole in the paper she caught a glimpse of something bright. "How can I wait so long? Couldn't I see it today?" "Oh dear, no! It has got to be arranged, and ever so many parts fixed in their places. I promised Uncle Teddy that you shouldn't see it till it was all in apple-pie order." "If uncle knows about it then it must be splendid!" cried Daisy, clapping her hands; for this kind, rich, jolly uncle of hers was as good as a fairy godmother to the children, and was always planning merry surprises, pretty gifts, and droll amusements for them. "Yes; Teddy went and bought it with me, and we had such fun in the shop choosing the different parts. He would have everything fine and large, and my little plan got regularly splendid when he took hold. You must give him your very best kiss when he comes, for he is the kindest uncle that ever went and bought a charming little coo Bless me! I nearly told you what it was!" and Mrs. Bhaer cut that most interesting word short off in the middle, and began to look over her bills, as if afraid she would let the cat out of the bag if she talked any more. Daisy folded her hands with an air of resignation, and sat quite still trying to think what play had a "coo" in it. When they got home she eyed every bundle that was taken out, and one large heavy one, which Franz took straight upstairs and hid in the nursery, filled her with amazement and curiosity. Something very mysterious went on up there that afternoon, for Franz was hammering, and Asia trotting up and down, and Aunt Jo flying around like a will-o'-the-wisp, with all sort of things under her apron, while little Ted, who was the only child admitted, because he couldn't talk plain, babbled and laughed, and tried to tell what the "sumpin pitty" was. "Girls can't play with boys. This is for Daisy, and Bess, and me, so we don't want you." Whereupon the young gentlemen meekly retired, and invited Daisy to a game of marbles, horse, football, anything she liked, with a sudden warmth and politeness which astonished her innocent little soul. Thanks to these attentions, she got through the afternoon, went early to bed, and next morning did her lessons with an energy which made Uncle Fritz wish that a new game could be invented every day. Quite a thrill pervaded the school-room when Daisy was dismissed at eleven o'clock, for everyone knew that now she was going to have the new and mysterious play. Many eyes followed her as she ran away, and Demi's mind was so distracted by this event that when Franz asked him where the desert of Sahara was, he mournfully replied, "In the nursery," and the whole school laughed at him. "Aunt Jo, I've done all my lessons, and I can't wait one single minute more!" cried Daisy, flying into Mrs. Bhaer's room. "It's all ready, come on;" and tucking Ted under one arm, and her workbasket under the other, Aunt Jo promptly led the way upstairs. "I don't see anything," said Daisy, staring about her as she got inside the nursery door. "Do you hear anything?" asked Aunt Jo, catching Ted back by his little frock as he was making straight for one side of the room. Daisy did hear an odd crackling, and then a purry little sound as of a kettle singing. These noises came from behind a curtain drawn before a deep bay window. Daisy snatched it back, gave one joyful, "Oh!" and then stood gazing with delight at what do you think? A wide seat ran round the three sides of the window; on one side hung and stood all sorts of little pots and pans, gridirons and skillets; on the other side a small dinner and tea set; and on the middle part a cooking-stove. Not a tin one, that was of no use, but a real iron stove, big enough to cook for a large family of very hungry dolls. But the best of it was that a real fire burned in it, real steam came out of the nose of the little tea-kettle, and the lid of the little boiler actually danced a jig, the water inside bubbled so hard. A pane of glass had been taken out and replaced by a sheet of tin, with a hole for the small funnel, and real smoke went sailing away outside so naturally, that it did one's heart good to see it. The box of wood with a hod of charcoal stood near by; just above hung dust-pan, brush and broom; a little market basket was on the low table at which Daisy used to play, and over the back of her little chair hung a white apron with a bib, and a droll mob cap. The sun shone in as if he enjoyed the fun, the little stove roared beautifully, the kettle steamed, the new tins sparkled on the walls, the pretty china stood in tempting rows, and it was altogether as cheery and complete a kitchen as any child could desire. "Oh aunty, it's a splendid new play! Can I really cook at the dear stove, and have parties and mess, and sweep, and make fires that truly burn? I like it so much! What made you think of it?" "Your liking to make gingersnaps with Asia made me think of it," said Mrs. Bhaer, holding Daisy, who frisked as if she would fly. "I knew Asia wouldn't let you mess in her kitchen very often, and it wouldn't be safe at this fire up here, so I thought I'd see if I could find a little stove for you, and teach you to cook; that would be fun, and useful too. So I travelled round among the toy shops, but everything large cost too much and I was thinking I should have to give it up, when I met Uncle Teddy. As soon as he knew what I was about, he said he wanted to help, and insisted on buying the biggest toy stove we could find. I scolded, but he only laughed, and teased me about my cooking when we were young, and said I must teach Bess as well as you, and went on buying all sorts of nice little things for my 'cooking class' as he called it." "I'm so glad you met him!" said Daisy, as Mrs. Jo stopped to laugh at the memory of the funny time she had with Uncle Teddy. "You must study hard and learn to make all kinds of things, for he says he shall come out to tea very often, and expects something uncommonly nice." "It's the sweetest, dearest kitchen in the world, and I'd rather study with it than do anything else. Can't I learn pies, and cake, and macaroni, and everything?" cried Daisy, dancing round the room with a new saucepan in one hand and the tiny poker in the other. "All in good time. This is to be a useful play, I am to help you, and you are to be my cook, so I shall tell you what to do, and show you how. Then we shall have things fit to eat, and you will be really learning how to cook on a small scale. I'll call you Sally, and say you are a new girl just come," added Mrs. Jo, settling down to work, while Teddy sat on the floor sucking his thumb, and staring at the stove as if it was a live thing, whose appearance deeply interested him. "That will be so lovely! What shall I do first?" asked Sally, with such a happy face and willing air that Aunt Jo wished all new cooks were half as pretty and pleasant. "First of all, put on this clean cap and apron. I am rather old-fashioned, and I like my cook to be very tidy." Sally tucked her curly hair into the round cap, and put on the apron without a murmur, though usually she rebelled against bibs. "Now, you can put things in order, and wash up the new china. The old set needs washing also, for my last girl was apt to leave it in a sad state after a party." Aunt Jo spoke quite soberly, but Sally laughed, for she knew who the untidy girl was who had left the cups sticky. Then she turned up her cuffs, and with a sigh of satisfaction began to stir about her kitchen, having little raptures now and then over the "sweet rolling pin," the "darling dish-tub," or the "cunning pepper-pot." "Now, Sally, take your basket and go to market; here is the list of things I want for dinner," said Mrs. Jo, giving her a bit of paper when the dishes were all in order. "Where is the market?" asked Daisy, thinking that the new play got more and more interesting every minute. Away went Sally, causing another stir in the schoolroom as she passed the door in her new costume, and whispered to Demi, with a face full of delight, "It's a perfectly splendid play!" Old Asia enjoyed the joke as much as Daisy, and laughed jollily as the little girl came flying into the room with her cap all on one side, the lids of her basket rattling like castanets and looking like a very crazy little cook. "Mrs. Aunt Jo wants these things, and I must have them right away," said Daisy, importantly. 'Let's see, honey; here's two pounds of steak, potatoes, squash, apples, bread, and butter. The meat ain't come yet; when it does I'll send it up. The other things are all handy." Then Asia packed one potato, one apple, a bit of squash, a little pat of butter, and a roll, into the basket, telling Sally to be on the watch for the butcher's boy, because he sometimes played tricks. "Who is he?" and Daisy hoped it would be Demi. And the little flask of wine." "Put everything but the apple into the store-closet for the present," said Mrs. Jo, when the cook got home. "Not yet; you will want the cream to eat on your apple pie at dinner, and must not disturb it till then." "Am I going to have pie?" cried Daisy, hardly believing that such bliss could be in store for her. "Yes; if your oven does well we will have two pies, one apple and one strawberry," said Mrs. Jo, who was nearly as much interested in the new play as Daisy herself. "Oh, what next?" asked Sally, all impatience to begin. "Shut the lower draught of the stove, so that the oven may heat. Then wash your hands and get out the flour, sugar, salt, butter, and cinnamon. See if the pie-board is clean, and pare your apple ready to put in." Daisy got things together with as little noise and spilling as could be expected, from so young a cook. "I really don't know how to measure for such tiny pies; I must guess at it, and if these don't succeed, we must try again," said Mrs. Jo, looking rather perplexed, and very much amused with the small concern before her. "Take that little pan full of flour, put in a pinch of salt, and then rub in as much butter as will go on that plate. Always remember to put your dry things together first, and then the wet. It mixes better so." "I know how; I saw Asia do it. Don't I butter the pie plates too? She did, the first thing," said Daisy, whisking the flour about at a great rate. "Quite right! I do believe you have a gift for cooking, you take to it so cleverly," said Aunt Jo, approvingly. "Now a dash of cold water, just enough to wet it; then scatter some flour on the board, work in a little, and roll the paste out; yes, that's the way. Now put dabs of butter all over it, and roll it out again. We won't have our pastry very rich, or the dolls will get dyspeptic." Daisy laughed at the idea, and scattered the dabs with a liberal hand. Then she rolled and rolled with her delightful little pin, and having got her paste ready proceeded to cover the plates with it. Next the apple was sliced in, sugar and cinnamon lavishly sprinkled over it, and then the top crust put on with breathless care. "I always wanted to cut them round, and Asia never would let me. How nice it is to do it all my ownty donty self!" said Daisy, as the little knife went clipping round the doll's plate poised on her hand. All cooks, even the best, meet with mishaps sometimes, and Sally's first one occurred then, for the knife went so fast that the plate slipped, turned a somersault in the air, and landed the dear little pie upside down on the floor. Sally screamed, Mrs. Jo laughed, Teddy scrambled to get it, and for a moment confusion reigned in the new kitchen. "It didn't spill or break, because I pinched the edges together so hard; it isn't hurt a bit, so I'll prick holes in it, and then it will be ready," said Sally, picking up the capsized treasure and putting it into shape with a child-like disregard of the dust it had gathered in its fall. "My new cook has a good temper, I see, and that is such a comfort," said Mrs. Jo. "Now open the jar of strawberry jam, fill the uncovered pie, and put some strips of paste over the top as Asia does." "I'll make a D in the middle, and have zigzags all round, that will be so interesting when I come to eat it," said Sally, loading the pie with quirls and flourishes that would have driven a real pastry cook wild. "Now I put them in!" she exclaimed; when the last grimy knob had been carefully planted in the red field of jam, and with an air of triumph she shut them into the little oven. "Clear up your things; a good cook never lets her utensils collect. Then pare your squash and potatoes." "There is only one potato," giggled Sally. "Cut it in four pieces, so it will go into the little kettle, and put the bits into cold water till it is time to cook them." "Do I soak the squash too?" "No, indeed! Just pare it and cut it up, and put in into the steamer over the pot. It is drier so, though it takes longer to cook." Here a scratching at the door caused Sally to run and open it, when Kit appeared with a covered basket in his mouth. "Here's the butcher boy!" cried Daisy, much tickled at the idea, as she relieved him of his load, whereat he licked his lips and began to beg, evidently thinking that it was his own dinner, for he often carried it to his master in that way. Being undeceived, he departed in great wrath and barked all the way downstairs, to ease his wounded feelings. In the basket were two bits of steak (doll's pounds), a baked pear, a small cake, and paper with them on which Asia had scrawled, "For Missy's lunch, if her cookin' don't turn out well." "I don't want any of her old pears and things; my cooking will turn out well, and I'll have a splendid dinner; see if I don't!" cried Daisy, indignantly. "We may like them if company should come. It is always well to have something in the storeroom," said Aunt Jo, who had been taught this valuable fact by a series of domestic panics. "Me is hundry," announced Teddy, who began to think what with so much cooking going on it was about time for somebody to eat something. His mother gave him her workbasket to rummage, hoping to keep him quiet till dinner was ready, and returned to her housekeeping. "Put on your vegetables, set the table, and then have some coals kindling ready for the steak." What a thing it was to see the potatoes bobbing about in the little pot; to peep at the squash getting soft so fast in the tiny steamer; to whisk open the oven door every five minutes to see how the pies got on, and at last when the coals were red and glowing, to put two real steaks on a finger-long gridiron and proudly turn them with a fork. The potatoes were done first, and no wonder, for they had boiled frantically all the while. The were pounded up with a little pestle, had much butter and no salt put in (cook forgot it in the excitement of the moment), then it was made into a mound in a gay red dish, smoothed over with a knife dipped in milk, and put in the oven to brown. So absorbed in these last performances had Sally been, that she forgot her pastry till she opened the door to put in the potato, then a wail arose, for alas! alas! the little pies were burnt black! "Oh, my pies! My darling pies! They are all spoilt!" cried poor Sally, wringing her dirty little hands as she surveyed the ruin of her work. The tart was especially pathetic, for the quirls and zigzags stuck up in all directions from the blackened jelly, like the walls and chimney of a house after a fire. "Dear, dear, I forgot to remind you to take them out; it's just my luck," said Aunt Jo, remorsefully. "Don't cry, darling, it was my fault; we'll try again after dinner," she added, as a great tear dropped from Sally's eyes and sizzled on the hot ruins of the tart. More would have followed, if the steak had not blazed up just then, and so occupied the attention of cook, that she quickly forgot the lost pastry. "Put the meat-dish and your own plates down to warm, while you mash the squash with butter, salt, and a little pepper on the top," said Mrs. Jo, devoutly hoping that the dinner would meet with no further disasters. The "cunning pepper-pot" soothed Sally's feelings, and she dished up her squash in fine style. The dinner was safely put upon the table; the six dolls were seated three on a side; Teddy took the bottom, and Sally the top. When all were settled, it was a most imposing spectacle, for one doll was in full ball costume, another in her night-gown; Jerry, the worsted boy, wore his red winter suit, while Annabella, the noseless darling, was airily attired in nothing but her own kid skin. Teddy, as father of the family, behaved with great propriety, for he smilingly devoured everything offered him, and did not find a single fault. Daisy beamed upon her company like the weary, warm, but hospitable hostess so often to be seen at larger tables than this, and did the honors with an air of innocent satisfaction, which we do not often see elsewhere. The steak was so tough that the little carving-knife would not cut it; the potato did not go round, and the squash was very lumpy; but the guests appeared politely unconscious of these trifles; and the master and mistress of the house cleared the table with appetites that anyone might envy them. The joy of skimming a jug-full of cream mitigated the anguish felt for the loss of the pies, and Asia's despised cake proved a treasure in the way of dessert. "That is the nicest lunch I ever had; can't I do it every day?" asked Daisy as she scraped up and ate the leavings all round. "You can cook things every day after lessons, but I prefer that you should eat your dishes at your regular meals, and only have a bit of gingerbread for lunch. To-day, being the first time, I don't mind, but we must keep our rules. This afternoon you can make something for tea if you like," said Mrs. Jo, who had enjoyed the dinner-party very much, though no one had invited her to partake. "Do let me make flapjacks for Demi, he loves them so, and it's such fun to turn them and put sugar in between," cried Daisy, tenderly wiping a yellow stain off Annabella's broken nose, for Bella had refused to eat squash when it was pressed upon her as good for "lumatism," a complaint which it is no wonder she suffered from, considering the lightness of her attire. "But if you give Demi goodies, all the others will expect some also, and then you will have your hands full." "Couldn't I have Demi come up to tea alone just this one time? And after that I could cook things for the others if they were good," proposed Daisy, with a sudden inspiration. "That is a capital idea, Posy! We will make your little messes rewards for the good boys, and I don't know one among them who would not like something nice to eat more than almost anything else. If little men are like big ones, good cooking will touch their hearts and soothe their tempers delightfully," added Aunt Jo, with a merry nod toward the door, where stood Papa Bhaer, surveying the scene with a face full of amusement. "That last hit was for me, sharp woman. I accept it, for it is true; but if I had married thee for thy cooking, heart's dearest, I should have fared badly all these years," answered the professor, laughing as he tossed Teddy, who became quite apoplectic in his endeavors to describe the feast he had just enjoyed. Daisy proudly showed her kitchen, and rashly promised Uncle Fritz as many flapjacks as he could eat. She was just telling about the new rewards when the boys, headed by Demi, burst into the room snuffing the air like a pack of hungry hounds, for school was out, dinner was not ready, and the fragrance of Daisy's steak led them straight to the spot. A prouder little damsel was never seen than Sally as she displayed her treasures and told the lads what was in store for them. Several rather scoffed at the idea of her cooking anything fit to eat, but Stuffy's heart was won at once. Nat and Demi had firm faith in her skill, and the others said they would wait and see. All admired the kitchen, however, and examined the stove with deep interest. Demi offered to buy the boiler on the spot, to be used in a steam-engine which he was constructing; and Ned declared that the best and biggest saucepan was just the thing to melt his lead in when he ran bullets, hatchets, and such trifles. Daisy looked so alarmed at these proposals, that Mrs. Jo then and there made and proclaimed a law that no boy should touch, use, or even approach the sacred stove without a special permit from the owner thereof. This increased its value immensely in the eyes of the gentlemen, especially as any infringement of the law would be punished by forfeiture of all right to partake of the delicacies promised to the virtuous. At this point the bell rang, and the entire population went down to dinner, which meal was enlivened by each of the boys giving Daisy a list of things he would like to have cooked for him as fast as he earned them. Daisy, whose faith in her stove was unlimited, promised everything, if Aunt Jo would tell her how to make them. This suggestion rather alarmed Mrs. Jo, for some of the dishes were quite beyond her skill wedding-cake, for instance, bull's-eye candy; and cabbage soup with herrings and cherries in it, which Mr. Bhaer proposed as his favorite, and immediately reduced his wife to despair, for German cookery was beyond her. Daisy wanted to begin again the minute dinner was done, but she was only allowed to clear up, fill the kettle ready for tea, and wash out her apron, which looked as if she had a Christmas feast. She was then sent out to play till five o'clock, for Uncle Fritz said that too much study, even at cooking stoves, was bad for little minds and bodies, and Aunt Jo knew by long experience how soon new toys lose their charm if they are not prudently used. Everyone was very kind to Daisy that afternoon. Tommy promised her the first fruits of his garden, though the only visible crop just then was pigweed; Nat offered to supply her with wood, free of charge; Stuffy quite worshipped her; Ned immediately fell to work on a little refrigerator for her kitchen; and Demi, with a punctuality beautiful to see in one so young, escorted her to the nursery just as the clock struck five. It was not time for the party to begin, but he begged so hard to come in and help that he was allowed privileges few visitors enjoy, for he kindled the fire, ran errands, and watched the progress of his supper with intense interest. Mrs. Jo directed the affair as she came and went, being very busy putting up clean curtains all over the house. "Ask Asia for a cup of sour cream, then your cakes will be light without much soda, which I don't like," was the first order. "Yes, I see, soda turns sour things sweet, and the fizzling up makes them light. Let's see you do it, Daisy." "Fill that bowl nearly full of flour and add a little salt to it," continued Mrs. Jo. "Oh dear, everything has to have salt in it, seems to me," said Sally, who was tired of opening the pill-box in which it was kept. "Salt is like good-humor, and nearly every thing is better for a pinch of it, Posy," and Uncle Fritz stopped as he passed, hammer in hand, to drive up two or three nails for Sally's little pans to hang on. "You are not invited to tea, but I'll give you some cakes, and I won't be cross," said Daisy, putting up her floury little face to thank him with a kiss. "Fritz, you must not interrupt my cooking class, or I'll come in and moralize when you are teaching Latin. How would you like that?" said Mrs. Jo, throwing a great chintz curtain down on his head. "Very much, try it and see," and the amiable Father Bhaer went singing and tapping about the house like a mammoth woodpecker. "Put the soda into the cream, and when it 'fizzles,' as Demi says, stir it into the flour, and beat it up as hard as ever you can. Have your griddle hot, butter it well, and then fry away till I come back," and Aunt Jo vanished also. Such a clatter as the little spoon made, and such a beating as the batter got, it quite foamed, I assure you; and when Daisy poured some on to the griddle, it rose like magic into a puffy flapjack that made Demi's mouth water. To be sure, the first one stuck and scorched, because she forgot the butter, but after that first failure all went well, and six capital little cakes were safely landed in a dish. "I think I like maple-syrup better than sugar," said Demi, from his arm-chair where he had settled himself after setting the table in a new and peculiar manner. "Then go and ask Asia for some," answered Daisy, going into the bath-room to wash her hands. While the nursery was empty something dreadful happened. You see, Kit had been feeling hurt all day because he had carried meat safely and yet got none to pay him. He was not a bad dog, but he had his little faults like the rest of us, and could not always resist temptation. Happening to stroll into the nursery at that moment, he smelt the cakes, saw them unguarded on the low table, and never stopping to think of consequences, swallowed all six at one mouthful. I am glad to say that they were very hot, and burned him so badly that he could not repress a surprised yelp. Daisy heard it, ran in, saw the empty dish, also the end of a yellow tail disappearing under the bed. Without a word she seized that tail, pulled out the thief, and shook him till his ears flapped wildly, then bundled him down-stairs to the shed, where he spent a lonely evening in the coal-bin. Cheered by the sympathy which Demi gave her, Daisy made another bowlful of batter, and fried a dozen cakes, which were even better than the others. Indeed, Uncle Fritz after eating two sent up word that he had never tasted any so nice, and every boy at the table below envied Demi at the flapjack party above. It was a truly delightful supper, for the little teapot lid only fell off three times and the milk jug upset but once; the cakes floated in syrup, and the toast had a delicious beef-steak flavor, owing to cook's using the gridiron to make it on. Demi forgot philosophy, and stuffed like any carnal boy, while Daisy planned sumptuous banquets, and the dolls looked on smiling affably. "Well, dearies, have you had a good time?" asked Mrs. Jo, coming up with Teddy on her shoulder. "A very good time. I shall come again soon," answered Demi, with emphasis. "I'm afraid you have eaten too much, by the look of that table." "No, I haven't; I only ate fifteen cakes, and they were very little ones," protested Demi, who had kept his sister busy supplying his plate. "Well, on the whole, the new game is a success then?" "I like it," said Demi, as if his approval was all that was necessary. "It is the dearest play ever made!" cried Daisy, hugging her little dish-tub as she proposed to wash up the cups. "I just wish everybody had a sweet cooking stove like mine," she added, regarding it with affection. "This play out to have a name," said Demi, gravely removing the syrup from his countenance with his tongue. "Oh, what?" asked both children eagerly. "Well, I think we will call it Pattypans," and Aunt Jo retired, satisfied with the success of her last trap to catch a sunbeam.

2019-04-26T04:01:48Z

https://americanliterature.com/author/louisa-may-alcott/book/little-men/chapter-v-pattypans

Rekeying in an authentication system including an authenticated data processing system (10) and an authenticating data processing system (20) is provided by the authenticating data processing system detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with a current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system and automatically updating the current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with the current public key. Automatic rekeying of a client in a server-side authentication system is provided. Automatic rekeying may occur upon detection by the client that server authentication has failed. The automatic rekeying may include requesting an updated key from a server. The request may include an identification of the current public key of the client and the server may access a repository of previous keys to sign the updated public key sent to the client with a private key corresponding to the current public key of the client. METHODS, SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR AUTOMATIC REKEYING IN AN AUTHENTICATION ENVIRONMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to network communications and more particularly to the authentication of a server. "rekeying." To perform such a change, however, the key pair must, typically, be changed at the server and each of the agents. If an agent has an out of date public key, it will be unable to correctly verify the signature of the certificate signed with the new private key of the server, despite the server being the authentic server to which the agent intended to connect. When "rekeying" of a server and agents occurred, conventionally, a manual process was used that involved exporting the new public/private key pair and importing the keys to replace the old keys used by the agents. The agents would, typically, be rebooted with the new keys to begin use of the keys. Such a manual operation could be time and cost consuming as well as risking a compromise of security during the manual export/import process. Conventionally, a solution to the rekeying issues was to manually create a new public key certificate and place it in the client machine to replace the old certificate. However, this type of manual process may not scale to an environment with a large number of client machines. Another conventional solution is to send the new public key certificate over an existing security channel from the server application to the client application, and programmatically synchronize both sides to switch to the new set of keys at a specific later time. This type of solution relies on the conditions that both the server and client machines are synchronized in their system time and the client application is running and connected to the server application at the time of transmitting the new public ey certificate. Also, in this scenario, if a client does not receive a key, then there aybe no way for the client to securely communicate with the server. A further conventional solution is that the server application keeps a non- authenticated channel open at all times for the client application to request a nev public key certificate when needed. Solutions such as this, however, may open a security hole from and extensive period of time. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention provided for rekeying in an authentication system including an authenticated data processing system and an authenticating data processing system. The authenticating data processing system detects failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with a current public I ey associated with the authenticated data processing system and automatically updartes the current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with the current public key. Certain embodiments of the present invention provide for rekeying in a server-side authentication system including a client and a server. In particular embodiments of the present invention, a client of the server detects failure of an authentication of the server with a current public key associated with the server. The client automatically updates the public key associated with the server with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of authentication with the client's current public key. The authentication ffailure may be detected, for example, by receivmg a signed certificate from the server and failing to verify the signed certificate with the current public key. In further embodiments of the present invention, the public key associated with the server is automatically updated by establishing a connection to an authentication server^ which may or may not be the authenticated server itself, requesting the updated public key from the authentication server over the. connection, receiving the updated public key and replacing the current public key with the updated public key. The- connection to the authentication server may, for example, be a secure connection to the server, such as a Secure Sockets Layer encryption only connection. In additional embodiments of the present invention, the updated public key is requested from the authentication server by sending a request for an updated public key to the authentication server. The request includes an identification of the current public key. The identification of the current public key may be a checksum of the current public key. In yet further embodiments of the present invention, receiving the updated public key includes receiving the updated public key signed with a private key corresponding to the current public key and verifying the received signed updated public key with the current public key. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the server is a system monitoring server and the client is a resource monitoring agent. In still further embodiments of the present invention, rekeying in a server-side authentication system including a server, is provided by the server receiving a request for an updated public key from a client over a connection established responsive to the client detecting failure of an authentication of the server by the client and providing the updated public key from the server to the client responsive to receiving the request for the updated public key from the client. The connection may be an encryption only secure connection to the server, such as a Secure Sockets Layer encryption only connection. However, this level of communication may be non-encrypted as well. In other words, the rekeying may take place in non-encrypted mode. Non-encrypted mode may not compromise security because only public keys may be exposed. In additional embodiments of the present invention, the request for an updated public key includes an identification of a current public key of the client. The identification of the current public key maybe a checksum of the current public key. The client may also be validated as authorized to request an updated public key based on the identification of the current public key of the client. In some embodiments of the present invention, a private key is selected from a repository of public/private key pairs based on the identification of the current public key. The updated public key may be provided by signing the updated public key utilizing the selected private key and sending the signed updated public key to the client over the secure connection. If the communication is to take place in non-encrypted mode, the updated public key may still be signed with the private key, however, the communication of the signed updated public key may not be encrypted. In still other embodiments of the present invention, the current public/private key pair of the server is stored in a key repository. Additionally, an authentication certificate or public key of the server may be signed with the updated private key. To further decrease the likelihood of a key compromise, the user can remove one or more of the historic keys stored in the key repository. By a judicious schedule of rekeying (for example, at a f equency of about Vi the expected time to break the key) and removal of old keys, the compromise of the secure authenticated communication between the client and the server may be highly unlikely. In yet additional embodiments of the present invention, the client further automatically requests updating of the current public key of the client associated with the server with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the server with the current public key. The client may detect failure of an authentication of the server by receiving a signed certificate from the server and failing to verify the signed certificate with the current public key. The client may also receive the updated public key from the server and replace the current public key with the updated public key. Receiving the updated public key may include receiving the updated public key signed with a private key corresponding to the current public key and verifying the received signed updated public key with the current public key. In yet additional embodiments of the present invention, a system for rekeying a server-side authentication system includes a first client configured to detect failure of the first client to authenticate an authenticated server and to automatically request an updated public key associated with the authenticated server for which an authentication failure was detected. An authentication server is configured to receive requests for updated public keys from the first client and send updated public keys to the first client. A key repository may also be provided operably associated with the authentication server. The key repository is configured to store previous public/private key pairs associated with the authenticated server. The authenticated server and the authentication server may be the same or different servers. In further embodiments of the present invention, the authentication server is further configured to select a public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the first client from which the request was received and sign the updated public key with a private key of the selected public/private key pair. The first client may also be configured to receive the updated public key from the authentication server and verify the signature of the received updated public key with the current public key of the first client. In additional embodiments of the present invention, a second client is configured to detect failure of the second client to authenticate an authenticated server and automatically request an updated public key associated with the authenticated server for which authentication failure was detected. The authentication server is further configured to receive requests for updated public keys from the second client and send updated public keys to the second client. The authentication server may also be configured to select a public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the first client from which the request was received and sign the updated public key with a private key of the selected public/private key pair and to select a public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the second client from which the request was received and sign the updated public key with a private key of the selected public/private key pair. The selected public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the second client and the selected public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the first client may be different public/private key pairs. In still further embodiments of the present invention, rekeying in an authentication system having an authenticated communication includes an authenticating data processing system that detects failure of an authentication of an authenticated communication with a current public key associated with a source of the authenticated communication and automatically updates the current public key associated with the source of the authenticated communication with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated communication with the current public key. In certain embodiments, the authenticated communication includes a signed certificate, the authenticating data processing system is a client and the source of the authenticated communication is a server. In other embodiments, the authenticated communication includes a signed certificate, the authenticating data processing system is a server and the source of the authenticated communication is a client. In additional embodiments of the present invention, the authenticated communication includes an e-mail message. In such embodiments, the authenticating data processing system may be a mail recipient and the source of the authenticated communication may be a source of the e-mail message. The source of the e-mail message may be an author of the e-mail and/or an e-mail server. As will further be appreciated by those of skill in the art, while described above primarily with reference to method aspects, the present invention may be embodied as methods, apparatus/systems and/or computer program products. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a block diagram of a server-side authentication system according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram of a data processing system suitable for use as a client and/or server in embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3 is a more detailed block diagram of aspects of a data processing system that may be used in embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 is a flow chart of operations carried out by a client according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating operations carried out by a server according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating messaging between an authentication server and a client according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating operations carried out by a client according to particular embodiments of the present invention. Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating operations carried out by a server when encryption keys are changed according to particular embodiments of the present invention. Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating operations carried out by a server for distributing new keys to clients according to particular embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, data processing system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module." Usage Scenarios [-new password -skey ...] This option will create a new private/public key pair with password protection in a file format. It is used primarily for multiple QDB environments where users will want to copy the file from place to place and check the same key files into the all the QDB. This will make the key management a bit simpler. If an older one exists.; then it will automatically be marked as historical for use in rekeying efforts. Usage Scenarios [-db... -new password] This option is used when users wants to create a new key pair. If an older one exists, then it will automatically be marked as historical for use in rekeying efforts. The password must be entered and should be remembered if at a later point the user will want to "checkout" the key and reinstall it in different QDB. Usage Scenarios [-db ... -seclev] This option can set the security level of the QDB. The new level will not take effect until the attached MS is restarted. Also, this option with 9 will remove all historical key-pairs while maintaining the current security level. By removing the historical key pairs, the users can manually "expire" the older keys as user's own security requirements dictate. Usage Scenarios [-db ... -change] This option would be used when user wants to "check-in" an existing key from a key file. This would happen again for multiple QDB environments where users want to share the key file among all the QDBs/MSs. Usage Scenarios [-db ... -ckey] Once a key pair is installed into a QDB, this option will take the current key pair and extract the client portion of the key (i.e.public key) in a "pern" format. This file then can be copied to the Agent site for use by. the Agent. Usage Scenarios [-db ... -skey] This option is used to "checkout" the current key pair into a password protected file format. This file then can be checked into a different QDB using the -change option. Alternatively, the input may be programmatically generated so as to automatically update the public/private key pairs periodically, for example, as part of an automated maintenance procedure. However the new public/private key pairs are generated, the new public/private key pair is stored in the key repository (block 810). The current public/private key pair is replaced with the new public/private key pair for use by the server in communications (block 820) and the certificate of the server is signed with the new private key (block 830). In addition to the generation of new public/private key pairs, the key repository may also be maintained, for example, by the removal of historic values. Thus, for example, the key repository may be purged of prior key values while maintaining the current key values. Particular key values could also be removed selectively, for example, by age or by determinations that such key values were no longer being used by any client with access to the server. Such maintenance of the key repository may be manual or automatically performed. For example, the server/authentication server 10 may maintain a list of all clients with which the server would be authenticated and remove keys from the key repository when all clients have had their keys updated to a more recent public key. Figure 9 illustrates operations of the server to provide a new public key to a client. As seen in Figure 9, an encryption only SSL connection is established with the client (block 900). The server receives a request for a new public key from the client over the established connection (block 910). The server extracts the identification of the client's current public key, for example, the checksum of the current public key of the client, from the request (block 920) and searches the key repository for a public key with a checksum corresponding to that provided by the client (block 930). In certain embodiments of the present invention, the checksum of the public key is stored in the key repository to facilitate such searching. In other embodiments of the present invention, the checksum is calculated from the public keys stored in the key repository at the time of searching. In still other embodiments, the checksum of recent public keys may be stored and of older public keys calculated. Additionally, searching techniques, such as hash searches or the like, may also be utilized to facilitate more rapid searching. In any event, if a public key is not found in the key repository that has a checksum corresponding to the checksum provided in the request from the client (block 940), the request is rejected (block 950). The rejection of the request may terminate communications with the client and/or generate an error log entry indicating the failure. Communications with the client could also be continued in a non-secure manner and the rejection of the request would terminate secure communications. Appropriate action could be taken on the part of the client so as to limit, adjust and/or modify the information provided to the server in light of the failure to establish a secure connection. If a public key is found in the key repository that has a checksum corresponding to the checksum provided in the request from the client (block 940), the corresponding private key is extracted from the repository (block 960). The new public key is signed with the private key extracted from the repository (block 970) and the signed new public key is sent to the client over the encryption only SSL connection (block 980). While embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to clients and servers, such terms are used in a generic sense. Thus, a client may be any data processing system/device that authenticates communications from another data processing system/device and a server may be any data processing system/device that is authenticated by another data processing system device. Thus, the term client refers to an authenticating system/device and the term server refers to an authenticated system/device. Thus, embodiments of the present invention may include, for example, server-side authentication systems, client-side authentication systems and/or two-way authentication systems. Furthermore, while embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to system monitoring systems, certain embodiments of the present invention may be applicable to other systems. For example, in an e-mail system a recipient of an e-mail may verify authentication of a sender (e.g., either the author or an e-mail server) of an e-mail against a local store or authenticated and/or encrypted e-mail senders. If the recipient fails to authenticate the sender, the recipient may automatically access an authentication server to obtain a new public key associated with the sender. If a new public key is available, the e-mail may be verified with the new public key. Such an authentication system could, for example, be provided in a conventional e-mail system, such as Microsoft Exchange, utilizing a plug-in for the automatic re-keying of the e-mail recipient. Thus, in certain embodiments of the present invention, authenticity of a communication may be verified and, upon failure of that verification, a public key may be automatically updated. The flowchart and block diagrams of Figures 1 through 9 illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operations of some embodiments of methods, systems, and computer program products for automatic rekeying in a server-side authentication environment. In this regard, each block represents a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in other implementations, the function(s) noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typical illustrative embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims. That which is claimed is: 1. A method of rekeying in an authentication system including an authenticated data processing system and an authenticating data processing system, comprising the following carried out by the authenticating data processing system: detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with a current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system; and automatically updating the current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with the current public key. 2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the authentication system comprises a server-side authentication system, the authenticated data processing system comprises an authenticated server and the authenticating data processing system comprises a client of the authenticated server, and wherein detecting failure comprises detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated server with a current public key associated with the authenticated server; and wherein automatically updating comprises automatically updating the current public key associated with the authenticated server with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated server with the current public key. 3. The method of Claim 2, wherein detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated server comprises: receiving a signed certificate from the authenticated server; and failing to verify the signed certificate with the current public key. 4. The method of Claim 2, wherein automatically updating the "current public key associated with the authenticated server comprises: establishing a connection to an authentication server; requesting the updated public key from the authentication server over the established connection; receiving the updated public key over the established connection; and replacing the current public key at the client with the received updated public key. 5. The method of Claim 4, wherein establishing a connection to the authentication server comprises establishing a secure connection to the authentication server. Sockets Layer encryption only connection. 7. The method of Claim 4, wherein the authenticated server and the authentication server comprise a single server. 8. The method of Claim 4, wherein requesting the updated public key from the authentication server comprises sending a request for an updated public key to the authentication server, the request including an identification of the current public key. 9. The method of Claim 8, wherein the identification of the current public key comprises a checksum of the current public key. 10. The method of Claim 4, wherein receiving the updated public key comprises: receiving the updated public key signed with a private key corresponding to the current public key; and verifying a signature of the received signed updated public key with the current public key. 11-. The method of Claim 2, wherein the authenticated server comprises, a system monitoring server and the client comprises a resource monitoring agent. 12. The method of Claim 1, wherein the authenticated data processing system comprises a client and the authenticated data processing system comprises a server. 13. A method of rekeying in a server-side authentication system including a server, the method comprising the following: receiving a request for an updated public key from a client over a connection established responsive to the client detecting failure of an authentication of the server by the client; and providing the updated public key from the server to the client responsive to receiving the request for the updated public key from the client. 14. The method of Claim 13, wherein the connection comprises an encryption only secure connection to the server. Secure Sockets Layer encryption only connection. 16. The method of Claim 13, wherein the request for an updated public key includes an identification of a current public key of the client. 17. The method of Claim 16, wherein the identification of the current public key comprises a checksum of the current public key. 18. The method of Claim 16, further comprising validating the client as authorized to request an updated public key based on the identification of the current public key of the client. 19. The method of Claim 16, further comprising: selecting a private key from a repository of public/private key pairs based on the identification of the current public key; and wherein providing the updated public key further comprises: signing the updated public key utilizing the selected private key; and sending the signed updated public key to the client over the secure connection. 21. The method of Claim 20, further comprising signing an authentication certificate of the server with the updated private key. 22. The method of Claim 13, wherein the client further carries out the following: automatically requesting updating of the current public key of the client associated with the server with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the server with the current public key. 23. The method of Claim 22, wherein the client detecting failure of an authentication of the server comprises: receiving a signed certificate from the server; and failing to verify a signature of the signed certificate with the current public key. 24. The method of Claim 22, further comprising the client carrying out the following: receiving the updated public key from the server; and replacing the current public key with the updated public key. 25. The method of Claim 24, wherein receivmg the updated public key comprises: receiving the updated public key signed with a private key corresponding to the current public key; and verifying a signature of the received signed updated public key with the current public key. 26. The method of Claim 13, wherein the server comprises a system monitoring server and the client comprises a resource monitoring agent. 27. A system for rekeying a server-side authentication system, comprising: a first client configured to detect failure of the first client to authenticate an authenticated server and to automatically request an updated public key associated with the authenticated server for which authentication failure was detected; and an authentication server configured to receive requests for updated public keys from the first client and send updated public keys to the first client. 28. The system of Claim 27, further comprising a key repository operably associated with the authentication server,-the key repository being configured to store previous public/private key pairs associated with the authenticated server. 29. The system of Claim 28, wherein the authentication server is further configured to select a public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the first client from which a request was received and sign the updated public key with a private key of the selected public/private key pair. 30. The system of Claim 29, wherein the first client is further configured to receive the updated public key from the authentication server and to verify a signature of the received updated public key with the current public key of the first client. 31. The system of Claim 29, further comprising a second client configured to detect failure of the second client to authenticate an authenticated server and automatically request an updated public key associated with the authenticated server for which authentication failure was detected; and wherein the authentication server is further configured to receive requests for updated public keys from the second client and send updated public keys to the second client. 32. The system of Claim 31 , wherein the authentication server is further configured to select a public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the first client from which the request was received and sign the updated public key with a private key of the selected public/private key pair and to select a public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the second client from which the request was received and sign the updated public key with a private key of the selected public/private key pair. 33. The system of Claim 32, wherein the selected public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the second client and the selected public/private key pair from the key repository corresponding to a current public key of the first client are different public/private key pairs. 34. An authenticating data processing system for use in a system for rekeying in an authentication system including an authenticated data processing system, comprising: means for detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with a current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system; and means for automatically updating the current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with the current public key. 35. The authenticating data processing system of Claim 34, wherein the authentication system comprises a server-side authentication system, the authenticating data processing system comprises a client and the authenticated data processing system comprises a server. 36. A computer program product for rekeying in an authentication system including an authenticating data processing system and an authenticated data processing system, the computer program product comprising: a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable program code configured to detect failure of an authentication of the authenticated data processing system with a current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system; and computer readable program code configured to automatically update the current public key associated with the authenticated data processing system with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication with the current public key. 37. The computer program product of Claim 36, wherein the authentication system comprises a server-side authentication system, the authenticating data processing system comprises a client and the authenticated data processing system comprises a server. 38. A method of rekeying in an authentication system having an authenticated communication, comprising the following carried out by an authenticating data processing system: detecting failure of an authentication of an authenticated communication with a current public key associated with a source of the authenticated communication; and automatically updating the current public key associated with the source of the authenticated communication with an updated public key responsive to detecting failure of an authentication of the authenticated communication with the current public key. 39. The method of Claim 38 , wherein the authenticated communication comprises a signed certificate, the authenticating data processing system comprises a client and the source of the authenticated communication comprises a server. 40. The method of Claim 38, wherein the authenticated communication comprises a signed certificate, the authenticating data processing system comprises a server and the source of the authenticated communication comprises a client. 41. The method of Claim 38, wherein the authenticated communication comprises an e-mail message, wherein the authenticating data processing system comprises a mail recipient and the source of the authenticated communication comprises a source of the e-mail message. 42. The method of Claim 41 , wherein the source of the e-mail message comprises an author of the e-mail. 43. The method of Claim 41, wherein the source of the e-mail message comprises an e-mail server.

2019-04-25T23:14:21Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2005055514A1/en

Our second Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum video oral history features Winnifred "Winnie" Field. Winnie was born and raised in London England. She joined the British army as a young woman during World War II. In the video she talks about the beating London took from the infamous German V1 and V2 flying bombs and how she, and her brave friends and neighbours dealt with this threat. Also, she talks about meeting her husband who was posted to England with the Canadian Army. After the war, she emmigrated to Canada as one of those famous war brides who had to deal with the culture shock of learning to appreciate living with a new family in a new country. Her story is touching and humorous. In World War II, thousands of men, both civilian and enlisted in the air force, provided valuable training at all levels to over 131,000 students from the air forces of British Commonwealth countries. Women were encouraged and recruited as civilians and air force staff into dozens of different trades in the Commonwealth air forces so that men could be released to take on combat roles. Although they were trusted in many jobs, women were not allowed to be instructors in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. One woman managed to enter and find success in this world exclusively allowed to men. Margaret Littlewood was that woman. She started her career in aviation as a flying instructor at Barker Field in Downsview Ontario at the school where she earned her flying licenses. In 1942, civilian flying schools closed down when fuel for aircraft became unavailable because of gas rationing. Out of work, Littlewood applied for work at the 10 Air Observer Schools in the BCATP located across Canada. A stroke of luck was delivered to her when World War I flying ace and manager of No. Air Observers School in Edmonton Alberta W.R. 'Wop' May asked her take an open position as a Link Trainer Instructor. At that time, the Link Trainer was a sophisticated flight simulator used by the air force to give flying experience to new students, especially with instrument flying procedures. Littlewood came into this job with absolutely no experience with the Link Trainer but by watching other instructors on the job and the recording equipment on the Link’s control desk along with experiencing flying with her students, she quickly caught on to the job and became very proficient. While working at No. 2 AOS, Littlewood was offered additional Link training duties with the Royal Air Force Ferry Command Centre in Dorval Quebec. In the three years she was in this job, she logged over 1200 hours of instruction time with 150 students at No. 2 AOS.. After World War II, she continued with aviation by completing all three levels of the commercial pilot license training – one of three women in Canada to do so. In 1954, Margaret joined the Canadian Ministry of Transport where she worked until 1980. In 1982 she was awarded the Amelia Earhart Award by the `Ninety-Nines’ international organization of women pilots for her pioneering achievements in advanced flying training. Margaret Littlewood passed away on February 5, 2012 at the age of 96 years. Featured here are some photos of Margaret Littlewood at work as a Link Trainer Instructor for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. We previously saw an example of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan’s Harry Hayward’s work in our Canada 150 Vignette No. 019 where we used information from his Station Report project to reveal a special day at No. 7 Bombing and Gunnery School in Paulson Manitoba. He continues his good work interpreting British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Station Reports gleaned from microfilmed official Royal Canadian Air Force reports. Harry is currently working on the reports for No. 10 Service Flying Training School in Dauphin Manitoba. We present a portion his work – a couple of months in 1941 which deals with the opening of that school and the subsequent difficulties connected to the opening -- staffing, the weather and essential base facilities. Although the writer of the reports is unknown to us, he was definitely a literate man using some fancy words in a type of report that generally isn’t flowery and injecting witty remarks which humanizes the situations he describes. Enjoy Vignette No. 63 – No. 10 SFTS Station Reports – Dauphin Manitoba. 15-2-41 Officer made shift for breakfast and lunch by means of a hot plate in the batmen's room. Sewage disposal plant and sewer system not yet completed. Will probably be end of February before these services ready for use. Only water available for washing and cooking must be hauled in tanks. Sanitary "conveniences" (?) of the most primitive outdoor type. 16-2-41 Several unofficial complaints of chilblains, account outside "sanitary" conveniences and temperature 22 degrees below zero, and not conducive to comfort under such circumstances. 20-2-41 Water and sewage systems still not available for use. 22-2-41 Still no sanitary facilities available. Large airmen's Mess put into service, and airmen vacated Sergeant's Mess which was being used temporarily. 23-2-41 Routine normal. Voluntary church parades held to various denominations. Strong winds and drifting snow. Snow plough out cleaning airport roads. 24-2-41 Heat turned on in No. 5 hanger and Command H. Q. notified ready to receive aircraft. Furniture for Officers' Quarters beginning Three stenographers, grade one, Civil Service, taken on strength. These are the only available stenogs-Civil Service- available in Dauphin. Organization of Orderly Room badly hampered by lack of clerks, only two service clerks posted this unit at this time. 25-2-41 Start made in getting canteen into operation. 27-2-41 One hundred tables and four hundred chairs supplied by breweries for use in wet canteens, also refrigerators for canteens, officers' and sergeants messes. Twenty-five second hand commodes, equipped with fume pipes, arrived - - " a feeble effort to relieve the discomforts of the medieval backhouses at 30 below zero. Authority brought back by C. O. to have additional female orderly room help from non-civil service stenogs available. Choice of experienced help very limited. 28-2-41 One more Orderly Room clerk reported for duty. Still no clerks available for Squadron Orderly Room. D. A. P. S. wired urgently to post at least three experienced N.C.O. clerks. Feb. 28 Training not yet commenced. March 1 1941 Water turned on in barrack blocks one to four inclusive for washing and showers only. March 2 Canteens-wet and dry- opened for first time at 1600 hours, with a small initial stock. Purchases, as far as possible, being made from local business firms. March 7 Eleven women stenographers now taken on strength. Squadron Orderly Room personnel extremely limited, no N.C.O. clerks available. Water for washing purposes turned on in the Officers Mess. March 8 Slight thaw set in bringing thick gumbo mud in its wake. Crew set to work making scrapers for entrance to buildings. March 10 Shower baths at last available in the Officers Quarters. Toilet facilities still of the most primitive type as sewage disposal plant not yet completed. March 11 Received 20 additional parachutes, making a total of 30. Lack of chutes has contributed to delay in getting flying instruction under way. March 12 Water turned on in G.I.S.- - for washing purposes only. Routine normal otherwise, although still a great shortage of General Duties personnel. Must employ ex-war veterans as messman, batmen and possibly as hanger G.D's. March 14 Water turned on in Barrack Blocks Nos. 5,6 and 7. Outside toilets still "the mode". Sanitary engineers arrived to check on sewage disposal plant. All fervently hope they'll give it an "O.K". Primitive backhouses very discomforting. March 17 Services of the fire engine had to be called in to aid pumps at the sewage disposal plant. Although the plant only handling waste water from the showers, and practically no sewage, regular pumps proved inadequate to handle the discharge alone. March18 Backhouses abandoned and nobody has any regrets. Toilets in barrack blocks cannot be used yet. March 19 Three civilians taken on as messmen due to shortage of G.D's for kitchen help. March 25 Number of ex-service men taken on as civilian messmen, thus relieving, to some extent, the serious shortage of General Duties personnel. March 27 Thawing and muddy during the day. Additional civilians-veterans- engaged for duties in kitchens. March 28 Thawing all day. The mud is terrific,- - ankle deep and as affectionate as a love-sick sweetheart. Walking is agony, it clings so. In D.R.O. of this date was the gladsome news that the toilets in the Barrack Blocks may be used for the first tine Sunday, March 30. No more outdoor backhouses. It is hoped the sewage disposal plant keeps on disposing. March 29 Weather fine and warm. Snow disappearing- - mud appearing. Runways covered with slush by early afternoon. March 30 Flaps on five Harvards damaged due to slush on runways. Repairs delayed due to lack of material. Photographic section inoperative due to lack of equipment and supplies. Diffusion plate on enlarging camera broken when received. No films or printing paper received and only part of chemical ingredients for developers and fixing bath. April2 C.O’s inspection showed Barrack Block 4 in very dirty condition and empty beer bottles found in the block. Whole block confined to camp for 7 days. April 5 Dauphin Little Theatre Association put on the first show in the Recreation Hall. Quite successful and enjoyable. About 60 girls from Dauphin came out for the dance which followed. Mud terrible, and walking in it even more terrible. However, all seemed to enjoy themselves in spite of the gritty floor. April 6 It is just one month since flying training started and already this Unit is 13 days ahead of schedule with course No. 22. April 7 Caterpillar tractors around this camp have come to be known as "Tugs", Half their time seems to be spent in towing bogged trucks out of the deep, gooey mud. "Plugstreet" is the nickname now given to the road from the Administration Building to the Officers' Mess. Trucks using this road all day long have churned it into an affectionate morass that recalls the muddy mess of Flanders. Bogged cars, floundering officers struggling through knee deep squish, and occasionally sitting down in it, are typical scenes. April8 Mud gets thicker and deeper. Walking on the "roads" becoming a perilous undertaking. April 10 W & B (Works & Building) Section procured several carloads of cinders in an effort to make muddy roads passable. That's about all the roads are at present. April 11 W & B crews busy trying to keep bottom from dropping out of camp roads. All truck traffic banned, except for absolute emergencies. Tractor and stoneboat used for camp hauling. April 12 All traffic on camp roads stopped except big tractor hauling stoneboat. Station Photographic Section still inoperative, No film or paper supplied yet, although specially indented for. Cannot use enlarging camera because of broken diffusion plate. Replacement asked for a month ago. Pictures of crash had to be taken with a private camera. April 13 Roads awful because of mud which is knee deep in places. April14 Disappearing snow has revealed piles of debris all over the camp, left by the builders. Fatigue parties busy all day in an effort to get things shipshape for tomorrow's official opening ceremony. Terrific task because of the mud. Nearly impossible to keep buildings clean for five minutes at a time. Movies shown for the first time in the Recreation Hall. April 15 Weather C.A.V.U. Today this station was officially opened, with appropriate ceremonies, by Air Commodore A.B. Shearer, A.O.C. No. 2 Training Command. About 2500 residents of Dauphin attended. The A.O.C. arrived by plane at 1115 hours, accompanied by F/O McLennan, personal aide. Opening ceremonies commenced at 1430 hours when the A.O.C. cut the ribbon which opened the path for a Harvard flown by S/L R.E. DuPont in an exhibition of aerobatics. The A.O.C. told of the development of the Joint Air Training Plan and the part #10 S.F.T.S. will play. Prior to the opening ceremony the A.O.C. inspected a guard of R.C.A.F. personnel and a company of the Dauphin Veterans Guard. Afterwards the civilian visitors were shown over the station. From 1600 to 1800 hours a number of invited guests were entertained at tea in the Officers' Mess. In the evening an informal dance was held in the Officers' Mess. The band of No. 2 T.C. played during the afternoon, and the orchestral section for the dance in the Mess. Visiting aircraft were Beechcraft B.M.U. with A.O.C, Boeing with band and Lockheed with the visiting flight from Trenton. The new fireplace in the Officers' Mess was used for the first time, the A.O.C. lighting the first fire. April 23 Shortage of tail wheel tires reported reducing the number of serviceable aircraft. April 25 Sun and wind drying up the mud. Compactors and graders busy on the roads. May 1/41 Harvard 3025 crashed in a forced landing. Makes twelfth accident since station opened. May 4 S/L G. Sellers of No. 11 S.F.T.S., Yorkton, Sask. landed with 7 other machines at 1330 hours. He informed the C.O. there had been a collision in mid-air near Lake Audy. Tail Section cut off one plane which crashed. Other plane landed here with prop and wing damaged. Search party organized and found wreckage in two sections 2 miles apart. Pilot of 11 S.F.T.S., dead. May 6 Weather turned raw and cold. Fires have been out since April 30 on instructions from Command. Quarters and offices cold and damp. Even sheets on the beds were damp, but still no warmth in buildings. Temperature down to 49 degrees at 2030 hours. Several makeshift hot water bottles cane to light as personnel tried to keep warm in bed. May 7 Heating units in station buildings turned on again at 0900 hours after temperature had dropped during the night to 38.5 degrees. A little more comfortable now that the heat has been turned on again in the buildings. May 8 Spring is in the air, and the urge to beautify in the ascendant. Appears to be keen gardening competition on among hangar crews and occupants of barrack blocks as to who will have the neatest and most colorful gardens in their respective areas. May 10 A civilian employee working on the field, ducked and fell on an axe he was carrying, cutting a gash in his arm when a Harvard swerved off runway. May 12 Weather clear. Flying all day. Six tail wheels blown out today. May 13/41 Mr. Tinline and Mr. Good of Brandon Experimental Farm here to arrange for seeding of the grounds. May 14 Getting colder again. Overcoats needed in offices and hot water bottles in bed. Heat shut off and buildings like refrigerators. Temperature down to 38. Everybody shivering. (Sniffling noses are the order of the day). Heat turned on again at 0900 hours. May 16 Four Chesterfield sets for various Messes donated by T. Eaton Co. Branch at Dauphin. It was decided to purchase others for the Canteen and Library from Canteen profits. Shortage of tail wheels. Seems very difficult getting equipment depot to part with them. Six ordered by LPO from Toronto and delivered from manufacturer in two days Six only were received from the depot on Demand No. B 57 which demanded 80. May 17 Wing tips are "getting it in the neck" these days. Another damaged on Harvard 3773, tried to land too high up. May 18 Five new Harvards flown in from Winnipeg, No seat harness or identification lights in then, so cannot be used for either day or night flying. Some use, however- -at least their tail wheel tires are being used to make other aircraft serviceable which were short of such part. May 23 Two accidents today. Nobody hurt. Must be a lot of spare horse shoes around, everyone seems to be so lucky. Student pilot in Harvard 3783, low flying in Fisher River area–46 miles north. Struck a backhouse in the Stony Creek school grounds with his port wing. Aileron and 7 feet at outer end of wing torn off. Backhouse disintegrated. Pilot managed to fly back to the aerodrome minus aileron and half of wing. Made a perfect landing. Two charges laid against him of low flying and endangering life, under A.F.A. Sec. 39A (1) (e) and one under A.F.A, Sec. 11. May 24 Student pilot was killed when his plane, Harvard 2943, spiralled into the ground at 2330 hours while on solo night flying practice from the relief field. The aircraft hit the ground about two miles northwest of the field. There was an explosion and the plane burst into flames. Bolton was killed instantly and the body badly burned. "A" Category crash. Saturday routine normal otherwise. May 27 Overcast skies and cold. Short funeral service held by F/L Littlewood, station chaplain. Six Leading Aircraftsmen acted as pallbearers and escorted body to the train for shipment to Toronto. His Honor, R.F. McWilliams, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, visited the Station this afternoon accompanied by prominent local citizens. Toured Station and were guests at tea in the Officers' Mess. May 28 Course 22, the first from this school to graduate, received their wings today. The presentation was made by the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander A.H. Wilson. The ceremony was held in the Drill Hall and was attended by friends and relatives of the graduates. As he pinned the wings on the breasts of the recipients, the C.O. addressed a few complimentary remarks to each. Afterwards he addressed the class as a whole. Presentation of wings should really be regarded as the beginning of their careers as pilots, he said, and exhorted them to keep open minds and continue to learn. Following the presentation the parade marched past in column of route, the C.O. taking the salute. LAC Daniels wired the C.O. from Centerville, Kansas: "Sir, will arrive a few days late" for course 29. Very nice of Mr. Daniels. Course 29 reported today for training. May 30 Pay Parade held for all ranks. Normal routine otherwise. Clocks turned back one hour new Station time. June 13 Course 25 Examination List posted. Forty-nine passed, two failed. Two fatalities in this course. Seven pupils washed out during the course. June 16/41 51 New Zealand Trainees reported for Course 31. June 21 Course 25 graduated and received their wings today. Group Captain D.W.F. Bonham-Carter made the presentation, addressing a few words of congratulation to the graduates individually as he pinned the wings on their breasts. At the conclusion of the ceremony the Group Captain addressed the class as a whole. He exhorted them to be cautious and not to take unnecessary risks but not to hesitate to take whatever risk arose in their line of duty. He wished them Godspeed and good luck. Thirty-two of the graduates were posted overseas and seventeen to C.F.S. Trenton for further training as instructors. June 23 One of the cross beams in Hangar 4 reported cracked. Shored up. June 24 The afternoon at which the Court Martial sentence of a Sgt. Pilot was promulgated. Five squadrons were drawn up in a hollow square on the parade ground while the sentence was read by F/O J. Sinclair, station adjutant. The Sgt. was severely reprimanded and awarded $75.00 deductions of pay. Today a carload of lumber for duckboards arrived. Very ducky. The material was ordered during the gumbo period in the spring for immediate use. Anyhow, it will be handy next spring to alleviate wallowing conditions. June 25 Ice cream dispenser installed in canteen. Pop sales increasing by leaps and sounds with hot weather. Canteen committee voted to donate sum equivalent to 1% of gross sales monthly to R.C.A.F. Benevolent Fund, but reserved right to discontinue the donation at any future tine. Routine normal. June 26 Weather C.A.V.U. and hot as the hobs of Hell. June 27 Pay parade held today. June 28 NZ student. made three take-offs with flat tail wheel tire. Came in and announced he couldn't savvy lack of control on the ground. July 1, 1941. Dominion Day; everybody working. July 2 Rainy weather last week, which stopped flying, led to two cars of gasoline being cancelled today--too much in stock and on the way. Having difficulty in keeping things running due to lack of General Duties. Now 132 short of establishment. Records say little hope of posting any yet. Supply of suitable civilian replacements also diminishing. Enlisting "Old Sweats" as G.D's one solution. Mosquitos have raised Hell with comfort at night in Airmen's Barrack Blocks. During the recent hot spell somebody busted the fly screens to get more air at night. Result "Skeeters" blitzkrieged the sleepers. Some brainy wag conceived the idea of a smudge pot. Used the disinfectant footbath, with rags and paper in the middle of the room. Smoke beat both Skeeters and sleepers. The latter soon abandoned the Barrack and slept on the grass- -despite even more Skeeters. July 3, 1941 Shipment of five more cars of gasoline cancelled because of recent bad weather. Storage tanks full. July 4 Weather dull and muggy. This Unit's first case for detention barracks came up today. AC2 under going detention, refused to appear for detention drill. He was awarded a further 21 days detention in Fort Osborne jail. July 6, 1941 Group Capt. Izatt and S/L Gilkison of the R.N.Z.A.F. arrived and spent the afternoon inspecting R.N.Z.A.F. personnel in training here. Fifty-Two R.N.Z.A.F. trainees for Course 33 reported for duty. July 8 Arrival of reinforcing steel ended delay in construction of W.&.B. section. Had been held up for three weeks. July 9, 1941 Two more students washed out as pilots. July 10 A fire occurred outside heater room of Barrack No. 2. Apparently started from hot ashes removed from the jacket heater. Damage estimated at $10.00. Fire department did good work in immediately quenching it. July 11 Landscaping of grounds about finished. The job now is to coax the grass to grow. Seeding was late, resulting in poor germination- - of pukka grass- -but loads of mustard. Mr. Brickenden of Department of Health, Ottawa, visited the school. He complained of odor from sewage disposal plant being carried off in open ditch. Odor not exactly rose-perfumed, but no provision made in station plans for costly disposal field. July 12, 1941 Station and interviewed a number of civilian employees with a view to their enlistment. July 14 New course, No. 33, commenced instruction. July 15 F/O Fisher to Neepawa to survey new school site. Pay parade held today. July 16 Canteen staff reported canteen broken into during the night. Door jimmied. About 10 packages cigarettes and $12.60 cash stolen. Investigation in progress. July 17 At last we have received a few more General Duties personnel, 14 of them. That brings us up to a strength of 89 G.D.s as against an establishment of 229. Some job stretching 14 new men to meet all the demands. July 18 Canteen staff completely changed. Continual shortages reported; showing up particularly after month-end stocktaking. Clean sweep of canteen staff may be solution to the problem. Stocktaking carried out this morning, before new staff took over. July 19 Weather C.A.V.U. Hotter ‘n Hell. F/L Huff from Command H.Q. checking on fire hazards. Remarked on shortage of regular fire crew, but can't do much about it with the huge shortage of General Duties personnel. July 21, 1941 The hot devils are dancing on the hobs of hell again. Blistering heat with promise of later electric storm. Visibility unlimited. High wind sprang up-and a hot one, regular sirocco - about 1600 hours. July 22 Weather partly cloudy. Visibility unlimited. At 0105 hours, during night flying exercises, Harvard 3019 had a forced landing. Pilot unhurt, aircraft damaged- -wings, centre section and flaps; undercarriage wiped off. Engine conked in taking off when aircraft about 30 feet off ground. Aircraft narrowly missed boundary marker poles at end of flightway, tore out fence pole, just cleared surface of No. 10 Highway; wheels torn off on lip of 10 foot ditch on west side of Highway. Aircraft skidded on its belly to a stop in a field 50 yards west of Highway, Cause fuel failure gasoline tap not turned to full "on" position. Ten civilian employees of W.&.B. section to Winnipeg for enlistment. Word received here they were being posted elsewhere instead of being returned here. These men have been employed against position on establishment since construction of station first started. July 23 Flying Officer Fisher, W.&.B. officer, contacted C.W.O., Winnipeg, re confusion regarding enlistment and posting of W. & B, civilian personnel at this Unit. July 27 Heavy rain during the night necessitated use of the fire engine to assist pumps at sewage disposal plant in handling heavy runoff. July 28, 1941 T. Eaton representative visited the station and inspected linoleum laid in the various school buildings. July 30 Relaying of linoleum in hospital completed by T. Eaton Co. Routine normal otherwise. July 31, 1941 Works & Buildings section moved into their new quarters. W.&.B. personnel busy picking up crashes for #7 B. & G. School as well as this Unit. Former apparently has no crane equipment. Maintenance section appears to have solved the problem of grabbing brake bands on Harvards. "Finnegan is "off again" for the seventh time. "Finnegan" is the mythical trumpeter this Unit hopes to get sometime - and hopes to be able to keep him. This Unit is entitled to two trumpeters. Has only had one since station opened. D.A.P.S. was asked- -last March- -to post us a second. D.A.P.S. did so, but cancelled the posting next day. On six additional occasions the same procedure --posting and immediate cancellation -- has happened. So, its "off again, on again, gone again, Finnegan". Trumpeters must be more precious than gold. During World War II, children, especially boys, were in love with all things military, This, together with a child’s instinct to collect things sparked a major battle between two of Canada’s retail institutions – the Canada Starch Company and the St. Lawrence Starch Company.They were the dominant providers of corn syrup and corn starch products in Canada, and fierce competitors. The Canada Starch Company was founded in 1858 while the St. Lawrence Starch Company came into existence in 1889 (and subsequently met its demise in 1990). During World War II, these companies engaged in a battle to sell more product aided by a mutual marketing gimmick to attract customers, They offered prizes with the purchase of their products. In this case, special sets of military themed pictures/trading cards, primarily of British and Canadian air forces aircraft. This type of competition was not new to these retailers - the race started many years before WWII with first prize offerings being pictures/cards of popular hockey players. The Great Depression brought a new slant to their everlasting competition. The 1930s brought about a full-blown marketing war between the two. Each tried to out-do the other by using the popular media of the time to promote their products. Consumers were inundated with newspaper ads, store displays with giveaway materials, recipe booklets and sponsored radio programs. Creativity can only go so far and the readers and listeners of subsequent marketing campaigns found it difficult to differentiate one from the other. Also, although each company gave consumers `freebies’ to buy their products, the similarity of their brands of syrup and starch allowed customers to use either company’s products interchangeably with no noticeable difference in reults. One brand of starch or syrup, was pretty much the same as the next and often the decision to buy a specific product was based on the prize offered with the purchase. The Canada Starch Company, not to be perceived as a retail 'shrinking violet,' followed suit by introducing their Crown Brand of hockey pictures in the following year. Crown Brand hockey pictures were only around for five years while the more popular Bee Hive pictures lasted for 30 years. World War II brought big change to the starch company picture card battle. With many of the best hockey players heeding the call to 'Join Up' hockey player cards became less desirable to the consumer. St. Lawrence company struck first again by offering their V156 "Warplanes" series of 12 pictures of Royal Air Force aircraft in 1941. Like those of the hockey players, the aircraft picture cards were photographs mounted on high-quality matte paper approximately five by eight inches in size. The cards were very popular and by the end of the war, three supplementary "Warplanes" sets had been issued offering a total of 223 distinct cards to collectors. The Canada Starch Co. followed suit by issuing their own set of pictures known as Crown Brand "Britain’s Fighting Planes" in 1941. Trying to outdo Bee Hive again, the Crown Brand pictures, also of similar size and mounted on a paper matte, were paintings and in color. The initial offering was six pictures including the Spitfire, Hurricane, Defiant, Sunderland Flying Boat, Wellington and Blenheim. This offering increased in size of the collection with eight additional picture cards featuring warships of the British Royal Navy. Eventually "Britains Fighting Planes and Warships" offered a total of 29 pictures of which, one lonely army picture -- a Bren Gun Carrier -- made it into the air force/navy dominated set. One further peculiar inclusion was the 30th card, a black and white photo of Winston Churchill. The World War II cards of both companies can now be found now listed for sale on-line in the $20 per card range. This is a major step up from the good old days when a syrup label and letter to the issuing company would get one for you. They were very popular at the time. We can imagine many families with one or more kids pestering Mom to buy more syrup or starch and running from neighbor to neighbor asking for surplus labels. With a total of 253 cards to be obtained, that amounted to a huge amount of pestering and running. Adding to the great effort required to win these prizes was that table syrup was rationed during the war. This might have required the dedicated enthusiast to broaden label hunting horizons to other neighborhoods and distant relatives. Starch products were not rationed. One wonders how useful laundry starch would be in enhancing this hobby today – who uses laundry starch now?... not popular in a 'wash and wear' society. We offer examples of each company’s art on this page. The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum has many of these airplane pictures/cards in the archives. In the first two installments of Sam and Glen Merrifields story, we followed them as the moved from teenage kids on the Canadian prairies through training in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and onto deployment as ground crew with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Great Britian. Trained as wireless (radio) technicians, Sam and Glen became members of Canada’s No. 405 Vancouver Squadron, the first of may Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons which when combined became know as No. 6 Group, Bomber Command. 405 Squadron took part in the first bomber raid over Germany and remained with No. 6 Bomber Group until October 1942 when it was deployed to Coastal Command where it carried out anti-submarine partrols over the Bay of Biscay and anti-shipping action against German ships. Settled in, we follow the story of these two Canadian airmen, who with their equally innocent friends in the air force, experienced life as warriors and visitors in a land far from home where much was the same and much was different from what they knew in Canada. Like Marham (England), Driffield was a permanent force base but in the early days of the war it had been badly bombed with the result that there were no doors on the hangar in which the wireless and electrical sections used one common room. When we got there, the highest ranking person in the wireless section was a Corporal named Ford. There was one other RCAF Canadian on the Squadron and also in the Wireless Section named Tom Cranston. There were some Canadian aircrew members who were in the RAF, one being Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Peter Gilchrist. The barrack block in which we lived had half of it blown away by an earlier bombing. When we arrived, there was one aircraft but within a day or two another two arrived and either that night or certainly within a week, the Germans came over one night and dropped bombs on the airdrome and completely wrecked one of our planes and badly damaged another thereby reducing our compliment of aircraft which could fly to one. My brother and I arrived at Driffield in May 1941, the second and third RCAF types to join the Squadron. The 'drome had been bashed about by 50 JU 88's of Eagle Geschwader KG 30 from Norway on Eagle Day 1940 and no repairs had been done. We slept in one end of an H type brick block, the other end was a pile of rubble. These blocks had an air raid shelter in the basement at the center part of the H. At that time the squadron had two Wellington Aircraft, I think both were dual control jobs for training. This particular night we were all asleep and a nearby Ack Ack battery started shooting away. The shooting became more intense and I decided to go have a look. Nobody else stirred or seemed to bother. I got up and put my pants and tunic over my pyjamas and had my second foot half into my Wellington boots when a thousand pound German bomb went off about 150 feet from our billet. Well my bed was four feet from the door and would you believe a dozen fellows beat me to the door. The dam guns had made Jerry think something of value was down there. I guess it was. . . not us. . . but our aircraft. . . yes, we lost one. . . burned to a pile of ashes and two engines. Here we were a new Bomber Squadron and Jerry's bomb cut us to half strength before we even got operational. We in 405 Squadron gave them back many a BIG BANG but we have to admit Jerry got the first shot .... he sure did. Glen's other recollection of Driffield was being in town for a movie on Saturday night and buying a pair of pyjamas that caught my eye in a store window. No big deal until I saw the headline of the Sunday papers which announced that clothes were to be rationed effective immediately and enlisted men's ration was zero. The pyjamas did last three and a half years until my return to Canada. We were at Driffield because Pocklington, the base we were to operate from, was being newly built and was not yet completed. Our time in Driffield was spent receiving new aircraft and adapting them to be operational. I believe we flew one or two operations from Driffield. These were in early days when there were still gunners with the rank of Leading Aircraftsman, flying as aircrew. It was not too long before all aircrew were promoted to senior non-commissioned officers which was Sergeant or higher. There were never any RCAF aircrew below the rank of Sergeant and to equalize things the RAF soon followed that rule. The main reason for aircrew being senior non-commissioned officers was that if they were shot down and captured their treatment by the Germans was considerably less severe in the prison camps than if they did not hold that senior rank. Glen here .... Our aircraft at Driffield were the same ones we had at Marham except for the engines. The Merlin engine had become famous through its use in the Hurricanes and Spitfires and we thought it an improvement over the radial Pegasus. Not so as the aircraft had been designed for the radial units. The reason that we had Merlins was because the factory that produced the Pegasus was in Coventry and ceased to exist after the famous air raid when the Nasty Germans bombed that poor little residential town. So much for wartime propaganda. The nearest good sized city to Driffield was a seaside town called Bridlington and it was close enough to get there after work any evening. Being a resort city there were a number of rides and we had great fun driving around in little bumper cars crashing into each other. There was also, in Bridlington, a school principal who had, many years earlier worked with Tom Cranston's father on a newspaper and still contributed to the paper Tom's father owned in the town of Midland, Ontario, with the result that Tom and I were at his home a couple of times for tea. In Britain, the canteens were all operated by the Navy, Army, Airforce Institute known as the NAAFI. Cigarettes were extremely scarce and to get them, when they were available, involved lining up and getting five Stars, five Players Weights, or five Wild Wills Woodbines, Which was the maximum allotment, I believe we were still in Marham when the first parcel of 300 cigarettes came to each of us and what a red letter day. The Canadian government agreed that there would be no tax on cigarettes sent overseas by the tobacco companies and instead of a penny each, which they were on the Canadian market, the tobacco companies would send us 300 in a package for each dollar sent to them. If the sender wished to remit $2.50, they would send 1000 cigarettes. Our Dad sent us 300 cigarettes a week which gave us all we needed. In addition, the folks in our hometown of Wolseley, Sask. raised funds for the men from the town in the services and two or three times each year we would get 1000 cigarettes from them. Additionally, once the Canadian YMCA took over providing us with comforts, movies, sports equipment etc., we would usually get a free package of cigarettes when we went to the movies so all in all, we had sufficient cigarettes to share them with the less fortunate RAF fellows with whom we worked. It took some months to get the flow of cigarettes coming and until we left Driffield we had received only one or two 300 cigarette packages which augmented what we could get from the NAAFI but cigarettes were still not plentiful. The scarcity in the spring of 1941 was blamed on the German submarines and the sticky fingers in the army post office which handled all Canadian service mail. Canadian cigarettes could be bought in many pubs, during this period, in London so there is a story there. It was not until June 20, 1941 that we moved on to Pocklington and until then we had a busy time in wireless section. Not only did we not have a full complement of personnel but during that month, all the squadron aircraft were being assembled which meant checking out all the Wireless equipment as it came and installing the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) the very first type of radar. It was a brand new device and the earliest aircraft came without it and it had to be installed with our assistance. It was no secret that it was kept under guard in the wireless section at all times that the aircraft were not on operations and it contained a detonator attached to a gravity switch which blew the device up if the aircraft crashed with the device in it. Once the IFF was placed in position the plug from the switch was inserted and we had two instances when the switch was not in the off position and it blew up in the faces of those putting in the plug causing substantial injuries and junking an IFF. Bob Ford and Glen are two I can remember and in the case of Bob, there was concern that he would be blinded but fortunately such was not the case. When we got to Pocklington, the Wireless section, the Electricians and the photographic section were all in the hut closest to the runway and were the only people to have their hut designated by the red light so we were referred to as the "Red Light District". Shortly after we got settled in, we acquired a Volley ball and net which we strung between our hut and the next and when the weather allowed, we spent part of our noon hours and our evenings playing volleyball. We became so proficient that we were the station champions and when we learned of a tournament at another Canadian airdrome in Yorkshire, we entered a team and won second place. That is the end of story that Sam (Merrifield) had written when he had the stroke on December 18th, 1987. He had no chance to edit or amend it and I have typed it faithfully as my skill permits. After the 40th Anniversary Reunion of the Battle of Britain in Toronto in 1980 I wrote a few friends and accumulated a few anecdotes for the record. Sam contributed to these and I shall put his offerings into my narrative in the proper order and identify them. There will be similar stories of others. Sam's memory is still keen but his vision and other ailments will not let him continue. Therefore my efforts must suffice but I shall check with Sam to see my 45 years of remembrance are not too faulty.

2019-04-25T10:06:56Z

http://www.hillmanweb.com/150/13bcatp.html

In 1976 a joint venture among Saudi businessmen, Kuwaiti businessmen, and the Danish Turnkey Dairies gave rise to the establishment of the Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company. At the beginning, owing to financial constrains the company began its operations with the production of the UHT milk. During this time the company’s factory was located in Jeddah. Ireland (112) points out that over time the company managed to make massive profits and as a result in 1987 Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company acquired the Saudi Danish Dairy Company as well as the Medina Danish Dairy Company. It is as a result of this acquisition that the company merged the two and it started being referred to as Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company. According to her, the change to Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company did not take place immediately and therefore it had to wait until all the formalities are concluded. The company changed its name to Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company (SADAFCO) in the year 1993. Beginning with UHT at the time of inception, the company had by early 1990s managed to introduce other products in the market most notably being the tomato paste, cheese- although this was a joint venture with a subsidiary of the New Zealand Dairy Board, hommos, bottled mineral water as well as snacks. Global Investment House (p 3) says that Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company has undergone other important milestones that have placed it among the largest producers of dairy products in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East as a whole. It notes that in 1989 Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company was the first company in the Middle East to begin commercial production of tomato paste in Tetra Pak packaging. In addition, it notes that this same company became the first to launch long life hommos in Tetra Pak packaging. Furthermore, in the year 1998 the company commenced the production of bottled water as well as carbonated juice drinks and also established regional distribution centre in Jeddah so that their products could reach as many people as possible. Having done all this that company was well placed to compete with other multi nationals that were planning to initiate similar projects in the area. Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company is a manufacturing industry. This means that it converts raw materials into finished goods. Some of the finished products produced include Tomato paste, UHT milk, and juice. Then the question is where do their raw materials come from? According to Bricault (p 124) the key ingredients in the production of juice are fruits. He says that to produce an orange juice, the machine has to first of all crash orange fruits after which other preservative chemicals are added to it. In addition to that he notes that tomato paste production has to follow an almost similar way in its production. This is also a similar case when it comes to the production of UHT milk. Therefore, according to him Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company changes the original state of a substance like orange, or tomato in order to make the end product stay for a long time without going bad. As a result he says that Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company is a manufacturing company. As earlier stated when the company began its operations in 1976, UHT milk was the first product to be manufactured. This milk consisted of whole milk, skimmed milk, enriched milk as well as the flavored milk. All the UHT milk sold in Saudi Arabia or in the Middle East is marketed under the label of SAUDIA. According to Ireland (p 121) the company has continued to realize increased sales of this product year in year out. She says that this as been made possible by the company’s decision to maintain quality of its UHT milk coupled with the innovative nature of the company employees. She says that in the meeting held in 2004, the company managing director estimated that by the year 2010, the market for its UHT milk would increase in the same rate as the population growth in the Middle East. At the same time sales from their fresh milk has also increased more than the company estimated and as a result he says that the company management were forced to increase their production to cater for this demand. Furthermore he says that the company’s management team hoped that this increase in demand for fresh milk would not reduce the market demand of their UHT milk which for a long time has dominated the Middle East market. Just like the fresh and the UHT milk this company usually sells its ice cream under the SAUDIA brand. Global Investment House (p 1) says that besides the SAUDIA brand other names used to market the Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company ice cream are the ‘Baboo’ and the ‘Movenpic’. According to it, Movenpic products are manufactured and produced by this company under the license from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The products are sold under this license in countries like, Bahrain, United Arab Emirate (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia herself. It notes that the company’s management team hopes that the market for ice cream is going to replicate the success of the other products most notably being the milk. In order to achieve this, it argues that the company has a plan of building on the current sales by diversifying the products that they will avail in the markets. Some of the ice cream varieties that they have include vanilla, and chocolate. It says that if the company continues in its quest to come up with new products, then sales from ice cream will definitely be on the rise as this is going to place them ahead of their competitors for instance the Almarai Company which had dominated this dairy products sector for a long time prior to the establishment of Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company. Therefore, according to it all that the company needs is to inject a little more capital so that they can keep up the pace of those who started ice cream production ahead of them and possibly go ahead of them. In juice production and marketing, the company uses the brand name SAUDIA to market them. According to Ireland (p 123) Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company has introduced other brands to the market namely the ‘Majestic’ and ‘Chiilz’. Besides juice production he contends that this company has also ventured in the production of bottled water which is also marketed under the brand name SAUDIA. In order to cater for all segments in the society the company produces its water in different quantities. He says that this is meant to ensure availability of water to any one regardless of the place he or she is in. for instance at work, traveling, and even at home. In the recent past Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company has introduced iced tea which comes under the brand name ‘Chiilz’ as well as the carbonated energy drink that comes under the brand name ‘GR8’. In addition to these products the company has gone ahead and launched the ‘Bonjus’ brand that caters for all the natural juices produced in the company. She says that all this brands are intended to create uniqueness in the product and also to show how diverse the company is in terms of products production. However since the inception of juice production, she notes that, this product has not attracted much attention from the customers and therefore the company directors have been forced to go back to the drawing board and come up with new ways of making this product attractive and acceptable to the customers. She argues that this is only possible if they carry out a market research to establish which juice flavors are being demanded for most of the times by the customers. If that happens she contends that they will be in a position to know what to produce and in what quantities. As indicated earlier this company became the first one to begin packing tomato paste in a Tetra Pak packaging. According to Bricault C. G. (p 178) Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company has managed to maintain the lead in terms of the market share. As a result of this advantage the company is willing to increase this market share by a way of introducing more products in order to create brand differentiation. He says that in order to attract more customers the company is hoping for cuts in production costs thus price reduction in the shops, without compromising the quality of the product. If this is achieved he says that in the long run the company would for sure increase its market share in tomato paste and probably make other competitors think of how to counter Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company. In 1995 Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company got hold of Sara Snack Food which resulted in the latter being considered as part and parcel of the company’s manufacturing division. Most of the products produced by this new acquisition were sold under the brand name of Crispy. According to SADAFCO (p 23) most of these products were supplied to institutions of learning. It says that besides the snacks the company is solely responsible for the production of hommos and mutabal. It argues that in the recently held annual general meeting the company’s managing director revealed to the share holders of the company’s intention to venture into ‘ready to eat’ segment. Under this segment the company will be making food stuffs that the customers can eat immediately after purchasing. Together with another company SNZMPL, Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company markets cheese under the brand name SAUDIA. According to Bricault (p 126) in Saudi Arabia, Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company commands the lion share in the production of bulk feta cheese of about 5kg. He points out that despite the availability of cheap cheese from Europe, the Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company has continued in her dominance in cheese. Although the company has continued to face stiff competition from other players in the field, it has continued to perform excellently because in spite of seeking to make an extra coin popularly referred to us profit, the company is environmental conscious. According to Arab News (p 2) most of their packaging are environment friendly. It says that the company has continued to discourage its consumers from throwing away the packets in an open area through the writings in the packets. Furthermore the company has continued to embrace the modern technology in all its operation for instance it does not accept any job application done through papers. All this is meant to conserve and protect the environment. According to it some of their products are socially acceptable by people from all walks of life. It notes that their products are designed in a way that Christians, Muslims, and Hindus can consume without any religious restrictions. In addition to that it contends that the government action to lower the cost of excise duty has hurt the company in such a way that some of her products are considered expensive compared to the ones from other foreign countries. As a result her sales decreases significantly which translate to reduced profits. SWOT analysis refers to the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats a company normally faces in its day to day running. According to Arab news (p 12) the strengths of the Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company banked on its employees. He notes that the company employees are trustworthy and reliable. To him the Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company staff have been trained to work under no or minimum supervision. In doing this the company ensures that when the employees are off to work time wastage is minimized as each employee knows what is expected of him or her. He points out that the company employees are dedicated to their work. In addition the company has created a good working condition for its employees which make these employees loyal to the company. In the long run the company realizes high productivity per employee. In addition Bricault (128) says that the company has managed to open up other retail outlets so that it can facilitate the distribution of her products to the consumers with ease. He says that opening up these retail outlets in different parts of the country helps establishing the location that has high demands for certain products. Therefore in the long run the company will be able to know how much of her products should be allocated in certain location in order to avoid over stoking or under stocking. The other strength about Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company is its ability to create the best packaging solution to its customers. Global Investment House (p 2) notes that Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company do carry out market research to identify the taste of the customers. Therefore, it is after doing this that they have managed to offer such a service to their customers better than their competitors. As a result consumers keep on streaming to the shops to get their products. Besides this, the company has a strong believe in Allah. It says that there is a belief that Allah rewards those who are sincere and good to others and at the same time punishes those are not good to their fellow human beings. Driven by this believe the company management has tried as much as possible to be sincere to its customers in terms of quality with a hope that Allah will bless them. Because of this customers have continued to rely on Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company products for their use at homes. According to Bricault (p 173) the reliance by the Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company on the economy of Saudi Arabia is one of its key weaknesses. He says that during the economic crisis of 2008-2009 the company was greatly affected because the economy of Saudi Arabia was also affected. He says that if the company can man age to detach itself from relying on the country’s economy, then it is likely to move ahead regardless of the situation. Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company opportunities include a developed market that that has been brought about by increased players in the sector in addition there is also a good business environment. He says that the government has provided adequate security for investors thus propelling the economy of Saudi Arabia to greater heights. Some of the threats faced by the Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company include the availability of cheap products from other countries in Europe and China. In addition there is increased investment from the multi national corporations in Saudi Arabia that are specializing in dairy products. He says that unless the company adopts a new and modern ways of operation then it might not keep up with the pace of the upcoming companies. According to Bricault (p 128) in 2004 Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company made plans to be listed in the stock market so that it could raise more capital. After fulfilling the Capital Market Authority requirements it was finally listed in 2005 having received a massive over subscription of up to 6.5 times. He says that during its inception the managing director by then had envisaged opening branches in other countries of the world. He notes that because of the dedicated team that came after him the company is today listed in the stock exchange and also has other branches n the Middle East. Some of the countries where these branches have been opened include United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain. In the Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company the department responsible for planning is the finance department. SADAFCO (p 124) says that the finance manager has a choice available for him to select so that shareholders can get maximum returns on their investment. This department can determine which types of stock should be sold and of what quantities. He says that based on his or her experience the finance manager is given a lee way to identify and take good securities that will be based on risk and return characteristics of such securities. He points out that when Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company were established in 1976 things were different from what they have been in the last couple of years. As a result he notes that the company had to come up with measures to cope with the changing world. Some of the measures undertaken to protect the environment are; setting up of solar panels to capture light energy so that it can be used to run some of their machines. In addition paper work has been reduced by a way of adopting modern methods of sending mails. The decision making process is a process is one that includes all stake holders. The Board of directors, the Managing Director, the shareholders as well as employees have a role to play in the decision making process. The opinions of the employees are considered. They give feedback on the progress and the movement of products. Some are involved in doing research and the findings influence the decision to be made. The feedback is adopted by the executive management inform of reports. According to SADAFCO, “the ‘Legal Counselor’, ‘Quality Assurance Manager’, ‘Group Business Development Director’’, ‘Senior Internal Auditor’, ‘Executive Manager Riyadh Corporate’ are key in the decision making process” (SADAFCO pg 18). Sadafco is a company that has adopted corporate governance in its decision making process. The management and the board of directors together with the stakeholders are involved in the major decision making. The process is keen to observe transparency and accountability. The executive employees of the company are known for their integrity in their operation a virtue that has led to the success of the MNC (SADAFCO, pg 19). Board of Directors makes decision pertaining to management from a large perspective. Major decisions are made by the Board where they engage in discussions and give honest opinions and make a consensus on the best opinion. They implement this by delegating the duty to the Managing Director. It is within the mandate of the board of Directors to make long term decisions concerned with the company like engaging in the sale of IPO. The board of directors have the authority to decide whether to pay dividends as cash or otherwise. The executive managers make decisions on every day basis concerning the management of the company. They guide the entire team of employees by giving directives on the business and ensuring that the company continues to engage in trade. The process of making major decisions is not only the responsibility of the board of directors, the executive management and other stakeholders are involved. The board uses the reports, recommendations, suggestion and professional advice before concluding on a decision. The managing director participates in both the Board of directors and the executive management committee. The participation in both committees act as a bridge so that there is uniformity in the decision making approach. The committees must participate in the major decisions that need large capital. An example of a decision arrived at that received the consent of both committees is the purchase of the 13,000 refrigerators. They are also involved in the decision to adopt a new product in the market and give the required support both financially and technically. The shareholders are included in the decision making process. Their input in terms of opinion is considered and given audience by the Board of directors and the executive managing directors. They are invited for an annual general meeting and are given financial statements (SADAFCO, pg 20). Some major decisions are achieved through voting. In the annual general meeting, the shareholders are allowed to vote on the basis of their share holdings. For instance a share holder cannot be allowed to vote more than 20% of the entire shares. The decision making process adopted a more decentralized approach after the challenge of boycott, high cost of production and increase in prizes led to the adoption of tetra pack. The company engaged in the Operation Cost Reduction (OCR) Program that incorporated the input of the employees. This approach became effective as the employees voices were being heard. The OCR program involved the training of employees which made them more conversant with the company’s operations and could make decisions concerning minor problems. OCR program has made it possible for employees to make decisions. During the program employees receive training on the operation of the company. The training gives them gives them information on ways of solving problems and handling challenges they encounter in their course of duty. The team work approach that the organization has adopted makes it possible for employees and their team leaders who are their supervisors to make decisions and handle problems without consulting the executive management. This is because they are involved in the day to day activities and can detect challenges and can suggest solutions since they understand the problems. Team players with the support of their supervisors make minor decisions. Their opinions and suggestions can be considered in the major decisions that are related to their role. The decision making process is decentralized. The decisions are made by consensus within the Board of directors. Furthermore, the stake holders in the annual general meeting vote on matters to make a decision. To vote for an opinion the majority votes or at least two thirds of voters must vote for a decision to be adopted. The employees in their daily routine can make decision in their teams by engaging in discussions or dealing with a challenge according to training given. The Board of directors make use of the research done by its employees in the decision making process. These researchers provide current information on the real situations and the impacts of the conclusion they have made. They also provide recommendation and predict the outcome of certain actions. The organization structure of SADAFCO is headed by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is a group that is composed of experienced individuals who are devoted in the management of the company. They are all involved in other successful organizations. The Board Committees have the mandate to carry on with auditing as well as accounting provisions. They ensure that the three auditors who report directly the Board of directors correspond to the standards and policies. Moreover, the board monitors the progress of the company in general and executes the policies, while considering current practice and new practices that suit the market. The executive management of Sadafco constitutes a committee that is answerable to the Board of Directors. The committee comprise of highly qualified, experienced and competent employees who have a wide understanding of the dairy industry and other areas. According to Sadafco (pg 1) there are three major divisions in the organization structure namely: the sales and marketing, the manufacturing and then finance and administration. They perform different roles as assigned by the managing director. The Sales and Marketing Division is headed by the general manager who is supported by the marketing manager, the ice cream sales managers, export sales manager, regional sales manager offshore and the regional sales managers. There is a long list of employees involved in the marketing of Sadafco products. The division has availed vehicles that enable the marketers to transport the products from the warehouse to the market. The manufacturing division is headed by the general manager of the department with the support of managers in charge of Dammam and Jeddah factory, the logistical manager and the accountant in charge of the division. The other employees in the division are involved in the manufacturing, supply and support in the two manufacturing locations. Finance and administration department includes the managers responsible for Information technology, public relations, human resource, group accounting, treasury, civil engineer and overseas and domestic purchasing. This division has a smaller number of employees than other divisions but not with the least. It provides administrative assistance to the entire company. The head office is a division that has the least number of employees and its employees is answerable to the managing director. The division takes care of developments in business, legal matters, quality assurance in addition to auditing within the company. The organization structure is prearranged depending on the functions they perform. The three major divisions are separated by the function they perform. The marketing division consists of departments that perform the marketing roles in different locations. The employees market the products of Sadafco are given guidance by the general manager through the various heads of the departments. The departments under the marketing division are divided under locations. The sales manager is allocated duties either in the central, east west, north or south location. The allocation of duties within the same locality allows the managers to keep track of new developments and to be able to deal with problems in the locality efficiently and effectively. The marketing group and the sales team are classified according to the line of products. The Juices form one group; ice creams form another group and milk products from the other group. When advertising the products they use these classes to target buyers by giving the desired products. The advertising agency also pays attention to these categories. It ensures that it covers the wide rage of Products offered by Sadafco by paying attention to the three classifications. Sadafco has in its recruitment encouraged saudisation as SADAFCO (pg 19) points out. It has encouraged the local citizens to get vacancies in the company. It has increased the number of Saudi nationals employed using the training programs. The training programs are offered to students during summer. Another program is that of employees within the company to motivate them. The company has engaged into partnership with other national companies to offer training and possibly employment to the Saudi citizens. This program has led to the relevant training of employees in specific areas. The company has used this opportunity to employ trained employee. The company has therefore employed a Saudi national at all the levels of the organization. Sadafco uses the employees as one of the key strategies of the company. The company in its process of recruitment, selections and training ensures that they get the most compete employees. The recruitment process is transparent and is conducted by the human resource management team. They recruit candidates from different background both within and beyond the borders. Employees are selected on the basis of merit. The best qualified and those who have successfully undergone training are selected to join the workforce. The selected have specialization in a specific field. Experience is also given priority as those who have experience are given priority. The company usually has programs during summer and offers training for students. The employees are adequately compensated. The executive management ensures that the employees are rewarded for their efforts adequately and in time. Human resource division develops programs that are designed to increase their competence. Whenever, their contract are not renewed or when the leave for other employment opportunities, they are knowledgeable due to the training program they were engaged in the company. Training has been given importance by Sadafco. They ensure that employees receive the relevant training for the actual roles that they perform. The company has succsful adopted the Operation Cost Reduction (OCR) program which was has led to increase in the revenue of the company. This program aim was to reduce the cost involved in the production and also to make the product affordable to the customers despite the increase in prices of commodities. This program admitted the employees of the company to motivate them to work. OCR is program that is a developed program that sets the standards of operations for the employees. Since the employees are trained on the correct procedures they work willingly to deliver on time quality products. They perform their duties more confidently while delivering on time. The coordination effective and efficient making the organization to run smoothly and maximize on their profit. The training educates the employees on the organizational goals. For this reason the different divisions work together to achieve the company’s goals through team work. The team work that is emphasized by the training has led to reduction of time compared to the time used before the training. The human resource department has adopted the OCR continuous improvement program. This program is meant to encourage more participation in training for both the existing and the new employees. Training is well known to keep the employees motivate. Besides training the company offers a good working environment. The company ensures that the employees working environment is safe and give all the necessary requirements to be able to work. For instance the company has a large number of vehicles that are used by the marketing employees to market and sale the wide range products. The vehicles enable them to reach the small retailers in different locations. As a result, they facilitate the customers who do not have access to supermarket to buy the products. In accordance with Arab News (pg 1), Sadafco entered in to huge losses after the boycott of products originating from Danish in 2006. This affected the annual sales and had an implication on the revenue. The company as a result had to relieve employees off their duty and failed to renew contracts as a result. The decision caused the company to lose competent and devoted employees. Another challenge Sadafco experienced is the rise of prices and the increased cost of purchasing the raw materials. Consequently the cost of production has increased making the company to increases the price of purchasing the items. With the boycott in mind the company has resulted into cutting down on the cost to be able to recover. This challenge to a major restructuring which has seen the company survives in the competitive market. Another solution of the MNC that was welcomed by the customers was the Tetra Pak Operation Cost Reduction Program. This program became a success in mi4enimizing the operation cost and improved the productivity. Sadafco (pg 20) has observed the Kingdom of Saudia and across borders has trusted the Sadafco products over a long period of time. They have a challenge to maintain their competitiveness in the market and to continue offering a variety competent products according to demand. They have to keep delivering the best product with competitive prices and retain the customers. Moreover the prices of agricultural products keep increasing. The company has to develop a strategy to be able to deliver the products at competitive prices. The company experience challenges in the human resources. They lacked training and were generally not motivated. The problem was experienced following the merging of two companies which made operations to be slow. The demand for product was below the expectation a problem which was largely the failure in the staff. The employee’s performance was poor characterized by lack of coordination between the technicians and operators. The roles of the employees were not clearly outlined and in most cases there lacked understanding of the duties. The responsibilities were not clear and thus the company wasted a lot of revenue in the production cost due to wastage of resources (Arab News, pg 1). This problem was best addressed by the introduction of Operation Cost Reduction program. This program entailed training that the employees were given. The employees were trained on new ways of manufacturing that incorporated team work in their duties. The roles were clearly outlined and coordination between activities was improved. The end result was increased sales. This is because the Tetra Pak was pocket friendly to the customers. The program helped reduce the wastage of resources that was experienced for lack of coordination. The results of the training were pleasing because the trained employees had learned techniques of solving problems, decision making techniques, evaluating measuring achievements. The problems that resulted from delayed decision making from the supervisors became eliminated as they became more aware of the standards and procedures in the company. The adoption of the OCR continuous improvement program is effective. This program ensures that both the joining and the existing employees are trained. Consequently, the employees gain confident and the ability to make accurate decisions. The supervisors become team leaders and work hand in hand with the employees to attain the best results while saving on cost and time. Developing a team work spirit is the most effective strategy to deal with challenges. This is because the employees with training are capable of cooperating. In a team employees can give contributions which may be helpful in handling challenges. The employees remain motivated due to the training. Bricault, Chester. Major companies of the Arab World. Harrogate: Whiteside & Graham, 1995.

2019-04-23T16:27:19Z

https://socialrivals.com/sadafco/

Dubbed “the world’s most powerful startup incubator” by Fast Company, Y Combinator (YC) has been plucking startups from garages, dorm rooms, coffee shops, and assorted founder hangouts for over a decade. Sharpen your pencils founders, this is a masterclass. It started back in 2005, when Livingston and husband Paul Graham had observed how broken the funding world was for early stage startups. Livingston was partway through her book Founders at Work, while Graham, a well known computer scientist and essayist, was making a foray into angel investing, having sold the software service he co-founded, Viaweb, to Yahoo for just shy of $50 million in stock. Graham and Livingston, along with Graham’s Viaweb co-founder Robert Tappan Morris and Anybots founder Trevor Blackwell, set out to create a disruptive seed funding program that would favor founders, providing them with a leg up in an industry that was notoriously hard to crack. By offering a standardized form of early funding, they could use their collective expertise and networks to help founders get into first gear, in exchange for a piece of the pie. YC offers $120,000 to startups in return for a 7% stake. Their first call out netted 200 applications, with the founders eventually settling on eight startups to fund. It was an impressive first class, featuring Reddit, the founders of Justin.tv (which later became Twitch, acquired in 2015), and Sam Altman, now YC’s president. To date, YC has funded more than 1,000 startups with a staggering 127 in the current batch. The intake happens twice a year, and the decision-making team, on average, whittle 5,000 applications down to a lucky 350 who are granted an interview. Successful founders then relocate to Silicon Valley for an intensive three-month program, during which they have access to some of the entrepreneurial world’s most influential movers and shakers. The program culminates in Demo Day, when founders pitch to a high-profile investor audience. In Livingston’s view, one of the things that worked in their favor, however, was how focused the founders were on their original idea. Livingston believes that Gebbia, Chesky, and Blecharczyk persisted well past the point where most “normal” people would have given up, and suggests founders keep the fact that everybody starts small in mind. Although it appears to be a fine line between determination and knowing when you’re flogging a dead horse. When it comes to picking winning ideas, Livingston states that while it’s incredibly hard to predict, there are some commonalities among YC’s big-time success stories. Contrary to popular belief, Livingston believes the most important thing is not who you know or where you went to college, but pure guts and determination. Most successful entrepreneurs focus on solving a problem they have experienced, taking that direct user experience to come up with a new or improved solution. Livingston explains that all standout founders create strong user feedback loops from the beginning, and are prepared to use that information to better their product. While it’s easy to get attached to your initial idea, many startups begin as one idea before evolving in a completely new direction. Often, they will retain the kernel of the original concept, but will end up in a very different place. Potential roadblocks can be many and varied for startups, but in Livingston’s 10+ years of experience she believes there are several red flags to watch out for. Founder breakups are one of the biggest causes of startup failures—second only to there being no user interest in a product. Livingston likens the co-founder relationship to a marriage, in that you spend large quantities of time together going through ups and downs, and immense stress, all while needing to make tough decisions. She believes open lines of communication including regular, honest conversations, are absolutely crucial to maintaining a healthy relationship. She suggests two practical pieces of advice if you are considering working with someone you don’t know. First, test the waters on an informal project. Working together for even one month will give you a sense of how well you collaborate. Next, have a lengthy conversation about what your end game is—a quick money spinner, or an in-it-for-the-long-haul adventure. Equity split is another hot topic of contention between founders. At YC, Livingston says they try to encourage founders to split things evenly whenever possible. Over the course of a long journey, an equal partnership is fairer and less likely to cause friction. “There may be one founder who came up with the idea and has been working on it for a year already. In that case it’s reasonable for them to bring in a co-founder with less equity. But you still need to have that conversation where you are both happy with the level of equity. Over the past five years, Livingston has seen a growing trend of founders who have received one round of funding taking it for granted that more will be forthcoming. What this doesn’t take into account, she says, is that investors have much higher expectations second times around, wanting to see real growth and traction, backed up by evidence. Launching into a startup with no real idea of what is involved can also lead to some founders coming up short. Livingston recommends founders mentally prepare themselves, and their life circumstances, for what is to come. This includes being able to handle long hours and a low wage while your business is getting off the ground. “It’s different for different people, but you need to go into it knowing you are doing something extremely hard. If you go in halfheartedly, you will give up immediately. I often worry that the press make startup lives sound really glamorous. But it’s a really hard road to get to the point where you’re on the cover of Forbes magazine. Nathan: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the “Foundr Podcast.” My name is Nathan Chan, I am your host coming to you live from cold, windy, rainy Melbourne, Australia. Get me out of here. Not really enjoying the Melbourne winter. So that’s why I’m actually going to the States, which is really, really exciting. Looking forward to enjoying the American summer. So that’s what’s happening in my world, just trying to wrap everything. I’m actually going for at least a month, so I’m just bulk recording all these podcast episodes. It’s all about batching, eh? I just wanted to share with you guys a little lesson that I’ve learnt recently along my journey, which you might find interesting, and I’ll try not to ramble too much. But one thing that I’m learning is as an entrepreneur, as a founder, you just can’t win all the time. And we’ve been having a lot of wins with the business. And at the moment, you know what, to be honest with you, we’re not having as many wins, and I’m used to winning. And that’s a problem, I think. Sometimes, you can get so caught up drinking your own Kool-Aid and you just think you can do anything; you think you’re unbeatable. And the truth is, you’re not. And you know, I think it’s just an interesting part of the journey that we all have to go through. So I just wanted to share that with you guys. So let’s talk about today’s guest. I’m really excited and honored that I got to speak to today’s guest, and her name is Jessica Livingston, and she’s one of the co-founders of Y Combinator. Now, for those of you that are not aware of Y Combinator, these guys run the largest and most reputable and biggest and coolest and baddest incubator, startup incubator in the world. And you know, they’ve had some amazing companies out of there; Airbnb, Dropbox, Twitch, so many. And it’s really cool because some of our actual guests have gone through Y Combinator, which is really, really cool. And pretty much, these guys see so many pitches, they see so many interesting business ideas. They’re based out of Silicon Valley. And what I talked to Jessica about, which is really, really interesting, is the things that make or break a startup. And we talk about, you know, her role within Y Combinator and playing counselor to a lot of co-founders, and really getting an insight to what happens amongst co-founders, and why a lot of these businesses and startups actually end up failing. And a big part of it is the relationship that the co-founders have. And we talk about, you know, picking winning startups, and you know, what Y Combinator look for when they’re, you know, doing intakes. And all sorts of things that you need to look for in terms of red flags in regards to, like, the relationships that you have with your business partners and your fellow co-founders. So this was a fascinating conversation. I know you guys are gonna love it. We talk about so many different things. And pretty much, this is not to be missed. So I’m really, really pumped about today’s episode. So that’s it from me. Now let’s jump into the show. The first question I ask everyone that comes on the show and we interview is how did you get your job? Jessica: How did I get my job? Well, the good news is that when you start your own company, you never look at it as, like, landing a job. You look at it as, like, “Oh, boy. How did that experiment work out?” But I’ll take you back to 2005 when my husband, Paul Graham, and I were just sort of talking about how broken the funding world was for early-stage startups. The world was extremely different ten years ago. It was very hard to find early-stage funding. You either had to have a rich uncle or go straight to VCs who only wanted to invest millions of dollars. And that just doesn’t make sense when you’re first starting and you’re just a couple people testing an idea. So we built a website and explained what we were doing. We were running this three-month program called the Summer Founders Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We were targeting programmers who wanted to come learn about startups. We’d help them incorporate, we’d help them launch their product, and work with them with the idea, and maybe help them get more funding. Lo and behold, we got 200-something applications, and we interviewed a bunch of groups, and decided to fund eight startups that summer. In that summer batch, that first one in 2005 was Reddit. There was the founders of Justin.tv, which turned into Twitch, which, you know, got acquired last year. And there was Sam Altman who’s now the president of Y Combinator. So it’s a pretty exciting first batch, and we quickly learned that we were on to something very unique and very powerful funding groups of startups at once. And what that really was, it was sort of we provided a community in what usually is a sort of very lonely, lonely and isolating time when you’re just two people. But it helped to have sort of other colleagues that understood what you were going through or could help you with various problems. And that’s kind of how we got started. It was just all an experiment. It was never…you know, we never intended it to be as big as it is now, although we knew we were doing something novel. But that’s kind of how we got started. Nathan: Yeah, wow. And what do you think it was around that first batch? Because, you know, Reddit and also… you know…yeah, Justin.tv or Keiko, I think. Either way, like, these are massive success stories. And then I think was it a later…when was the Dropbox? When did the guys from Dropbox…what round were they? Jessica: That was summer 2007. So still very early on. That was two years into Y Combinator. Nathan: Yeah, so what was it, do you think, from those latest batches? And how did you find people? Jessica: Okay, so there are two questions there. We found people mainly because Paul was kind of a well-known essayist on, you know, technical things and programming languages. So we had a bit of a following amongst programmers. And that was sort of our first audience. And then, you know, we started visiting some colleges and giving talks. We hosted Startup School in the fall of 2005. Startup School is our annual big event that we do for founders, and we have a whole day full of really cool talks by successful startup founders. We did that really early on. And that was kind of our sole outreach. But I’ll tell you, I’ll answer the second part of your question, which was what was it. There was just, I think, a huge, pent-up demand for people who were interested in starting startups, but weren’t sure how to get started. It seems so simple to think like, “Gosh, okay, you incorporate your company, and you go get a bank account, and then you work on this idea.” But sort of that first step can sometimes be the most intimidating if you don’t know how to do it. And again, back in 2005, there was not a lot of information online about how to get started as a startup. Now, things have drastically changed. I think you can, you know, incorporate online very easily. But by helping people just get started and saying, “Hey, here’s a place you can just apply to get funding. You don’t have to know anyone, you don’t have to be well-connected or go to an Ivy League school, just apply.” I think that spoke to a lot of people out there who were talented people that wanted to start their own startups, but weren’t sure what the first step might be. Nathan: Look, let’s fast-forward to know, and let’s talk about the latest batch. How many pitches have you had? How many do you guys accept? How much funding do you give? How much equity do you guys take? I think people will find that really interesting. Jessica: Okay, so let me just tell you about some of the basic components of our program; I’ll start with the latest batch. We’re in the middle of our winter funding cycle right now. In fact, we’re just a mere three weeks away from demo day. We give startups now $120,000 in return for 7% of their startup. And it’s a standard deal. We use standard paperwork. And you know, that’s different from a lot of other investors where each investment is kind of a negotiation. We just have the standard deal. We have funded…there are 127 startups in this current batch, which is our biggest batch ever. Again, just to give you a perspective back in 2005, we had eight startups. And we’ve just grown organicallay over the years, and now, we’re up to 127. How many applications did we get? I think we got about…I want to say 5,000 applications? And then we interview…we have ten-minute long interviews over the course of a week. And I think we interviewed roughly 350 startups to get down to the 127. Nathan: Yeah, wow. And in regards to, I guess, picking the winners, what do you guys…can you give me some common things that you see when you’re looking…do you guys choose the founders or the idea? What do you guys specifically look for? And can we get some insight into, you know, what are some common things that you see from the, you know, the Airbnb founders or the Dropbox founders? Like, is there anything that is very unique that you can see now from doing this for, like, such a long time? Jessica: Yeah, I’ll tell you. Picking the big winners is the hardest thing we do. It’s practically impossible to predict, to be quite open with you. That said, you know, having done this now for eleven years and interviewed over, you know, or had thousands of startup founders pitch us, there are some themes. When we first started Y Combinator, we thought, “Gosh, if someone’s a really talented programmer, that will translate into them being a really good founder. And lead this hugely successful company and they’ll build this sophisticated thing.” That’s not true, we found out. What we found out very early on was the most important quality in a founder is determination. It’s not where you went to college or, you know, who your connections are or anything like that. It is like “How much can you persevere through all the stuff and the bad problems you’re gonna have? How are you gonna push things forward?” And that really separates people a lot. I mean, a lot of the…to touch on the Airbnb founders, I mean, most normal people would have given up on their idea 20 different times. I mean, I have, like, 20 different stories of these times when they seemed to be near death. But they knew they were on to something special because they themselves were hosts. They rented…they started the company because they couldn’t pay their rent. And they were renting out an air bed in one of their spare bedrooms. And because they themselves were using their product, they knew there was something in there, they knew it was something special. Although, to be honest, when we interviewed them, neither them nor us ever might have predicted that it would be as big as it is today. But this leads me to a second point about commonalities between successful founders. And that is, when you are solving your own problem, it’s much better than kind of making up an idea that you think the world needs and working on that. When you’re solving your own problem, you have, like, sort of a deep expertise of the problem. You’re a domain expert. And you understand, like, all the nuances, and what, specifically, is broken. How much better does it have to be than the current solution out there? And so, we are always looking for people who are domain experts. That really is important when you’re starting a startup, to sort of solve your own problem. What other traits are common? You really…you have to be almost fanatical about listening to your users. You can’t just rock yourselves away in a room and build some wonderful program and expect that to just work. You really have to be iterating on the product and showing it to users, asking them, “Hey, if you’re not using this, why? What needs to change? What do you like about this? What do you not like about that?” And really make sure that every decision you’re making is based on, like, what’s best for the user experience. We found that as a really important quality. One last thing I’ll mention is you just really want to be open-minded about things. It’s very easy to get attached to your idea. And what we’ve noticed in funding so many startups is how many of them start out sort of one way and evolve in a different direction. It might be…sort of have a kernel of the original idea, but it really winds up being a different thing. And if you get attached to one certain direction, you’re probably gonna fail. Whereas if you, you know, say, “Okay, this isn’t working, but I know I’m . Why don’t I expand to reach this audience?” You really have to be able to let sort of the users drive things a bit. So those are sort of some themes in the successful founders we’ve founded that come to mind for me. Nathan: Okay. And can you tell us an interesting story or…I think stories are really powerful, and I think people will find this really interesting. Are there any stories that you could share from the early days that maybe showcases the struggle from maybe a, you know, one of the startups that you guys have funded and taken under your wing that people might find interesting or inspiring? Or maybe a favorite story of yours? Jessica: Oh, gosh. There are so many stories. And I am a big fan of stories of like…that’s how you learn, because they’re real. And you just can’t believe some of these things that happened. I think some of my favorite stories really revolve around the Airbnb company, because it is such a big deal now. And what a lot of people don’t realize is how humble their beginnings and how often they were rejected. And also, how focused their idea was when they first got started. This is very, very important for aspiring entrepreneurs to keep in mind. You don’t start building the grand idea. You start in an extremely focused and very narrow way, and you expand from there. And let me tell you the story around that. So remember, their idea getting started, honestly, it was on their website, was, you know, renting out air mattresses in your apartment or house during conferences. Like, that is how focused it was when it just got started. I mean, that’s nowhere where it is today. But that’s how big ideas get started. And because they get started so narrow and focused many times, they’re just sort of dismissed as irrelevant by other people. Investors, you know, are not interested, the press certainly isn’t interested, and even the Airbnb’s, like, family members questioned what they were doing. They sort of thought that they were crazy. The investors I remember specifically really rejecting Airbnb early on, we were actually the only ones that would fund them. Luckily for us. Jessica: …that was a pretty low point for them, you know? So the point is, like, you get rejected early on, and you just have to keep moving forward, you have to keep trying. You have to hear “No” so many times before you hear the word “Yes.” And the reason I think these stories are pretty powerful is because, like, that is how one of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley started. You always have to remember, everyone starts small and they just build from there. Nathan: And I’m curious, you know, a lot of companies give up. How do you know when to give up and when to keep going? Jessica: Knowing when to give up is a very tough question because, you know, reasonable people, for instance, would have probably agreed that the Airbnb guys should have given up early on. But I think…you know, we get that question a lot from our founders who are struggling. You know, they say, like, “Ah, should we just ditch this idea and try something new?” No one ever knows 100% what the answer is. But if you can’t get anyone interested in using your product, if you don’t have something that’s sort of a better alternative than what’s out there already, like a much better alternative–it can’t be just a little bit better, it’s got to be a lot better–then maybe, if you can’t do that and no one’s, you know, using your product, it could be time to think of alternative ideas. But if you…you know, if you’re using your product and it’s really solving a need for you. If you have a small group of users who, like, love your product, it might not be time to give up yet. And it’s just a delicate balance that no one has the perfect answer for. Nathan: And you know, right now, I’m curious what are the biggest problems you guys are seeing that, you know, startup founders are facing, especially in your latest batches? Jessica: I’ll tell you one thing and hope that it will be interesting to people. We have, over the past, say, five years, have felt like our founders who go through the batch have had a pretty okay time raising a seed round. And what I mean by that is, you know, the average fund raise after YC is, like, maybe $1 million to $2 million. And so, you know, always fundraising is hard. But for the most part, you know, companies that seem promising are able to raise that amount without, you know, too much difficulty. So they raise that seed round, and then they think, you know, year-end of things, they need more money. And they think, “Oh, well, I did it before so easily. This should not be a problem.” And they sort of let the money in the bank dwindle down and think that they’ll be able to raise another round, you know, in the matter of a couple months, and they’re getting burned by this. It is much harder to raise, you know, a Series A round these days here in Silicon Valley. There’s just a higher level of expectation on the part of the investors. They want to see real growth, you know, real traction, and they’re not just betting on the founders and the idea, they want the data to back it up. So we happen to be seeing people, like, struggling to raise a Series A, whereas the earlier rounds had not been quite as hard. Nathan: That’s really interesting. And also, in regards to…and I’m really excited to ask this question. In regards to, I guess, playing counselor, that’s something that you do quite often, you play counselor to squabbling co-founders and founder breakups. Can you tell us about that? Like, what is the common thing that happens here in teams, like founding teams? Jessica: Yeah, that’s a really interesting question. You know, over the past eleven years, I have spent a lot of time counseling founders. So I have a lot of insights; I’ll try to share the most interesting ones. Founder breakups, you should know, are what we see as the second-biggest cause for startup failures. The first being, you know, no one’s using your product. Like, you’re not making something people want. But after that, the reason we see early-stage startups fail is that the founders don’t get along. Which is, you know, heartbreaking because a lot of times, they’re working on some fabulous idea that you want to see come into this world and it just dies. So how do I try to help? I mean, the first thing is just trying to get founders to communicate and be open and honest. I mean, like any kind of relationship, I mean, a lot of people sort of joke that a co-founder relationship is like a marriage, but in a way, it’s very simpler. You are sort of locked in with this co-founder for a long time. You know, startups take five, seven, ten years, and in some cases, it’s your life’s work. So are you with that co-founder. And you are in a very high-pressure situation. There’s a lot of stress, especially if you have employee whose, like, lives are kind of…you know, depending…their, you know, professional lives are depending on you, a lot of tough decisions to be made, and there’s no, like, one playbook for every startup. So you’re sort of sometimes blindly thinking, like, “Are we doing the right thing?” And that can cause a lot of stress for founders. And if they don’t have a sort of trusting, strong relationship, it just can break their relationships. And, you know, these days, I think that sometimes, founders get started together less organically than even ten years ago. Like, if you look at…like, just to use, you know, Larry and Sergey of Google, as an example, they were friends in the same PhD program at Stanford, and they began sort of naturally collaborating with each other. And, you know, that relationship grew organically. Sometimes, you see people now saying, “Hey. I want to start this company. I don’t know how to program, so I’m gonna try to find a technical person to be my co-founder.” And they, you know, meet at some hackathon one weekend and have no real history together. And so, it’s not surprising that they might not get along. So it can be very complicated, very tense, because there’s a lot at stake, especially when they’re coming through YC and we’ve given them this funding. They have, like, the opportunity ahead of them, and they’re not getting along, it’s really sort of they’re squandering this opportunity. So it can be hard. But my advice always, always, is to, like, you’ve got to just lay it all out there and have these open and honest conversations, and then go from there. Because if you’re not talking openly, like, nothing’s gonna get solved. Nathan: And do you recommend people should test their relationship much before? Like, instead of just pairing up from a hackathon? Do you have any recommendations there when choosing your co-founder? Jessica: Yes, yes, a milion times, yes. Like, you have to be careful. You have to take your co-founder relationship seriously. You know, I get really excited when I’m reading applications for YC, and the founders are, like, childhood friends or college roommates, or have, you know, worked together for five years. Because I think, you know, if they’re childhood friends, these people know each other’s shortcomings, right? And they’re still choosing to work together. It’s so important. I’ve seen, again, so many founders break up, and a lot of times, it’s just they’ve had no working together experience, and it just does not…they might have different work ethics, they might have different goals. Oh, that’s another practical piece of advice I should share. As you’re deciding to work together, there are two bits of practical advice. You should not say, “Okay, we’re gonna start a startup together. Let’s do this.” Just start a project informally with your friend or whoever you’re considering, and just test the waters. You could probably tell in a month of working together, even on a, like, side project on weekends, you kind of get a flavor for the way you work together, try it out before you formalize things legally. And the second bit of advice I’d give is if you are gonna, you know, co-found a company together, have a conversation upfront for, like, what your goal is, you know, with this company. Do you just want to build something and flip it, and try to make some, you know, quick money? Try to make, you know, $500,000 or $1 million and sell it in a year? Or do you really want to solve a problem to make the world a better place? And when that, you know, $10 million acquisition comes through, you’re gonna turn that town because you want to work on this, you know, for ten years. These are important things to think about with your co-founder. Because if you’re not aligned, there’s gonna be a lot of tension if you do go on to build a successful company. Nathan: And what about equity? Does that cause a lot of squabbling? Because I imagine it would. Like, equity split. Now, in some cases, there is a founder who came up with the idea and maybe they’ve been working on it for a year. And so, they bring on a co-founder who will get less equity, and that’s totally fine. That is completely reasonable. But again, you want to have an open conversation and say, “You know, are you okay with this level of equity? Because I have seen, over and over, people going through YC who maybe have agreed to only get, like, 10% versus the other founder getting 90%.” And then when things get hard and progress gets made and they’re doing well, they think, “Well, I’m working just as hard as my co-founder. How come I only get this small amount?” And it can cause an extreme amount of tension. So you don’t want that situation bubbling up when your company’s doing well. You want to have these open and honest, you know, real conversations early on where everyone feels good about their equity split. Nathan: And look, we have to work towards wrapping up, Jessica, but are there any other red flags that people should be looking for when they’re, I guess, in the thick of things between co-founders? Jessica: Again, I don’t want to repeat myself, but just remember, like, startups are extremely hard, which is why, like, most people don’t do them. They’re a long-term commitment if you do it right. They’re extremely stressful. And so, if you are not partnered with someone whose, like, work you respect immensely, who you trust their value, they have the same work ethic, they have the same aspirations as you do for the company. If you’re, like, not in agreement on those things, it’s bad. The other red flag is you’ve got to be clear about who’s the CEO, what the other roles are. We’ve definitely seen, you know, groups who there’s two founders, and they’ve never talked about who the CEO is. They’ve kept it very informal. And you know, later-stage investors like to know who the CEO is. And if you haven’t, you know, agreed that one person’s gonna be the CEO, that can lead to a lot of conflict. So it’s a good idea to sort of carve out some responsibility and not have, you know, all the founders do everything. Nathan: A couple more questions, because you mentioned something that I really have to ask you. You said that starting a startup is extremely hard, it’s extremely stressful. What do you guys recommend to your batches and your startup founders that you guys are funding in regards to handling and managing stress? Because Silicon Valley and, you know, just…even in a startup world, it’s kind of like…you know, like, what Gary V. talks about. He’s just like, “Hustle, hustle, hustle, work extremely hard.” Like, 80 hours a week. What is your take on that? Jessica: That’s a tough question to answer because it’s gonna be different for different people. But if I had to sort of paint things with a broad brush, you have to go into it knowing that you’re doing something extremely hard. You’re probably doing something that’s…you know, your exact idea has never been done. And you’ve got to be ready for it. You can’t go in half-heartedly or you will give up immediately. So you have to just sort of be mentally prepared. And make sure your life circumstances work for what you’re doing. Like a lot of times, you know, founders can’t pay themselves very much when they’re first getting started and can’t raise funding. So you have to, you know, be okay…not have a lot of, you know, financial obligations. We always think, you know, it’s certainly probably ideal to start a startup when you don’t have, you know, four kids to put through college and a mortgage to pay, and all of that. When if you can live sort of cheaply, that’s sort of one good thing, is to just sort of know what you’re getting into, as obvious as that sounds. Like, it is not glamorous, and I do worry that sometimes these days, the press kind of makes startup lives seem glamorous. But it is a really hard road to get to the point where you’re, you know, on the cover of Forbes Magazine and, like…so you want to, like, know that’s what you’re getting into and be comfortable with it. There’s this phenomenon that people talk about, and I’ve certainly witnessed myself, where life is just a roller coaster with a startup. And one day, you can wake up and think, like, “We’re doing so well. We’re gonna take over the world.” And the next day, you’re failing miserably. And, like, not much has really changed in that 24-hour period. But, like, that’s the way it is. So if you’re, at least, again, aware that you’re gonna have these emotional ups and downs, and you have sort of a support system of your co-founder of, you know, your spouse or significant other needs to be very supportive of your journey through, you know, being a startup founder, friends, family. If you can sort of surround yourselves with people who can just help you balance out the ups and downs of being a startup founder, I think that helps. I think working on a startup in a place where there are other startup founders around can be really helpful. Because sometimes, you think you’re, like, a martian or something. And if you can interact with someone else who’s like, “Yeah, I’m going through the same problems myself,” you suddenly think, “Okay. I’m not this complete weirdo. There’s other people who are struggling just like me and they can lend support.” I kind of think…those are some of my general ways to sort of manage distress. Nathan: Awesome, awesome. Well, look, we’ll work towards wrapping up, Jessica. I’m super mindful of your time. I really, really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. Last question is where’s the next best place people can find you? Jessica: You know, so honestly, if you wanted to learn more about, you know, starting a startup or what we’re doing, I just…I really would just go to our website, which is ycombinator.com. We have tons of, like, fabulous articles or blog posts that we’ve written, collected. We have, you know, helpful information about what it’s like to start a startup. We have, you know, even investment forms. We use a thing called The Safe that we created, which is a really simple investment document. So there’s, like, just a wealth of information on ycombinator.com, and that’s where I would recommend going. And I’d also recommend applying to Y Combinator. Like, anyone, we’re happy to get applications from anyone. And I think that just the process of filling out the application is a useful one for anyone who’s starting a company. It just sort of helps crystallize the thoughts. Nathan: Yeah. Look, you guys are known as the leading and the number one accelerator in the world, incubator. So yeah, I wish I had applied to Y Combinator when I first started my company. But yep, thank you so much, Jessica. I really, really appreciate your time. Jessica: It’s my pleasure. It was fun talking to you. Thank you. Excellent interview Nathan. Have just started a consultancy supporting startups and this interview was timely and an eye-opener. Thanks @lemmyb:disqus – Glad you enjoyed it!

2019-04-22T18:33:10Z

https://foundr.com/jessica-livingston/

Dr. Asoke Banerji has made very significant contributions in diverse areas of biotechnology and basic bioorganic chemistry. He obtained Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Professor T.R. Seshadri, F.R.S. and Professor V.V.S. Murti from the University of Delhi in 1964. He was awarded a senior research fellowship by the International Atomic Energy Agency to work with Professor D.H.R. Barton and Professor E.B. Chain, both Nobel Laureates, at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. Dr. Banerji joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai in 1967 and was Head of the Bioorganic Division from 1989-98. The main thrust of research activities of Dr. Banerji’s group has been directed towards emerging areas of natural product chemistry. Dr. Banerji gave a new direction to the natural product research by purpose-oriented investigation of plant extracts. Facilities for bioassay-directed fractionation of extracts were established and an array of different bioactive compounds were isolated and characterized. Some examples are: allitin (insecticidal, anti-tumour, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor), bakuchiol and its derivatives (insect juvenile hormone mimics), ecdysone and ecdysterone (insect moulting hor­mones and anabolic activity), immunomodulators, anti-metabolites, and furocoumarins and furochromones (phototoxic, antiatherosclerotic and antifeedant agents) anacardic acids from waste from cashew industry (as MMP inhibitors, wound healing agent, anti-tumour compounds). Very recently some quinones isolated from ayurvedic plants, were found to have pro-apoptotic activity; the activity being induced through the generation of reactive oxygen species. Some of his discoveries such as indigenous insect growth regulators have been commercialized. Interesting lead molecules have been discovered by screening a large number of natural and synthetic molecules. During the course of work, an array of natural products were isolated and characterized. Structures of natural products were elucidated using NMR (1H, 13C, 2H) spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction and mass spec­trometry. Structures of new class of chromone oligomers and terpenoidal glycosides were derived by using multi-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and supported by X-Ray diffraction analysis. A new conformer (polymorph) of ecdysterone has been identified and characterized by X-Ray analysis. Novel eco-friendly processes for isolation of bioactive natural products such as anacardic acid, cardol, cardinol, plumbagin,ecdysterone etc. have been developed. Dr. A. Banerji has made notable contribution in the application of isotopes in the area of biosynthesis and biotransformation of natural products. Using single and multiple isotopically labeled substrates, he has elucidated the biosynthetic pathways to ecdysoids, bakuc­hiol, khellin and fusicoccin. He developed the syntheses of isotopically labeled compounds, which were useful in biological and chemical sciences. These activities were of particular interest to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in their programmes on applications of isotopes. Dr. Banerji has also contributed in synthetic organic chemistry. He has developed new synthetic strategies based on organometallics, sono- and photochemistry. These studies led to the invention of reactions of synthetic importance. His contribution on modulation of activity of low-valent titanium has led to a conceptual advancement in modern organic synthesis and has opened the fronts of many future scientific endeavors. Dr. Banerji has skillfully used the expertise of the basic research to the applied areas. He has developed the synthesis of organic ligands, which have multifarious applications such as in nuclear medicine (radiopharmaceuticals), chelation therapy (for decontamination of body from environmental toxicants), actinide extractants (for nuclear fuel processing) or Organo-magnets. Dr. Banerji has several patents to his credit. Till 1998, Dr. Banerji was Head, Bioorganic Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. After superannuating, he became Emeritus Professor of Natural Product Research at the Bhavan's S.P. Ayurved Research Centre (SPARC), Mumbai. Subsequently, he joined Regional Research Laboratory, Trivandrum as a C.S.I.R. Emeritus Scientist. Subsequently he was awarded the prestigious Raja Ramanna Fellowship of Department of Atomic Energy. One of his interest was in elaboration of mechanism of cytotoxicity of some naturally occurring quinones. In collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi Biotechnology Centre, Trivandrum, it has been established that that the apoptosis is induced by reactive oxygen species. Differential cytotoxicity on BG-1 ovarian cancer cells and BRCA 1 – blocked estrogen receptor positive BG-1 cells has been observed. Naturally occurring bioactive compounds such as anti-tumour agents, natural antioxidants, natural dyes, insect control agents are the other areas of interest. In 2006, he was invited to join the Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham as a Distinguished Professor. He is involved in the bioprospection plants of Western Ghats of Kerala. This work led to the identification of biosources of high-value phytochemicals which have importance in seri-culture and diseases like cancer and diabetes. More recently, he made elegant use of LC-MS for elucidating the complex molecular structures of tannins and flavonoid glycosides from seabuckthorn, using the newly created facilities at the Amrita Agilent Analytical Research Centre. Dr. Banerji is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Former Vice Presidents of Indian Society for Bioorganic Chemistry, and Indian Chemical Society (Western Branch) and Fellow of Maharashtra Academy of Sciences. He has visited many countries in U.S. Europe and Asia in the capacity of visiting professor or adviser and delivered many plenary lectures at National and International meetings. He has about 300 research publications. Dr. Banerji is associated with many institutions in advisory capacity such as Defense Research and Development Organization, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medicine Research, Centre for Medicinal Plant Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology etc. A. Banerji, Biotechnical potential of natural products, Plenary Lecture delivered at the seaweed research & utilisation meeting, Presidency College, Madras, June 1990. A. Banerji, A. D. Deshpande, D. L. Luthria and P. Pradhan, 2D-NMR Spectroscopy in Structure Elucidation of Natural Products, Invited lecture at the Interna­tional Symposium on Natural Product Chemistry, Perade­niya, Sri Lanka, May, 1991. A. Banerji, Novel Natural Products from Pimpinella monoica, Invited lecture, “International Symposium on Bioorganic Chemistry”, Delhi, December (1994). A. Banerji, “Natural Product Research in New Perspectives, Professor R.H. Sahasrabudhey Lecture Series, Nagpur University, Nagpur, (1995). A. Banerji, Plenary Lecture, “Pimpinella monoica – A Source of Bioactive Compounds,SAREC International Symposium on Bioactive Natural Products, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, (1996). A. Banerji, Plenary Lecture, “Changing Strategies towards Natural Product Research — Prospects for Biotechnology”, 48th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, Chennai, (1996). A. Banerji, Plenary Lecture, New Approachs to Insect Control, “Golden Jubilee Celebration, Dr. H.S. Gour University, Sagar, (1996). A. Banerji, Invited lecture, “Potential of Plants for Human Needs”, University of Bombay, Mumbai, (1997). A. Banerji, Invited lecture, “Natural Product in Drug Industry”, Symposium on “Contributions of Science and Technology in economic progress,” National Institute of Oceanography, Panaji, Goa, 3-4, September, (1997). A. Banerji, Invited lecture Commomeration of 80th Birthday of Professor Asima Chatterjee, “Changing Strategies in Natural Product Research”, Symposium on Natural Product & Drug Development, Department of Chemistry, University College of Science, Calcutta University, Calcutta, September 23-25, (1997). A. Banerji, Invited lecture, “Emerging Trends in Natural Product Research”, Symposium on Recent Developments in Natural Products, School of Chemistry, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, July 11-13 (1997). Preparation of Insecticidal Principles of Garlic, Patent No. 144278. A. Process for the Preparation of an Immunomodulator from the Ayurvedic Medicinal Plant, Gulvel (Tinospora sp.) (57/BOM/98). Process for the Preparation of an Activated Titanium Reagent for Synthesis (56/BOM/98). A process for obtaining Phytoecdysteroid rich extract (1441/DEL/2008). A. Banerji, V.V.S. Murti, T.R. Seshadri and R.S. Thakur, Chemical Components of Flowers of Dalbergia sissoo: Isolation of 7-methyltectorgenin, a new Isoflavone, Indian J. Chem., 1, 25 (1963). A. Banerji, “Structural Studies of Certain Naturally Occurring Flavonoids and Use of Flavonoids as Antioxidants”, thesis submitted to Delhi University, 1964. A. Banerji, V.V.S. Murti and T.R. Seshardri, Occurrence of 7,4’-dimethyltectorigenin in the flowers of the Dalbergia sissoo, Current Science, 34, 431 (1965). A. Banerji, V.V.S. Murti and T.R. Seshardri, Isolation of Sissotrin, A New Isoflavone Glycoside from the leaves of Dalbergia sissoo, Indian J. Chem., 4, 70 (1966). A. Banerji, V.V.S. Murti and T.R. Seshadri, A note on tectorigenin monomethyl ethers, Current Science, 36, 69 (1967). C.P. Bahl, A. Banerji and T.R. Seshadri, Chemical Investigation on some Indian Medicinal Plants, Current Science, 37, 1 (1968). A. Banerji, M.S. Chadha and V.G. Malshet, Isolation of 5-hydroxy-3,6,7-3’,4’-pentamethoxyflavone from Vitex negundo, Phytochemistry, 8, 511 (1968). A. Banerji, G. Ramakrishnan and M.S. Chadha, Onitin and Onitisin, new phenolic pterosins from Onychium auratum. Tetrahedron Lett., 1369 (1974). G. Ramakrishnan, A. Banerji and M.S. Chadha, Chalcones from Onychium auratum, Phytochemistry, 13, 2317 (1974). A. Banerji, “Studies on Biosynthesis of Fusicoccin”, thesis submitted to Imperial College of Science and Technology, London 1975. P.S. Variyar, M.B. Pendharkar, A. Banerji and C. Bandyopadhyay, Blackening in Green Pepper Berries, Phytochemistry, 27, 715 (1988). A. Banerji, D.L. Luthria and B.R. Pradhu, Prenylated Compounds from Atalantia racemosa. Isolation and synthesis of Two New Pyranoflavones, Phytochemistry, 27, 3637 (1988). A. Banerji and D.L. Luthria, Benzene Induced 1H NMR shifts of Chromeno-Compounds: An Aid to Differentiate Linear and Angular Chromenoflavones, Spect. Letts. 23, 1 (1990). A. Banerji and D.L. Luthria, 2D-NMR Spectroscopy in Conjunction with ASIS: A Direct Method of Structure Elucidation of Natural Products. Indian J. Chem., 29B, 582 (1990). A. Banerji and D.L. Luthria, Structural Elucidation of Isomeric Pyronoflavones by 2D-NOESY, Spect. Letts., 24, 471 (1991). A. Banerji, A.D. Deshpande and P. Pradhan, Structure of Zeloxanthonone – A Reinvestigation, Tetrahedron Letts., 32, 4995 (1991). A. Banerji and D.L. Luthria, Assignment of Methoxyl Resonances and Observation on Restricted Rotation of B-ring of 2’-Methoxy Flavones by 2D-NOESY in Conjunction with ASIS. Spect. Letts., 24, 1047 (1991). A. Banerji and A.D. Deshpande, D.L. Luthria and P. Pradhan, 2D-NMR Spectroscopy in Structure Elucidation of Natural Products, Invited lecture at the International symposium on Natural Product Chemistry, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, May 1991. A. Banerji, Natural product research in new perspective, 2nd KOSEF-INSA Joint Seminar on Natural Product Chemistry, 23-24 Nov., 1991, Seoul, Korea. A. Banerji, Novel bioactivities of phytochemicals, in Traditional Medicine, Ed. B. Mukherji, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co., Calcutta, p.177, (1993). P. Pradhan, G.J. Chintalwar and A. Banerji, Stereochemistry of a Guainolide from Cyanthocline purpurea, by high resolution NMR spectroscopy, Spect. Letts., 26, 997, (1993). A. Banerji, Plants-Renewable Source of Bioactive Compounds, in Himalayan Biodiversity: Conservation Strategies, Ed. U. Dhar, Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital (1993). A. Banerji, A.D. Deshpande, B.R. Prabhu and P. Pradhan, Tomentenone, A New Xanthonoid from the Stem Bark of Callophyllum tomentosum J. Nat. Prod., 57, 396, (1994). P. Pradhan, S.J. Desai, L.P. Badheka and A. Banerji, Neolignans from Indian Piper Species: Structure of Hookerinone A, A Novel Neolignan, Nat. Prod. Letts., 4, 35, (1994). P. Pradhan, D.L. Luthria, A. Banerji, Pimolin, A new class of natural product from Pimpinella monoica, A novel dimeric furochromone, Bioorg. & Med. Chem. Letts, 4, 2425, (1994). V.D. Gangan, P. Pradhan, A.T. Sippahimalani and A. Banerji, Cordifolisides A,B,C: Norditerpene furan glycosides from Tinospora cordifolia, Phytochemistry, 37, 781, (1994). A. Banerji, Novel Natural Products from Pimpinella monoica, Invited lecture, International Symposium on Bioorganic Chemistry, Delhi, December (1994). V.D. Gangan, P. Pradhan, A.T. Sipahimalani and A. Banerji, Norditerpene Furan Glycosides from Tinospora cordifolia, Phytochemistry, 39, 1139 (1995). A. Banerji, “Natural Product Research in New Perspectives, Professor R.H. Sahasrabudhey Lecture Series, Nagpur University, Nagpur (1995). A. Banerji, Plenary Lecture, “Pimpinella monoica – A Source of Bioactive Compounds, SAREC International Symposium on Bioactive Natural Products, University of Peradeniya, SriLanka, (1996). A. Banerji, Plenary Lecture, “Changing Strategies towards Natural Product Research – Prospects for Biotechnology”, 48th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, Chennai, (1996). K.B. Sainis, P.F. Sumariwalla, Anjali Goel, G.J. Chintalwar, A.T. Sipahimalani and A. Banerji, Immunomodulatory properties of stem extracts of Tinospora cordifolia: Cell targets and active principles, Immunomodulation, Ed. S.N. Upadhyay, Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, 155, (1997). P. Pradhan, V.D. Gangan, A.T. Sipahimalani and A. Banerji, Two phytoecdysones from Tinospora cordifolia: Structural assignments by 2D NMR spectroscopy, Indian J. Chem., 36B, 958 (1997). A. Banerji, Invited Lecture, “Potential of Plants for Human Needs”, University of Bomaby, Mumbai (1997). A. Banerji, Invited lecture, “Natural Product in Drug Industry”, Symposium on Contributions of Science and Technology in economic progress, National Institute of Oceanography, Panaji, Goa, 3-4 September, (1997). A. Banerji, Invited lecture, “Changing Strategies in Natural Product Research”, Symposium on Natural Product and Drug Development, Department of Chemistry, University College of Science, Calcutta University, Calcutta, September 23-25 (1997). P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, Stereochemistry of Diastereomeric Neolignans from Piper hookeri by NMR spectroscopy, Phytochemical analysis, 9, 71-74 (1998). P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, Novel Cyclobutane fused Furochromone oligomers from the seeds of Pimpinella monoica Daltz, Tetrahedron, 54, 14541, (1998). A. Banerji, Possibilities of Radiation Protection with Natural Products, BARC News Letter No. 177, 55, (1998). G.J. Chintalwar, A. Goel, A.T. Sipahimalani, A. Banerji, P. Sumariwalla, R. Ramakrishnan, K.B. Sainis, Immunologically active arabinogalactan from Tinospora cordifolia, Phytochemistry, 52, 1089 (1999). J.N. Dhuley, S.R. Naik, S. Rele and A. Banerji, Hipolipidaemic and antioxidant Activity of Diallyl Disulfide in Rats, Pharm. Pharmacol. Commun, 5, 680 (1999). A. Banerji, Resurgence of Natural Product Research – A Phoenix Act (Invited Contribution), Proc. Indian National Science Academy, 66, A, 383 (2000). A. Banerji, Natural product research in the new millennium, J. Indian Inst. Sci., 81, 65 (2001) (Professor S.C. Bhattacharya Commemoration volume). B.S. Patro, R. Samuel, A. Sreekanth, S.K. Dwivedi, O.P. Chaurasia, S. Chattopadhyay, Bramha Singh and A. Banerji, Anti-oxygenic Activity of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Intn. Workshop on seabuckthorn, New Delhi, 194 (2001). T.P. Singh, P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, X-Ray structure of Pimolin, A naturally occurring dimeric furochromone , Zeitschrift für Kristallographie. New crystal structures,337,218 (2003). G. Srinivas, L.A. Annab, G. Gopinath, A. Banerji and P. Srinivas, Antisense blocking of BRCA1 enhances the sensitivity to Plumbagin but not Tamoxifen in BG-1 ovarian cancer cells, Molecular carcinogenesis,39,15(2004). Thasni K A, Rakesh S Nair, Rojini G, Ratheesh kumar T, Srinivas Gopal, Asoke Banerjj, Priya Srinivas Naphthaquinones - Promising anticancer agents against breast and ovarian cancer treatment. - Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, Vol 106, Supplement 1, December (2007) . Thasni K A, Rojini G, Srinivas G, Asoke Banerji, Priya Srinivas. Molecular mechanism of action of plumbagin in BRCA1 blocked ovarian cancer cell line by suppression subtractive hybridization and micro array. Annals of Oncology, Volume 18, Supplement 4, May (2007). Priya Srinivas, Thasni K A, Rakesh S Nair, Rojini G, Ratheeshkumar T, Asoke Banerji, Srinivas G. Targeted anticancer therapy for BRCA1 blocked estrogen receptor positive ovarian cancers. Annals of Oncology, Volume 18, Supplement 4, May (2007). A.A. Karedath K.A. Thasni , R Gopakumaran , Rakesh S. Nair , Thankappan Ratheeshkumar, Mani Shankar Babu , Gopala Srinivas , Asoke Banerji, Priya Srinivas, Genistein induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells via different molecular pathways depending on Breast Cancer Susceptibility gene-1 (BRCA1) status, European Journal of Pharmacology , 158, 588(2008). K. P. Suja, K.S. Pradeep Kumar and A. Banerji, Phytochemical Investigation on Indian Seabuckthorn, (Hippophae spp.): The Golden Bush, Eds.S. K. Dwivedi,T. Parimelazhagan, Shashi Bala Singh ,Z. Ahmed, Satish Serial Publishing House,New Delhi, 153 (2009). C. N. Vishnu Prasad, S. Suma Mohan , A. Banerji, A. Gopalakrishnapillai Kaempferitrin inhibits GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 39, 380(2009). N C. N. Vishnu Prasad, T. Anjana, A. Banerji, A. Gopalakrishnapillai,, “Gallic acid induces GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake activity in 3T3-L1 cells”, FEBS Letters, 531-536, 584 (2010). N. Pandurangan, Chinchu Bose, A. Banerji,, Synthesis and antioxygenic activities of seabuckthorn flavone-3-ols and analogs Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 21, 5328 (2011). N.Pandurangan, Chinchu Bose, and A. Banerji. Isolation and synthesis of Bioactive Flavonols from Indian Seabuckthorn. 5th International Seabucktorn Association Conference, Quinghai, Sep.3-8, (2011). K. A Thasni, T. Ratheeshkumar, , G. Rojini, , K. C. Sivakumar, R. S. Nair, G. Srinivas, A. Banerji, V. Somasundaram, and P. Srinivas, Structure activity relationship of plumbagin in BRCA1 related cancer cells”, Molecular Carcinogenesis,. 52, 392( 2013). Amitava Khan, Krishnendu Manna, Chinchu Bose, Mahuya Sinha, Dipesh Kr. Das, Swaraj BandhuKesh, AninditaChakrabarty, Asoke Banerji & SanjitDey Gossypetin, a naturally occurring hexahydroxy flavone, ameliorates gamma radiation-mediated DNA damage. International Journal of Radiation Biology.953 (2013). Chinchu Bose, N .Pandurangan, W.Schrenk and A. Banerji, Value addition to unutilized Indian plants & plant products. 14th Asian Symposium on Medicinal Plants, Karachi, 2013. Chinchu Bose, N. Pandurangan, Walter Schrenk and A. Banerji, Isolation, Charecterization Of Bioactives From The Indian Seabuckthorn, The Sixth Conference Of International Seabuckthorn Association, Potsdam2013, Germany ISA (2013). N. Pandurangan, A new synthesis for acacetin, chrysoeriol, diosmetin, tricin and other hydroxylated flavones by modified Baker-Venkataraman transformation, Letters in Organic Chemistry, 225 ( 2014). Amrutha K a, Pandurangan Nanjan a, Sanu K Shaji a, Damu Sunilkumar a, Subhalakshmi Ka, Lakshmi Rajakrishna b, Asoke Banerji ,Discovery of lesser known flavones as inhibitors of NF-κB signaling in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells - A SAR study ,. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 24,4735 (2014). Chinchu Bose, N. Pandurangan, Virendra Singh and A. Banerji. Isolation, Characterization and Chemical Fingerprinting of Bioactives from Indian Seabuckthorn (Hippophae L.) Species. Seabuckthorn (Hippophae L.) A Multipurpose Wonder Plant. Vol. IV: Emerging Trends in Research and Technologies, 262 (2014). Amitava Khan, Krishnendu Manna, Chinchubose, Dipesh Kr Das, Mahuya Sinha, Swaraj Bandhu Kesh Seabuckthron (Hippophae rhamnoide L.) leaf extract ameliorates the gamma radiation mediated DNA damage and hepatic alterations, Indian J. Expt. Biol. 52,952(2014). Pandurangan Nanjan, Jyotsna Nambiar, Bipin G. Nair, Asoke Banerji Synthesis and discovery of (I-3,II-3)-biacacetin as a novel non-zincbinding inhibitor of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Bioorg.Medicinal Chem., 23,3781(2015). Sreejit Chittiyath Madhavan, Chinchu Bose, Thomas Mathew Perakathusseril, Asoke Banerji. Indian medicinal plant, Coscinium fenestratum- A new Bio source for the Multifunctional Bio active Molecule–Ecdysterone. International Journal of Herbal Medicine, 2, 09-12, (2014). S.R. Udupa, A Banerji and MS. Chadha, Microbiological Transformation of Flavanone, Tetrahedron Letts., 4003 (1968). S.R. Udupa, A.Banerji and M.S.Chadha, Microbiological Transformation of Flavonoids-II, Tetrahedron, 25, 5415 (1969). A.T. Sipahimalni, A. Banerji and M.S. Chadha, Biosynthesis and Interconversion of Phytoecdysones in Sesuvium portulacastrum L. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 692 (1972). A. Banerji, R.B. Jones, G. Mellows, L. Phillips and K.Y. Sim, Biosynthesis of fusicoccin from (3-13C) and (4R)-(4-3H1)-mevalonic acids J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. I, 2221 (1976). A. Banerji, Application of carbon-13 in the Biosynthesis of Fusicoccin. “Stable Isotopes in the Life Sciences”, IAEA, Vienna, pp. 131., (1977). A. Banerji, R. Hunter, G. Mellows, K.Y. Sims and D.H.R. Barton, Use of Deuterium as a Tracer with 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Following Deuteride Migration in Terpenoid Biosynthesis: Mechanism of Geranylgseranyl Pyrophosphate cyclisation in fusicoccin Biosynthesis, J. Chem. Soc. Commun., 843 (1978). A. Banerji, Use of multiple labeled precursors in biosynthesis, Plenary lecture, Symposium on “Recent Developments in Organic Chemistry”, Calcutta University, p.6., (1979). T.K. Pushpendran, T.P.A. Devasagayam, G.J. Chintalwar, A. Banerji and J. Eapen, The metabolic fate of [35S]-diallyldisulfide in mice, Experientia, 36, 1000, (1980). A. Banerji, Use of stable isotopes in Biosynthesis, Plenary lecture, Symposium on Biosynthesis, Chance & Design, Banaras Hindu University, Jan. (1981). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, Synthesis of tritium labeled precocenes, J. Labelled Compds. and Radiopharm., 18, 1737 (1981). A. Banerji and G.P. Kalena, A short synthesis of (+) Mevalonolactone Synth. Commun., 12, 225 (1982). A. Banerji and G.P. Kalena, Synthesis of (+) [2-14C] Mevalonolactone in one step. J. Labelled Compds. and Radipharm., 20, 163 (1982). A. Banerji and G.J. Chintalwar, Biosynthesis of Bakuchiol, A Meroterpene from Psoralea corylifolia, Phytochemistry, 22, 1945 (1983). A. Banerji and G.J. Chintalwar, Biosynthesis of Bakuchiol from Cinnamic and p-Courmaric acids, Phytochemistry, 23, 1605 (1984). A. Banerji and G.J. Chintalwar, Role of Amino Acids in Terpenoid Biosynthesis, Plenary lecture,Third International Conf. On Chemistry and Biotechnology of Biologically Active Natural Products, Vol. III, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 285 (1985). A. Banerji and G.J. Chintalwar, One-Pot Radiosynthesis of [35S] Thiram from Elemental Sulphur Chemosphere 17, 495 (1988). A. Banerji and G.P. Kalena, Efficient synthesis of (+) [2-2H2 Mevalonolactone and (+) [2-2H2] Homo-Mevalonolactone, J. Labelled Compds. Radiopharm., 25, 111 (1988). A. Banerji, Mass spectrometry in tracer studies, Workshop on applications of mass spectrometry to organic chemistry & Biosciences, DRDO, Gwalior, Feb. 20-24, (1989). A. Banerji, Radiosynthesis of 35S-Labelled Bioactive Compounds and their Metabolites, Proceedings of national symposium on nuclear techniques in the study of pesticides in food agriculture and environment, The University of Agricultural Science, Hebbal, Bangalore, (1989). A. Banerji and G.J. Chintalwar, Fate of Leucine in the Biosynthesis of Bakuchiol, a Meroterpene from Psoralea corylilfolia, Indian J. Biochem. Biphys., 26, 394 (1989). A. Banerji, G.J. Chintalwar and D.L. Luthria, Biosynthesis of Furochromones in Pimpinella monoica: Synthesis and in vivo transformation of 3H-Visnagin, 17th IUPAC International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products, New Delhi, Feb. (1990). R.V. Om Kumar, A. Banerji, C.K. Ramakrishna Kurup and T. Ramasarma, The nature of inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase by garlic-derived diallyl disulfide, Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1078, 219 (1991). A. Banerji, Application of Isotopes in Bio-Organic Chemistry, BARC News Letter No. 103, 7, (1992). R.V. Om Kumar, S.M. Kadam, A. Banerji and T. Ramasarma, On involvement of intramolecular protein disulfide in the irreversible inactivation of HMG CoA reductase by diallydisulfide, Biochimi. Biophysi. Acta, 1164, 108, (1993). P.N. Patil, A. Chattopadhyay, S.R. Udupa and A. Banerji, Biotransformation with Rhizopus arrhizuz: Preparation of enatiomers of Sulcatol, Biotech. Lett., 15, 367 (1993). D.L. Luthria and A. Banerji, Biosynthesis of furochromones in Pimpinella monoica, Invited contribution, Special Issue on Frontiers in Bioorganic Chemistry, Ed. K.N. Ganesh, Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., 106, 1149, (1994). N.A. Salvi, P.N. Patil, S.R. Udupa and A. Banerji, Biotransformations with Rhizopus arrhizus: Preparation of the Enantiomers of 1-Phynylethanol and 1-(o-, m- and p- Methoxyphenyl) ethanols, Asymm., 6, 2287 (1995). P.N. Patil, N.A. Salvi, S.R. Udupa and A. Banerji, Enantiomeric synthesis of pyridyl-1-ethanol using Rhizopus arrhizus, Biotech. Letts., 18, 159 (1996). N.A. Salvi, S.R. Udupa and A. Banerji, Chiral Synthesis of a-phenylpyridyl methanols with Rhizopus arrhizus, Biotech. Letts., 20, 201 (1998). M. Elango, Hag Asita, Gunapalan Nidhi, Parvathy Seema, Asoke Banerji, Moni A. Kuriakose, Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 by diallyl sulfides (DAS) in HEK 293T cells, J. Appl. Genet. 45, 469( 2004). A. Banerji, G.J. Chintalwar and M.S. Chadha, Isolation of Ecdysterone from Indian Plants, Phytochemistry, 10, 2225 (1971). A. Banerji and G.J. Chintalwar, Phytoecdysones and Flavonol Glycoside from Sesuvium portulacastrum, Indian J. Chem., 9, 1029 (1971). K.A.D. David, S.K. Apte, A. Banerji and J. Thomas, Acetylene Reduction Assay Nitrogenase Activity: Gas Chromatographic Determination of Ethylene per Sample in less than one minute, Appl. Environ. Microb., 39, 1078 (1980). C.K. Pushpendran, T.P.A. Devasagayam, A. Banerji and J. Eapen, Cholesterol lowering effects of allitin in suckling rats, Indian J. Exp. Biol., 18, 858, (1980). A. Banerji, Chemistry and Biochemistry of Allitin – A Review, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, BARC, 1308, (1986). M.S. Chadha, K.M. Lathika, N.K. Joshi and A. Banerji, Biological Effects of Plumbagin on red cotton bug, Dysdercus koenigii, Sixth International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry, IUPAC, Ottawa, Canada, (1986). A. Banerji, Alternate Strategies of Insect Control – Natural Products as Potential Biocides – Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, BARC, 1416, (1988). N.K. Joshi, K.M. Lathika, A. Banerji and M.S. Chadha, Effects of Plumbagin on Prothoracic glands of Dysdercus cingulatus in “Endocrinological Frontiers in Physiological Insect Ecology” (Eds. F. Sehnal, A. Zabra and D.L. Denglinger) Technical University Press, Wroclaw (Poland) pp. 69 (1988). N.K. Joshi, K.M. Lathika, A. Banerji and M.S. Chadha, Effect of plumbagin on Growth and Development of Red Cotton Bug, Dysdercus koenigii, Proc. Indian Natn. Sci. Acad., B54, 43 (1988). V. Ramakrishnan, G.J. Chintalwar and A. Banerji, Environmental Persistence of Diallyl Disulphide, an Insecticidal Principle of Garlic and its Metabolism in Mosquito, Culex pipiens quinquifaciatus. Chemisphere, 18, 1525 (1989). D.L. Luthria, V. Ramakrishnan, G.S. Verma, B.R. Prabhu and A. Banerji, Insect Antifeedants Atalanta racemosa, J. Agric. Food Chem. 37, 1435 (1989). N.K. Joshi, K.M. Lathika, V. Ramakrishnan, A. Banerji and M.S. Chadha, Plumbagin Induced Inhibition of Ovary Development in Dysdercus cingulatus, in “Regulation of Insect Reproduction IV”, Eds. M. Tonner, T. Soldan, B. Benettova, Academia Publishing House of Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences Praha, pp. 287 (1989). A. Banerji, D.L. Luthria and S.D. Kokate, Toxicity of Capillin, the Insecticidal Principle of Artemisia nilagirica Clarke, Indian J. Exp. Biol. 28, 588 (1990). A. Banerji, Biotechnical potential of natural products, Plenary Lecture Seaweed research and utilization meeting, Presidency College, Madras, June (1990). A. Banerji, Insect control by biotechnical procedures – Lessons from plant kingdom, in “Insect Chemical Ecology” (Ed. I. Hrdy), Academia Praha, pp. 235, (1991). D.L. Luthria, V. Ramkrishnan and A. Banerji, Antifeedants from Pimpinella monoica, Insect Science and Its Application 13, 245 (1991). A. Banerji, Biotechnical Potential of Natural Products, Invited Contribution, Special Volume (Ed. H. Berg) Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, 27, 105 (1992). G.J. Chintalwar, V. Ramakrishnan, D.L. Luthria and A. Banerji, Insect Antifeedants from the roots of Psoralea corylifolia Linn., Indian J. Exp. Biol., 30, 858, (1992). D.L. Luthria, V. Ramakrishann and A. Banerji, Insect antifeedant activity of furochromones: Structure activity relationships, J. Nat. Prod., 56, 671, (1993). A. Banerji, Insect Plant Interactions: Natural Insect Control Agents, Recent Advances in Insect Physiology and Toxicology, p41, Ed. G.T. Gujar, Agricole Publishing Academy, Delhi, (1993). G.R. Shivakumar, K.V. Anantha Raman, K. Venkata Rami Reddy, S.B. Magadum, R.K. Datta, S.S. Hussain, A. Banerji and S.K. Chowdhury, Effect of Photoecdysteroids on Larval Maturation and Economic Parameters of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori., Indian J. Seric., 34, 46, (1995). N.A. Salvi, S.R. Udupa and A. Banerji, Chiral Synthesis of *-phenylpyridylmethanols with Rhizopus arrhizus, Biotech. Lett, 20, 201 (1998). A. Banerji, Role of Allelochemicals in the Ecodynamics of Insects and Plants, in “Biochemical Perspectives in Chemical Ecology of Insects”, ed. T.N. Ananthakrishnan, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi, pp. 28, (1995). G.R. Shivkumar, K.V.A. Raman, S.B. Magadum, R.K. Datta, S.S. Hussain, A. Banerji and S.K. Chowdhary, Effect of Phytoecdysteroids on the Spinning, Cocoon and Reeling Parameters of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori L., Allelopathy Journal, 3, 71, (1996). A. Banerji, Plenary Lecture, New Approaches to Insect Control, “Golden Jubilee Celebration”, Dr. H.S. Gour University, Sagar, (1996). S. Banerji, G.P. Kalena, S. Mugdam and A. Banerji, Insect growth regulatory activity of naturally occurring quinones and their derivatives in Dysdercus koenigii, J. Appl. Entomol. 125, 25 (2001). S. Banerji, G.P. Kalena, S. Mugdam and A. Banerji, In Search of Insect growth regulator: Activity of synthetic Precocenoids and other Heterocycles in Dysdercus koenigii,, J. Appl. Entomol., 125, 589 (2001). M.A. Suresh Kumar and A. Banerji, Growth Disruption in leaf eating caterpillar, Opisina arenosella Walker by plumbagin, A naturally occurring insect growth regulator and potential insect control reagent. Insect Sci. Applic., 22, 321 (2002). A.Banerji, Resurgence of Natural Product Research – A Phoenix Act (Invited Contribution), Proc. Indian National Science Academy, 66, A, 383 (2000). A.Banerji, Natural product research in the new millennium, J. Indian Inst. Sci., 81, 65 (2001) (Professor S.C. Bhattacharya Commemoration volume). A. Banerji, Prospects for green technology through natural product research, Amruth, 59, 25 (2001). K.S. Nair, K. Trivedy, S. Rele, G.J. Chintalwar, P.K. Chinya, R.K. Datta, S. Chattopadhyay and A. Banerji, Ecdysteroids from Sesuvium portulacastrum for synchronization of cocoon spinning in silk-worm, Bombyx mori L. in “Adv. Sericulture Res.”, Ed. S.B. Dandin and V.P. Gupta, Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute, Mysore, 2002, 247. Johnson, A. Banerji and O.V. Oommen, A comparative study of allitin and garlic on lipid turnover in a teleost, Anabas testudineus (Bloch), Indian J. Expt. Biol., 41, 243 (2003). S. Rele, A. Banerji, G. Chintalwar, V. Kumar, V. Yadava, A new conformer of 20-hyroxyecdysone from Sesuvium portulacastrum: An X-Ray crystallographic study, Natural Product Research, 17, 103 (2003). S.Banerjee, A Banerji et al., Novel synthetic precocenoids as inhibitors of reproduction in Dysdereus koenigii F.(hemiptera, pyrhhocoridae). Journal of ecophysiology and occupational Health , 4, 123-136( 2004). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, Enolates of o-hydroxyacetophenones: Novel Synthesis of 2, 2-dialkyl-4-chromanones, Tetrahedron Lett., 3685 (1979). A. Banerji and G.P. Kalena, A new Synthesis of Organic Trisulfides, Tetrahedron Lett., 21, 3003 (1980). A. Banerji, N.C. Goomer and G.P. Kalena, Synthesis of 2-hydroxy-4, 6-dimethoxycrotonophenone – A new class of natural products form Dysophilla stella. Synth. Commun., 10, 851 (1980). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, A new Synthesis of Flavones, Synthesis, 874 (1980). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, A new Synthesis of 2, 2-dialkychromenes-application to synthesis of anti-juvenile hormones, Precocene I & II, Indian J. Chem., 20B, 144 (1981). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, Synthesis of Naturally occurring 6-Oxygenated-2, 2-dimethylchromenes . Indian J. Chem., 23B, 885 (1984). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, Synthesis of Cycloartocarpesin Trimethyl Ether. Synth. Commun., 15, 1165 (1985). A. Banerji and N.C. Goomer, Synthesis of Rubraflavone–A Trimethlyl Ether. Indian J. Chem., 25B, 304 (1986). A. Banerji, N.C. Goomer and G.P. Kalena, Enolates of Diacetyl Resorcinols: Application to Synthesis of Benzodipyrans, Indian J. Chem., 27B, 981 (1988). A. Banerji and S.K. Nayak, Lithiation of Aromatic Ethers with Ultrasound: Some Synthetic Applications, Current Science, 58, 249 (1989). A. Banerji and G.P. Kalena, Heterocycles from Dia acetyl Phenols: Synthesis of Benzodipyrans, Acetyl Chromenes and Pyrano [1,2] Benzioxazoles, Invited Contribution, Heterocycles, 28, 711 (1989). A. Banerji and G.P. Kalena, A new method of cyclodehydration of 3, 3-dialkyl-1-oxo-1- (2-Hydroxyl) Propan-3-ols to 2,2-dialkyl-4-Chromanones: Synthesis of Cannabinoid Synthon. Synth. Commun., 19, 159 (1989). A. Banerji and S.K. Nayak, Sonochemical Hydrodimerization of Aromatic Carbonyl Compounds. J. Chem. Research, 314 (1989). A. Banerji and D.L. Luthria, Synthesis of Dimethylethers of Atalantoflavone, Carpachromene and their Analogues, Indian J. Chem., 29B, 163 (1990). A. Banerji and S.K. Nayak, Synthesis of O-Heterocycles via Intramolecular Reductive Deoxygenation of O-Aroyloxyacetophenones: One-step Synthesis of Benzofurans, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 150 (1990). A. Banerji and S.K. Nayak, New Synthetic Applications of Low Valent Titanium Reagents Twelfth International Symposium, Synthesis of Organic Chemistry, Cambridge, UK (1991). A. Banerji and S.K. Nayak, Unprecedented Reductive Dealkoxylation of Aryl Alkyl Ethers and Intramolecular C-C Coupling of 2, 2’-Dialkoxystilbenes with low Valent Titanium: One Pot Synthesis of Phenanthrenes, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1432 (1991). S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Stereocontrolled Reductive Deoxygenation Using Low-Valent Titanium; Effects of Ultrasound Waves and Solvents, J. Org. Chem., 56, 1940 (1991). S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Low valent titanium in organic synthesis: Synthesis of diarylalkanes from o-hydroxyaromatic keto compounds, Indian J. Chem., 30B, 286 (1991). G.P. Kalena, P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, A Novel Intramolecular 1, 2-Arene-Alkene Photocycloaddition, Tetrahedron Lett., 33, 7775 (1992). S.M. Kadam, S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Low-valent Titanium, A New Approach to Deprotection of Allyl and Benzyl Groups, Tetrahedron Lett., 33, 5129 (1992). S.K. Nayak, S.M. Kadam and A. Banerji, Selective Deprotection of Ethers by Low-Valent Titanium: Facile Cleavage of Propargyl Ethers, Synlett., 581 (1993). S.K. Nayak, S.M. Kadam, S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, Low Valent Titanium: New Synthetic Applications, Invited contribution, Special Issue on Organic Synthesis-3, Ed. G.S.R. Subba Rao, J. Indian Inst. Sci., 74, 401 (1994). T.K. Sarkar, B.K. Ghorai and A. Banerji, Intramolecular Alder Ene Approach to Sterochemical Control over Three continuous Sterogenic Centres: Synthesis of (+)-Methyl Cucurbate and (+)-Methyl Epijasmonate, Tetrahedron Lett., 35, 6907 (1994). S. Talukdar, S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Remarkable effect of fullerenes on LVT mediated organic reaction. Fullerene Science and Technology, 3, 327 (1995). S.M. Kadam, S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Dramatic Influence of Nitrogen Heterocycles on the Activity of Low-Valent titanium Reagent: An Improved One-Pot Synthesis of Phenanthrenes, Synthetic Communications, 25, 135, (1995). S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, Low Valent Titanium Deprotection of N-Allyl/benzyl Amines: A New Approach, Synth. Commun., 25, 813 (1995). S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, Low-Valent Titanium mediated reductive deoxygenation of carbonyls to methylene, via carbon-nitrogsen bond cleagvage in N-(arymethly) anilines, Synth. Commun., 26, 1051 (1996). V. Kabaleeswaran, S.S. Rajan, G.P. Kalena, P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, [1, 3,11]-2, 2, 11-trimethyl-14-oxatetracyclo-[6,5,0.17, 11, O3,8] tetradece-6-ene-5,90 dione, Acta Crystallographia Section C, C52, 1981, (1996). S. Talukdar, P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, Electron donor-acceptor interactions of C60 with - and -donors: A rational approach towards its solubility, Fullerene Science and Technology, 5, 547, (1997). G.P. Kalena, P. Pradhan, Y. Swarnalatha, T.P. Singh and A. Banerji, Intramolecular photorearrangement of a 2-alkenyl4-chromanone to an oxapentacyclotetradecanedione, Tetrahedron Letts., 38, 5551 (1997). G.P. Kalena, A. Jain and A. Banerji, Amberlyst 15 Catalyzed prenylation of phenols: One step synthesis of benzopyrans, Molecule, 100, (1997). S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, Bio-Organometallics: An emerging Area of Nuclear Medicine, Indian Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 12, 180 (1997). S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, Design and Development of New Chemical Reactions via Low-valent Titanium-induced Cleavage of Carbon-Heteroatom Bonds, J. Indian Chem. Soc., 74, 850, (1997) (Prof. T.R. Govindachari Commemoration Issue). S. Talukdar, S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Low-valent Titanium Mediated Reductive Cleavage of Benzylidene Acetals: An Indirect Mc. Murray Reaction, Synth. Commun., 2325, 28, (1998). S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, Low-Valent Titanium Mediated Imino-Pinacol Coupling: An Improved and Expeditious Route to Vicinal Diamino-Based Ligands, J. Org. Chem., 63, 4268 (1998). S. Talukdar, S.K. Nayak and A. Banerji, Activation of Low-Valent Titanium Reagents with Iodine: Facile Low-Temperature Mc Murry Reaction and N/O-Debenzylation/Deallylation, J. Org. Chem , 63, 4925, (1998). G.P. Kalena, P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, Stereo- and Regioselectivity of Intramolecular 1,2-Arene-Alkene Photocyclisation in 2-Alkenyl-4-chromonones. Invited contribution for the Barton Memorial Issue, Tetrahedron , 55, 3209 (1999). S. Rele, S. Talukdar and A. Banerji, A facile radical induced Selective Removal of N-Propargyl Protecting Groups Using Low Valent Titanium Reagents, Tetrahedron Letts., 40, 767 (1999). G.P. Kalena, S.M. Yadav and A Banerji, DDQ/PbO2: A novel oxidation system for hindered electron-rich bezhydrols, Molecules, 5, 248 (2000). S. Rele, S. Talukdar, A. Banerji and S. Chattopadhyay, Generation of Reactive Low-valent Titanium Species Using Metal – Arenes as Efficient Organic Reductants for TiCl3: Application to Organic Synthesis, J. Org. Chem., 66, 2990 (2001). Shyam Rele, A. Banerji and S. Talukdar, Reductive amination of aliphatic carbonyls using low-valent titanium reagent. A convenient route to free amines, J. Chem. Res. 6, 253 (2002). G.P. Kalena, P. Pradhan and A. Banerji, A novel intramolecular arene-alkene photocycloaddition in 2-alkenyl naphtha-4-chromanones-a short route to functionalized multicyclic systems, Tetrahedron Lett. 44, 2011 (2003). N. Pandurangan, Chinchu Bose and A. Banerji, Synthesis and antioxygenic activities of seabuckthorn flavone-3-ols and analogs. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 21, 5328 (2011) . N. Pandurangan, A new synthesis for acacetin, chrysoeriol, diosmetin, tricin and other hydroxylated flavones by modified Baker-Venkataraman transformation, Letters in Organic Chemistry, 14, 225, (2014). Amrutha K a, Pandurangan Nanjan a, Sanu K Shaji a, Damu Sunilkumar a, Subhalakshmi Ka, Lakshmi Rajakrishna b, Asoke Banerji ,Discovery of lesser known flavones as inhibitors of NF-κB signaling in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells - A SAR study ,. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 24, 4735 (2014). J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, P.R. Nataranjan, L.P. Badheka and A. Banerji, Extraction of Actinides and Fission Products by Octyl (Phenyl)-N, N-diisobutylcarbamoyl methyl phosphine oxide from nitric acid media, Talanta, 39, 493 (1992). J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, P.R. Natarajan, L.P. Badheka, A. Banerji, K.M. Michael, S.C. Kapoor and R.K. Dhumwad, Tail-End Purification of Americium from Plutonium Loading Effluents using a Mixture of Octyl (Phenyl)-N, N-Diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine Oxide and Tri-N-Butyl Phosphate, J. Radional. Nucl. Chem., Letters, 165, 219 (1992). J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, P.R. Natarajan, L.P. Badheka, A. Ramanujan, A. Banerji, P.S. Dhami, V. Gopalakrishnan, R.K. Dhumwad and M.K. Rao, Partitioning of actinides from high level waste streams of Purex Process using mixture of CMPO and TBP in dodecane, Waste Management, 13, 317, (1993). J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, M.S. Nagar, P.R. Natarajan, L.P. Badheka, A. Banerji, Solvent Extracted and Extraction chromatographically Adsorbed Complexes of Bifunctional Extractants with f-Elements, J. Radionanal. Nucl. Chem., Letters, 176, 415, (1993). J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, G.H. Rizvi, R.H. Iyer, K.M. Michael, S.C. Kapoor, A. Ramanujam, L.P. Badheka and A. Banerji, Extraction Chromatographic Separation and Recovery of Plutonium from oxalate supernatant using CMPO, Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 30, 1198, (1993). A. Ramanujam, P.S. Dhami, V. Gopalakrishnan, M.K. Rao, J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, R.H. Iyer, L.P. Badheka and A. Banerji, Application of Extraction Chromatographic Technique in the Recovery of Actinides from Purex Waste Solutions Using CMPO, BARC Report/1993/E/024. D.S. Deshingkar, R.R. Chitnis, P.K. Wattal. T.K. Theyyunni, M.K.T. Nair, A. Ramanujam, P.S. Dhami, V. Gopalakrishnan, M.K. Rao, J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, R.H. Iyer, L.P. Badheka and A. Banerji, Partitioning of actinides from Stimulated high level waste arising from reprocessing of PHWR fuels: Counter Current extracts on studies using CMPO, BARC/1994/E/014. J.N. Mathur, M.S. Murali, R.H. Iyer, A. Ramanujam, P.S. Dhami, V. Gopalakrishnan, L.P. Badheka and A. Banerji, Extraction chromatographic seperation of minor actinides from purex high-level wastes using CMPO, Nuclear technology, 215, (1995). V. Gopalakrishanan, P.S. Dhami, A. Ramanujan, M.V. Balarama Krishna, M.S. Murali, J.N. Mathur, R.H. Iyer, A.K. Bauri and A. Banerji, Extraction and Chromatographic Separation of Minor Actinides from Sulphate Bearing High Level Waste Solutions Using CMPO, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., 191, 279 (1995).

2019-04-23T20:48:56Z

https://www.amrita.edu/faculty/abanerji

Mike Ragogna: Hey Leon, Life Journey, your latest album, was recorded with Tommy LiPuma, Al Schmitt, Elton John...you have an awful lot of friends rooting for you. Do you feel the love? LR: Well yeah, it was nice. Elton was primarily responsible, he wanted me to do an album of my own. So yeah, it was great, I had a lot of help. MR: Life Journey...how did it come about and how did it get so lush? LR: Well you've given me the benefit of the doubt that I know what I'm doing, but that's not exactly the case. Tommy and I had a lot of conversations before we made the record and I just happened to mention one day that when I was always playing my piano part, I was always imagining an ensemble when I played that sounded like Count Basie and had lines in between and so forth. So he showed up with one of Count Basie's writers and bass players and we went from there. The idea is a life journey occurred somewhat in the middle of the recording. MR: The concept is sort of like a statement on what made you and where you are now in your life and music, right? LR: There's kind of an explanation of it in the liner notes. They basically say there's some things that I've done in my life and some things that I've always wanted to do, so that's what it is. MR: Some of these songs sound like they were made for Leon Russell, for instance, "Georgia On My Mind." What an easy fit this material is. When you listened back to these songs did you feel like, "Hey, maybe I should've recorded these earlier on?" LR: I definitely wouldn't have recorded while Ray Charles was alive. He had the definitive version of "Georgia," but I was doing that on my show, actually, unlike many of the others which I did for the first time when I was making the demos for the writer to write the arrangments. MR: And then you have what could be a slight nod to one of your own hits, "The Masquerade," with "The Masquerade Is Over," no? LR: Well, not really. I used to go to jazz jam sessions in Tulsa that started at one or two o'clock in the morning and went to two or three in the afternoon the next day while we were jazz players that played Leon McAuliffe's hillbilly band were out there playing at those jam sessions. That's where I learned "The Masquerade Is over." I'll tell you what it is, I'd never sung that song. I'd played it for a bunch of different singers, but I never sang it until I made the demos for this record. I don't think that one has anything to do with the other, it's just a consequence of having this thing learned. MR: At this point in your life you're turning seventy two soon, there's got to be some relfection on a lot of your sign posts and mile markers. How do you feel about your career and what you've contributed to music? What are your thoughts? LR: I'm happy to have a job. What can I say? Sometimes one misses the sign posts as you're going down the road. They aren't as obvious as they become when you get to the end of the road, so to speak. MR: Do you ever think about the days when you were doing the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour--you know, out on the road with Joe Cocker and Rita Coolidge? LR: Yeah, I think about that occasionally, that was quite an event and I enjoyed doing it a lot, but the first rock 'n' roll shows that I saw were big variety shows with twenty and twenty five-piece bands and fifteen or twenty acts who would come out and do one or two songs each. I've seen shows that had Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino so that was exciting times for me. I was just trying to capture that a little bit. At modern rock 'n' roll shows you'd never see that. MR: And that's why you touched on something a lot of people appreciated, it's an iconic album of the era. LR: I guess so...I don't know, it got kind of mixed reviews when we did it. But isn't that always the case? MR: Yeah, and I think over the years, it's stood the test of time. For anybody who's an afficionado of classic rock, that's a classic album. LR: We had the movie to go off of, that helped a bit. MR: I've interviewed Rita Coolidge over the years and every time, your name comes up with such a fondness for both those days and you. And you did write "Delta Lady" about Rita. LR: Yeah, I wrote that for her, and also the song "Superstar," I didn't write that for her, but I wrote it because of her. She was the first person I ever heard use that word. She was talking about Dionne Warwick recording an album in Memphis down there were she lived and she said it was such a great pleasure to see a "superstar." That was the first time I ever heard that word, and I was kind of fascinated by it. It wasn't in common usage at the time. MR: Yeah. If there was a hip moment in the Carpenters' career, you supplied it with "Superstar." You helped mold history a little bit there too. LR: Well Karen Carpenter was just a singularly amazing singer. There was just not anybody like her. I produced a gospel duet called the O'Neal Twins; they were a couple of twin brothers who were soul singers and they sang gospel songs like The Everly Brothers. I asked them one day who their favorite singer was and they both said together, "Karen Carpenter." So that's kind of amazing for me. MR: And George Benson had a big hit with your song "This Masquerade," which a lot of people have since recorded. LR: Actually, Tommy produced that record, too, so I'm quite thankful for him. There was a period in my life where I was trying to write standards. I wasn't trying to write hit records. Standards are different, slightly, from hit records. The guy that plays the baritone saxophone in Tower Of Power [Stephen Kupka] came up to me one day and he said, "Leon, I've written twelve Top Ten records with Tower Of Power and nobody's ever cut them. How did you get all of those people to print your songs?" and I said, "Well I'm not sure I could explain it to you, since they're different songs, but a standard is not necessarily a Top Ten record at the start of its life. It just depends on if a hundred people cut it in ten years. Then it's a standard." MR: Some of these things have turned into standards, "Day After Day," and "This Diamond Ring" among others. LR: I'm not sure that was a standard. MR: [laughs] As part of The Wrecking Crew, you could've just settled as being a piano player and had an amazing career, but you went solo and had your Shelter Records plus musical workouts with Marc Benno. What made you turn the corner or were you always trying to do that and you finally lucked out? LR: Well I wasn't much of a singer, I mostly played piano for real singers when I played in night clubs and piano bars and stuff like that, but I started singing a little bit, I got a call from Denny Cordell, who was cutting Joe Cocker, and he said he had a deal where he just listened to records all the time and picked out people he liked and then he's have his assistant round them up and he'd put them in the studio and use them to make records. I'd never met him but I got a call one day from somebody at A&M who said he wanted me to come and play on some Joe Cocker Records. I thought it was a good opportunity to produce some songs, so after the session I played those songs for him and we cut them. MR: So you moved from The Wrecking Crew into the Shelter People. LR: Yeah, it's odd, I'd never heard that section referred to as The Wrecking Crew, that was the name of a somewhat mediocre Dean Martin movie which I didn't play on, although some of those guys did. I never heard the section named that until Hal Blaine's book. But what was the question? MR: It's almost like that Joe Cocker album was the big step to you becoming Leon Russell the solo artist, or at least the duet artist with Marc Benno. LR: I suppose so. Like I said, I met Denny doing those Cocker sessions, so when I played those songs I had a meeting with him later and I said, "Yeah, I've always wanted to have a record company, sing and do all that stuff," so we formed Shelter behind that conversation. MR: You had a number one country record with Willie Nelson and you've easily slipped from genre to genre, is that because you just see it as making music? LR: Well some people, for example program directors, are much more aware of genres than people like me. I'm not much on french words anyway. But I just never thought of it that way. When I was playing in the section in LA, they were talking about how Nashville guys are always ready to play. They have a conversation for about five minutes, write a bunch of numbers done, and when they're ready to record it they're very fast. I'm very fast myself. One day, I was taking a car back from LA to Tulsa where I was living at the time and I went into a truck stop and there were about a thousand country CDs in there at like three dollars a piece. I'd never been in a country band, and I lived in Tulsa. It wasn't until I got to California that I got in one. There are actually more hillbillies in California than there is in Oklahoma. But I bought a hundred dollars worth of those songs and listened to them on the way home. I got to thinking, "If those guys are that quick and that ready to play, I'm ready to play." I just picked out twenty six songs that I knew, not that I'd necessarily ever sung before. Sometimes the first time I sang them was on the session. Sometimes when I'd heard several different versions of them slipping from one track to another is really kind of embarrassing, but that was the origin of that. MR: When you had a number one record with Willie Nelson did you think, recording country music had kind of paid off? LR: Not really. I met Willie at a time when my profile was somewhat higher than his. He said to me one day, "You know, we ought to make records. We'd be the biggest thing in country music." I thought he must have been kidding. I didn't imagine myself as a country artist, I didn't know much about it. But later when he was on Columbia, he asked me, "Let's do this duet album" and so perhaps he was right, I don't know. MR: And of course you did the duet album with Elton John. The Union was called the third best album of 2010 by Rolling Stone. That's pretty impressive. LR: Yeah, I'm glad that they liked it. MR: So far, you've had an amazing and varied career. When you look at the contribution that you've made to music, is there something you'd like to be known for? LR: Well I don't really think of myself in the third person. To me, it's a different point of view. I'm happy to have a job. I play a little, write a little, perform some, it's not like it's an engineered, well-manufactured plan or anything. I just do what I do. LR: I think probably my main advice to new artists is if you want to be in the music business you, need to be dang serious about it because it's a rough business. It's what my uncle told me when I was going intol the music business. He was a great guitar player and a singer. He was a master sergeant in the air force for twenty-five years and ran gun clubs all over the world. When I told him I wanted to be a musician he said, "It's a rough a business." So that's my advice to them. MR: Was it a rough business for you? LR: Oh yeah, it was pretty rough. I started playing in night clubs in Oklahoma when I was fourteen. It was a dry state, and there were no liquor laws so consequently there were no laws about minors playing in night clubs, so I had the oppportunity to start early. I went out to California the week I got out of high school, I was seventeen, and found out that they weren't goign to have any sense of humor about that, they weren't going to let me play or even go into the night clubs unless I was twenty one, so I had to borrow IDs. The musicians' union wouldn't let you play--they called it "home stay"--they didn't want people coming into California and playing in night clubs, so in order for me to join the California union, I had to not work for a year. I said, "You'll have to explain what you're thinking about that." I had to borrow union cards and borrow IDs and if they had a different guy at the door who didn't know me and I'd already given my ID back to the person I borrowed it from. It was tough. I caught pneumonia out there and the doctors wouldn't help me in the hospital because I was a minor and I didn't have any adults so they wouldn't treat me in the hospital, but I got over it more or less. But it's pretty much a warring state out there. MR: With your challenges over the years, did you ever feel like, "Dude, I've had it. This is it." LR: Oh just about every other day. Like I said, it's a rough occupation. MR: You're going to be touring for this album, right? LR: Well I stopped for two years, but I've mostly been doing this kind of thing for forty-five years, so the public is more or less aware of me, I've been working the whole time and it's not changed. I play about a hundred and eighty shows a year. MR: So the tour continues. LR: Yes, it's a continuation. MR: Is there a project that you're dying to get to? Do you look to the future and say, "I really have to do that," whatever that is? LR: Once again, you're giving me the benefit of the doubt of knowing what I'm doing. I don't think of it that way. One day, I'll have an idea. For forty-five years, I've always had a studio in my house and usually live-in engineers so if I have an idea, I'll do it right there and it'll come out on a record. I'm not able to plan that far ahead, I'm sorry to say. MR: So everything continues as it is until you just don't want to do it anymore. LR: Yeah, I do that all the time. I really write more if I have a reason or a project or something, but about the time when I was doing The Wedding Album, I was getting upset because studios spend a lot of money and then sit there for months and months waiting for inspiration and I thought, "I need to be able to do this on call," like an accountant, you go to work, you do your job, you go home, eat dinner and go to bed. So I did a little bit of research when I was working on that album, I read a book called How To Write A Popular Song. It really helped me out quite a lot. I could probably write you one right now. That hasn't always been the case. MR: All these years later, when you listen to your classic "Tightrope" what are your thoughts? LR: Well, Edgar Winter said three out of five notes that I sang were out of tune and I said, "Edgar, don't hold back, tell me what you really think!" I can't really become too critical. I have to keep going. MR: But it was fun to have to have such a huge, huge hit at the time, right? LR: It's number eleven, it's the hugest hit that I ever had. I didn't have a lot of hits, actually. I was being played on what they called at the time, "Underground Radio." But I never had a song in the top forty pretty much. MR: By the way, every time I hear one of your signature songs, "Roll Away The Stone," I still smile a little. And I'm sure there are many other lives that song and so many more of your others have affected, so I'd like to thank you, Leon. LR: Oh, bless your heart. I appreciate it. Mike Ragogna: So this love affair with all things Ireland has been in your life for a very long time. When did you first become aware of Ireland's beauty and history? Judy Collins: I grew up with all of these songs, that was so extraordinary. My dad, who was such a great singer and a wonderful, wonderful performer had always sung the Irish songs. I grew up with them because they were in his repertoire. Not only he, but my godfather sang them, too. They sang "Danny Boy" and "If You Ever Go Across The Sea To Ireland" and "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen," and all those amazing songs, so they were there in my life. As a matter of fact, I was quite sure that they must be Rodgers & Hart because all of the other songs that he sang, except for ones that he wrote, were Great American Songbook songs. So they were there, and the first folk song that I knew was a folk song was played on the radio and sung by Jo Stafford which is kind of a weird history because I knew her as this great singer of the Great American Songbook, and there she was on the radio on the record made by herself and her husband Paul Weston singing the songs of Scotland and Ireland. So that lured me. MR: Can you remember which Irish songs you learned first? JC: Oh sure, "Danny Boy" naturally. I knew "Danny Boy" before I could walk, probably. MR: Where does the passion and the connection you have to this come from? JC: I think there's a certain spirit of the Irish music, and of course you get to know all of the poets, I recorded William Butler Yeats' "Song Of The Wandering Angus" on my second album. I think maybe that song was written by Burl Ives, the melody-- I once asked Will Hope, from whom I heard it, "Did you write that?" He said, "No, no, I didn't." I think that Burl Ives probably wrote it, but during a time when people were afraid to take any kind of copyright rights on their versions of things that were considered either traditional or from other resources. MR: Right. Do you look at how how Irish music has been passed down and evolved through the generations? JC: I think that the Irish tradition has flooded into my own music, all kinds: the kinds I write, the kinds I listen to, I think it's very much a part of pop music because I think the tradition of Irish song really entered into the mainstream of Irish music a long time ago. There are a lot of roots there that we don't even know about which are hangovers from "Danny Boy" and "The Rose Of Tralee" and Molly Malone. I think they're there whether we can see them or not. MR: You have a few guests on this album, such as Mary Black, and you have Emily Ellis. JC: Isn't that wonderful? That's on a song I wrote called "Grandaddy," which is about one of my Irish grandfathers. She's a lovely young woman, and Mary Black is a very famous singer of Irish songs, she's known all over the world actually. She's famous, she's wonderful, she's a gifted artist. I was lucky to get her on the show. MR: There are a couple of songs you're known for that are on this project, material like "Chelsea Morning" and "Amazing Grace." But "Bird On A Wire"...it seems the Leonard Cohen songbook slips very nicely into this genre, as well as Harry Chapin's "Cats In The Cradle." JC: I know! I think again that there is this tradition that seeped into Canadian songwriters, Leonard, of course, being the Canadian whose songs I've recorded the most of, but I do think the connections are very strong. With "Chelsea Morning," Joni is another Canadian who had, I think, tremendous Irish influence in her writing and it's different; it has a kind of freedom in the writing that is a little different. With Leonard, of course, it's what charmed me into being able to write my own songs. There's a new song of mine on this project called "New Moon Over The Hudson," and that's really about the Irish diaspora, but it also goes into my actual story. You know my father's father's fathers came from Ireland shores, and they fought in Lexington and also the Civil War on the Union side, by the way, and died for the country. That I was not really sure of until recently; I have a geneologist who helps me locate these pieces of history in my own background. I'm very happy with that song, I think it reflects something that I've always been getting at, which is that family bond of poetry and music and lineage that has always been there. MR: It does seem to be entrenched in American culture more than it acknowledges. MR: Do you keep an eye on Ireland both culturally and politically? JC: Well, to some extent. Of course, we know about Ireland's troubles lately and about her troubles in the past and about her political problems and her history, I know all about her history. My father was so vehemently Irish that he didn't want to hear the name England spoken in the house. He was rampantly anti-England, although he was half English himself. Go figure. But he was mad as hell and with good reason. Of course, now everyone is getting over that antipathy and getting along. I did have the experience of going to Quinnipiac University up in Connecticut. The University has the only museum of the art from the Irish Hunger in the world. It's very powerful stuff, really deeply upsetting and disturbing, but also very beautiful. MR: Have you ever been tempted to record a concept album around Ireland specifically? JC: No, I haven't, but maybe I will, who knows. MR: I was just wondering if it's tempting. JC: Yeah, I think now we have to celebrate the music and the verse and the beauty of the Irish spirit over all and try to get beyond the antipathy and the rage of those years. It was brutal. MR: There are other songs like "She Moved Through The Fair," which depicts a different kind of Ireland. JC: It's the heart of Ireland, really, it's the beauty of their ability to tell stories and to connect nature and music. It was so beautiful to be there in Dromore because it's in County Clare, and it's just a beautiful place. It's so physically beautiful and that castle is just strikingly gorgeous. It's funny because "The Gypsy Rover," which I learned from the radio, I never did record it until too recently--it was at least forty years before I put it on a record of any kind. I think I put it on the Live At Wolf Trap album in 2000. I hadn't recorded it in all the years that I had known it and that's a funny thing because it talks about this young girl who runs off with a gypsy and when he reaches his home, it turns out he lives in a castle. So I finally got to the castle this time around. MR: Ever since I saw that first shot of you with The Clintons, it's seemed more and more like you're a musical diplomat. JC: [laughs] I think that's true. You can say anything in music and you can say it any language and in any country without compromising either your dignity or your political integrity, I think that's very true. It's a fortunate mantle that either I developed or inherited or created or taken on or something, but it's true. Music is the language of the heart and it travels very well. MR: Are you watching younger artists and feeling this music is in good hands? JC: Oh yes, and I have on my own label a number of artists who are honoring the tradition, people like Kenny White and Amy Speace who's going on to other kinds of things, but she's going to be in concert this year and so is Kenny White and Walter Parks and Ari Hest, who's a marvelous young artist, he's on the show of course doing a duet with me on one of his songs, "The Fireplace." So I think yes, it's in good hands and there are wonderful young artists writing about interesting and topical and certainly heartfelt new music about life and politics. Noel Stookey has this contest called "Songs To Life" and it focuses on politically sensitive songs and all kinds of wonderful things and I'm a judge on that, so every once in a while I'll pull out a song like the one I sang on the last PBS special called "Veterans' Day," which is a duet with Kenny White. It's about war and about veterans and about the universality of veterans and how everybody's got a veteran in their culture, and they're all on both the wrong side and the right side of history in a way, because they're in conflicts which wind up being essentially human without any tag of nationality. That's what we do, we fight and sometimes we win and sometimes we surrender and if we're lucky we start to get to the negotiating table before we get to the battlefield which is to be deeply desired. MR: What are your thoughts on the tensions between the US and Russia? JC: Well, it just makes me sick. That's how I feel about it. I think it's pathetic and human and upsetting. MR: Throwing a non-sequiter out there, what advice do you have for new artists? JC: Be careful what you wish for. It's the same advice I would give anybody in any arena of life, but I think it's not for everybody, that's for sure, but you have to do it of course if it's your passion, but be prepared to miss lunch. To be a dreamer you have to be realistic and to be a dreamer whose dreams come true you have to be extremely fit, so keep your stuff together and don't go too far out of bounds because the body that you're singing with today might have to last your fifty years. MR: Judy, are you still a dreamer after all of these years? JC: Oh absolutely. Absolutely, in the biggest kind of way. I have very big dreams and I don't miss lunch, but that's because I really do prepare. I don't let things take me by surprise. MR: Well that's perfect for my last question: What does the future hold for Judy Collins? JC: Right now, I am deep in the throes of Stephen Sondheim songs. That's the next big project for PBS. MR: Judy, you also seem to be a PBS diplomat. JC: [laughs] Oh, I love PBS. I'm bonded at the hip with PBS as we all are for all of the shows we want to watch, from Downton Abbey to The Eagles' live reunion. They're just the best. They do for music what we really need and they do it so well and at this point in our lives, most of the artists who survived the sixties and went on to thrive and concertize are the latchkey to the garden because they get music out for people. It's hard to reach people now, there aren't any music stores. I was in the Amoeba store in LA yesterday signing the new album and the new DVD and it's huge. It's acres and acres of DVDs and CDs and vinyl and every artist you've ever dreamed of seeing or hearing...and of course, they're one of a kind. Those places don't exist anymore, anywhere that I know of, anyway. So PBS is doing what we couldn't for ourselves. It's providing us with a platform and an avenue to get out to our audiences and we're very grateful for that. I love PBS. MR: It's curious how they want to pull back funding from PBS periodically. JC: Are you asking about why the government doesn't support the arts? MR: [laughs] There you go! JC: [laughs] I look at the sixteen days that we didn't have any government and I think my old friend Lingo the Drifter in Colorado used to have what he called his "Dormant Braincell Research Foundation Speech." During those sixteen days, I thought I should go down to Washinton and give Congress that speech, because what a bunch of idiots, excuse my French. Where are their priorities and what are they thinking? I guess I don't have to go too far to tell you where my politics lie. MR: Beautiful. You're very consistent after all these years. JC: After it all, I am consistent. Mike Ragogna: John, it is a pleasure. I have always wanted to have an interview with you. Your new album Bright Side Of Down features some label mates including Michael Johnson on the first track. What went into this project? John Gorka: I think the approach was a little different from other albums I've done. Probably one of the things that makes it different from the others is that instead of trying to do it all at once or with deadlines in mind I wanted to do it a little bit at a time, mainly building around my vocal and guitar performances and then trying to see how the songs and performances held up over time. I was just kind of living with them for a while so that I could hear them with some kind of objectivity, like a listener who wasn't involved in the process. MR: A lot of artists' work ethic while constructing an album comes from not only set deadlines but also because it's just traditionally the way it's done, in one scheduled run. But there's something to be said for savoring the material and letting it grow and letting you grow along with it, because there will be changes that may come down the pike affecting perspective, right? JG: Right. There were lines that I wondered about going into it and then as I listened to them down the line I said, "Okay, yeah, that does need to be changed." I wanted to do it like the last one, which was also built around the vocal and guitar performances, because that's how people see me most of the time, always solo. I wanted that to come through the recording. This was the longest time it ever took me to make a record. I'm happy with how it turned out, but I don't know if that's the way it will be next time. One of the things about this group of songs, I wanted to have it really reflect the vocal and guitar performances because I can play with other people but often it'll change what I do. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes that's not, so to find my zone on the song and build around that was kind of the goal, but things change. You go in with one idea and it changes along the way. MR: This is your fifth album working with Rob Genadek. JG: That sounds about right, yeah. MR: And you've included many of the same musicians on this project. Even though this was a very introspective process, it's nice that you still remain loyal to your session players in addition to your bringing in new cats. What is it that they bring to the mix for you? JG: It's kind of fun, Rob always picks good people. He's never recommended somebody who's not right for the part. Bringing some of these guys in who I've worked with over time is a lot of fun because they bring so much to it, they have so many ideas and it's just a matter of choosing which ideas to use. They're really lots of fun to work with. Jeff Victor, the keyboard player, is hilarious. They're all great people, so it was kind of fun. I just know that these are great musicians and they can come up with any number of ideas. Beyond that it's kind of like "Make it up as you go along." There's never any real grand plan going into it other than what I said about having the vocal guitar be featured. MR: Can you tell us what some of these guests, such as Michael Johnson, added to the project? JG: I've gotten to work with Michael and travel with him. I was a fan, I got his record at a used record store when I was in college or shortly after college, I got his album called There Is A Breeze. I've been a fan ever since then and when I got to see him play live, he's just a phenomenal guitar player as well as a great singer and he's got great, great stories. So just having these people, they bring all of their talent and experience to the studio. It was kind of a delightful thing to work with them. Some of the others, like Claudia Schmidt, I was glad we had this song for. The percussion was made up of Rob, who's a drummer as well as an engineer and producer, and he made sounds hitting various parts of his body as well as tapping his foot on the floor to make kind of a groove that everything played to. We had this long fade at the end and I wondered what to do with that. Claudia came in and sang three parts one after the other and then she did a free vocal at the end and it was really great to see. I knew she was capable of doing that because she's so talented, but she even exceeded my hopes with her performance on that one. I'm glad to have these people on there. My hope is that maybe some of these people have not heard Claudia before so they could now check out her music. MR: It must great to be part of a musical community. JG: Yeah, I was glad to have all of these mainly Red House people; the players and singers are all great. They're maybe not celebrity cameo appearances but they're still some of the best people I could hope for. I was glad to have so many Red House people on there, like Amilia Spicer singing on a Bill Morrissey song because she's a good friend of Bill's, and having Antje Duvekot sing on the last song. Again, she came up with parts that I couldn't believe. She just sang it to her computer at home and she sent along what she had come up with and I was knocked out by it. But she couldn't figure out how to get those parts out of her computer so she did go to a studio and re-did those. It's a remarkable vocal arrangement, what she came up with. MR: Since 1987 with your I Know project, you've had a very prolific relationship with Red House. You went to Windham Hill High Street for a while, but all of your material is at those two labels. When you look at this body of work, what do you think as far as John Gorka's career? Are you on target with where you wanted and now want to be? JG: My goal, I guess, was to be able to make music and discover the music that was inside me. If I could do that for a living, that was my goal. Beyond that, I've not really thought that much about it. I'm grateful that I get to do music and I get to make records and travel around and people show up. That's a lot of fun and it's more fun now than it was in the beginning. But beyond that I'm not sure. Mainly I just wanted to play, and my goal now is to get kids through college and I can play as long as I'm healthy. I guess those are my short- and long-term goals. JG: I was focused on my songs and the live show, but I'm kind of learning from new artists how they do it. It's harder now. With Red House and Windham Hill, I was able to reach a large group of people all at the same time, so I was able to have a base to build on. For new people... Some people are great at doing the online YouTube videos and stuff like that. Antje Duvekot is one of those people. She's kind of a next generation after me, and she's able to do YouTube videos, she recently did an animation where she drew all of the backgrounds and created this very low-tech animation using her iPhone. The track that she recorded sounded like a record and she sang that on GarageBand through her computer. So I think the main thing is to concentrate on good material. My general philosophy is high standards, low overhead, realistic expectations. So don't put out a record until you feel like you've done the best you could. Don't put out stuff just to put it out. There's a line in Suze Rotolo's book about Greenwich Village growing up in the late fifties and early sixties; she was Bob Dylan's girlfriend for a while, she was on the cover of the Freewheelin' album, she said, "The difference between then and now is we had something to say, not something to sell." I thought that was great. The main thing is to have something to say first and then do your best to make it as easy as possible for the world to find you. There's a lot you can do on the internet now. I was just reading a story in a guitar magazine about an acoustic guitarist who put up YouTube videos and became very well-known, so I think that would be a good way to go. Other than that, for the acoustic singer-songwriter a few of these festivals have emerging artist showcases and contests. The Kerrville Folk Festival has that, in Kerrville, Texas, the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival has that in Colorado, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in New York State, there are all these places you can send stuff to and then if they like it you can come and play those songs. Other than that, the thing is it's a very different world from when I started, there were record companies and record stores and ways of reaching a large block of people in a short amount of time. Now everything's very fragmented and it's difficult to get known. You can make a lot of music on your own, you can make records and potentially reach a huge number of people, but since everything is kind of fragmented and compartmentalized it's difficult to reach that critical mass of people. That's where record companies still have a role. Red House still does what they do better than I could ever do, so I'm glad to be able to work with people who care about the music and know how to get the word out. MR: I'm especially fond of "Holed-Up Mason City" because it's the story of you driving through Iowa--I'm in Iowa right now, so I get the story. So did it actually happen, you getting blinded by the snow here? JG: Oh yeah, yeah! I had rented a minivan because my daughter was having a tubing party with a bunch of her friends because we had two vehicles and one of them wasn't large enough to transport all the girls who were coming. So the plan was when I went to drop my batch of girls with their parents I would then begin to drive towards Iowa because there was a storm coming on. It turns out that the storm started that night. I was able to get to southern Minnesota but it was already terrible, it was icing over the windshield, so it was really difficult to see. On the day of the show, I stopped north of Des Moines because I wanted to drive partly back after the show. I was able to get to the show and it snowed and snowed all of that time. When I came out they asked, "Where are you staying?" I was about twenty or thirty minutes north of Des Moines and they said, "Oh, you'll never make it. You'll end up on the side of the road in a snow drift." So I took their advice and ended up getting a second hotel room and in the morning I was able to get back to my first one to get all of my stuff and head home. That's when it really started. It had become more of a ground blizzard and the snow was heading out of the west. It was a wicked wind, and like in the song I found out that the van I rented had no snow tires, they were all-weather tires, so I'm moving sideways seeing people flying past me on the left, so I pulled over to the rumble strip with my flashers on and eventually I thought, "This is not going well." So I was able to get off the interstate and headed towards what I thought was a town. Some of the roads I took I had to turn back because they were drifted over. Five foot drifts covering the roads. Eventually, I made it to Mason City. I ended up staying there and then I realized that that was the airport that Buddy Holly and his friends had flown out of in 1959. That's how he ended up in the song. There is no Big Bopper diner in Mason City, but I did find out later that there is a Big Bopper diner in Solvang, California. Eventually I was able to make it home. It was kind of funny because there was still ice on the road, but also a blue sky by then. The blue on the sky was reflected on the ice on the road, so that's where the "ice blue highway" line comes from. It's a pretty scary ride. MR: I also wanted to mention another highlight of the album was "Don't Judge A Life," your tribute to Bill Morrissey. JG: Yeah, I was at a folk festival and we had just done a set of Jack Hardy's music...he had passed away March of 2011. I sang at that and his kids were there and his ex-wife, so I was glad to be a part of it because Jack was somebody who encouraged me when I needed encouragement the most. The next day, I got a call from a friend telling me that Bill Morrissey had died, so I started it right after that. Since then, that song also applies to other people that have passed, so I'm glad to have that on the record. MR: After all these years, you've got this reputation for being the songwriter's songwriter. So where do you go from here? Do you just keep getting better and better or something? JG: I guess it's one song at a time. When I forget how much work went into this record I'll start the next one. I'm thinking maybe May. I've got some other songs I'd like to record. There's some from this project that didn't make it onto the record. I liked them well enough, but they didn't go together as well as this batch seemed to go together. One of the things I've been doing lately, instead of thinking I had to write a song for the universe I think about one place and one room, one group of people, one moment in time and have a song for that moment. Then if I can do something with that it seems like it makes it easier to come up with something new. I don't feel that it has to be for everyone and forever. It seems to free the process. If I can play with that a little bit to make it go beyond that room and that moment of time then I'll go about that, but that's kind of my current approach to new songs.

2019-04-18T12:49:57Z

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/life-journeys-conversatio_b_5062965

The biggest news this week is the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will hear the Heartland v. Kraft case dealing with the requirement in 28 USC §1400(b) that patent infringement cases be filed “where the defendant resides” and the 1990 decision in VE Holding holding that patent suits can be filed in any district where the defendant makes a sale. In perhaps the most interesting decision of the week, the Circuit affirmed the district court’s efforts in Medgraph to comply with the Circuit’s and Supreme Court’s decisions in Akamai involving divided and induced infringement. In Power Integrations, the Circuit provides a good discussion of induced infringement and infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, and reverses the district court as to both. In United Construction, the Circuit affirms a default judgment as a result of defendant’s obstruction to any meaningful discovery. In U.S. Water, the panel reverses summary judgment of anticipation as to an “inherent disclosure” in the prior art but affirms that there was no inequitable conduct. Thanks to my Seattle colleague Yuke Wang for his help with this week’s report. In Akamai I, the Circuit held that direct infringement of a method patent requires a single party ‎to ‎perform every step of a claimed method and that there can only be joint infringement when the ‎acts ‎of another are attributable to the accused infringer through either an agency relationship or a ‎contractual ‎obligation. In Akamai II, an en banc Circuit left the direct infringement standard in place but ‎provided an independent inducement basis for divided infringement. Following Akamai II, Medtronic filed a motion for ‎summary ‎judgment of noninfringement. Each party had been held liable for infringement of the other’s patent(s) but in the present decision the panel reverses two rulings. In the words of the panel: “We have significantly reduced the scope of Fairchild’s ‎infringement liability in this case. As a result of our above ‎holdings, only the district court’s judgment that Fairchild ‎is liable for direct infringement of the ’851 and ’876 ‎patents remains untouched.” ‎ Specifically, the panel reverses a ruling that Power Integrations’ ’605 patent is not anticipated; vacates the judgment that Fairchild induced infringement of the ’851 and ’876 patents; and reverses a finding that Fairchild’s ’972 patent is infringed under the doctrine of equivalents. Because the panel’s rulings on induced infringement and the doctrine of equivalents are the most interesting part of the opinion, that is the focus of our much-shortened excerpt of the opinion, appended at “Read More.” In its original form, the opinion was almost 50 pages long. Induced infringement is defined in 35 U.S.C. § 271(b): “Whoever actively induces infringement of a patent ‎shall be liable as an infringer.” In order to establish active inducement of infringement, it is not sufficient that others directly infringe the ‎claim. Nor is it sufficient that the party accused of infringement was aware of the acts by others that ‎directly infringe. Rather, in order to find inducement, you must find that the party accused of ‎infringement intended others to use its products in at least some ways that would infringe the asserted ‎claims of the patent. However, that infringement need not have been actually caused by the party’s ‎actions. All that is required is that the party took steps to encourage or assist that infringement, regardless ‎of whether that encouragement succeeded, or was even received. Intent to encourage or assist the acts ‎that constitute direct infringement must be proven by evidence of active steps taken to encourage direct ‎infringement, such as providing products, advertising any infringing use, or instructing how to engage in ‎any use that is infringing. United Construction v. Tile Tech – The Circuit affirms a default judgment and injunction against a defendant who missed deadlines, misrepresented matters to the court, and destroyed evidence. To illustrate how egregious Tile Tech’s conduct was, the “Read More” excerpt from the opinion describes the behavior that supported these harsh sanctions. In evaluating the appropriateness of default judgment, the panel applies the factors from the Ninth Circuit’s Malone v. USPS case: (1) the public’s interest in expeditious resolution ‎of litigation; (2) the court’s need to manage its docket; (3) the risk of prejudice to the other party; (4) the ‎public policy favoring disposition of cases on their merits; and (5) the availability of less drastic ‎sanctions. Finding that all but factor (4) support default judgment, the panel has little trouble affirming the dismissal. The panel also affirms the permanent injunction, rejecting Tile Tech’s three arguments. An order enjoining infringing and “substantially similar” products is well within the court’s discretion. The requirement that Tile Tech turn over a mold that itself was not infringing but was critical in fabricating the infringing product was entirely appropriate. And finally, given Tile Tech’s inappropriate use of images of United’s products, projects, and drawings ‎on its website and in other marketing ‎materials‎, an injunction prohibiting such use was appropriate even though such use may not lead to a likelihood of confusion. Medgraph patents are ‎directed to methods for facilitating treatment of patients, whereby data relating to ‎‎“medically important variables,” for example, blood ‎sugar levels of a diabetic patient, are uploaded onto a computer and transmit‎ted to a central storage device, from which they can be ‎accessed remotely by medical professionals. ‎Medtronic manufactures and markets a CareLink System, which allows patients to upload data relating to management of their diabetes, including blood glucose readings, to Medtronic’s central computer server. The data are collected and stored so that the patients can keep an online record of the information, and/or share the information remotely with a healthcare provider. Ordinarily, when the governing legal standards change during an appeal, remand is an appropriate action. However, in this case, Medgraph has not pointed to any evidence that would permit attribution of patient- and doctor-performed steps to Medtronic for direct infringement under the standard of Akamai V invoked by Medgraph. In addition, the district court correctly concluded that Medtronic was not liable under a theory of indirect infringement, because indirect infringement is predicated on direct infringement, which is unaffected by the Akamai V standard. The evidence presented to the district court indisputably shows that‎ Medtronic does not condition the use of, or receipt of a benefit from, the CareLink System on the performance of all of Medgraph’s method steps. For example, Medtronic does not deny users the ability to use the CareLink System without performance of the claim step of ensuring detachment of the measuring device from the patient after each measurement. Nor does it offer an incentive for such detachment. Medtronic freely permits using the CareLink System without performing synchronization, and it denies no benefit to such users for their choices to do so. Patients can freely choose to bring their devices to their physician’s office and have their data extracted locally there. Patients also can print or email reports and bring them to their medical practitioner. Power Integrations and Fairchild are direct competitors in the power supply controller chip market. They have engaged in a long-running and multi-fronted patent dispute involving actions in the United States district courts and the USPTO. We have already heard appeals of at least two decisions that involved two of the very patents at issue here. Power Integrations filed suit against Fairchild alleging that Fairchild directly and indirectly infringed four of its patents. Fairchild filed counterclaims alleging that Power Integrations directly and indirectly infringed three of its patents. Each party denied the infringement allegations made against it and alleged that all patents asserted against it were invalid and/or unenforceable. The district court bifurcated the liability and damages phases of the case prior to trial. At the conclusion of trial, the jury returned a mixed verdict. The district court granted Power Integrations’ motion for JMOL of direct infringement of the ’605 patent but denied all other motions. Later, the court granted Power Integrations’ motion for a permanent injunction and enjoined Fairchild from selling and importing the products found at trial to infringe. The district court denied Fairchild’s motion for a permanent injunction. The parties raise twelve issues on appeal. The issues can be categorized as follows: (1) challenges to the district court’s construction of certain claim terms; (2) a challenge to the district court’s jury instructions; (3) a challenge to the verdict form adopted by the district court; (4) challenges to the district court’s denial of certain of the parties’ motions for JMOL; (5) challenges to the district court’s denial of certain of the parties’ motions for a new trial; and (6) challenges to the district court’s grant or denial of a party’s motion for a permanent injunction. Fairchild argues that it is entitled to JMOL that it did not induce infringement of the ’851 and ’876 patents or, at the very least, that it is entitled to a new trial on the issue. Before reaching the jury’s induced infringement verdict, however, we must first address Fairchild’s argument that claims 1 and 21 of the ’876 patent are invalid as anticipated. The jury found that neither Martin nor Wang anticipated claims 1 and 21 of the ’876 patent. The ’876 patent claims a “frequency jittering” circuit used in switched mode power supplies to reduce EMI emissions produced by the power supply. Martin and Wang each disclose a controller circuit used to reduce the EMI signature associated with a power supply’s oscillator. The circuits accomplish this reduction by varying the oscillator frequency through the use of a pseudo-random code stored in read-only memory (ROM). At trial, Power Integrations argued to the jury that the invention of the ’876 patent differed from the prior art references in at least two key ways: (1) the circuits of Martin and Wang do not vary about a “target frequency” as required by the district court’s construction of “frequency jittering;” and (2) the counters of Martin and Wang are not “coupled” to the digital-to-analog converter as the district court construed that term. The jury agreed and found that the claims were not anticipated by Martin or Wang. We find that the jury’s verdict was supported by substantial evidence. The jury found that Fairchild’s SG5841J- and SG6842J-type products literally infringed claim 18 of the ’851 patent; its SG5841J-type products infringed claims 1 and 21 of the ’876 patent under the doctrine of equivalents; and its FAN103-type products literally infringed claims 1 and 21 of the ’876 patent. The jury further found that Fairchild induced others to infringe these claims. Fairchild does not appeal the jury’s direct infringement verdicts. It does appeal the jury’s indirect infringement verdicts. We agree with Fairchild that the district court’s jury instruction misstated the law on induced infringement in a way that prejudiced Fairchild. We therefore vacate the jury’s verdict. Because we do not find that the record as a whole requires a finding of non-infringement as a matter of law, we do not go further and, as Fairchild requests, enter judgment in its favor. In order to establish active inducement of infringement, it is not sufficient that others directly infringe the claim. Nor is it sufficient that the party accused of infringement was aware of the acts by others that directly infringe. Rather, in order to find inducement, you must find that the party accused of infringement intended others to use its products in at least some ways that would infringe the asserted claims of the patent. However, that infringement need not have been actually caused by the party’s actions. All that is required is that the party took steps to encourage or assist that infringement, regardless of whether that encouragement succeeded, or was even received. Intent to encourage or assist the acts that constitute direct infringement must be proven by evidence of active steps taken to encourage direct infringement, such as providing products, advertising any infringing use, or instructing how to engage in any use that is infringing. Proof of intent to induce infringement may be based on circumstantial evidence, rather than direct evidence. This instruction left the jury with the incorrect understanding that a party may be liable for induced infringement even where it does not successfully communicate with and induce a third-party direct infringer. The Supreme Court has explained that the term “induce” as it is used in § 271(b) “means to lean on; to influence; to prevail on; to move by persuasion.” Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A., 563 U.S. 754 (2011). Each definition requires successful communication between the alleged inducer and the third-party direct infringer. We have further held that to prevail under a theory of indirect infringement, plaintiff must first prove that the defendants’ actions led to direct infringement of the patent-in-suit. A finding of induced infringement requires actual inducement. The inducement may be proven via circumstantial evidence. But the jury must still find that it occurred. The jury instruction incorrectly stated that liability exists even where no inducement actually occurred. This is contrary to the law. Power Integrations’ claim for induced infringement was a close call. Therefore, we cannot say that the instruction did not tip the scales in favor of Power Integrations at trial. We thus vacate the jury’s verdict that Fairchild induced infringement of the ’851 and ’876 patents. We must still address Fairchild’s argument that it is entitled to JMOL of no induced infringement. After all, if Power Integrations did not present sufficient evidence to allow a reasonable jury to find in its favor, a new trial on induced infringement would be unnecessary—and improper—regardless of the jury instruction given by the district court. Having reviewed the record as a whole, we cannot conclude that no reasonable jury—if instructed properly—could have found that Fairchild induced infringement of the ’851 and ’876 patents. Fairchild appeals the jury’s verdict that claims 1 and 2 of the ’605 patent were not anticipated by Maige. Power Integrations cross-appeals and argues that it is entitled to a new trial on induced infringement due to certain prejudicial statements made by Fairchild during trial. We find the jury’s verdict that Maige did not anticipate claims 1 and 2 of the ’605 patent unsupported by substantial evidence. We therefore reverse the jury’s verdict of no anticipation. As a result, Power Integrations’ cross-appeal is moot. The ’605 patent claims “a power supply regulator including a variable current limit threshold that increases during an on time of a switch.” Maige describes “[a] protection device for switch mode power supplies.” Like the regulator claimed in the ’605 patent, Maige’s protection device uses a current limit threshold to protect downstream components in the event of a power surge. The specific type of threshold employed by Maige depends on the mode of the protection device. When the protection device is in startup mode, Maige uses “soft start circuitry” to introduce an increasing current threshold that prevents a large in-rush of current. When the protection device is in its normal operation mode, Maige uses a fixed current limit. We find that the jury’s verdict is not supported by substantial evidence. Dr. Kelley testified at trial that (1) Maige’s current threshold increases “during the whole process of startup”; and (2) Maige’s power supply is on “for some period of time” during startup. Taken together, Dr. Kelley’s testimony is a concession that Maige’s current threshold “increases during the on time of the switch.” This is all that claims 1 and 2 require. The jury therefore lacked substantial evidence to find that Maige did not anticipate claims 1 and 2 of the ’605 patent. The jury found that claims 6, 7, 18, and 19 were not invalid. It further found that Power Integrations infringed the claims under the doctrine of equivalents, but did not infringe literally and did not induce others to infringe. Fairchild appeals the jury’s verdict that Power Integrations did not induce infringement of the asserted claims. Power Integrations cross-appeals and raises the following arguments: (1) the district court improperly construed the claim limitation “sampling a voltage from the auxiliary winding of the transformer and a discharge time of the transformer;” (2) the jury’s verdict that the claims would not have been obvious in view of Majid in combination with the ’876 patent is not supported by substantial evidence; and (3) the jury’s verdicts that Power Integrations did not literally infringe the claims but did infringe under the doctrine of equivalents result in claim vitiation. We affirm the district court’s claim construction and the jury’s verdict that claims 6, 7, 18, and 19 would not have been obvious. We agree with Power Integrations that the jury’s infringement verdicts vitiate the requirement that the claimed feedback signals be “distinct.” We therefore reverse the jury’s verdict that Power Integrations infringed claims 6, 7, 18, and 19 under the doctrine of equivalents. In view of these decisions, Fairchild’s appeal is moot. a controller to generate the switching signal and to control the switching signal in response to a first feedback signal associated with a voltage control loop and a second feedback signal associated with a current control loop . . . . Claims 18 and 19 depend from claim 15, which includes an equivalent limitation. The patent’s Figure 3 graphically depicts the claimed voltage control loop and current control loop and their respective first and second feedback signals. The claimed "first feedback signal” is represented by the voltage VnET. VnET enters the circuit at the DET pin and is used in the voltage control loop (highlighted in green). The “second feedback signal” is represented by the voltage Vcs. Vcs enters the circuit at the CS pin and is used in the current control loop (highlighted in red). The figure shows that the two feedback signals are distinct. Fairchild asserted the ’972 patent against Power Integrations LinkSwitch-II products. Below is a block diagram of the product. At trial, Fairchild introduced evidence that the product contained the requisite two, distinct feedback signals. It identified “FB OUT” (highlighted above in green) as the “first feedback signal associated with a voltage control loop” and the output of the constant current block (highlighted above in red), which it referred to as “I REDUCE,” as the “second feedback signal associated with a current control loop.” Power Integrations countered that the product contained a single feedback signal labeled “FEEDBACK (FB)” (highlighted above in yellow)—and therefore could not infringe. The jury agreed with Power Integrations that its LinkSwitch-II products did not literally infringe the ’972 patent. However, it found that the products infringed under the doctrine of equivalents. Power Integrations argues on appeal that the jury's verdicts cannot be reconciled. It contends that, in finding no literal infringement, the jury necessarily found that Power Integrations products contain only a single feedback signal, not the two “distinct” feedback signals required by the claims. It then reasons that any finding that the single feedback signal is equivalent to the claimed two “distinct” feedback signals would vitiate the “distinct”-ness required by the claims. Pursuant to this understanding, Power Integrations argues that it is entitled to JMOL of no infringement. In response, Fairchild first argues that Power Integrations’ invocation of claim vitiation is misplaced. It states that Power Integrations presented two, separate non-infringement theories at trial: first, that the two feedback signals Fairchild’s expert, Dr. Wei, identified were not “distinct;” and second, that the current signal Dr. Wei identified as the claimed “second feedback signal” was not actually a “feedback signal.” It contends that only Power Integrations’ first theory could conceivably result in claim vitiation and argues that we should not assume the jury relied on this theory when it could have, just as easily, relied on Power Integrations’ alternate theory. The district court adopted Fairchild’s reasoning in denying Power Integrations’ motion for JMOL of no infringement under the doctrine of equivalents. We disagree with Fairchild and the district court. Power Integrations’ expert, Dr. Kelley, presented a single non-infringement theory at trial, namely, that Power Integrations’ products include only a single feedback signal. As such, the jury necessarily found that the LinkSwitch-II products contain a single feedback signal when it rendered its verdict of no literal infringement. We must therefore weigh the merits of Power Integrations’ claim vitiation argument. Under claim vitiation, “if a court determines that a finding of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents would entirely vitiate a particular claimed element, then the court should rule that there is no infringement under the doctrine of equivalents.” See Warner-Jenkinson Co., Inc. v. Hilton Davis Chem. Co., 520 U.S. 17 (1997) (“If a theory of equivalence would entirely vitiate a particular claim element, partial or complete judgment should be rendered by the court.”). We agree with Power Integrations that a finding of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents would vitiate the requirement that the claimed feedback signals be “distinct.” We therefore reverse the jury’s verdict that Power Integrations infringed claims 6, 7, 18, and 19 under the doctrine of equivalents. This case comes to our court following a series of delays, missed deadlines, and other procedural missteps by Tile Tech that are necessary to describe in full. United brought suit against Tile Tech claiming infringement its ’356 patent entitled “Support Pedestal Having an Anchoring Washer for Securing Elevated Surface Tiles.” Following transfer of the case, United served Tile Tech with its first set of discovery requests, including interrogatories, requests for admission, and requests for production. Tile Tech missed the deadline to respond to the discovery requests, and when contacted by United, it claimed that it had not received the requests. Although service of the requests was valid, United granted Tile Tech twenty additional days to respond. Tile Tech then requested two additional extensions and finally served initial responses to United nearly one month after the original response deadline. Tile Tech’s responses to United’s discovery requests were deficient. United requested a conference regarding the responses and Tile Tech agreed, but two hours before the scheduled conference, Tile Tech requested that it be rescheduled. United agreed and provided a five hour time frame on Tile Tech’s proposed date; Tile Tech responded on the proposed rescheduled date and again asked to postpone. The conference was postponed a third time, and eventually occurred following United’s warning to Tile Tech that it would file a motion to compel if Tile Tech did not commit to a time for the conference. At the conference, Tile Tech agreed to “supplement virtually every response to United’s Discovery Requests and to produce all responsive documents” by an agreed-upon date. The agreed-upon date passed with no response from Tile Tech. United offered to give Tile Tech ten additional days beyond the agreed-upon date to adequately respond. When Tile Tech again failed to respond to the discovery requests, United filed a Motion to Compel. Tile Tech never responded to the Motion to Compel. It instead served supplemental responses to the discovery requests, which were still deficient, including unverified responses to the interrogatories. The District Court took the Motion to Compel under submission, and Tile Tech proceeded to provide a third set of deficient supplemental responses. The District Court issued an Order to Compel, finding that Tile Tech had “failed to produce a single document in response to United’s document requests and had failed to supplement its deficient discovery responses,” and such actions “create . . . a waste of this court’s time.” The District Court ordered Tile Tech to respond to the discovery requests, imposed monetary sanctions, and warned that it would enter default judgment if Tile Tech did not comply with the Order by October 12, 2015, one week later. United’s attorney stated in his declaration, and the District Court found, that he informed Tile Tech’s attorney during a deposition on October 9, 2015, that the Order to Compel had issued and that it included sanctions. Tile Tech failed to respond to the Order. On October 12, 2015, United filed its Motion for Entry of Default Judgment. Tile Tech responded and claimed that it had not known of the Order’s response deadline; that it had produced a set of supplemental responses to the discovery requests; and that it required an expert opinion to fully respond to part of the discovery requests, which would be forthcoming. The District Court found that Tile Tech’s claim of producing additional responses was a “misrepresentation to the court” because no responses had been served as of the filing of Tile Tech’s Opposition to Motion for Default Judgment. In addition, the District Court held Tile Tech’s claim that it would provide an expert witness was “facially insufficient and unjustified” because the time to designate an expert witness had “long passed.” Moreover, although Tile Tech had produced only two documents during the prolonged discovery period, both of which were nonresponsive, and had not disclosed any persons with relevant knowledge in response to interrogatories pursuant to Rule 26(a)(1), it nonetheless listed over a dozen exhibits and over a dozen potential trial witnesses in its Joint Exhibit and Witness Lists disclosed at the end of the discovery period. On November 2, 2015, Tile Tech finally served another set of supplemental responses, which contained information disclosing its destruction of a previously undisclosed mold used to make one key component of the disputed support pedestal. United filed a Motion for Spoliation Sanctions, and filed an unopposed Amended Complaint adding a claim for unfair competition, to which Tile Tech never responded. The District Court later entered default judgment, granted relief for all of United’s claims, and entered a permanent injunction. Tile Tech timely appealed. Tile Tech raises two principal arguments on appeal, one concerning the entry of default judgment and the other related to the scope of the District Court’s permanent injunction. Under Ninth Circuit precedent, a court must consider the following five factors from Malone v. United States Postal Service before entering default judgment: “(1) the public’s interest in expeditious resolution of litigation; (2) the court’s need to manage its docket; (3) the risk of prejudice to the [other party]; (4) the public policy favoring disposition of cases on their merits; and (5) the availability of less drastic sanctions.” 833 F.2d 128 (9th Cir. 1987). “It is not necessary for a district court to make explicit findings to show that it has considered these factors” and, on appeal, the court “may review the record independently” for abuse of discretion. Id. The sanction of default judgment is “appropriate only . . . where the violation is due to willfulness, bad faith, or fault of the party.” Fair Hous. of Marin v. Combs, 285 F.3d 899 (9th Cir. 2002). A default judgment will be overturned “only if the appeals court has a definite and firm conviction that it was clearly outside the acceptable range of sanctions.” Hester v. Vision Airlines, Inc., 687 F.3d 1162 (9th Cir. 2012). The District Court’s opinion demonstrates its thorough consideration of the Malone factors leading to the ultimate decision not to impose lesser sanctions in this case, a decision which we find was not an abuse of discretion. Four factors favor dismissal and one weighs against dismissal. Under these circumstances, we cannot say that the District Court abused its discretion. Tile Tech argues that a default judgment was not appropriate because the District Court did not find bad faith on Tile Tech’s part. However, Tile Tech omits the full test for default judgment, which is whether a party’s conduct was due to “willfulness, bad faith, or fault.” Fjelstad v. Am. Honda Motor Co., 762 F.2d 1334 (9th Cir. 1985). Fjelstad further explained that willfulness may be satisfied simply by finding “disobedient conduct not shown to be outside the control of the litigant.” While Tile Tech has argued that its trial attorney had “unfamiliarity” with federal court practice, it has not offered any evidence to suggest that its dilatory actions were outside of its attorney’s control. We therefore uphold the District Court’s grant of default judgment. Finally, Tile Tech makes three arguments for why the permanent injunction is overbroad and should be modified, claiming: (1) it enjoins “substantially similar” products that do not necessarily infringe on the ’356 patent; (2) it requires Tile Tech to surrender the notched washer mold even though the washer by itself does not directly infringe; and (3) it prohibits Tile Tech from using images of United’s products in any marketing materials, even if there is no likelihood of confusion. We disagree with each argument. To the extent that sale, advertisement, marketing, or promotion of a substantially similar product to United’s would constitute infringement, such actions would be prohibited. We see no problem with the use of the term “substantially similar” in the injunction. We also find the requirement to surrender “any mold, or other device, by which any notched washer utilized with the ’356 patent was made” an acceptable means of preventing future infringement to United. The language of the injunction permanently enjoins Tile Tech and its representatives or agents from “any and all acts of unfair competition, including using images of United’s products, projects, and drawings on its website and in any other marketing materials.” The District Court found that the current use of United’s products in Tile Tech’s marketing materials violates section 43(a) of the Lanham Act because it “misrepresents that such products, projects, and drawings are the products, projects, and drawings of Tile Tech,” and such advertising should be removed. In sum, we find that the injunction is not overbroad as written under the facts presented. The technology at issue relates to the production of ethyl alcohol (i.e., ethanol) from a milled grain. Ethanol production yields an insoluble byproduct that deposits on, or “fouls,” the processing equipment. The Patents-in-Suit disclose methods for reducing or preventing fouling. The Patents-in-Suit are related to one another as continuations of the application that also led to the ’244 patent (collectively, “the Patent Family”). The Patent Family generally claims methods of reducing fouling through the use of phytase. U.S. Water argues that the District Court erred in granting summary judgment based on a finding that the Patents-in-Suit are inherently anticipated by Veit and Antrim. That is so, U.S. Water contends, because the District Court acknowledged the existence of a genuine dispute as to a material fact. We agree with U.S. Water. Although “the anticipation inquiry first demands a proper claim construction,” claim construction is not an issue in this case. Thus, we begin with the prior art. A reference is anticipatory under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) if “the prior art reference . . . disclose[s] each and every feature of the claimed invention, either explicitly or inherently.” Even if a prior art reference does not explicitly disclose all features of the claimed invention, we have found that the reference inherently may do so. Inherency, however, may not be established by probabilities or possibilities. The mere fact that a certain thing may result from a given set of circumstances is not sufficient. Rather, the inherent result must inevitably result from the disclosed steps. We must determine whether the District Court overlooked a genuine dispute about a material fact—whether the reduction of “insoluble deposits of phytic acid or salts of phytic acids” as recited in the Asserted Claims was inherent in either Veit or Antrim through the use of phytase. The District Court correctly identified that “the issue on which this case ultimately turns is whether Veit or Antrim inherently disclose using phytase to reduce deposits in ethanol production machinery.” However, it erred in finding no genuine dispute of material fact as to whether the Patents-in-Suit are inherently anticipated because “the prior art discloses the conditions that will necessarily result in phytase reducing deposits.” The District Court erred in deeming irrelevant the fact that “U.S. Water . . . adduced evidence, including expert testimony, . . . that practicing Veit and Antrim will not always result in deposit reduction.” The District Court recognized this was conflicting evidence that went to the core of an inherent anticipation analysis, but concluded this evidence did not preclude summary judgment. By disregarding this evidence, the District Court improperly made credibility determinations and weighed conflicting evidence, and improperly granted summary judgment on inherent anticipation. Novozymes argues that the District Court erred in granting summary judgment of no inequitable conduct. In particular, Novozymes contends that the District Court failed to recognize a genuine dispute as to a fact material to the inequitable conduct inquiry. We disagree. “Inequitable conduct is an equitable defense to patent infringement that, if proved, bars enforcement of a patent.” Therasense, Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co., 649 F.3d 1276 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (en banc). A finding of inequitable conduct as to any single claim renders the entire patent unenforceable and may render unenforceable other related patents and applications in the same technology family. A party seeking to prove inequitable conduct must show that the applicant made misrepresentations or omissions material to patentability, that he did so with the specific intent to mislead or deceive the PTO, and that deceptive intent was the single most reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence. Ohio Willow Wood Co. v. Alps S., LLC, 813 F.3d 1350 (Fed. Cir. 2016). To prove the element of materiality, a party claiming inequitable conduct must show that the patentee withheld or misrepresented information that, in the absence of the withholding or misrepresentation, would have prevented a patent claim from issuing. Id. Novozymes bases its inequitable conduct charge on representations made by U.S. Water about the application that led to the ’244 patent and, thus, the Patent Family. Specifically, following the examiner’s rejection of certain claims in the application as obvious over certain prior art such as Veit, U.S. Water narrowed its claims to add phytase specifically to “the thin stillage, backset, or mixture thereof.” As a result, U.S. Water argued the amended claims overcame Veit, where “phytase is added before fermentation” to “release nutrients so that yeast are more efficient at fermentation.” The ’244 patent subsequently issued in October 2011 with the amended claim language. Around the same time, U.S. Water was involved in litigation against ChemTreat for unrelated claims. As part of the litigation, ChemTreat moved for summary judgment of noninfringement of the ’244 patent, arguing that the ’244 patent’s claims were limited to adding phytase after fermentation while ChemTreat instructed its customers to add phytase during fermentation. U.S. Water argued that adding phytase during fermentation was equivalent to adding phytase to the backset, i.e., the post-fermentation fluid, because it is recycled back into fermentation. During a hearing, the presiding judge questioned U.S. Water about the seemingly contradictory statements it had made to the court in the Declaration and those it made to the USPTO during prosecution of the ’244 patent. The court ultimately found that ChemTreat did not infringe the ’244 patent because it taught its customers to add phytase before or during fermentation. While the litigation with ChemTreat remained ongoing and after the court identified the apparent discrepancy, U.S. Water amended the continuation application that led to the ’137 patent. This amendment canceled all pending claims and replaced them with new claims. The new claims broadly required “adding phytase to an ethanol processing fluid in the plant.” The amended claims also identified the differences with claim 1 of the ’244 patent, which sought to narrow the claimed subject matter. A third party later identified this purported distinction to the PTO during the prosecution of the ’399 patent. In particular, the third party asserted that the claims of the ’399 patent were not limited by where the phytase was added. The examiner noted in the file history that she reviewed the third party’s submission along with Veit and other prior art references. Novozymes argues that there is a genuine issue of fact that the ChemTreat litigation documents withheld by U.S. Water from the PTO are material. Novozymes contends that the Patents-in-Suit would not have issued had the examiner been aware of these documents and disclosures. There is no genuine dispute about this material fact. The record contains no suggestion that, but-for the disclosures made during the ChemTreat litigation, the examiner would not have issued the Patents-in-Suit. Instead, the record shows that the examiner was aware of the differences between the pending claims of the Patents-in-Suit and the ’244 patent, whether as discussed in U.S. Water’s Declaration or the third party’s submission. The examiner reviewed the third party’s submission and the relevant prior art, but found that the evidence did not affect the ultimate patentability determination. U.S. Water did not withhold or misrepresent information to the PTO. Finally, Novozymes also contests the District Court’s finding of no intent to deceive the PTO. However, because we find no error in the District Court’s determination under the materiality prong of the inequitable conduct analysis, we need not address intent.

2019-04-24T12:49:53Z

https://www.schwabe.com/newsroom-publications-14665

1996-08-14 Application filed by Kieturakis; Maciej J. filed Critical Kieturakis; Maciej J. An excisional biopsy needle assembly for use in combination with a stereotactic platform for excising tissue from the interior of the body. The biopsy needle includes a rotatable flexible blade that is capable of transforming between a contracted configuration for piercing into the interior of the body and an expanded configuration in which the flexible blade is expanded relative to the shaft of the needle for excising tissue. The needle assembly may be mounted in a stereotactic needle for a breast biopsy procedure that digitally directs the needle tip into a lesion with the flexible blades in a contracted configuration, then expands the flexible blades to the expanded configuration and rotates the blades thus excising tissue in a region having a cross sectional dimension that is large in relation to the cross section of the needle shaft. The excised tissue is extracted from the needle tip through an aspiration channel. This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/292,479 filed Aug. 18, 1994, now abandoned. This invention relates to surgical instrumentation and more particularly to an instrument for use with an image-directed apparatus to perform an excisional biopsy, for example, of a lesion in a patient's breast. The invention and associated method relate to a manner in which biopsy tissue may be excised and extracted through a minimally invasive incision. It often is necessary to biopsy tissue from the interior of the body for diagnostic purposes. For example, when a physician discovers a suspicious breast lesion, a biopsy typically is performed on a small tissue sample to determine whether to remove the lesion or to perform another more invasive surgery. It remains common practice to use an open surgical approach to recover a tissue sample for biopsy purposes. Such an open excisional biopsy causes trauma and may leave undesirable scarring. In many cases, a needle biopsy approach is employed. A "fine needle aspiration" approach utilizes a hollow 22 gauge needle wherein a small amount of tissue may be aspirated into the needle bore which then may be biopsied. Alternatively, a small core of tissue may be sampled with a "true-cut" or "quick-cut" needle in which an 18 gauge hollow needle with a sharpened tip reciprocates over a notched stylet. The elongate notch in the stylet collects a tissue core for biopsy purposes. Such needle-biopsy approaches cause little trauma but suffer from the disadvantage of recovering only a small amount tissue for biopsy purposes. A recently developed approach is called a "large-core" stereotactic needle biopsy in which a 14 gauge hollow needle is employed together with an image-directed technology for digitally localizing the biopsy needle in relation to a breast lesion. To utilize the stereotactic needle apparatus, the patient lays prone on an operating platform that exposes and holds the breast in a stationary position below the platform. An x-ray stereo imaging unit is mounted below the platform and displays a stereo image of the lesion on a video monitor. A "large-core" needle assembly is mounted on a traveling arm below the platform and may be positioned in three axes by digital coordination with the stereo x-ray images. The large-core needle employs a 14 gauge hollow needle that reciprocates over a notched stylet similar to above-described "true-cut" needle. After the needle tip is digitally positioned just outside the breast, a double spring-loaded needle first projects the stylet through the lesion and then instantly projects the needle over the notched stylet to excise tissue within the notch in the stylet. The principal advantage of the stereotactic needle biopsy over other needle biopsy approaches is that the image-directed apparatus insures that tissue is excised from the exact site of the lesion. The 14 gauge needle also recovers a larger tissue sample than other needle biopsy approaches. Also, such a stereotactic needle biopsy causes little trauma because of the small diameter of the needle. The stereotactic needle approach still does not recover a large tissue sample. Even in repeated cycles of insertion and withdrawal, 5 to 6 cycles being typical, the 14 gauge stereotactic needle can excise and extract only a small portion of a suspect lesion. In contrast, in an open excisional biopsy, the entire lesion may be removed. There is therefore a need for new instruments and methods for excising and extracting biopsy tissue from the interior of the body through a minimally invasive incision, and particularly for performing an excisional biopsy on a breast lesion through a needle incision utilizing a stereo image-directed apparatus to digitally localize the excision. In general, the instrument and method in accordance with the present invention are utilized to excise and extract tissue from the interior of the body through a minimally invasive needle incision. The instrument is adapted for use with a stereotactic needle apparatus to precisely direct the tip of the needle assembly to the site of the lesion. (f) a needle insertion mechanism for piercing the needle tip into tissue. In using the flex-blade needle to remove a breast lesion, the surgeon locks the needle in an actuator incorporating actuation mechanisms, including a blade flexing mechanism, a blade rotation mechanism, a needle insertion mechanism, a saline infusion source and an aspiration source. The patient is positioned on a stereotactic needle apparatus. The actuator body then is fitted to the traveling arm of the stereotactic needle apparatus. The physician employs conventional digital imaging technology to direct the tip of the needle to the correct "x", "y" and "z" coordinates just exterior to the skin of the breast. The surgeon then selects a pre-programmed actuation cycle on a controller for the particular diameter of the needle and the dimensions of the tissue to be excised and extracted. The controller in sequence advances the needle tip with the flexors in the contracted position into the breast to the site of the lesion and then rotates and simultaneously flexes the flexors to the expanded position from the contracted position, thus incising tissue. At the same time, saline solution is infused into the region of the rotating flexors through the infusion channel while an aspiration source aspirates the excised tissue mixed with the saline through the separate aspiration channel. The extracted tissue is collected in a filter in a tissue-sampler. The controller then automatically returns the flexors to the contracted position and withdraws the needle from the breast. In general, the present invention provides an instrument and method for excising and extracting tissue from the interior of the body (not just the breast) through a small diameter needle. The transverse sectional dimension of the excised tissue is advantageously large in relation to sectional dimension of needle shaft through which the tissue is extracted. The present invention provides an instrument and method that cooperates with a stereotactic needle apparatus to digitally localize the excisional biopsy. FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the present invention with the flex-blades of the needle in a flexed position. FIG. 2 is an enlarged axionometric view of the distal end of the flex-blade needle of the instrument of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged axionometric view of the flex-blade needle of the instrument of FIG. 1 taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the flex-blade needle of FIG. 3 taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a cutter assembly with flex-blades in a first position for axial penetration of tissue. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cutter assembly of FIG. 5 taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5 rotated 90°. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a component of the cutter assembly of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cutter assembly similar to FIG. 6 with the flex-blades in second position for excising tissue. FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the actuator of FIG. 1 taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 1 rotated 90°. FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of actuator of FIG. 9 in an alternative position. FIG. 11 is an axionometric view of an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade needle. FIG. 12 is an axionometric view of an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade needle. FIG. 13 is an axionometric view of an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade needle. FIG. 14 is an elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade cutter. FIG. 15 is an elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a cutter assembly in a first position. FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cutter assembly of FIG. 15 taken along line 16--16 of FIG. 15 rotated 90°. FIG. 17 is an elevational view of a component of the cutter assembly of FIG. 15. FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cutter assembly similar to FIG. 16 in a second position. By way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates a excisional needle biopsy device or instrument 5 in accordance with the present invention. Instrument 5 is adapted for use with a conventional stereotactic needle apparatus, for example, a Model DSM unit (Digital Spot Mammography) made by Lorad, Inc. of Danbury, Mass. Instrument 5 includes a disposable flex-blade cutter subassembly 10 (see FIG. 1). FIGS. 2-3 are axionometric views of the distal tip of flex-blade cutter 10 in alternative positions. In FIG. 2. flex-blade cutter 10 is illustrated with flexible blades or flexors 15 in a contracted or first position as when cutter 10 is configured for axial piercing into a patient's body. In FIG. 3, cutter 10 is depicted with flexors 15 in an expanded or second position as when the cutter is rotating at high speed to excise and extract tissue from a toroidal-shaped region. Flexors 15 are fabricated from any suitable material such as stainless steel ribbon having a thickness ranging e.g. from 0.002" to 0.015" and width ranging e.g. from 0.020" to 0.120" depending on the desired flexing characteristics and the dimensions of tissue to be excised (these dimensions are not limiting). For example, flexors 15 may be made of proprietary type UHB Stainless AEB-L by Uddeholm Corporation of Portland, Oreg. Each flexor is sharpened on one blade edge 17 or may be sharpened on both edges. Still referring to FIGS. 2-3, the ends of flexors 15 are attached to proximal and distal hinge members respectively 20 and 22, that are made of any suitable resilient plastic material, for example Nylon or Delrin. The hinge members 20, 22 are injection-molded and grip the proximal and distal flexors ends respectively 23 and 24, through perforations 25 in the flexors. Resilient proximal and distal hinge portions respectively 26 and 28, have a thin cross-sections to attain suitable flexibility. Outer sleeve 30 with proximal and distal ends respectively 31 (see FIG. 5) and 32, is fabricated from a thin-walled hollow tubular member, preferably stainless steel. Outer sleeve 30 is approximately 150 mm. in length (not limiting) and may be manufactured is various external diameters, for example 1 mm. to 5 mm. (not limiting). Bore 33 in outer sleeve 30 is dimensioned to accommodate the rotation of rotator sleeve 40. Rotator sleeve 40 has swaged flat regions 44 on two diametrically opposed sides, best illustrated in FIGS. 3-4. Sharp needle tip 45 is fixed to the distal end of rotator sleeve 40. Flat-sided bore 46 in proximal hinge member 20 is dimensioned to slide axially over swaged flats 44 but resist rotation around the swaged flats. Longitudinal grooves 47 provide a fluid channel between proximal hinge 20 and sleeve 40. Similar bore 48 in distal hinge member 22 is dimensioned to press fit over swaged flats 44 thereby resisting rotation around rotator sleeve 40. Annular groove 49 in the reduced diameter proximal shank of proximal hinge member 20 cooperates with indentation 50 in outer sleeve 30 in a slip-type fit to allow hinge member 20 to rotate relative to outer sleeve 30. Apertures 55 in rotator sleeve 40 in the region of flexors 15 communicate with interior bore or aspiration lumen 56 in sleeve 40. In the transverse sectional view of FIG. 4, it can be seen that a space exists between the outer surface of swaged flats 44 and bore 33 of outer sleeve 30 to provide infusion channel 58. FIGS. 5-8 depict various views of cutter 10 with a component part disassembled to explain the manner in which flexors 15 are flexed between the first (contracted) position of FIG. 2 and second (expanded) position shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIGS. 5-6, cutter 10 has a body that includes a main housing 60 and a spring housing 62 that are generally cylindrical in shape and are made e.g. of injection-molded plastic. Spring housing 62 is fixed with adhesives or other suitable means into a receiving bore 63 in main housing 60. Referring to FIG. 6, actuator sleeve 65 for actuating flexors 15 is dimensioned to reciprocate in bore 66 that extends through main and spring housings, 60 and 62. The proximal end of outer sleeve 30 is fixed in the distal end of actuator sleeve 65. Compression spring 68 is captured in spring bore 69 and engages flange 70 of actuator sleeve 65 to urge the sleeve to its proximalmost position which in turn causes outer sleeve 30 in cooperation with proximal hinge 20 to maintain the flexors in the first (contracted) position (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 8, actuator sleeve 65 is shown in an alternative position partially projected outward (distally) with spring 68 being partially compressed which in turn causes the distal sliding of outer sleeve 30 to flex the flexors. Referring to FIGS. 5-6 and 8, it can be seen that proximal end 72 of actuator sleeve 65 extends proximally from main housing 60 a distance referred to as extension distance "E" and a distal force applied to proximal end 72 will cause flexors 15 to flex. A mechanism is provided to allow actuator sleeve 65 to slide axially but prevent the sleeve from rotating. As shown in FIG. 6, longitudinal groove 75 in actuator sleeve 65 extends into bore 76 in the sleeve. Slot 75 is aligned with latch 77 and the inwardly projecting arm 78 of the latch extend through slot 75 inward toward the axis of actuator sleeve 65. Latch 77 has resilient pivot arms 79 (see FIG. 1) that snap fit into main housing 60 and yieldably maintain latch 77 in the latched position shown in FIGS. 5-6 and 8. Projecting arm 78 extends through a fluid-tight flexible seal 80 in main housing 60 into slot 75. Referring to FIG. 7, rotator sleeve 40 and more particularly its proximal end is fixed to e.g. plastic rotator stem 85. Stem 85 with distal tapered region 86 is dimensioned to freely rotate in bore 76 of actuation sleeve 65. Bore or aspiration lumen 56 in sleeve 40 is aligned with counter bore 87 in stem 85. Diametrically opposed apertures 88 in stem 85 communicate with counterbore 87. Rotator sleeve 40 and stem 85 are maintained in a fixed axial position relative to cutter 10 as rotator stem 85 rotates yet still allowing actuator sleeve 65 to reciprocate over the stem. Annular groove 89 in stem 85 is engaged by the tip of projecting arm 78 of latch 77, which allows the stem 85 to rotate but not move axially. The proximal end of rotator stem 85 includes a female spline-receiving fitting 92 (see FIGS. 5 and 7). The spline fitting 92 is adapted to engage a cooperating fitting in a motor further described below. Compression spring 93 in the proximal end of stem 85 urges the stem and cutter 10 from engagement with the motor and actuator 100 further described below. Fluids may be infused under pressure, for example saline solution, to the region of flexors 15, by a conventional operating room (OR) saline source connected to Luer-type fitting 102 in cutter 10 (see FIG. 1). Referring to FIG. 8, fluid passageway 103 in fitting 102 communicates with the internal spring bore 69 in spring housing 62. Fluid in spring bore 69 may flow freely through inflow apertures 105 into bore 76 in actuator sleeve 65. Once fluid is under pressure within the actuator sleeve bore 76, it may flow distally over taper 86 in stem 85 and into infusion channels 58 within bore 33 to the region of proximal hinge member 20 and thereafter though longitudinal grooves 47 in flat-sided bore 46 of hinge 20 to escape to the region of the flexors. Once fluid is under pressure within actuator sleeve bore 76, it is prevented from flowing in the proximal direction by "O"-ring 90 mounted around rotator stem 85 in actuator sleeve bore 76, as shown in phantom view in FIG. 8. Fluid in spring bore 69 is prevented from flowing around the outer surface of actuator sleeve 65 by distal "O"-ring 109 and medial "O"-ring 111. Thus, fluid infusion to the flexors may occur when actuator sleeve 65 is in either a retracted or projected position. Fluids may be aspirated from the region of flexors 15 by a conventional OR suction or aspiration source connected to Luer-type fitting 112 in main housing 60. Referring to FIG. 6, fluid passageway 113 communicates with the bore 66 in main housing 60. Suction pressure in bore 66 flows through longitudinal slot 115 into bore 76 in actuator sleeve 65. Once suction pressure is within the actuator sleeve bore, the suction communicates with apertures 88 in rotator stem 85 as the stem rotates. Apertures 88 allow suction pressure to flow through counterbore 87 into aligned bore or aspiration lumen 56 in rotator sleeve 40. Such suction pressure then aspirates fluids from the region of the flexors though apertures 55 in the rotator sleeve (see FIG. 3). Suction pressure within bore 66 is prevented from escaping around the outer surface of actuator sleeve 65 by medial "O"-ring 111 and proximal "O"-ring 110. Also, suction pressure does not escape around latch projecting arm 78 because of fluid-tight seal 80. Thus, aspiration pressure to the region of flexors 15 is provided when actuator sleeve 65 is any position, either retracted or projected (see FIGS. 6 and 8). Actuator 100 (see FIGS. 9-10) provides various mechanisms for mechanizing cutter 10, and more specifically reciprocates actuator sleeve 65 to flex the flexors, rotates the flexors and means for axially moves cutter 10 to pierce through tissue into the interior of the body. Actuator 100 includes four housing components ("A", "B", "C" and "D") that are axially aligned and made of metal or plastic. Actuator 100 includes a latch for releasably locking cutter 10 into the actuator. As seen in FIG. 9, housing "A" at the distal end of actuator 100 has a female conical-shaped bore 120 that receives the conical-shaped proximal end 122 of main housing 60 of cutter 10. Housing "A" is fixed in counterbore 123 in housing "B". Locking collar 124 is captured between housings "A" and "B" and rotates around cylindrical portion 125 of housing "A". The latch includes a round bearing 128 projecting partially though partial radial bore 129 to engage annular groove 132 in main housing 60. Locking collar 124 is configured with a variable depth groove 135 in its inner bore 137 that pushes bearing 128 radially inward to a locking position as shown in FIG. 9. Torsion spring 139 urges locking collar to rotate to the locking position. By rotating locking collar 124 and overcoming the force of torsion spring 139, the radial depth of groove 135 increases, thus permitting bearing 128 to be displaced outwardly to release its engagement with annular groove 132 and permitting cutter 10 to be withdrawn distally. Male hex-configured region 140 of main housing 60 fits into female hex-receiving form 141 in actuator 100 (see FIG. 10) to prevent rotation of the cutter 10 relative to actuator 100. A mechanism is provided for rotating rotator sleeve 40 and rotator stem 85 thus rotating flexors 15. Referring to FIGS. 9-10, the rotation mechanism is motor 142 such as commercially available from Micro Motors of Santa Ana, Calif., for example, model number MMR-0700 or MMR-0014. The distal end of motor 142 has male threads 143 that are fitted into housing "C". Housings "B", "C" and "D" are fixed together by screws 144 (see FIG. 1) or other suitable fasteners. Motor 142 is a turbine that is rotated by pressurized air supply line 146 and cooperating air exhaust line 147 that are fixed to a quick disconnect coupling 149, for example, similar to part K-212010 from Small Parts, Inc., of Miami Lakes, Fla. The instrument alternatively may be powered by an electric motor. The pressurized air supply is fed through controller 150 (FIG.1) which may include an electronic feedback circuit (not shown) capable of sensing the load on rotating flexors 15 and rotator sleeve 40 as tissue is excised to maintain optimum torque and rotational speed within defined parameters. A four-sided spline 152 at the distal end of motor shaft 153 engages female spline-receiving fitting 92 in the proximal end of rotator stem 85 (see FIGS. 5 and 7). An actuator is provided for flexing the flexors 15 to the second (expanded) position as shown in FIG. 3 from the first (contracted) position as shown in FIG. 2. The actuator includes reciprocating plunger 160 that pushes on proximal end 72 of actuator sleeve 65 as plunger 160 moves to and fro in cylindrical plunger chamber 162. Compression spring 165 engages flange 166 and yieldably maintains plunger 160 in its proximalmost position shown in FIG. 9 with extension distance "E" again indicating a range of axial travel. In FIG. 10, plunger 160 is illustrated in its distalmost projected position. To move plunger 160 to its second position from its first position, pin 167 which is fixed in flange 166 may be pushed distally by a piston 168 within a quick-disconnect hydraulic fitting 169 (see FIG. 1). A needle insertion mechanism is provided for piercing and withdrawing the distal end of cutter 10 with respect to a patient's body. Referring to FIGS. 9-10, actuator 100 has feet 170 that slidably engage longitudinal tracks 172 in guide 175. Guide 175 shown in FIG. 10 allows for travel of approximately 2 to 4 inches (not limiting). Actuator 100 is yieldably maintained in its proximalmost sliding position within tracks 172 by extension spring 176 shown in phantom view in FIG. 10. Guide 175 has fitting 177 that cooperates with quick-disconnect hydraulic piston fitting 180 (see FIG. 1). Referring to FIG. 1, piston 182 is illustrated in a withdrawn position with a phantom view of its projected position. To move actuator 100 to its projected position from its withdrawn position, controller 150 uses a hydraulic line to actuate piston 182 thus making actuator 100 slide distally in tracks 172. Guide 175 is adapted for locking in the traveling arm of the stereotactic needle assembly by thumbscrews or other suitable means. A controller sequences the actuation of the projecting mechanism, the rotation mechanism and the blade-flexing mechanism as well as the saline infusion and aspiration. Controller 150 incorporates integrated circuitry to automatically actuate the various actuation mechanisms in pre-programmed cycles. The cycles differ for each different diameter of cutter 10. A mechanism is are also provided for collecting extracted tissue. Referring to FIG. 1, the aspiration source is provided with a tissue filter subassembly 210 shown schematically. A conventional autoclavable stainless steel filter with replaceable filter membranes may be provided to separate tissue from infused saline solution, and may be part no. Q-202025 from Small Parts, Inc., of Miami Lakes, Fla. Operation and use of instrument 5 for excising tissue from a lesion in a breast is briefly described as follows. The surgeon mounts actuator 100 on the traveling arm of a conventional stereotactic needle apparatus. The actuation lines are connected between actuator 100 and controller 150. A patient is prepared with suitable local anesthesia and positioned on the platform of the stereotactic needle apparatus. The surgeon then fits a disposable cutter 10 into actuator 100. The locking collar 124 is rotated overcoming the force exerted by torsion spring 139 thus permitting bearing 138 to be displaced radially outward. The proximal end of cutter 10 is introduced into conical bore 120 and the release of collar 124 causes bearing 138 to project radially inward into annular groove 132 to lock cutter 10 in place. The cooperating hex-shapes 140 and 141 of cutter 10 and actuator 100 angularly lock the cutter relative to the actuator. The surgeon then uses the digital controls on the stereotactic needle apparatus to direct tip 45 of cutter 10 to a position aligned with the lesion but still about 5 mm. outside the patient's skin on the "z" axis. The surgeon then nicks the skin with a scalpel. The surgeon then selects a pre-programmed actuation cycle on controller 150 for the particular diameter of cutter 10 and the dimensions of the tissue to be excised. Upon pressing a button to actuate a cycle, controller 150 first moves actuator 100 distally to pierce needle tip 45 directly through the breast lesion as can be seen on the video monitor. Then, the controller simultaneously and sequentially rotates flexors 15, flexes the flexors to the second (expanded) position from the first (contracted) position and infuses flexors 15 with saline fluid which flows through infusion channel 58 between outer sleeve 30 and rotator sleeve 40. Also at the same time, the aspiration source aspirates saline fluids mixed with excised tissue through apertures 55 in rotator sleeve 40 inward of flexors 15 and thereafter through aspiration lumen 56. Aspirated tissue is separated from saline solution fluid within tissue filter subassembly 210. The surgeon may view the pre-programmed actuation cycle on the video monitor. The actuation cycle concludes with controller 150 automatically withdrawing needle tip 45 from the breast. Referring to FIG. 11, an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade cutter is shown in which cutter 250 has flexors 255 and proximal and distal hinge components 260 and 262 made of a unitary injection-molded plastic member. Proximal and distal hinge elements 264 and 266 are thin and flexible in cross section to provide suitable flexing characteristics. A resilient plastic such as Delrin is suitable for a unitary flex-blade cutter and may still have a sufficiently sharp edge for a single use to excise tissue. Referring to FIG. 12, an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade cutter for a small diameter cutter is shown in which cutter 280 has a plurality of flexors 285 made of flexible wire such as stainless steel. The proximal and distal regions 286 and 288 of each wire comprises a hinge. The wires are fixed in proximal and distal blade spindles 290 and 292, for example as inserts in an injection molding process, and the assembly cooperates with rotator sleeve 295 as described in the previous embodiment. The wires may range in diameter from 0.005" to 0.050" (not limiting) depending on the diameter of cutter 280. To enhance the excising ability of a cutter with such wire flexors 285, the flexors may have an abrasive finish, such as a passivated or sandblasted finish, to enhance its ability to excise tissue as it rotates. Referring still to FIG. 12, flexors 285 may also be fabricated out of a very flexible plastic material such as a plastic monofilament and be suitable for excising tissue. In an embodiment with a very flexible flexor 285, the blade flexing mechanism to move the flexors to the second (expanded) position from the first (contracted) position may include only the centrifugal force on rotator sleeve 295 which will cause the flexors to bend radially outward as depicted in FIG. 12 under high speed rotation which will overcome pressure of tissue on the flexors. In any cutter employing such centrifugal force for blade-flexing, the spring 68 (see e.g., FIG. 6) in the cutter housing will move the flexors to the first (contracted) position from the second (expanded) position after rotation of sleeve 295 is slowed and then stopped. Referring to FIG. 13, an alternative embodiment of a rotatable flex-blade cutter is shown in which cutter 310 has a single flexor 315 made of a flexible wire is at least partially helically wrapped around rotator sleeve 320. The flexor 315 is maintained in either a contracted or expanded position by counter-rotating distal spindle 322 relative to proximal spindle 324. Splines 327 are adapted to engage an outer sleeve (not shown) that in concentrically mounted over inner sleeve 320. In any cutter employing such a helically wrapped flexor 315, the flexor also may be flexed by centrifugal force on the rotator sleeve as described above. In any cutter with a helically wrapped flexor 315, the force or spring constant within the flexor itself may be utilized to move the flexor 315 to the first (contracted) position from the second (expanded) position after rotation of sleeve 320 is slowed and stopped. Referring to FIG. 14, an alternative embodiment of a flex-blade cutter 350 in which the tissue aspiration mechanism includes an auger member 354 which rotates in cooperation with flexors 355 to draw excised tissue into the bore in sleeve 360. It should be appreciated that all of the above-described embodiments of cutters may include a reciprocating external protective sleeve (not shown) to cover the flexors of the cutter in the first (contracted) position to facilitate piercing into tissue. Such an external sleeve then would slide proximally to expose the flexors and thereby permit the flexors to flex to the second (expanded) position. Actuator 100 also may be employed to actuate a non-rotating embodiment of a needle-cutter 510 that is illustrated in FIGS. 15-18. This embodiment is adapted to excise tissue with a reciprocating needle sleeve only. In FIGS. 15-16, it can be seen that main housing 530 and spring housing 532 are similar to the above-described embodiment. The actuator sleeve 535 functions as in the previous embodiment and reciprocates through bore 536 in the spring and main housings, 530 and 532. Actuator 100 is capable of reciprocating actuator sleeve 535 a distance again referred to as extension distance "E". Referring to FIG. 15, excising sleeve 540 is fabricated from a thin-walled hollow stainless steel tube. The distal end 541 of excising sleeve 540 is ground and honed circumferentially as a cylindrical cutting edge 542 to excise tissue as the cutting edge 541 is projected in a distal direction over needle tip 545. The excising sleeve 540 is approximately 200 mm. in length and may be manufactured in various external diameters, for example 1 mm. to 5 mm. (not limiting). Bore or tissue-collecting lumen 548 in excising sleeve 540 collects excised tissue cores and is aligned with bore 549 extending through actuator sleeve 535. Referring to FIG. 17, obturator 550 includes a shaft portion 552 and a piercing tip 545 fixed to wire 555, for example by laser welding, and is dimensioned to slide in bore 549 in actuator sleeve 535. Shallow longitudinal grooves 556 in the outer surface of shaft 552 optionally to allow aspirated air to travel from the distal end of lumen 548 to aspiration port 560. Latch arm 567 with projecting tip 568 extends through slot 569 into bore 549 and engages annular notch 562 in shaft 552 to maintain obturator 550 in a fixed position relative to main housing 530 thus allowing actuator sleeve 535 to freely reciprocate. The operation of reciprocating needle-cutter 510 employs the above-described needle insertion mechanism to pierce the needle tip into a breast lesion with the needle tip 545 held in registration with the excising sleeve 540 as shown in FIG. 18. The reciprocating mechanism within actuator 100 then is used to move the excising sleeve proximally (see FIG. 15) and then distally (see FIG. 18) to excise a large core of tissue. Such a tissue coring cycle may be repeated. The tissue core can be recovered from bore 549 by releasing latch 567 an pulling obturator 550 proximally from main housing 530. Although the invention has been described in connection with a breast biopsy procedure, it should be appreciated that the device and method of the invention can be used in other minimally invasion tissue excising procedures. For example, the device can be used to excise lesions within muscles or organs such as the liver. It should also be appreciated that the needle assemblies may be fitted to a hand held motor housing with a pistol grip to manually excise and extract tissue from the interior of a body region or organ and be within the scope of the invention. (d) a rotational motor operatively connected to the excising member. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member comprises a rotatable flexible blade. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the blade comprises a flat flexible metal strip. 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the blade comprises a flat flexible plastic strip. 5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the blade comprises a flexible metal wire. 6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the blade comprises a substantially round flexible plastic material. 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member has at least one sharp knife-like edge. 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member has an abrasive surface. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member in the first position is disposed substantially longitudinally with respect to the axis of the extension sleeve. 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member in the first position is disposed at least partially helically with respect to the axis of the extension sleeve. 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member-expanding structure includes a reciprocating element incorporated into the extension sleeve. 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member-expanding structure includes counter-rotating elements incorporated into the extension sleeve. 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member-expanding structure includes elements incorporated into the extension sleeve allowing centrifugal force to expand the excising member upon rotation of the excising member. 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the excising member-contracting structure comprises a spring associated with an element within the extension sleeve. 15. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the excising member-contracting structure comprises resilient spring forces within the material of the blade. 16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the extension sleeve defines an infusion channel for infusing fluids to a region near the excising member from the proximal end of the extension sleeve. 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the extension sleeve defines an aspiration channel for aspiration of fluids from a region near the excising member to the proximal end of the extension sleeve. 18. The apparatus of claim 17 including a filter structure for collecting excised tissue aspirated from the region near the excising member. 19. The apparatus of claim 1 including a rotatable screw member carried by the distal end of the extension sleeve for extracting tissue. (c) a rotation motor operatively connected to the excising member. rotating said excising member and transforming a transverse sectional dimension of said excising member from a first smaller dimension to a second larger dimension, thus excising tissue. withdrawing the sleeve and excising member from the interior of the body. 23. The method of claim 21 together with the step of infusing a region near the excising member with a fluid. 24. The method of claim 21 together with the step of aspirating fluid from a region near the excising member. 25. The method of claim 21 together with the step of extracting fluids from a region near the excising member by a rotating screw.

2019-04-26T06:04:17Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5794626A/en

Learning these furniture cleaning hints provided by maid service bowie md can become important inside any house that a person want to remain looking clear and beautiful. This will be because regardless of how carefully a person take treatment of your own upholstered furnishings accidents perform happen. The spill can occur quickly, so when it will time will be of the particular essence. In addition, even in case you are usually luckily enough not really to really spill some thing, general dust and dust particles can build up as component of regular use. Consequently , below We explore furniture cleaning suggestions, home made plus commercial furniture cleaners, as well as give a person an opportunity to give your personal tips with regard to cleaning furniture. We are concentrated on this short article mainly upon fabric furniture. Leather or even suede furniture has various cleaning plus care needs. In case your upholstery begins to look faded, or has evolved lots associated with stains plus spots, prior to you perform anything otherwise it is very important vacuum cleaner it. This particular will take away the dirt plus dust which usually, when damp, can additional dirty your own couch when it is not eliminated first. How to use upholstery connection to obtain out of all splits and crevices, and also to completely clean all of the cushions. Additionally , remove just as much pet tresses as probable. If a vacuum cleaner itself will not appear to get this all, attempt a dog hair eliminator. You may read evaluations of dog hair removal here to get which types work nicely upon upholstery. In case you avoid only need common dirt, or even old staining, but rather a brand new leak, you don't need to would like that leak to bathe in to the furnishings stuffing, in to the wooden, or in order to set in to the furniture fabric. Consequently , the 1st thing to perform when any kind of spill happens is in order to blot (of course not scrub or even rub) the particular spill upward with the white fabric as rapidly as probable to reduce the particular spread associated with the spot, and in order to retain it through setting within a bigger area. Blotting is possibly the main, plus also good sense part associated with how you can thoroughly clean upholstery. Next, a person need in order to know what kinds of upholstery solution should become utilized on your own upholstery. This particular is determined by two points: the kind of fabric the particular upholstery is made from; and the kind of leak or spot on the particular upholstery. Each is going to be resolved consequently. Furniture fabrics may be secret sometimes, since the fabrics utilized for upholstery could be varied, like cotton, made of silk, acetate, linen, bamboo, olefin, plus acrylic simply to name several, including mixes of these types of fabrics. Inside addition, various upholstery materials have already been dyed along with different colours, in various ways, plus the associated with the furniture should furthermore be used in to account. Notice, if this is extremely aged upholstery, or even antique or even very useful, I recommend getting in touch with in an expert. Nearby understand what furniture cleaner may be used on your own upholstery the particular first step would be to appear at the particular tag. A person haven't eliminated the label perhaps you have? A clear safe home is essential with regard to your family’s health plus well becoming. Using typical methods for the clean home provided by maid service plano tx will certainly give your loved ones a pleasant spot to reside. Let’s appearance at 3 rooms and find out how we will keep all of them safe plus clean. Bacteria develops in damp environments. Maintain the bathroom aired and dried out to avoid bacteria through multiplying. Close the particular lid associated with the bathroom before flushing, to assist keep bacteria from distributing to close by surfaces. Keep the particular shower doorway or drape open right after use, in order to allow all of them to dried out and avoid mildew. In case mildew will appear make use of household chlorine bleach or whiten based cleansers to get rid of staining. Bath towels and clean cloths ought to be transformed regularly in order to insure quality. Drinking water leaves scars, if this is remaining to dried out, so wipe surfaces after baths, showers and making use of the kitchen sink to avoid lime green scale through forming. Leave the particular dispenser cabinet and front side door upon front weight washing devices available to dried out you should definitely within use. Use the particular the most appropriate soap product developed to enable you to take the particular best treatment of your own clothes. Follow cleaning instructions around the detergent bundle and upon your clothing for optimum effects. Type clothes coloured and much less or non-coloured to prevent colour transfer. Period thoroughly clean laundry away of the particular machine because soon because possible plus dry this. This will certainly help maintain unpleasant smells from building. Maintain your fridge clean plus cold. Start by cleaning glasses plus end along with the majority of soiled products like pans and pots (to eliminate soil very easily don’t let it dry on) put what to soak right after use plus before cleansing. Frequently change your own sponges plus cleaning towels. Place them dried out and thoroughly clean by being a disinfectant to avoid construct up associated with bacteria. Always thoroughly clean surfaces plus chopping planks immediately right after use. Clean range and micro wave regularly. Thoroughly clean door knobs, outlets regularly and light switches. Have a thoroughly clean safe residential if you take period to perform simple cleansing tips. You are Likely to require more than just a few feathers on a pole. Step one when it comes to dusting is understanding which Tools you need to and should not use. For example, feather dusters are far from useful. This instrument only spreads dust from 1 surface to another. Now that you have your resources, here are targeted approaches recommended by maid service burke, va to your house's most hard-to-reach places. Walls Attachments have become the most effective tool. Work from the top down to catch the maximum dust without creating a mess. It's possible to tackle dingy stains using a moist cloth. Gently spray It with an all-purpose cleansing solution and operate it on baseboards to whisk debris off in a flash. For at dust trapped in tiny nooks and complex carvings, Use a sterile natural-bristle paint or cosmetics remover, then wipe with a microfiber fabric. Electronics Notorious dust magnets. Always unplug the equipment prior to cleaning. A gentle swipe using a microfiber fabric does the task, even though a gentle, long-handled brush will collect dust from cracks. Make sure you vacuum dust from round valves and cords because, together with pet hair, it may clog outlets or machines. Place beanbag monsters, teddy bears, or cloth dolls into a Secure the surface, then choose the things out and shake well. Eliminate things one at a time, shake the clumps of baking soda, and then vacuum the remainder by means of a brush attachment. Over the years, crumbs, dirt, along with other debris collect If you can, transfer the appliance from the wall and then unplug. Utilize a long-handled, somewhat moist sponge mop to lift dust out of the rear of the machine, then wash walls and flooring using warm soapy water. Eliminate heavy dust out of ceiling, ceiling, or appliance vents Wipe detachable, washable air filters nicely in warm soapy water and simmer prior to repainting. Switch Off the energy supply, then put onto a step stool. Use moist paper towels to wash Greasy dust out of the casing. The vacations are all about togetherness so begin your cleaning efforts By preparing your loved ones to assist. First, walk around your home and see what has to be carried out. Maintain a written document. After That's completed, gather your Loved Ones, sit down and inform them What has to be completed. Possessing a fairly wreath and a few spooky or, in the future, adorable pumpkins is a fantastic way to get their attention but making certain to have a newly swept front walkway, a shaken rug, a cobweb free door, plus a smear/smudge complimentary glass can help everyone to feel welcome and also provide a wonderful first impression. Paper is this a large thing. Do not be afraid to take a while on this particular part. Sort through your email address. Buy a box to put important papers in or even utilize a brownish box that you picked up somewhere or obtained from a bundle that has been sent to you. In any event, just type out the jumble of papers and set the needed ones at a spot that's out of sight but not out of mind which you forgot where you place it. For the person in your group That's washing the dishes, then here is the way house cleaning services operate it out. When we have a dishwasher, then they load the dinner meals at night, begin the This way everybody else can place their dirty dishes throughout the day and there's very little to be concerned about. If You're hand washing dishes, then perform them when the white bucket Fills up using dirties. I create my women clean, rinse, dry, and put all in 1 sweep since then they do not need to return later into some chore they felt as they've accomplished. Dust the lighting fixtures, clean the disposal out and make your kitchen smell good. Many occasions at holiday parties, or some parties, individuals tend to go towards the kitchen. There Are Lots of minor matters that I believe get overlooked when we're cleaning Our home and those small things can make all of the difference. By Way of Example, I worked in a restaurant at which a daily basis we have down While I understand we do not all plan to try it, at least carrying a mop to them every so often may actually brighten up the place. If You're anything like me, then your stove top and oven Will be receiving A good deal of focus over the vacations, in part due to the holiday collecting and also in part because, well, fall to Christmas food feeds the spirit instead of simply the stomach. Very good at getting the dirt off my glass cooktop. I create the glue, wash it around, allow it to sit for approximately five minutes and wipe off all of the black goo I had not seen before! All great things have a price tag, do not they? If you enjoy cooking and spending some time at the kitchen, the clogs, Splatters, and dirt will gradually collect, and a fantastic cleaning session will probably be necessary - one that is a little more comprehensive than the typical fast daily wipe-down of this cooker, counters, and tabletops. There is no doubt that scrubbing the kitchen cabinets and cabinets may be a Significant endeavor. So kitchen cabinets lake zurich have compiled the best methods for handling this chore to receive the greatest possible outcomes - in as little time and with just as little effort as you can! In this post we will cover how to wash a number of the most Frequent materials, Like painted and natural wood, metal, laminate, and glass. We have also got the very best cleaning way of handling the worst in relation to kitchen grunge - the concealed tops of cabinets. And we will also share plus a few foolproof procedures to disinfect cabinet and drawer interiors, to keep your kitchen safe and sanitary. What is one very easy job that may decrease the frequency of which an Intensive cleaning is necessary? It Might Appear a bit counterintuitive to dust perpendicular surfaces, but dust will Collect on cabinet exteriors -- particularly when lots of frying is done on your kitchen. Combination of dust and oil from forming that tacky, hard-to-remove residue - that, when left untreated, brings dust! Accumulations of dirt and dirt, a little extra elbow grease is necessary. Soak and wring out the cloth, then wipe all surfaces, paying special focus on hinges, handles, and some other surface ridges that form layout details. Scrub the doorways and sideboards immediately with a soft fabric and clean warm water, then wipe the residual moisture with a different soft soft cloth. For demanding, tacky dirt, a solution of white vinegar and warm water is an cheap and organic remedy that generates great results. Mix a solution of one cup vinegar to 2 cups warm water. Dry with a soft fabric. If some sticky areas stay, dampen your moist cloth with undiluted white vinegar, and then give another wipe-down, employing a little more pressure if necessary. Rinse with clean water, and dry using a soft fabric. For very obstinate dirt and dirt, make a paste of white vinegar and baking soda - however try this to the inside of the cabinet very first, so it will not mar the end. Scrub your fabric with warm water, then wring out the excess moisture, and pick up a few of this glue. Dab it on where it is required and let it sit and operate for a couple of minutes. Avoid using anything which will This dirt-cutting chemicals. Inside, begin with your medicine cupboard, cosmetics. Check the regional health regulations for directions on disposing of medicine - do not just flush them throw them they will seep into the groundwater. Throughout the summertime, many dwelling maintenance Businesses experience slow company, That means you might choose to benefit from discounted prices on house improvements or carpet cleaning. Have your furnace inspected and preserved today, before you want it. Check out all of the windows and doors in your home. Since summer means open Windows and doorways, you ought to be certain everything is functioning smoothly. Wash out the paths on sliding patio doors and then spray them with WD-40 to get out all of the accumulated gunk. A cool home keeps humidity, which then slows down the development of mould and mildew. A different way to decrease airborne pollutants would be to wash and wash out vents and registers around the home. If you are going out for holiday during the summer, create a crisis listing To place by the telephone for home sitters or babysitters. Additionally include emergency contact numbers, both in home and at which you are going to be on holiday. Summer means being outdoors. So don't overlook these actions, either: Scrub the Deck and driveway. Wash out the grill and be sure that you have sufficient charcoal or propane to get impromptu barbeques. Wipe off your patio furniture frequently to maintain pollen in a minimum. Disinfect and hose outside your garbage cans. In case you have children, hose down their outside play places - inspecting and adjusting them for security, too. Obtaining a issue early will help save you money and headaches. Check the gutters, also, for almost any debris. As the summer comes to a close, provide your lawnmower a comprehensive cleaning. Prop it On both sides and drain any residual oil and gas in an approved receptacle. Change your furnace filter monthly. This helps in making your home more energy efficient, and retains your air cleaner. And don't overlook to look at the furnace itself. If it's coated in dust and grime, or if there are dust bunnies circulating around underneath, ensure that you vacuum them up. I don't know about you, but I live in Michigan and my floors get trashed in the winter. Salt collects in between every carpet fibers, and the hardwood floors take on an unpleasant whitish sheen from melting salt water. To combat this, take the right time to steam clean your floor covering and scrub the floors. If you don't have a place for snowy boots and shoes, put out a couple of cookie sheets (the kind with the raised edge) for them to drain by the door. This will help keep that mess off the floors. Homes get very dusty in the winter because the fresh air is so warm and dry. Dust your home's surfaces from top to bottom to help keep the dust to a manageable level. Don't forget ceiling enthusiast blades, the tops of windowpane moldings, and the tops of textbooks - all of which are often overlooked and will collect dust easily. Also, give your lighting fixtures a good dusting. Dust easily collects on them during the winter too, and will make your indoor light look dingy. This will make a big difference in brightening items up. Many people also opt to get their home's atmosphere ducts professionally cleaned. This will not only reduce the quantity of dust drastically, germs and allergens floating around, but it may also assist your furnace run more efficiently. For those who have a fireplace or burn off candles, your windows likely sport a thin film of soot on the inside, which can block precious sun. Give all your windows a good wipe down. I use vinegar mixed with water, and it works great. Think I'm kidding here? Your kitchen ceiling likely has a film of funk on it without you realizing it, mainly from all the moisture, fumes and smoke resulting from cooking. The same goes for the walls, especially those around the stove. Mix a small amount of slight dish soap in a bucket of hot water and lightly scrub with a sponge, using only a minimum quantity of water (not enough to drip). Of course, if you notice any discoloration or streaking, stop immediately. We're available of cleaning well, but we also want one to get chores out of the real way as fast as possible. And if you would like to obtain detailed house cleaning, read this short article attentively. You do not follow the "top to bottom" rule. If vacuuming can be your least favourite chore, it could be tempting to obtain it taken care of first. But if dusting the very best shelf (or cleansing the ceiling lover) can be your last job for the day, dirt will fall over your freshly vacuumed carpeting likely. And you have do this annoying part yet again then. You do not sort laundry when it certainly counts. Every and then now, you may skip sorting by colour to hurry laundry day time along (some moms actually discover that doing laundry "simply by person" saves a huge amount of sorting time - particularly when all of your children' clothes are similar hues and materials). But pre-sorting is actually a time-saver ultimately often. You tackle windows on a sunshiney day. The nice, warm sunlight might inhibit your efforts, since the heat might lead to your cleaner to dry out before you wipe it away. Which means streaks - and you'll have to start over. You don't switch off your vacuum's brush roller once you switch to wood or even tile floor. If you are vacuuming bare floors having an upright vacuum, make sure to switch off the rotating brush. Keep it on, and you will scatter dust and dust instead of picking everything up. You wash dishes at the sink before they are put by you in the dishwasher. Yes, you need to scrape any meals scraps in to the garbage, but don't bother hand-washing as well as rinsing your meals before you each goes in the dishwasher. Study shows that it generally does not get your meals any cleaner, and our industry experts agree. Prewashing dishes is really a waste of energy and time. Load them in the dishwasher simply, and if you are not running it immediately, let the dishwasher wash them with a 'wash only' cycle. You do not let tile cleaner sit for some minutes before you begin scrubbing. Give spray tile and tub cleaners a couple of minutes to function before wiping them away. Letting them sit assists soften and dissolve soap staining and scum, so much less scrubbing is necessary. And much less elbow grease indicates much less time. Your loved ones doesn't remove shoes at the entranceway. The dirt you track in from outside really can build up as time passes, so beat it at its game by going shoeless inside. Even though you're at it, dual through to doormats (one inside and something outside). They grab dust before it can achieve your new cream carpeting. A lint is used by you roller to completely clean up pet hair. If you are staring down an especially fur covered couch, you may instinctively grab this sticky paper. But a lint roller, while handy, is not actually around heavy-duty jobs. If you want to clear a huge amount of pet hair simultaneously, grab a damp rubber glove rather to effectively whisk the fuzz aside. You forget your cleaners need cleaning, too. Dirty cloths, mops, and full vacuum bags don't grab or even remove dirt. You'll you need to be working significantly harder and longer without results to display for this. Clean or substitute your cleaning equipment as needed. Unfortunately, several of the shop purchased cleaning items under your personal sink contain chemical substances plus additives that have already been which can have unfavorable effects in your health simply because well because the atmosphere. Luckily, you can find several safe, effective (and secure to eat! ) cleaning supplies in your pantry currently. These is an instant look in the very best natural cleansing items to clean counter tops and various surfaces. Baking soda proceeds to become known since an all-purpose cleaner regarding generations. It does a wonderful work on glassware, espresso pots, and upon the connected with red-wine places from carpet even. This gets rid connected with stains from saucers, mugs, and stainless-metal, leaving every one of them sparkling clean. Use coarse salt to be able to scrub copper pans in addition scour cookware. Simply mix salt directly onto this cookware and wipe obvious. For more stubborn spots, apply the salt, from then on squirt lime or lemon green on the certain area. Wait around a long time, and wash clean. Blend essential oils such as flower, lavendar or tea shrub oil with water, and after that spray the perfect solution is upon bathing room and kitchen area areas. Their anti-bacterial qualities guarantee your surfaces are obvious as well as your loved types will be healthy. Use olive oil to be able to polish wood furniture as well as lubricate squeaky doorway handles. You'll spot the outcome immidiately. Make use of warm water about the weekly foundation to remove away dirt is likely to drains. This can help prevent clogs and build-ups that may could end up getting costly to fix. Preferably, the type of cleansing products that you simply use regarding cleaning for moves need to be non-toxic, efficient, plus effective. Organic cleaning items are which means healthiest tools keeping in mind your house immaculately healthy plus clean. Windows, windows, windows, you look you can find windows everywhere. Windows can happen to be clean however when the sunlight shines in it we obtain the true image. Every little smudge, finger nose or print printing shows. Window cleaning is really a large task nevertheless, you can make your home shine through the use of techniques and equipment designed for doing windows. A specialist brass or stainless squeegee, offered by janitorial supply stores is really a helpful tool. Work with a window cleaning answer, which consists of ammonia, vinegar and/or a liquid dishwashing detergent. These work very well if sparingly used. You might purchase the products or make sure they are yourself. An excessive amount of chemical or soap answer leads to streaks and leaves residue on the home windows. Ammonia cuts heavy greasy vinegar and soil assists remove hard water spots. Wipe very dirty home windows with a damp fabric. Don't rub dirt since it will scratch the cup. A vacuum cleaner having an attachment is wonderful for this working job, too. With a clean sponge or cloth wet the window. Don't flood it! When working with a squeegee, tilt at an position to the glass, therefore only about one-inch of the rubber blade presses contrary to the surface of the window glass lightly. This can leave a dry region across the surface of the window and prevent drips from operating down on your own clean window. Wipe the blade of the squeegee with a damp fabric each time. A dried out blade on dry cup will skip. Next location the squeegee horizontally in the dry region and pull down, lapping on the dry clean area every time. Continue until the window has been finished by you. Finish by wiping off the windows sill. Windows could be cleaning from either relative part or from the very best using this technique. You may work with a paper or cloth to completely clean also, use overlapping strokes and that means you cover all of the window and do not miss spots. ·Don't clean windows inside sunlight - the window may dried out too quick and streak. ·Exterior windows ought to be 1st be washed with a hose or clear water to eliminate grease and grime. ·Wash windows laterally on the inside or more to down externally. If you can find streaks, you shall know which side they're on. ·Change wash and wash waters often. ·Outside screens could be scrubbed with tepid to warm water and rinsed with clear water. Allow to air flow dry. ·Squeegees do not focus on textured or stained cup windows. ·Choose a "hard" papers towel (soft types leave lint) or natural cotton cloths such as for example old t-t-shirt or socks. The brand new micro-fiber cloths work very well for cleaning windows. Adhere to the instructions for usage of the cloths. When washing micro-dietary fiber towels or cloths usually do not use fabric softener since it reduces the absorbency. ·Blend two tablespoons of ammonia Or even whitened vinegar with two quarts or tepid to warm water. ·Mix one-half mug ammonia, one pint of 70 percent rubbing alcoholic beverages and something teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent. Add enough drinking water to create one gallon liquid. ·Blend one tablespoon liquid dishwashing detergent with one quart drinking water. Choose a right time once you feel great and energetic to accomplish windows, you will feel much better and the working job will go faster. Many tenants be worried about getting their security deposits back again. Having a specialist service clean the machine after everyone has relocated out is one method to help guarantee the machine will undoubtedly be clean and prepared for examination by the landlord. Should there be considered a legal dispute later on concerning the come back of the down payment, the documentation concerning the cleaning by means of a receipt could be a perfect product to present for proof. Having a house cleaning services of the Andover can be found in following the moving process furthermore enables the tenant to spotlight moving or obtaining settled in the brand new place rather than cleaning the aged one. Landlords also like the thought of having a specialist cleaning support prepare rentals. Many tenants have great intentions but skip the tag by forgetting to completely clean the insides of refrigerators, microwaves or the shower stalls even. Having a service feel the entire unit most likely means it is prepared to show potential tenants quicker so it could be re-rented. Finding move-within and move-out home cleaning may be a smart way to help get local rental apartments and houses back to pristine shape. Popular among college students hugely, this type or kind of service pays to whether you're the landlord or the tenant, for individuals without cleaning encounter especially. Before you nevertheless schedule a cleaning appointment, take the right time to make sure you are receiving the right cleaning service for you. Here are tips about how to find the appropriate service. There are potentially a variety of ways people can buy this type of service. Getting a referral from a close friend or relative is a proven way, but some people may choose to look at solutions advertised through private celebration ads on the internet. While legitimate services can be found this real way, some ads participate in scam artists. Even though there are legitimate providers on these websites, some of them aren't bonded or don't have business licenses within the populous city. Some aren't insured, so if one of these gets hurt on the working job, problems could occur. A much better way to get someone may be to discover a business that is in the area for some time. These companies will most likely possess a website and may be verified regarding the quality of function they provide. These continuing businesses frequently have reviews on various consumer sites that may give potential customers more info. Another true indicate consider is that when a cleaning company 's been around for a while, they are more likely to provide good service. Even the most encountered cleaners experience mishaps at some true point in their work. Insurance shall help cover damages manufactured in your home, and also possible injuries that could occur on your own grounds. Professional accreditation and licensing however will assist lower the probability of these damages occurring to begin with. During your preliminary discussions with the cleansing company, ask to see proof any insurance or certifications they have. Some cleaning companies usually do not state what type of cleansing products and tools they use explicitly. If somebody in your house is sensitive to particular cleaning chemical substances, or if someone can be involved about using environmentally-pleasant cleaning supplies, talk with the support before hiring the business. Cleaning companies may not be in a position to accommodate last-minute special requests; in case you have certain needs regarding methods or supplies used, make sure the ongoing company is able to adjust to your requirements. The maids Cleveland is rather valuable in case you should clean the office and to keep your hygiene through the workplaces. Business cleaning obtained significantly reputation among the people. The Maid Services become extremely effective among the individuals as a result. Selection connected with your cleaning services is normally often the trial. For now there are several companies nowadays which usually help make comparable products and suppliers. The outstanding involving the many important items to hold in your mind will end up being the company reputation. This specific should end up being held inside the human brain individuals while making the specific selection linked to the maids Сleveland. Company Reputation can appeared by discovering the testimonies through the corporation. It can help in order to ensure a person are choosing on the best cleaning company for your own job. A person can moreover look directly into the across the internet discussions in addition talk in order to the specific customers to be able to believe about the company Popularity. Group Experience Searching at team Experience can certainly also turn out to be very helpful. This specific may most likely help that will a person recognize varieties associated along with operate just about all of all of them could think inside the company for the washing purposes. Came across Team holding out function within the particular organization may assist the solo to get the finest cleaning achieved for the homes plus procedures. As a result these varieties of are a variety factors that particular must remember while obtaining the option associated with the specific cleaning suppliers company down the road. This might enable the single in order to associated along with best selection of the business enterprise for your own cleansing reasons. Household duties tend to be more of a challenge than ever before for active modern day families along with cleaning companies getting approached to supply its services within the domestic home. Professionals from cleaning services Newton MA customize the home cleaning services towards the requirements you have, which could be simply freshening up the carpets and rugs, furniture and surfaces, etc. This cleaner company can offer a professional service to fit around your schedule. All of these are simply a range of the services the cleaning company provides, in case the services you need aren't mentioned earlier do feel free to get in touch and ask if the cleaning company offers that specific service. The experience and expertise of cleaning company in domestic cleaning provides you with the best quality service possible. Looking to declutter your home and get more organized? Check out these 17 brilliantly creative uses for tension rods in every room in your house! This unconventional cooking method is so simple it's nearly foolproof! I'll show you how to use it to make the most unbelievably perfect steaks you've ever cooked.

2019-04-22T12:50:32Z

https://cefard.org/

Florida voters, Crooms, Harold Richard thru Crooms, Samantha A. Crooms, Harold Richard thru Crooms, Samantha A. Crooms, Harold Richard was born 24 October 1979, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 15158 Evans Ranch Rd, Lakeland, Florida 33809. Florida voter ID number 113795492. His telephone number is 1-863-860-5212. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2015 voter list: Harold R. Crooms, 3336 Strickland Rd, Lakeland, FL 33810 No Party Affiliation. CROOMS, HARRY A. was born 1 January 1962, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 535 S 12Th St, Quincy, Florida 32351. Florida voter ID number 104252208. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 1410 GOMER LANE HARRKER HEIGHTS TX 76548-6003. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. Crooms, Horace Nathanie was born 4 September 1950, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 34 Evergreen Ave, St Augustine, Florida 32084-3439. Florida voter ID number 107967565. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2013 voter list: Horace Nathanie Crooms, 34 Evergreen Ave, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Hosea Franklin was born 27 September 1962, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 743 Heineman St, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Florida voter ID number 108779443. His telephone number is 1-386-631-7053. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: P O BOX 10841 Daytona Beach FL 32120. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2018 voter list: Hosea Franklin Crooms, 743 Heineman ST, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Hosea Franklin was born 29 November 1991, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1023 Cadillac Dr, Daytona Beach, Florida 32117. Florida voter ID number 118080791. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, JACOB STERLING was born 16 August 1990, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 8892 78Th Pl, Largo, Florida 33777. Florida voter ID number 117149765. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2018 voter list: JACOB STERLING CROOMS, 19135 US HIGHWAY 19 N, #D18, CLEARWATER, FL 33764 No Party Affiliation. 31 July 2017 voter list: Jacob Sterling Crooms, 5215 S West Shore BLVD, APT 62, Tampa, FL 33611 No Party Affiliation. 30 April 2017 voter list: JACOB STERLING CROOMS, 2738 Roosevelt BLVD, #1301, CLEARWATER, FL 33760 No Party Affiliation. 30 April 2016 voter list: Jacob Sterling Crooms, 1712 Terry Cir NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881 No Party Affiliation. 31 March 2014 voter list: JACOB STERLING CROOMS, 11521 OLD DADE CITY RD, KATHLEEN, FL 33849 No Party Affiliation. 31 May 2012 voter list: Jacob S. Crooms, 19629 Michigan Ave, Odessa, FL 33556 No Party Affiliation. Crooms, Jacqueline Trina was born 12 March 1958, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 8521 Cross Timbers Dr W, Jacksonville, Florida 32244. Florida voter ID number 103277151. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, James David was born 16 March 1947, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 4460 Lincrest Dr S, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 103729831. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, James E. was born 11 September 1953, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 704 S Wilder St, Perry, Florida 32347. Florida voter ID number 108377694. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, James Edward was born 16 March 1984, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1383 Ember Dr, Lakeland, Florida 33803. Florida voter ID number 113785759. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2019 voter list: James Edward Crooms, 1925 Harden BLVD, LOT 63, Lakeland, FL 33803 Republican Party of Florida. 31 October 2018 voter list: James Edward Crooms, 6333 Michael Ln, Lakeland, FL 33811 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, James Edward was born 28 April 1958, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1383 Ember Dr, Lakeland, Florida 33803. Florida voter ID number 113785805. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 28 February 2018 voter list: James Edward Crooms, 3922 Ewell Rd, Lakeland, FL 33811 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, James J. was born 19 September 1947, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 878 W 13Th St, St Augustine, Florida 32084. Florida voter ID number 107967360. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2018 voter list: James J. Crooms, 954 Josiah St, St Augustine, FL 320843319 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: James J. Crooms, 954 Josiah St, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, James Ray was born 6 June 1989, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 657 Drake Bay Ter, St Augustine, Florida 32084. Florida voter ID number 115748382. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2018 voter list: James Ray Crooms, 707 W King St, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. 30 November 2016 voter list: James Ray Crooms, 4145 Melanie St, Hastings, FL 32145 Florida Democratic Party. 31 March 2015 voter list: James Ray Crooms, 707 W King St, St Augustine, FL 320848721 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: James Ray Crooms, 707 W King St, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Jason Daniel was born 16 March 1988, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 4433 Meadow Ridge Ave, Mulberry, Florida 33860. Florida voter ID number 114187041. His telephone number is 1-863-430-1000. His email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2015 voter list: Jason Daniel Crooms, 6333 Michael Ln, Lakeland, FL 33811 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Javontae Jalove was born 25 March 1994, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 875 Helen St, St Augustine, Florida 32084-1083. Florida voter ID number 120382967. His telephone number is 1-904-819-0471. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: PO Box 1354 St Augustine FL 32085-1354. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2013 voter list: Javontae Jalove Crooms, 875 Helen ST, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, JEFFREY W. was born 27 May 1953, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1500 Escadrille Dr, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. Florida voter ID number 105021031. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Jennifer Marie was born 28 July 1981, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 106 Sunnyside Dr, Hawthorne, Florida 32640. Florida voter ID number 121956471. Her telephone number is 1-352-225-0477. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 November 2017 voter list: Jennifer Marie Crooms, 1530 W Madison ST, APT D2, Starke, FL 320912474 Republican Party of Florida. 30 April 2017 voter list: Jennifer Marie Crooms, 156 Westwood DR, APT F2, Interlachen, FL 32148 Republican Party of Florida. CROOMS, JERRI MADENFORD was born 6 September 1951, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4901 38Th Way S, #14, St Petersburg, Florida 33711. Florida voter ID number 106773503. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: P.O BOX 4813 PINEHURST NC 28374. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 April 2017. 31 May 2012 voter list: JERRI MADENFORD CROOMS, 1771 SERPENTINE DR S, ST PETERSBURG, FL 33712 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, JOANNA was born 18 August 1974, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 138 Exeter Ave, Longwood, Florida 32750-3546. Florida voter ID number 107919880. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2016 voter list: JOANNA CROOMS, 2 JOHNNIE LN, LONGWOOD, FL 32750 Florida Democratic Party. 31 January 2014 voter list: JOANNA CROOMS, 700 CREEKWATER TER, #200, LAKE MARY, FL 32746 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Jody L. was born 13 December 1964, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 4520 Perry St, Jacksonville, Florida 32206. Florida voter ID number 116978503. His telephone number is 1-904-713-7103. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: PO BOX 3550 Jacksonville FL 32206-0550. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2013 voter list: Jody L. Crooms, 775 Waterbird Ln, Apt 103, Jacksonville, FL 32206 No Party Affiliation. Crooms, Joe Cordell was born 17 May 1977, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 17965 Nw 23Rd Ave, Miami Gardens, Florida 33056. Florida voter ID number 109527538. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, JONATHAN TYLER was born 1 July 1982, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4901 38Th Way S, #14, St Petersburg, Florida 33711. Florida voter ID number 116587601. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2014. 31 May 2012 voter list: JONATHAN TYLER CROOMS, 1771 SERPENTINE DR S, ST PETERSBURG, FL 33712 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, JONATHON DAVID was born 17 November 1985, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 3922 Ewell Rd, Lakeland, Florida 33811. Florida voter ID number 113785807. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 3922 EWELL RD LAKELAND FL 33811-2592 USA. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2013. Crooms, Jordon Leigh was born 15 September 1991, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 6837 20Th St, Zephyrhills, Florida 33542. Florida voter ID number 120449396. Her telephone number is 1-813-833-7675. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 1450 Villa Capri Circle #304 Odessa FL 33556-0000. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2018 voter list: Jordon Leigh Crooms, 1450 Villa Capri CIR, #304, Odessa, FL 33556 Republican Party of Florida. 31 July 2018 voter list: Jordon Leigh Crooms, 14903 Stag Woods CIR, Lutz, FL 33559 Republican Party of Florida. 28 February 2018 voter list: Jordon Leigh Crooms, 512 Brentwood Pl, Brandon, FL 335116342 Republican Party of Florida. 31 March 2017 voter list: Jordon Leigh Crooms, 5215 S WEST SHORE BLVD, 62, Tampa, FL 33611 Republican Party of Florida. 30 September 2016 voter list: Jordon Leigh Crooms, 4106 Fallon Ct, Brandon, FL 33511 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Jordon Renard was born 25 May 1998, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 660 Winchester St, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Florida voter ID number 123529302. His telephone number is 1-386-682-1158. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Joseph Adrian was born 30 August 1966, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2115 Burgoyne Dr, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 103524433. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 September 2017. CROOMS, JOSEPH WYATT was born 6 February 1987, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 2705 Via Murano, #118, Clearwater, Florida 33764. Florida voter ID number 116204715. His email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2018 voter list: JOSEPH WYATT CROOMS, 203 GLENVIEW DR, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32303 Republican Party of Florida. 30 September 2016 voter list: JOSEPH WYATT CROOMS, 8819 MINNOW CREEK DR, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32312 Republican Party of Florida. 31 January 2016 voter list: JOSEPH WYATT CROOMS, 2055 THOMASVILLE RD, APT C108, TALLAHASSEE, FL 323080767 Republican Party of Florida. 31 March 2015 voter list: JOSEPH WYATT CROOMS, 3495 GIVERNY CT, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32309 Republican Party of Florida. 31 March 2014 voter list: JOSEPH WYATT CROOMS, 2216 MANDRELL CT, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32303 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Josie B. was born 29 December 1939, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1166 Ne 155Th Ct, Williston, Florida 32696. Florida voter ID number 105235749. His telephone number is 1-352-528-4180. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Juaneisha J. was born 17 November 1982, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2100 Nw 154Th St, Miami Gardens, Florida 33054. Florida voter ID number 110012107. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 1730 Summit Edge Cir Loganville GA 30052-5342. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Justice Linette was born 15 January 1997, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 310 Summer Breeze Way, Apt 2113, St Augustine, Florida 32086. Florida voter ID number 124124986. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 1001 Cleveland Ave Palatka FL 32177-5553. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Justin Lamar was born 4 August 1993, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 101 Nw 108Th Ter, Apt 305, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33026. Florida voter ID number 119924135. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2018 voter list: Justin Lamar Crooms, 2100 NW 154Th St, Miami Gardens, FL 33054 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Kaitlyn Nichole Brooks was born 28 July 1994, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 20510 E Levy St, Williston, Florida 32696. Florida voter ID number 120791320. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 March 2016 voter list: Kaitlyn N. Crooms, 1166 NE 155Th Ct, Williston, FL 326968625 No Party Affiliation. 31 December 2013 voter list: Kaitlyn N. Crooms, 720 NW 7th ST, Williston, FL 32696 No Party Affiliation. Crooms, Kasha Paprice was born 27 January 1989, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 709 Largo Way, South Daytona, Florida 32119. Florida voter ID number 120221007. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 November 2018 voter list: Kasha Paprice Baylum, 1102 Berkshire RD, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 Florida Democratic Party. 31 March 2016 voter list: Kasha Paprice Crooms, 1102 Berkshire Rd, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: Kasha P. Crooms, 218 Ontario CT, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, KATHERINE A. born 22 February 1990, Florida voter ID number 116365522 See WILSON, KATHERINE AMELIA. CLICK HERE. CROOMS, KELVIN T. was born 2 October 1977, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 637 George St, Quincy, Florida 32351. Florida voter ID number 104249841. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, KENNETH MATTHEW was born 3 June 1960, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1950 59Th Ave N, #202, St Petersburg, Florida 33714. Florida voter ID number 106875954. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Kevina Deelee was born 16 January 1986, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 3135 Shady Dell Ln, Apt 141, Melbourne, Florida 32935-6289. Florida voter ID number 100866848. Her telephone number is 1-321-205-8801. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 November 2013 voter list: Kevina Deelee Crooms, 2241 Hampton Greens BLVD, #103, Melbourne, FL 32935 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: Kevina Deelee Crooms, 1713 Dixon BLVD, #145, Cocoa, FL 32922 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Kiera Antionette was born 8 June 1987, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1601 Dunn Ave, Apt 802, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. Florida voter ID number 114217433. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 7110 Vermillion St Jacksonville FL 32208-3905. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2012 voter list: Kiera Antionette Crooms, 7110 Vermillion St, Jacksonville, FL 32208 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Kristian Lashawn was born 2 March 1996, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 9425 Sappington Ave, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 121308424. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Kristy Nichole was born 23 January 1981, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 15158 Evans Ranch Rd, Lakeland, Florida 33809. Florida voter ID number 121397831. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2015 voter list: Kristy N. Crooms, 3336 Strickland Rd, Lakeland, FL 33810 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Kyrstin R. was born 14 November 1990, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 9425 Sappington Ave, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 116137368. Her telephone number is 1-904-333-5451. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Lamesa Shakela was born 21 October 1980, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 190 N Boundary Rd, San Mateo, Florida 32187. Florida voter ID number 119812635. Her telephone number is 1-386-385-9034. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: PO BOX 1185 San Mateo FL 32187. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Lashanna M. was born 17 June 1969, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 9425 Sappington Ave, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 103321328. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Latarsha Nicole was born 18 August 1978, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 7701 Timberlin Park Blvd, 1521, Jacksonville, Florida 32256. Florida voter ID number 103308717. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Latarshia Renee was born 24 July 1983, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 6421 Manhattan Dr, Jacksonville, Florida 32219-3874. Florida voter ID number 103453919. Her telephone number is 1-904-329-4479. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2016 voter list: Latarshia Renee Crooms, 10326 Planters Wood Dr, Jacksonville, FL 322189158 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: Latarshia Renee Crooms, 10215 Westmar Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32218 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, LATISHA MONIQUE born 8 April 1993, Florida voter ID number 118345338 See CUTRER, LATISHA MONIQUE. CLICK HERE. Crooms, Lillian Faith was born 18 March 1961, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 10404 Dodd Rd, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. Florida voter ID number 103400996. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, LINDA MARIAN was born 9 July 1962, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1863 Wells Rd, Apt 80, Orange Park, Florida 32073. Florida voter ID number 126456212. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, LISA D. born 20 November 1974, Florida voter ID number 110773566 See Green, Lisa D'Ovidio. CLICK HERE. CROOMS, LISA DARLENE born 4 May 1972, Florida voter ID number 125732794 See Towsley, Lisa Crooms. CLICK HERE. Crooms, Lisa Darlene born 4 May 1972, Florida voter ID number 103451955 See TOWSLEY, LISA C. CLICK HERE. Crooms, Lolether Glover was born 7 August 1969, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at , , Florida . Florida voter ID number 107455019. Her telephone number is 1-386-698-1181. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 28 February 2019 voter list: Lolether Glover Crooms, 136 Gull DR S, Daytona Beach, FL 32119 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2018 voter list: Lolether Glover Crooms, 604 Boars Head DR, Port Orange, FL 32127 Florida Democratic Party. 31 January 2015 voter list: Lolether Glover Crooms, 506 E Grand Rondo, Crescent City, FL 321122106 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Loretta Faye was born 17 July 1960, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 800 Broward Rd, H104, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. Florida voter ID number 103484266. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: P.O. BOX 26862 Jacksonville FL 32226. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Lottye Hampton was born 14 January 1963, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 9 Nw 6Th Ave, Dania Beach, Florida 33004-3262. Florida voter ID number 101344358. Her telephone number is 1-954-925-3932. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2015 voter list: Lottye Hampton Crooms, 9 NW 6th Ave, Dania Beach, FL 330040000 Republican Party of Florida. CROOMS, LOUIS ANTHONY was born 29 September 1983, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 662 Carrigan Woods Trl, Oviedo, Florida 32765. Florida voter ID number 107894337. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 2628 LAFAYETTE AVE SAINT LOUIS MO 63104-2012. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2015 voter list: LOUIS A. CROOMS, 662 CARRIGAN WOODS TRL, OVIEDO, FL 32765 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, LOUIS W. was born 24 November 1922, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2508 Caribbean Ct, Orlando, Florida 32805. Florida voter ID number 113071930. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 July 2017. Crooms, Madison Jaye was born 1 April 1998, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 15550 Ne 12Th Ln, Williston, Florida 32696. Florida voter ID number 123760028. Her telephone number is 1-352-216-9662. Her email address is [email protected]. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: P.O. BOX 61 Williston FL 32696. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Malaysia Dy Ausheia Gazel was born 24 April 2000, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 190 N Boundary Rd, San Mateo, Florida 32187. Florida voter ID number 123654430. Her telephone number is 1-386-972-5341. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Marie Larsiena Miller was born 7 August 1958, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 27 1/2 W 33Rd St, Jacksonville, Florida 32206. Florida voter ID number 107975849. Her telephone number is 1-904-225-0130. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2016 voter list: Marie Larsiena Miller Crooms, 375 Collier St, St Augustine, FL 320841142 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: Marie Larsiena Miller Crooms, 375 Collier St, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Marilyn D. was born 28 November 1954, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 954 Josiah St, St Augustine, Florida 32084-3319. Florida voter ID number 107967355. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2017. 31 May 2013 voter list: Marilyn D. Crooms, 954 Josiah St, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Marjorie L. was born 16 August 1961, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1435 Menlo Ave, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. Florida voter ID number 103648406. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. Crooms, Marjorie Lavette was born 16 August 1961, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 9050 Norfolk Blvd, Apt 327N, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 123484348. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, MARK A. was born 30 September 1968, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2829 Botany Pl, Tallahassee, Florida 32301. Florida voter ID number 104267618. His telephone number is 1-850-294-0393. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 107 MINNIES LN QUINCY FL 32352-0931. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2014 voter list: MARK A. CROOMS, 1280 KISSIMMEE ST, APT 101A, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32310 Florida Democratic Party. 31 January 2014 voter list: MARK A. CROOMS, 2833 S ADAMS ST, APT 2108, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: MARK A. CROOMS, 3130 MISSION RD, APT 3, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32303 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Mary Powell was born 28 October 1943, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 707 W King St, St Augustine, Florida 32084-8721. Florida voter ID number 108028131. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2014. 31 May 2013 voter list: Mary Powell Crooms, 707 W King St, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Melinda S. was born 14 May 1960, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1130 Duval Ct E, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. Florida voter ID number 103756347. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Melinda S. was born 24 July 1971, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 15550 Ne 12Th Ln, Williston, Florida 32696. Florida voter ID number 105259485. Her telephone number is 1-352-528-3870. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: P O BOX 61 Williston FL 32696. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Michael was born 20 February 1992, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1533 Espanola Ave, Holly Hill, Florida 32117. Florida voter ID number 118010220. His telephone number is 1-386-265-3606. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2019 voter list: Michael Crooms, 1539 Florida ST, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Florida Democratic Party. 31 October 2016 voter list: Michael Crooms, 1605 Florida ST, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Michael was born 6 December 1960, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1605 Florida St, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Florida voter ID number 108442377. His telephone number is 1-904-238-1030. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Michael Anthony was born 17 September 1970, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1166 Tocoi Rd, St Augustine, Florida 32084. Florida voter ID number 116888262. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 22 October 2014 voter list: Michael Anthony Crooms, 875 Helen ST, St Augustine, FL 320841083 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: Michael Anthony Crooms, 875 Helen ST, St Augustine, FL 32084 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, MICHAEL C. was born 23 February 1963, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 500 W 10Th St, Lynn Haven, Florida 32444. Florida voter ID number 116277397. His telephone number is 1-850-265-5155. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, MICHAEL EUGENE was born 23 June 1958, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 2743 Ravenwood Ct, Lynn Haven, Florida 32444. Florida voter ID number 100646328. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Mildred Sherman was born 3 January 1933, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2100 Nw 154Th St, Miami Gardens, Florida 33054. Florida voter ID number 109019074. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2013. CROOMS, MISTY PAULETTE born 8 February 1974, Florida voter ID number 116016364 See Benton, Misty Brooks. CLICK HERE. Crooms, Monica Asha was born 16 December 1973, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 5214 Hopedale Dr, Tampa, Florida 33624. Florida voter ID number 110673099. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2016 voter list: MONICA ASHA CROOMS, 8447 LANCELOT AVE, NORTH PORT, FL 34287 Florida Democratic Party. 31 March 2015 voter list: Monica Asha Crooms-Johnson, 18002 Richmond Place Dr, Apt 725, Tampa, FL 336471727 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Myrtle Mae was born 16 August 1923, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1605 Florida St, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114-1408. Florida voter ID number 117001258. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 28 February 2017. 31 March 2015 voter list: Myrtle Mae Crooms, 453 N Keech ST, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Nadine Melissa was born 19 October 1961, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 5452 Santa Rosa Way, Apt 2, Jacksonville, Florida 32211-8865. Florida voter ID number 103646369. Her telephone number is 1-904-487-7211. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2017 voter list: Nadine Melissa Crooms, 5885 EDENFIELD RD, APT N27, Jacksonville, FL 32277 Florida Democratic Party. 31 August 2016 voter list: Nadine Mellisa Crooms, 5885 EDENFIELD RD, N27, Jacksonville, FL 32277 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2016 voter list: Nadine Mellisa Crooms, 1550 W 24th St, Jacksonville, FL 32209 Florida Democratic Party. 30 June 2015 voter list: Nadine Mellisa Crooms, 1550 24Th St W, Jacksonville, FL 32209 Florida Democratic Party. 22 October 2014 voter list: Nadine M. Payne, 1550 24Th St W, Jacksonville, FL 32209 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Natasha M. was born 5 September 1975, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 125 Neptune Rd, St Augustine, Florida 32086-6723. Florida voter ID number 107993491. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 November 2016. Crooms, Nellie Ruth was born 31 December 1957, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 15158 Evans Ranch Rd, Lakeland, Florida 33809. Florida voter ID number 123936011. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2017. Crooms, Neshawd Anthony was born 25 August 1980, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1209 Deneece Ter, Daytona Beach, Florida 32117. Florida voter ID number 114320691. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2016 voter list: NESHAWD ANTHONY CROOMS, 1945 PIEDMONT PARK BLVD, APOPKA, FL 32703 Florida Democratic Party. 31 January 2014 voter list: NESHAWD ANTHONY CROOMS, 27 BISHOP LN, PALM COAST, FL 32137 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Patrice Valrie was born 12 October 1983, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 10404 Dodd Rd, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. Florida voter ID number 112996090. Her telephone number is 1-904-696-7893. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2014 voter list: Patrice V. Crooms, 10404 Dodd Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32218 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, PHILLIP was born 8 September 1968, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 138 Exeter Ave, Longwood, Florida 32750-3546. Florida voter ID number 116799689. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2016 voter list: PHILLIP CROOMS, 2 JOHNNIE LN, LONGWOOD, FL 32750 Florida Democratic Party. 31 January 2014 voter list: PHILLIP CROOMS, 700 CREEKWATER TER, #200, LAKE MARY, FL 327466070 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, PHYLICIA ASHLEE was born 15 January 1991, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 662 Carrigan Woods Trl, Oviedo, Florida 32765. Florida voter ID number 116345932. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, PHYLLIS A. was born 12 July 1957, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 662 Carrigan Woods Trl, Oviedo, Florida 32765. Florida voter ID number 107879892. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, RAYMOND JAMES was born 2 September 1942, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 107 Minnies Ln, Quincy, Florida 32352. Florida voter ID number 104252497. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2018 voter list: RAYMOND JAMES CROOMS, 107 MINNIES LANE, QUINCY, FL 32352 Florida Democratic Party. CROOMS, REBECCA LEE was born 3 April 1974, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 7511 Bayou George Dr, Panama City, Florida 32404. Florida voter ID number 124175669. Her telephone number is 1-850-625-7216. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: PO BOX 35532 PANAMA CITY FL 32404. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, REGINALD L. was born 25 December 1948, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 5214 Hopedale Dr, Tampa, Florida 33624. Florida voter ID number 111173857. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Richard A. was born 12 February 1963, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2100 Nw 154Th St, Miami Gardens, Florida 33054. Florida voter ID number 101414155. His email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 March 2016 voter list: Richard A. Crooms, 9 NW 6th Ave, Dania Beach, FL 330043262 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2015 voter list: Richard A. Crooms, 9 NW 6th Ave, Dania Beach, FL 330040000 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Robert was born 8 October 1991, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 44 W 55Th St, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 123792858. His telephone number is 1-912-439-9581. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Robert C. was born 13 February 1967, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1166 Ne 155Th Ct, Williston, Florida 32696-8625. Florida voter ID number 105238553. His telephone number is 1-352-620-4892. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 December 2013 voter list: Robert C. Crooms, 720 NW 7Th St, Williston, FL 326961528 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: ROBERT C. CROOMS, 1166 NE 155TH CT, WILLISTON, FL 32696 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Robert Carlton was born 20 January 1998, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1270 Se 215Th Ave, Morriston, Florida 32668. Florida voter ID number 121881533. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2017 voter list: Robert Carlton Crooms, 550 SE 215Th AVE, Morriston, FL 32668 Republican Party of Florida. Crooms, Robert Carlton was born 15 December 1934, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1166 Ne 155Th Ct, Williston, Florida 32696. Florida voter ID number 105239307. His telephone number is 1-352-528-4359. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Robert Lee was born 19 October 1962, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 707 W King St, St Augustine, Florida 32084. Florida voter ID number 122925177. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Robin Anntoinette was born 24 June 1975, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4850 Heron Pointe Dr, Apt 401, Tampa, Florida 33616. Florida voter ID number 126042197. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Robin Renee was born 29 July 1964, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 5617 Sw 19Th St, West Park, Florida 33023. Florida voter ID number 123771825. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crooms, Rochelle Helen was born 10 January 1973, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 11522 Birch Forest Cir W, Jacksonville, Florida 32218-3383. Florida voter ID number 103565943. Her telephone number is 1-904-708-1707. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2017 voter list: Rochelle Helen Crooms, 11382 Brian Lakes DR, Jacksonville, FL 32221 Florida Democratic Party. 30 September 2016 voter list: Rochelle Helen Crooms, 6315 Pine Summit DR, Jacksonville, FL 32211 Florida Democratic Party. Crooms, Ronald Gregory was born 24 October 1948, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2515 Melson Ave, Jacksonville, Florida 32254. Florida voter ID number 103398019. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2018. Crooms, Ronald Jerome was born 2 October 1952, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 16120 Nw 18Th Pl, Miami Gardens, Florida 33054. Florida voter ID number 108947646. His email address is [email protected]. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: PO BOX 540586 Opa Locka FL 33054. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CROOMS, RUSSELL W. was born 1 November 1978, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 261 Grove Cir S, Dunedin, Florida 34698. Florida voter ID number 107325334. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 728 EBERLY CT PLANO IL 60545-2257. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 22 October 2014. Crooms, Ruth was born 1 February 1922, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1550 24Th St W, Jacksonville, Florida 32209. Florida voter ID number 103675215. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2014. Crooms, Samantha A. was born 6 February 1985, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 5617 Sw 19Th St, West Park, Florida 33023. Florida voter ID number 121905966. Her telephone number is 1-313-516-7520. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2016 voter list: Samantha A. Crooms, 111 NW 5Th Ave, Hallandale Beach, FL 330094125 Florida Democratic Party. 31 March 2015 voter list: Samantha A. Crooms, 111 NW 5Th Ave, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009 Florida Democratic Party.

2019-04-22T20:01:41Z

https://flvoters.com/pages/c112723.html

Method and apparatus for rapidly sterilizing material including articles such as dental handpieces include introducing the article and liquid sterilant solution into a collapsible pouch formed of vapor-impermeable sheet material, sealing the collapsible pouch to form a gas-tight assembly, and vaporizing the liquid sterilant solution by heating it to produce an atmosphere of hot sterilant vapor. The liquid sterilant is introduced into the pouch in a quantity sufficient to create an overpressure when vaporized which is indicated by the collapsible pouch expanding to a distended condition. In one embodiment, the liquid sterilant solution is vaporized by irradiating the gas-tight assembly with microwave radiation in which case the material is sterilized under the combined effects of chemical vapor and microwave irradiation. In other embodiments particularly suited for sterilizing material comprising a plurality of articles, the at least one article is surrounded by shielding, which may be separate from or integrated with the pouch, and which may be provided on or in, i.e. as part of, the sheet material forming the pouch, which presents a barrier to the transmission of microwave radiation. The pouch containing the shielded article or articles and liquid sterilant is sealed and the gas-tight assembly is irradiated with microwave radiation to vaporize the sterilant whereupon the article or articles are sterilized under the effect of chemical vapor. 3490580 Jan., 1970 Brumfield et al. 219/10. 4015085 Mar., 1977 Woods 219/10. 4196331 Apr., 1980 Leveckis et al. 219/10. 4204105 May., 1980 Leveckis et al. 219/10. 4514497 Apr., 1985 Kit et al. 435/235. 4865921 Sep., 1989 Hollenberg et al. 219/10. 4878765 Nov., 1989 Watkins et al. 219/10. Primary Examiner: Warden; Robert J. Assistant Examiner: McMahon; Timothy M. This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 274,768 filed Nov. 22, 1988, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 184,246 filed Apr. 21, 1988. means for positioning said pouch such that said first shielded interior portion of said collapsible pouch that is substantially free of radiation during irradiation is elevated to a position that is higher than said second unshielded interior portion of said collapsible pouch which is exposed to said radiation. 2. An assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said microwave radiation shield material of said first wall portion of said pouch extends continuously from a first end region of said pouch to a central region thereof, and said microwave electromagnetic radiation transparent material of said second wall portion extends from a second end of said pouch opposite from said first end to said central region thereof. 3. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second interior portions of said pouch together comprise the entire interior of said pouch. 4. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said vapor-impermeable sheet material forming said pouch comprises plastic sheet material, and wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material is applied on said plastic sheet material to form said first wall portion. 5. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said pouch positioning means comprise and elongate platform having leg means at an end region thereof for orienting said platform in an inclined position, said pouch adapted to be supported on said inclined platform with said first shielded interior portion elevated to a position higher than said second unshielded interior portion. whereby upon irradiating said gas-tight assembly with microwave electromagnetic radiation, said at least one object situated in said first interior portion of said pouch is substantially entirely shielded from said radiation, and said liquid situated in said second interior portion is exposed to said radiation whereupon it is heated and then vaporized thereby, whereupon the vapor moves into said first shielded interior portion of said pouch in which some of said vapor may condense whereupon the condensate then flows downwardly under gravity into said second unshielded interior portion of said pouch in which it is revaporized, whereupon said at least one object is sterilized under the effect of vapor under pressure. 7. Apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said shield means comprise a coating of metallic material provided on said first wall portion of said sheet material of said collapsible pouch. 8. Apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said collapsible pouch includes means for separating said first and second interior portions of said collapsible pouch, and means for fluidly communicating said first and second interior portions of said collapsible pouch. 9. Apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said gas-tight assembly positioning means comprise an elongate platform having leg means at an end region thereof for orienting said platform in an inclined position, said pouch adapted to be supported on said inclined platform with said first shielded interior portion elevated to a position higher than said second unshielded interior portion. whereby upon irradiating said gas-tight pouch with microwave electromagnetic radiation, said at least one object situated in said first interior portion of said pouch is substantially entirely shielded from said radiation, and said liquid situated in said second interior portion is exposed to said radiation whereupon it is heated and then vaporized thereby, whereupon the vapor moves into said first shielded interior portion of said pouch in which some of said vapor may condense whereupon the condensate then flows downwardly under gravity into said second unshielded interior portion of said pouch in which it is revaporized, whereupon said at least one object is sterilized under the effect of vapor under pressure. 11. Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said pouch positioning means comprise an elongate platform having leg means at an end region thereof for orienting said platform in an inclined position, said pouch adapted to be supported on said inclined platform with said first shielded interior portion elevated to a position higher than said second unshielded interior portion. 12. Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said shielding means and said collapsible pouch comprise an integrated unit. 13. Apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said flexible vapor-impermeable sheet material which forms said collapsible pouch includes a first wall portion comprising microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material substantially surrounding and defining said first shielded interior portion of said collapsible pouch which is thereby maintained substantially free from microwave electromagnetic radiation during irradiation of said pouch by said irradiating means, and a second wall portion comprising microwave electromagnetic radiation transparent material substantially surrounding and defining said second unshielded interior portion of said collapsible pouch which is thereby exposed to microwave electromagnetic radiation during irradiation of said pouch by said irradiating means. 14. Apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said microwave radiation shield material of said first wall portion of said pouch extends continously from a first end of said pouch to a central region thereof, and said microwave electromagnetic radiation transparent material of said second wall portion of said pouch extends continuously from a second end of said pouch opposite from said first end to said central region thereof. 15. Apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said vapor-impermeable sheet material comprises flexible plastic sheet material, and wherein said shield material comprises a coating of metallic material provided on said plastic sheet material comprising said first wall portion of said collapsible pouch. 16. Apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said integrated unit comprises said shielding means situated within and fixed to said collapsible pouch. 17. Apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said shielding means include a holder member fixed within said collapsible pouch, said holder member defining an interior in fluid communication with the ambient atmosphere and adapted to receive said at least one object. 18. Apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein said holder member includes a receptacle adapted to receive said at least one object, said receptacle having an insertion opening situated proximate to said pouch opening. 19. Apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein said receptacle comprises a sheath formed of microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material. 20. Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said shielding means include a holder member defining an interior in fluid communication with the ambient atmosphere and adapted to receive said at least one object. 21. Apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein said holder member is formed of microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material. 22. Apparatus as recited in claim 21 wherein said holder member comprises a sheath formed of microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material. 23. Apparatus as recited in claim 21 wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material comprises metallic wire-mesh material. 24. Apparatus as recited in claim 21 wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material comprises metallic sheet material. 25. Apparatus as recited in claim 21 wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material comprises metallic foil material. 26. Apparatus as recited in claim 21 wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material comprises non-metallic sheet material having a metallic coating. 27. Apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein said holder member includes a receptacle adapted to receive said at least one object and having at least one wall defining said interior, said wall having inner and outer surfaces, and wherein said shielding means further includes microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material surrounding said interior of said receptacle. 28. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said shield material is situated over said outer surface of said at least one receptacle wall. 29. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said shield material is situated over said inner surface of said at least one receptacle wall. 30. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said shield material is embedded within said at least one receptacle wall. 31. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said receptacle comprises a tubular member. 32. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said receptacle comprises a rigid box-like member. 33. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said receptacle includes means for positioning said at least one object within said interior thereof. 34. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material comprises metallic wire-mesh material. 35. Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material comprises a metallic coating applied on at least one of said inner and outer surfaces of said at least one receptacle wall. This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for sterilizing material, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for sterilizing material, such as dental and other medical instruments, in a rapid manner. The need for effective sterilization of dental instruments, such as dental handpieces, is more important today than ever before due to the realization of the significant potential for infection via dental procedures and the increase in the rate of transmission of serious diseases by blood and saliva. However, from a practical viewpoint, not only must the sterilization procedure be effective, it must also be rapid, i.e., have a short turn-around or cycle time. Thus, it will be understood that the quantity of any one instrument that a practitioner or institution must purchase and have available for use will depend on the frequency of treatments requiring that instrument and on the turn-around time required to sterilize the instrument. In the case of dental handpieces, which generally are required for most treatments performed in the dental operatory, an extended sterilization cycle means that a larger inventory of available handpieces must be maintained. The high cost of dental handpieces, on the other hand, often limits the number of available handpieces, which in turn may result in hasty and therefore ineffective attempts at, or even dispensing with, lengthy sterilization procedures. This of course is unacceptable. Heat sterilization methods, such as steam heat (autoclave), dry heat, and chemical vapor, are generally preferred over cold immersion methods, which are generally not effective unless glutaraldehyde is used and the instrument is immersed for 7-10 hours. Chemical vapor sterilization has the advantages of minimal corrosion of burs and other sharp instruments (steam sterilization or immersion in most liquid disinfectants produces dullness and rusting) and a cycle time which is relatively short compared to cold sterilization techniques. One type of chemical vapor sterilizer which is in commercial use (available from MDT Corporation of Gardena, California under the designation Harvey Chemiclave) comprises a sterilizer which uses moderate heat (about 270.degree. F.), pressure (about 20 psi) and a special solution composed primarily of 3A alcohol (about 80%) and water (about 9%) with small amounts of acetone, ketone and formaldehyde. The sterilization time is about 20 minutes after proper pressure is reached. The length of time required to reach pressure depends on the size of the load. On the other hand, the purchase price of this arrangement is higher than steam and dry heat processors. Additional drawbacks are that relatively large quantities of sterilizing solution are required, and odor and minor irritation of eyes, nose and throat from chemical vapors often accompanies use, the sterilizing chamber must be cleaned on a frequent basis, the instruments should be wrapped to preserve sterility, and the simultaneous sterilization of a plurality of instruments results in the possibility of cross-contamination Moreover, the sterilization cycle time, although less than the time required for the sterilization by solution immersion, is still relatively long, essentially because of the relatively large chamber volume. U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,357 issued Aug. 23, 1983 to Hohmann, discloses an arrangement for chemical vapor sterilization of articles, such as dental handpieces, which would appear to overcome some of the above-mentioned problems. The patent discloses an arrangement in which the article to be sterilized is situated in an enlarged portion of a rigid vessel. A liquid reaction agent is charged into a narrow portion of the vessel which is in communication with the enlarged article-containing vessel portion. The liquid reaction agent is heated to produce a vapor which flows into the first vessel portion to sterilize the article. The first vessel portion may be designed to accept only a single article in which case the amount of liquid reaction agent required to generate the vapor is relatively small which in turn reduces the heating time required for vaporization and the overall sterilization cycle time. The patent suggests that the means for heating the liquid reaction agent may comprise a microwave radiator. In this case, the vessel is situated such that only the narrow liquid-containing vessel portion is subjected to the microwave radiation while the article to be sterilized is kept outside the radiation field which, the patent notes, avoids the formation of spark gaps at border surfaces and seams of the article which cause surface destruction. In any event, although microwave radiation is known to have beneficial sterilizing effects, the patent notes that microwave radiation will not penetrate into the seams and crevises of the article and not kill micro-organisms situated therein. Although possibly reducing the time required for sterilization, the arrangement proposed in the patent has various drawbacks which have apparently prevented adoption and commercialization of this arrangement. For example, it requires a complicated, specially designed microwave generator adapted for positioning the vessel with only the liquid reaction agent-containing portion in the radiation field of the microwave generator with the article-containing vessel portion outside the radiation field. It requires a specially designed rigid vessel which either must be cleaned after each use to avoid cross-contamination or discarded at significant expense. The vessel must be specially designed to accommodate the size, quantity, nature and/or shape of the material being sterilized. Moreover, the sterilizing effect of the microwave radiation is not utilized since the microwave energy is used only for vaporizing the liquid reaction agent. A good discussion of the sterilization of articles, such as dental instruments, by microwave radiation is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,651 issued Aug. 21, 1973 to Boucher. Briefly, it is noted that sterilization by microwave radiation is due to both thermal effects, such as microwave induced heat, and non-thermal effects, which the patent suggests may affect a metabolic system distinct from that of thermal energy. It is disclosed that improved surface sterilization results are obtained when the articles are subjected to microwave radiation while situated in a humid atmosphere, i.e., an atmosphere having a relative humidity of at least 50% or supersaturated with water or saline solution. To this end, the articles to be sterilized are placed on trays which are situated in a rigid, microwave-transparent container having a known volume, along with a quantity of water or saline solution determined by the container volume so as to be sufficient when vaporized to increase the humidity of the atmosphere within the container to the desired value. After placing the articles to be sterilized and the water or saline solution into the container, the container is sealed with a lid and then placed within the cavity of a microwave generator and subjected to microwave radiation. The electro-magnetic energy penetrates through the container walls to evaporate the water or saline solution to produce the desired humidity, and at the same time, proceeds to sterilize the surface of the article by the thermal and non-thermal effects discussed above. It is indicated that this procedure results in reduced cycle time for effective sterilization compared to dry heat or steam sterilizing methods and that the localized arcing (sparking) which usually occurs when metallic objects are irradiated by microwave radiation is practically eliminated in the moist atmosphere. The arrangement proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,651 has drawbacks which have apparently prevented it from being adopted on a practical basis. For example, as noted in the above-discussed U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,357, only surface sterilization is achieved by microwave irradiation and micro-organisms present on surfaces located within the seams and crevices of the article will not be killed, especially if blood and salivary protein are deposited on those surfaces. This is true regardless of whether the container is initially filled with a gas sterilant as suggested in the patent. The procedure requires a specially designed gas-tight rigid container having a known, fixed volume. The container must be sterilized after each use or discarded, in which case considerable expense is incurred especially where valves are provided in the container walls as discussed above. To provide a truly gas-tight condition, it is necessary to use materials, such as for gaskets and the like, which are not entirely transparent to microwaves. Moveover, the relatively large volume of the container which is necessary to accommodate the articles to be sterilized in turn requires a relatively large volume of water or saline solution to achieve the desired humidity. This results in an increase in the time required for the evaporation of the water or saline solution thereby increasing the overall sterilization cycle time. It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for sterilizing material including articles such as dental and medical instruments. Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for sterilizing material in a rapid manner. Still another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for rapidly sterilizing material of various sizes, shapes and/or in various quantities. Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for chemical vapor sterilization of such material. Still another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for obtaining the advantages of both chemical vapor and microwave sterilization techniques without the disadvantages noted above. A further object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for sterilizing metallic material, such as one or more metallic articles, including dental instruments and instruments having sharp edges and points, in a microwave radiation field without sparking or arcing. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for effectively sterilizing material, such as medical and dental articles, using simple, readily available material and equipment and with a cycle time which is significantly reduced relative to prior art arrangements. Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, these and other objects are attained by providing an arrangement wherein material, such as an article to be sterilized, is situated within a collapsible pouch formed of flexible sheet material which is vapor-impermeable. The collapsible pouch has an opening which permits insertion of the material into the pouch, the opening being sealable by the user to retain the article in the pouch and to prevent the loss of vapor therefrom. A predetermined quantity of liquid sterilant solution is introduced into the pouch along with the article whereupon the opening is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly. The liquid sterilant is then heated by any suitable means until it vaporizes. In accordance with the invention, the quantity of liquid sterilant solution introduced into the collapsible pouch is sufficient so that upon vaporization, an overpressure is created within the pouch. That the required overpressure has been achieved is visually apparent according to the invention by observation of the walls of the pouch during vaporization of the liquid sterilant solution, the walls flexing outwardly from their initial collapsed condition under the forces of the increasing internal pressure and reaching a fully distended condition upon the internal pressure reaching the required overpressure. The hot sterilant vapor contacts the surfaces of the article under pressure penetrating into the narrow seams and crevices thereof. The article is allowed to remain in the atmosphere of the hot sterilant vapor under pressure for a certain time whereupon it is effectively sterilized. In one embodiment of the invention, particularly suited for the sterilization of medical instruments such as dental handpieces, after introducing the handpiece and liquid sterilant solution into the pouch and sealing the opening thereof, the thus-formed gas-tight assembly is placed within the cavity of a microwave radiator and subjected to microwave irradiation. In this embodiment, the collapsible pouch is formed of sheet material which, in addition to having the above-mentioned characteristics, is also transparent to microwaves. The liquid sterilant solution is vaporized under the thermal effects of the microwave radiation producing a hot sterilant vapor atmosphere under pressure as described above. At the same time, the handpiece is subjected to microwave radiation. Sterilization of the handpiece is therefore achieved by the thermal and non-thermal effects of microwave radiation as well as by chemical vapor treatment. The combined microwave and chemical vapor sterilization achieves effective and complete sterilization of the dental handpiece in significantly less time than has been possible heretofore. It is noteworthy that, surprisingly, no arcing occurs, despite microwave irradiation, in the course of sterilization of a single dental handpiece according to this procedure. It is advantageous to utilize microwave energy for vaporizing the liquid sterilant solution within the collapsible pouch in the chemical vapor sterilization technique of the invention due to efficiency and the ready availability of microwave generators. As described above, the combined sterilizing effects of microwave irradiation and chemical vapor can be utilized in the sterilizing of a single dental handpiece according to the invention without the risk of arcing or sparking. However, it would not be possible to sterilize material comprising a plurality of metallic elements, such as a plurality of handpieces or other instruments within the same collapsible pouch in this manner without risking the possibility of arcing or sparking. Indeed, chemical vapor sterilization according to the invention of even a single pointed instrument, such as a dental explorer, may result in arcing where the instrument is subjected to microwave radiation used to heat and vaporize the liquid sterilant solution in the gas-tight assembly. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the simultaneous chemical vapor sterilization of a plurality of elements, such as a plurality of dental handpieces and/or one or more pointed instruments, situated in the same collapsible pouch, can be accomplished utilizing microwave energy to vaporize the liquid sterilant solution and without the risk of arcing or sparking by substantially surrounding the instrument o instruments by shielding means for preventing the transmission of microwave radiation while maintaining the instrument or instruments in communication with the ambient atmosphere. The pouch containing the shielded instruments and liquid sterilant is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly whereupon the sterilization procedure may proceed by subjecting the gas-tight assembly to microwave irradiation to produce the hot sterilant vapor as described above. The shielding means eliminates the risk of any sparking or arcing even for instruments having sharp points and edges. The hot chemical vapor atmosphere under pressure communicates with the one or more instruments to sterilize the same. The shielding means may include a holder member, separate from or integrated with the pouch, defining an interior which is surrounded by microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material. The shielding means may also comprise a holder member which itself is formed of microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material. Alternatively, a portion of the area of the sheet material forming the collapsible pouch itself may be provided with shielding so that the shielded area surrounds an interior portion of the pouch which is thereby shielded from microwave electromagnetic radiation. The instruments to be sterilized are situated within the shielded interior portion of the pouch while the liquid sterilant solution is disposed in an unshielded interior portion to permit vaporization by microwave irradiation. The pouch is preferably positioned so that its shielded interior portion is elevated with respect to the unshielded interior portion so that any sterilant vapor that condenses in the shielded interior portion will tend to flow under gravity into the unshielded interior portion where it is reheated and re-vaporized. According to another aspect of the invention, the collapsible pouch preferably is formed as the first step in the procedure from a section of an elongate tubular web of suitable plastic sheet material, e.g. a pair of overlying sheets presealed along their outer edge margins, and using suitable hot-wire sealing apparatus. In this manner, the size of the pouch can be "customized" for the size, shape nature and/or quantity of the particular material being sterilized. FIG. 24 is a front elevation view of another embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention. Although the invention is described below in the context of sterilizing articles such as dental and medical instruments, persons skilled in the art will readily understand the applicability of the invention to the sterilizing of other materials, such as bulk particulate material, medical waste material, etc. Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, apparatus in accordance with the invention, generally designated 10, comprises a microwave generator, similar to conventional microwave ovens and schematically shown at 12, having a rotating table 14 located within the microwave cavity 16. A dental handpiece 18 to be sterilized is situated within a sealed, flexible or collapsible pouch 20 along with a predetermined quantity of liquid sterilant solution 22 to form a gas-tight assembly 24. The collapsible pouch 20 is designed with minimal volume preferably sufficient to accommodate only a single dental handpiece and is formed of sheet material which is transparent to microwave radiation and impermeable to the vapor of the liquid sterilant solution. In a preferred embodiment, the liquid sterilant solution comprises 2 ml. of glutaraldehyde solution and the pouch 20 is formed of sheet material having a thickness of about 2 mils and comprising a laminate of polyester and polyethylene. A predetermined amount of liquid sterilant solution 22 is introduced through an opening into the pouch 20 along with the dental handpiece 18 whereupon the opening is sealed to form the gas-tight assembly 24. The gas-tight assembly 24 comprising the collapsible pouch in which the dental handpiece 18 and liquid sterilant solution 22 is placed on the rotating table 14 within the cavity 16 of microwave generator 12 and subjected to microwave irradiation. As the microwave radiation continues, the liquid sterilant solution 22 is vaporized under the thermal effects of the microwave radiation producing a hot sterilant vapor. In accordance with the invention the quantity of liquid sterilant introduced into the collapsible pouch is sufficient so that upon vaporization, an overpressure is created within the pouch 20. That the required overpressure has been achieved is visually apparent according to the invention by observation of the walls 26 of pouch 20 which flex outwardly from their initially collapsed condition (FIG. 2) under the forces of the increasing internal pressure and reach a fully distended condition, designated 26' in FIG. 3, upon the internal pressure reaching the minimum or lower overpressure requirement. The hot sterilant vapor contacts the surfaces of the dental handpiece 18 under pressure penetrating into the narrow seams and crevices thereof. At the same time, the dental handpiece 18 is subjected to microwave irradiation. The microwave irradiation is continued for a certain time with the dental handpiece in the radiation field and in the atmosphere of the hot sterilant vapor under pressure until the handpiece has been sterilized. Sterilization of the handpiece 18 is therefore achieved by the thermal and non-thermal effects of the microwave radiation as well as by chemical vapor treatment. Tests using a conventional, commercially available 500 watt microwave oven and the arrangement described above have shown that a dental handpiece contaminated with bacterial spores, in particular spores of Bacillus-Stearothermophilus, was effectively sterilized, i.e., all of the spores were killed, in only five minutes. It will be appreciated that spores of this bacillus are extremely difficult to kill and are generally used to test sterility effectiveness of steam autoclaves. No arcing or sparking of the handpiece caused by microwave radiation was observed when the handpiece was so irradiated in the atmosphere of the hot sterilant vapor under pressure. The rotating table 14 is utilized in order to obtain a uniform irradiation of the gas-tight assembly 24. Of course, this can be dispensed with if the particular microwave radiator employed provides a uniform radiation field within the cavity. It is desirable to minimize the volume of the collapsible pouch 20 to reduce sterilization cycle time. Since different articles to be sterilized have different geometries, a preferred construction of pouch 20 will permit a "custom design" by the practitioner or his staff for a particular instrument for mimimizing the internal volume of the gas-tight assembly. In this connection, referring to FIGS. 4-6, the pouch 20 is formed from 2-ply web material 28 of constant width, preferably maintained and made available to the practitioner in the form of a roll 30. The web material 28 comprises a pair of overlying elongate sheets of polyester-polyethylene laminate whose outer edge margins 38 have been previously sealed to each other to form a tubular construction. A section 34 of the tubular web material 28 is cut from roll 30 along the line 36, the section having a length L which is somewhat greater than that required to accommodate the instrument, namely, the dental handpiece 18, to be sterilized. One of the open ends 38 of the web material section 34 is sealed by fusing the overlying sheets to each other along a transverse seal line 40 by a hot-wire sealing apparatus 42 (FIG. 5). The seal apparatus 42 comprises a fixed, heated resistance wire 44 mounted on and extending across a housing 46 and a counter-member 48 formed of a rubber-type material fixed to a cover member 50 pivotally connected to housing 46 in a position so as to come into registering alignment with wire 44 when cover member 50 is pivoted to its closed position. A series of transversly aligned perforations 52 are formed through the sealed outer edge margins 32 of the web 28 and pair of locating pegs 54 spaced from each other by a distance equal to the distance between each pair of transversely aligned perforations 52 are provided in front of resistance wire 44. The construction of the gas-tight unit 24 proceeds as follows. After cutting tubular web section 34 from roll 30, a pair of transversely aligned perforations 52 proximate to end 38 are located over the pegs 54 such that an end region of the tubular web section 34 overlies the heated resistance wire 44. The cover member 50 of apparatus 42 is closed whereby the counter-member 48 urges the overlying sheets of tubular web 28 against each other and against the heated resistance wire 44 whereupon the sheets are fused to each other to form the transverse seal line 40 and thereby the collapsible pouch 20. The dental handpiece 18 and about 2 ml of the liquid glutaraldehyde sterilant solution 22 are introduced into pouch 20 through opening 56. The opening 56 is then sealed using the hot-wire sealing apparatus 42 in the same manner as described above to form a second transverse seal line 58 (shown in phantom in FIG. 6) proximate to the end 60 of section 34 thereby forming the sealed, gas-tight assembly 24. The above described arrangement for constructing the gas-tight assembly 24 is advantageous in that it is simple and fast. Moreover, the volume of the gas-tight assembly is custom designed for the particular instrument being sterilized, on the one hand, being sufficient to accommodate the instrument, and on the other hand, being minimized to the extent possible to reduce the quantity of liquid sterilant solution required to achieve the desired internal overpressure upon vaporization, and in turn to decrease the amount of time required to vaporize the liquid sterilant solution, and, therefore, the overall sterilization cycle time. The equipment required for constructing the collapsible pouch is simple, inexpensive and readily available. The pouches are disposable after the sterilization treatment has been completed and the dental handpiece can be stored in the gas-tight assembly until its use is required. The sterilization treatment is odorless and does not cause irritation of the eyes, nose or throat. The microwave cavity 16 need not be cleaned since the sterilant vapor is contained within the gas-tight assembly 24. Importantly, the instrument 18 is completely sterilized in a very short time. It is advantageous to utilize microwave energy for vaporizing the liquid sterilant solution within the collapsible pouch in the chemical vapor sterilization technique of the invention because of the efficiency of its thermal effects and the ready availability of microwave generators. However, although arcing is not a problem in the combined microwave and chemical vapor sterilization of a single dental handpiece, as described above, it would not normally be possible to simultaneously sterilize a plurality of instruments situated in the same collapsible pouch or even a single instrument having a sharp point or edge in the manner described above using microwave energy to vaporize the liquid sterilant solution in the gas-tight assembly without risking the potential for arcing or sparking to occur. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, referring to FIGS. 7-18, arrangements are illustrated by which a simultaneous chemical vapor sterilization of a plurality of instruments 62 situated in the same collapsible pouch 20 is accomplished utilizing microwave energy to vaporize the liquid sterilant solution 22 without the risk of arcing or sparking. In the case of the arrangements shown in FIGS. 7-17, the instruments to be sterilized are substantially surrounded by shielding means which present a barrier to the transmission of microwave electromagnetic radiation. The instruments surrounded by the shielding means are introduced into the collapsible pouch with the liquid sterilant solution. The pouch is sealed and the gas-tight assembly is irradiated with microwave radiation to vaporize the sterilant to produce a sterilant atmosphere at an appropriate overpressure indicated by the pouch obtaining its distended configuration. The shielding means provide communication between the instruments and the ambient atmosphere so that the instruments are bathed in the vaporized sterilant atmosphere under pressure to effectively sterilize them by chemical vapor sterilization. The instruments are on the other hand shielded from the microwave radiation by the shielding means to eliminate the possibility of arcing or sparking. Referring to FIGS. 7-9, the shielding means 64 (FIG. 7) includes a holder member 66 comprising a tubular receptacle formed of an electrically insulative material, such as plastic, having a plurality of apertures 67 formed therethrough, and microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material 68 covering the outer surface of the holder member. Shield material 68 may comprise, for example, a double layered knitted mesh of tin-copper-steel wire which presents a barrier to the transmission of microwave radiation and which is available in strip form from the Tecknit Company of Cranford, N. J. under the designation EMC Shielding Tape. Thus, in this embodiment, the shielding means 64 has a tubular shape and comprises the apertured tubular holder member 66 over the outer surface of which a strip or strips of the knitted wire mesh 68 is wrapped. In use, the instruments 62 are initially surrounded by shielding means 64 by inserting them into the interior of the tubular holder member 66 whereupon the shielding means and instruments surrounded thereby are introduced into a collapsible pouch 20 along with a quantity of liquid sterilant solution 22 whereupon the pouch is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly 24 as described above. The gas-tight assembly is irradiated by microwave radiation whereupon the liquid sterilant solution is vaporized by the thermal effects of the microwave radiation and the hot chemical vapor under pressure flows through the mesh and apertures 67 of tubular holder member 66 into contact with the surfaces of the instruments 62 to sterilize the same. No sparking or arcing occurs. Referring to FIGS. 10-12, another embodiment of shielding means, designated 100, includes a holder member 102 comprising a rigid box-shaped receptacle formed, for example, of plastic material, and having a removeable cover 106. Apertures 108 are formed through the walls of the receptacle 102 and cover 106. The outer surfaces of the holder member are covered by microwave electromagnetic radiation shield material 110 of the type described above, as best seen in FIG. 12. In use, instruments 112 to be sterilized are surrounded by shielding means 100 by situating them within the receptacle 102 within locating notches provided by upstanding shelves 114 and positioning the cover 106 to close the receptacle so that the instruments are surrounded by the shield material 110. The shielding means 100 and instruments 112 surrounded thereby are introduced into a collapsible pouch 20 with a quantity of liquid sterilant 22 whereupon the pouch is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly 24. The gas-tight assembly is irradiated by microwave radiation to vaporize the sterilant solution and the hot chemical vapor under pressure flows through the mesh of shield material 110 and apertures 108 of receptacle 102 and cover 106 to sterilize the instruments. The instruments 112 are shielded from the microwave radiation to eliminate the possibility of arcing or sparking. The size of the receptacle 102, although not critical, preferably is as small as possible so that it can be accommodated within a collapsible pouch the volume of which is in turn sufficiently small so that the quantity of sterilant solution required to produce the pressurized sterilant atmosphere is correspondingly minimized. In this manner, sterilization cycle time is reduced. The shield material 110 may be applied over the outer surfaces of the walls of the receptacle 102 and cover 106 as shown in FIG. 11 or, alternatively, may be applied over the inner surfaces of the receptacle walls as seen in FIG. 12, or embedded within the thickness of the receptacle walls as seen in FIG. 13. It will be understood that the holder member 102 may be formed of materials other than plastic and the shield material may comprise materials other than wire mesh. For example, the holder member 102 of shielding means 100 shown in FIG. 10 may comprise a box-shaped receptacle formed of paper or board material having a metallic coating provided on its outer surface. This construction is advantageous in that it is sufficiently inexpensive in manufacture as to be disposable after use. Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, another embodiment of shielding means, designated 120, comprises a holder member 122 which is itself formed of shield material, such as the knitted wire mesh shield material described above. Holder member 122 comprises a sheath of mesh shield material having one end 124 which is closed and an insertion end 126 which is closable upon insertion of one or more instruments 128 into the interior of the holder member. In use, instruments 128 are surrounded by shielding means 120 by inserting them into the sheath of holder member 122 through the insertion end 126 which is then closed by crimping. The shielding mean 120 surrounding instruments 128 is then introduced into a collapsible pouch 20 with a quantity of liquid sterilant whereupon the pouch is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly 24. The sterilant solution is vaporized by irradiating the gas-tight assembly 24 with microwave radiation and the hot chemical vapor under pressure flows through the mesh of the holder member to sterilize the instruments. The instruments are themselves shielded from the microwave radiation to eliminate the possibility of arcing or sparking. Referring now to FIG. 17, another embodiment of shielding means, designated 130, also comprises a holder member 132 in the form of a sheath which is itself formed of shield material. In particular, the holder member 132 is formed of a metallic foil material, such as aluminum foil, having an open insertion end 134. The metal foil has perforations 136 formed therethrough to provide communication between the interior of the holder member 132 and the ambient atmosphere. The shielding means 130 is used in essentially the same manner as described above. At least one instrument 138 to be sterilized is surrounded by the shielding means 130 by inserting it into the holder member 132 through the insertion end 134 thereof which is then closed by crimping. The shielding means 130 surrounding instrument 138 is introduced into a collapsible pouch along with liquid sterilant solution. Sterilization proceeds as described above. It is understood that the holder member 132 may be formed of shield materials other than as described above. For example, the holder member may be formed of plastic film or paper provided with a metallic coating or a metallic laminate. It is also noted that the perforations 136 should be of a size less than a certain dimension to ensure that microwave radiation cannot pass through them. For example, if the perforations are circular and have diameters less than about one-quarter the wavelength of the microwave radiation, the radiation should for practical purposes be substantially prevented from passing through them. Referring now to FIGS. 18a and 18b, an embodiment of the invention is shown wherein shielding means are integrated with a collapsible pouch to form a unitary assembly. More particularly, shielding means in the form of a sheath-like holder member 160 are situated within the interior of a collapsible pouch 162 of the type described above and affixed to the inner surface thereof such as by adhesive tacking at 164. Holder member 160 is formed of a metallized substrate, such as aluminized paper, and has substantially the same construction as that shown in FIG. 17 including perforations 166 and an open insertion end 168. The holder member 160 is fixed within the pouch 162 in a position such that the open insertion end is situated adjacent to and recessed a small distance inwardly from the open end 170 of pouch 162. A capsule or sachet 172 containing an appropriate quantity of liquid sterilant solution is also predisposed within pouch 162. In use, referring to FIG. 18a, an instrument 174 to be sterilized is inserted into pouch 162 through its open end 170 and, at the same time, into the interior of the holder member 160 of the shielding means through the insertion end 168. The insertion end of holder member 168 is closed and pouch 162 is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly 176 shown in FIG. 18b. At this time the liquid sterilent solution 178 is released from sachet 172 whereupon the assembly 176 is irradiated with microwave electromagnetic radiation to vaporize the sterilant. The assembly comprising the collapsible pouch 162 and holder member 160 fixed thereto may advantageously be constructed and sold as a single unit, either with or without the sachet of liquid sterilant solution predisposed therein. The assembly is preferably constructed so as to be disposable after a single use. A somewhat different construction of an embodiment wherein shielding means are integrated with a collapsible pouch is illustrated in FIG. 19. In this embodiment, a defined portion S of the area of the sheet material of a collapsible pouch 20A of the type described above is provided with microwave electromagnetic radiation shield means while the remaining area NS of the sheet material of pouch 20A remains transparent to microwave radiation. The shield means may take the form of a metallic grid-like coating 142 deposited over the area S of the sheet material of the pouch as shown or may simply comprise a continuous or solid metallic coating. The shielded area S surrounds an interior portion of the collapsible pouch which is thereby shielded from microwave radiation while the non-shielded area NS surrounds an interior portion of the pouch which is not so shielded. A transversely extending series of spaced heat seals 144 join opposed regions of the sheet material of pouch 20A to separate the shielded interior portion of pouch 20A from the non-shielded interior portion. The shielded and non-shielded interior portions communicate with each other through the voids between the heat seals 144. The shielded interior portion of pouch 20A is of sufficient extent to surround instruments 146 to be sterilized. In use, the instruments 146 are inserted into the shielded interior portion of pouch 20A through a first open end which is then sealed at 148. Liquid sterilant solution, preferably contained within a cup 150, is introduced into the non-shielded interior portion of pouch 20A through a second open end which is then sealed at 152 to form a gas-tight assembly, designated 24A. The gas-tight assembly is irradiated with microwave radiation whereby the sterilant solution in cup 150 vaporizes and the pressurized sterilant atmosphere fills the shielded interior portion of the pouch to sterilize instruments 146. The possibility of arcing or sparking is eliminated since the shielding 142 presents a barrier to the transmission of the radiation into the interior portion of the pouch in which the instruments are situated. It will be understood that it is not essential that the pouch be provided with seals 144 or that the liquid sterilant be contained within a cup so long as the instruments are substantially surrounded by shield means and the liquid sterilant is situated in a non-shielded interior portion of the pouch. Another embodiment wherein shielding means are integrated with a collapsible pouch is illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21. Like the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19, electromagnetic radiation shield means cover a portion S of the sheet material of a collapsible pouch 20B while the remaining area NS of the sheet material of pouch 20B remains transparent to microwave radiation. The sheet material of pouch 20B is a laminate having a thickness on the order of about 2 mils comprising an inner layer 260 of polyethylene or polypropylene and an outer layer 262 of a polyester material. The shield means comprises metallic foil 264, such as 35 gauge aluminum foil, covering the entire area S of pouch 20B and integrated with the laminate so as to become a part of the sheet material. In the embodiment of FIG. 21a, the metallic foil 264 is affixed on the outer surface of outer layer 262 of the sheet material forming the top and bottom of pouch 20B. In the embodiment of FIG. 21b, the metallic foil 264 is affixed to the inner surface of inner layer 260 of the sheet material forming the top and bottom of pouch 20B. In either case, the affixation may be accomplished by appropriate adhesive. Alternatively, the metallic foil shielding material can be interposed between the inner and outer layers 260 and 262 during manufacture of the laminate as seen in FIG. 21c. In any of the cases described above where shielding means, whether provided separately from or integrated with the pouch, define an interior portion within the collapsible pouch that is shielded from radiation, it is advantageous for the pouch to be oriented so that the shielded interior portion is elevated relative to a non-shielded interior portion. The reason is that the sterilant vapor entering the shielded interior portion tends to cool and condense on the inner surface of the sheet material and/or on the surface of the instrument. By elevating the shielded interior portion relative to the non-shielded portion, any condensation forming in the non-shielded interior portion tends to flow downwardly under gravity from the non-shielded region of the pouch into the shielded region where it is irradiated, heated and revaporized. In this manner, the concentration of the sterilant in the atmosphere is maintained relatively constant. Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, a device 270 for positioning a gas-tight assembly of the type shown in FIG. 20 so that the shielded interior portion surrounded by the shielded area S of the sheet material is elevated with respect to the non-shielded interior portion defined by the non-shielded area NS of pouch 20B. The positioning device essentially includes an inclined platform or shelf comprising a concave platform 272 and an upstanding leg 274 affixed to one end of platform 272. The platform and leg are both formed of microwave transparent material. In use, one or more instruments 271 are inserted into the shielded interior portion of pouch 20B through an open end, and a sachet 278 containing liquid sterilant solution is inserted into the non-shielded interior portion, whereupon the open end is sealed to form a gas-tight assembly. The gas-tight assembly is then placed on the platform 272 of positioning device 270 which has been, or is thereupon, situated on the floor 276 of a microwave cavity. The gas-tight assembly is then irradiated with microwave radiation whereupon the sterilant solution vaporizes causing the sachet 278 to burst. The sterilant vapor under pressure moves into the shielded interior portion of the pouch as schematically shown by arrow 278. Since the shielded interior pouch portion is relatively cool, some sterilant vapor may condense on the inner pouch wall or on the surface of the instruments 271. By elevating the shielded pouch interior portion relative to the unshielded portion, any condensate flows downwardly under gravity, as schematically shown by arrow 280, into the unshielded interior portion where it is irradiated by the microwave radiation and revaporized. In this manner the concentration of sterilant vapor is maintained substantially constant. As noted above, the orientation of the gas-tight assembly in a manner to cause any sterilant solution condensate to drain into an unshielded interior pouch portion is not limited to assemblies in which the shielding means are integrated with the pouch. For example, the embodiments of the gas-tight assembly shown in FIGS. 8, 10, 16 and 18b may be advantageously oriented in a similar manner. It will be understood that sterilization can be accomplished according to the invention using only the chemical vapor under pressure arrangement of the invention in the absence of microwave radiation. For example, referring to FIG. 24, the gas-tight assembly 24 of FIG. 2, including a collapsible pouch in the interior of which is sealed an instrument to be sterilized and an appropriate quantity of liquid sterilant solution, is situated in the interior of an infrared radiator device 86 in which a rod-shaped infrared radiator 88 is provided. Elliptical mirrors 90 are provided within the infrared radiator device 86 defining a pair of vocal lines for the infrared radiation emitted from radiator 88. The infrared radiator 88 is positioned on the first focal line and the gas-tight assembly is situated in a simple holder device 92 at the second focal line. When the radiator 88 is activated, a high beam concentration of the infrared radiation is focused onto the gas-tight assembly 24 rapidly vaporizing the liquid sterilant solution to sterilize the instrument by chemical vapor as described above. Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims appended hereto, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically disclosed herein.

2019-04-23T22:28:29Z

http://www.everypatent.com/comp/pat5019359.html

The quintly API is made for you to access all data points you already know from our tool. You need to have a quintly business account in order to access this API. Please get in touch with our support if you like to get access. For authentication we use Basic Auth via HTTPS. For the username you have to send your quintly client id and for the password your API secret. If you don't have these details yet, please get in touch with our support. There is full support to list, add and remove profiles within your account via the API. Please use the following endpoint for listing all profiles within your account. Here you can also obtain the profile ids necessary to fetch data later on. For adding profiles, please specify the space id (which you'll get from our support team once access to our API is granted), and a unique URL for the profile to be added. Usually you will use the search endpoint described below to identify the unique URL of a profile. To remove an existing profile from your account, just provide the space id and the profile id (which can be obtained via the list-profiles endpoint described above). Usually before adding a new profile you will need to uniquely identify a profile. For this use case and also to search profiles via all the search endpoints of the networks itself, you can use the following endpoint for search. Loading data is handled via the qql endpoint and the following parameters have to be provided. Please find further information on how to write QQL queries in our knowledge base. qqlQuery: The QQL query describing the data to be loaded. timezone (optional): By default our API does fetch and aggregate data using the timezone setting of the admin user of your quintly account. Optionally you can set a specific timezone. The list of supported timezones can be found here. E.g. for fetching data in UTC timezone just use "UTC" here. profileIds: A comma-separated list of profile ids (you can find the id of a profile by using the list-profiles endpoint described above). You can only fetch data for profiles added to your quintly account. If something goes wrong, the HTTP status code returned will be unequal to 200, using 4xx for client-side errors, 5xx for server-side errors. Beside the status code the following JSON response will be sent. If success is equal to false you can always expect error and error->message to be set. So far rate limits have been set very loose and you should not hit any limits at all. Data sources are represented by tables you can use within your QQL queries. Below you can find all available data tables and their columns. Just click the respective table name to get further information and see the table schema. Holding public data for Facebook Pages and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole Facebook Page. profileId INTEGER Identifier for the profile this row belongs to. It's a quintly internal ID and meta data can be fetched by joining the "profiles" table which is ready to be used with all QQL queries. time DATETIME Holding the full date and time information describing the current interval (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly) in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. fans INTEGER The number of users who liked the Page. For Global Pages this shows the Global Fan count. fansBefore INTEGER The number of users who liked the Page.. fansChange INTEGER Change of the number of users who liked he Page. checkins INTEGER Number of times a Page checked in at a place. peopleTalkingAbout INTEGER Number of people talking about a Page. ownPosts INTEGER Number of posts created on the page. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsComments INTEGER Number of comments and replies on comment the Page's posts got. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsLikes INTEGER Number of likes on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsLove INTEGER Number of Love reactions on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsWow INTEGER Number of Wow reactions on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsHaha INTEGER Number of Haha reactions on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsSad INTEGER Number of Sad reactions on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsAngry INTEGER Number of Angry reactions on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsShares INTEGER Number of Shares on the Page's posts. This takes into account the creation time of the own post and not when the interaction occurred. ownPostsTypeLink INTEGER Number of posts created in Link type. userPosts INTEGER Number of user posts created. userPostsComments INTEGER Number of comments on user posts. This takes into account the creation time of the user post and not when the interaction occurred. userPostsLikes INTEGER Number of likes on user posts. This takes into account the creation time of the user post and not when the interaction occurred. userPostsShares INTEGER Number of shares on user posts. This takes into account the creation time of the user post and not when the interaction occurred. userPostsTypeLink INTEGER Number of user posts created in Link type. userPostsTypeMusic INTEGER Number of posts created in Music type. userPostsTypePhoto INTEGER Number of posts created in Photo type. userPostsTypeStatus INTEGER Number of posts created in Status type. userPostsTypeFlash INTEGER Number of posts created in Flash type. userPostsTypeVideo INTEGER Number of posts created in Video type. userPostsTypeMisc INTEGER Number of posts created in Misc type. questions INTEGER Number of questions on a Page. Questions are defined as any user post that includes a "?". responseTime0To2h INTEGER Number of user questions that were replied to within 0 and 2 hours. responseTime2To8h INTEGER Number of user questions that were replied to within 2 and 8 hours. responseTime8To24h INTEGER Number of user questions that were replied to within 8 and 24 hours. responseTimeNotResponded INTEGER Number of user posts created which were detected as a question but were not commented on. Holding information about promoted posts from Facebook Ads. accountId STRING The ID of the ad account with which the ad was published. currency STRING The currency by which all costs under the Facebook ad account are specified. campaignId INTEGER The ID of the ad campaign to which the ad belongs. campaignName STRING The name of the ad campaign to which the ad belongs. campaignObjective STRING The defined objective of the ad campaign to which the ad belongs. campaignStatus ENUM The status of the ad campaign to which the ad belongs. adSetScheduleStartTime DATETIME The scheduled start time of the ad set to which the ad belongs. adSetScheduleEndTime DATETIME The scheduled end time of the ad set to which the ad belongs. time DATETIME The time this posting was created in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. In this case, this field refers to the creation time of the ad set to which the ad belongs. importTime DATETIME The time this posting was imported in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. adSetId INTEGER The ID of the ad set to which the ad belongs. adSetName STRING The name of the ad set to which the ad belongs. adSetBillingEvent STRING The billing event of the ad set to which the ad belongs. A billing event refers to the event that triggers charging the ad account (e.g. post engagements, video views, etc.). adSetOptimizationGoal STRING The optimization goal of the ad set to which the ad belongs. adSetStatus ENUM The status of the ad set to which the ad belongs. adSetCreatedTime DATETIME The time the adset was created in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. id INTEGER The ID of the ad. name STRING The name of the ad. status ENUM The effective status of the ad. adStatus ENUM The status of the ad. bidType STRING The bidding type of the ad (e.g. CPA, Absolute OCPM, etc.). isOrganicPost BOOLEAN Yields "1" if the post of this ad is a promoted post, which could also appear on the page's timeline, and an empty string otherwise (also known as a "Dark Post", which is visible only in a promoted manner). postId INTEGER The ID of the post that's being presented with the ad. message STRING The contents of the post's body. postType ENUM The type of the post that's presented with the ad. thumbnailUrl LINK The ad's thumbnail URL. spend INTEGER The estimated total amount of money spent on an ad during its schedule. socialSpend DECIMAL The total amount spent on ads showed with social information (e.g. John Doe likes this). isPublishedOnFacebook BOOLEAN Yields "1" if the post of this ad was published on Facebook, and an empty string otherwise. isPublishedOnInstagram BOOLEAN Yields "1" if the post of this ad was published on Instagram, and an empty string otherwise. targetedPlatforms STRING Describes which are the targeted platforms of this ad. targetingSummary STRING A summary of the ad's targeting settings, that may include location, age and language targeting. frequency DECIMAL The average number of times each person saw the ad. impressions INTEGER The number of times the ad was on screen. clicks INTEGER The number of clicks on the ads. reach INTEGER The number of people who saw the ad at least once. Reach is different from impressions, which may include multiple views of the ad by the same people. unique_clicks INTEGER The distinct number of people who clicked on the ad. unique_inline_link_clicks INTEGER The number of people who performed an inline link click. relevance_score INTEGER A rating from 1 to 10 that estimates how well the ad's target audience is responding to the ad. This score is shown after the ad receives more than 500 impressions. cpm DECIMAL The average cost for 1000 impressions of the ad. cpp DECIMAL The average cost to reach 1000 people with the ad. cpc DECIMAL The average cost for each click on the ad. uniqueCpc DECIMAL The average cost for each unique click. website_purchase_roas DECIMAL The total return on ad spend (ROAS) from website purchases. This is based on the value of all conversions recorded by the Facebook pixel on the website and attributed to the ads. ctr DECIMAL The percentage of times people saw the ad and performed a click. unique_ctr DECIMAL The percentage of people who saw the ad and performed a unique click. unique_link_clicks_ctr DECIMAL The percentage of people who saw the ad and performed a link click. unique_outbound_clicks_ctr DECIMAL TThe percentage of people who saw the ad and performed an outbound click. outbound_clicks_ctr DECIMAL The percentage of times people saw the ad and performed an outbound click. website_ctr DECIMAL The percentage of times people saw the ad and performed a link click. inline_link_click_ctr DECIMAL The percentage of time people saw the ads and performed an inline link click. unique_inline_link_click_ctr DECIMAL The percentage of times people saw the ad and performed a link click. Inline click-through rate uses a fixed 1-day-click attribution window. page_engagement_unique INTEGER The number of people who engaged with the Facebook Page through the ad. post_engagement_unique INTEGER The number of people who engaged with the ad. likes INTEGER The number of likes performed on the page through the ad. comments INTEGER The number of comments left on the post through the ad. video_view_unique INTEGER The number of people who viewed the video through the ad (when relevant). link_click_unique INTEGER The number of people who clicked on a link through the ad (when relevant). landing_page_view_unique INTEGER The number of people who viewed a landing page through the ad (when relevant). photo_view_unique INTEGER The number of people who viewed the photo through the ad (when relevant). post_reaction_unique INTEGER The number of Facebook reactions on the post through the ad. post_unique INTEGER The number of people who shared the post through the ad. mobile_app_install_unique INTEGER The number of people who installed the mobile app through the ad. uniqueFbPixelAddPaymentInfo INTEGER The number of people who added payment info that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelAddToChart INTEGER The number of people who added to chart that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelAddToWhitelist INTEGER The number of people who added to whitelist an action that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelCompleteRegistration INTEGER The number of people who completed registration that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelCustom INTEGER The number of people who took an action that was attributed to your ads which is a custom pixel events defined by the advertiser This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelInitiateCheckout INTEGER The number of people who initiated checkout that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelLead INTEGER The number of people who took an action 'LEAD' that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelPurchase INTEGER The number of people who took an action 'PURCHASE' that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelSearch INTEGER The number of people who took an action 'SEARCH' that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. uniqueFbPixelViewContent INTEGER The number of people who viewed the content that was attributed to your ads. This metric is estimated. costPerPageEngagement DECIMAL The average cost per engagement with the Facebook Page through the ad. costPerPostEngagement DECIMAL The average cost per engagement with the ad. costPerLike DECIMAL The average cost per like on the page through the ad. costPerComment DECIMAL The average cost per comment left on the post through the ad. costPerVideoView DECIMAL The average cost per video view through the ad (when relevant). costPerLinkClick DECIMAL The average cost per link click through the ad (when relevant). costPerLandingPageView DECIMAL The average cost per landing page view through the ad (when relevant). costPerPhotoView DECIMAL The average cost per photo view through the ad (when relevant). costPerPostReaction DECIMAL The average cost per Facebook reaction on the post through the ad. costPerPost DECIMAL The average cost per share of the post through the ad. costPerMobileAppInstall DECIMAL The average cost per mobile app installation through the ad. costPerUniquePageEngagement DECIMAL The average cost per unique engagement with the Facebook Page through the ad. costPerUniquePostEngagement DECIMAL The average cost per unique engagement with the ad. costPerUniqueLike DECIMAL The average cost per like on the post through the ad. costPerUniqueComment DECIMAL The average cost per comment left on the post through the ad. costPerUniqueVideoView DECIMAL The average cost per unique video view through the ad (when relevant). costPerUniqueLinkClick DECIMAL The average cost per unique link click through the ad (when relevant). costPerUniqueLandingPageView DECIMAL The average cost per unique landing page view through the ad (when relevant). costPerUniquePhotoView DECIMAL The average cost per unique photo view through the ad (when relevant). costPerUniquePostReaction DECIMAL The average cost per Facebook reaction on the post through the ad. costPerUniquePost DECIMAL The average cost per unique share of the post through the ad. costPerUniqueMobileAppInstall DECIMAL The average cost per unique mobile app installation through the ad. This table holds all comments and replies on comments created on posts that were posted in the selected time range. Please note that this takes into account the creation time of the commented-on posts and not the creation time of the comment. userName STRING The name of the author. time DATETIME The time this posting was created in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. message STRING The main content of this comment (not including attachments). link LINK A link to this comment on Facebook. externalId STRING The ID of this comment provided by Facebook. externalPostId STRING The ID of the post this comment belongs to provided by Facebook. Holding private-level data for Facebook Pages from Facebook Insights and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole Facebook Page. Please note that Facebook Insights provide data for only three different intervals: daily, weekly and 28 days and thus for unique metrics like Reach one cannot go beyond 28 day analysis. importTime DATETIME The time this posting was last imported in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. page_content_activity INTEGER Number of stories created about your Page within the current interval. page_impressions INTEGER The number of times any content from the Page or about the Page entered a person's screen. This includes posts, check-ins, ads, social information from people who interact with the Page and more. page_impressions_paid INTEGER The number of times any content from the Page or about the Page entered a person's screen through paid distribution such as an ad. page_impressions_organic INTEGER The number of times any content from the Page or about the Page entered a person's screen through unpaid distribution. This includes posts, check-ins, social information from people who interact with the Page and more. page_impressions_unique INTEGER Also known as Reach. The number of people who had any content from the Page or about the Page enter their screen. This includes posts, check-ins, ads, social information from people who interact with the Page and more. page_impressions_paid_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any content from the Page or about the Page enter their screen through paid distribution such as an ad. page_impressions_organic_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any content from the Page or about the Page enter their screen through unpaid distribution. This includes posts, check-ins, social information from people who interact with the Page and more. page_posts_impressions_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any of the Page's posts enter their screen. Posts include statuses, photos, links, videos and more. page_posts_impressions_paid_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any of the Page's posts enter their screen through paid distribution such as an ad. page_posts_impressions_organic INTEGER The number of times the Page's posts entered a person's screen through unpaid distribution. page_posts_impressions_organic_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any of the Page's posts enter their screen through unpaid distribution. page_post_engagements INTEGER The number of times people have engaged with the Page's posts through likes, comments and shares and more. page_impressions_viral INTEGER The number of times any content from the Page or about the Page entered a person's screen with social information attached. Social information displays when a person's friend interacted with you Page or post. This includes when someone's friend likes or follows the Page, engages with a post, shares a photo of the Page and checks into the Page. page_impressions_nonviral_unique INTEGER The number of times any content from the Page or about the Page entered a person's screen with social information attached. Social information displays when a person's friend interacted with you Page or post. This includes when someone's friend likes or follows the Page, engages with a post, shares a photo of the Page and checks into the Page. page_posts_impressions_nonviral INTEGER The number of times the Page's posts entered a person's screen. This does not include content created about the Page with social information attached. Social information displays when a person's friend interacted with you Page or post. This includes when someone's friend likes or follows the Page, engages with a post, shares a photo of the Page and checks into the Page. page_posts_impressions_nonviral_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any posts by the Page enter their screen. This does not include content created about the Page with social information attached. As a form of organic distribution, social information displays when a person's friend interacted with you Page or post. This includes when someone's friend likes or follows the Page, engages with a post, shares a photo of the Page and checks into the Page. page_website_clicks_logged_in_count INTEGER Number of clicks on the Facebook Page's website link. page_engaged_users INTEGER Number of people who engaged with the Page. Engagement includes any click or story created. page_consumptions INTEGER Number of clicks on any of the Page's content. Stories generated without clicks on page content (e.g., liking the page in Timeline) are not included. page_consumptions_unique INTEGER Number of people who clicked on any of the Page's content. Stories that are created without clicking on Page content (ex, liking the Page from timeline) are not included. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_link_clicks INTEGER Number of clicks on links the Page got. This e.g. includes clicks on links in the Page's posts. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_other_clicks INTEGER Number of other clicks on the Page's content which doesn't include link clicks, photo views or video plays. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_photo_view INTEGER Number of clicks on photos the Page got. Clicks on photos always leads to an expanded view of the photo. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_video_play INTEGER Number of clicks on photos the Page got. Clicks on photos always leads to an expanded view of the photo. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_unique_link_clicks INTEGER Number of people who clicked on the Page's links. This e.g. includes clicks on links in the Page's posts. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_unique_other_clicks INTEGER Number of people who clicked on the Page's content which doesn't include link clicks, photo views or video plays. page_consumptions_by_consumption_type_unique_photo_view INTEGER Number of people who clicked on the Page's photos. Clicks on photos always leads to an expanded view of the photo. page_places_checkin_total INTEGER Number of check-ins at the Page's Place. Only available if checkin functionality is enabled for the Facebook Page. page_places_checkin_total_unique INTEGER Number of people who checked in at the Page's Place. Only available if checkin functionality is enabled for the Facebook Page. page_places_checkin_mobile INTEGER Number of check-ins at the Page's Place using mobile devices. Only available if checkin functionality is enabled for the Facebook Page. page_places_checkin_mobile_unique INTEGER Number of people who checked in at the Page's Place using mobile devices. Only available if checkin functionality is enabled for the Facebook Page. page_negative_feedback INTEGER Number of times people have given negative feedback to the Page. This includes clicks on 'Hide post', clicks on 'Hide all', unliking the Page or reporting posts as spam. page_negative_feedback_unique INTEGER Number of people who have given negative feedback to the Page. This includes clicks on 'Hide post', clicks on 'Hide all', unliking the Page or reporting posts as spam. page_negative_feedback_by_type_hide_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have hidden one of the Page's posts or sponsored posts by clicking on 'Hide post' or 'Hide ad'. page_negative_feedback_by_type_hide_all_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have clicked on 'Hide all' on one of the Page's posts or sponsored posts. page_negative_feedback_by_type_unlike_page_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have unliked the Page. page_negative_feedback_by_type_report_spam_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have reported one of the Page's posts as spam. page_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_hide_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have hidden one of the Page's posts or sponsored posts on 'Hide post' or 'Hide ad'. page_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_hide_all_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have clicked on 'Hide all' on one of the Page's posts or sponsored posts. page_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_unlike_page_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have unliked the Page. page_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_report_spam_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have reported one of the Page's posts as spam. page_positive_feedback_by_type_comment INTEGER Number of times people have commented on one of the Page's stories. page_positive_feedback_by_type_link INTEGER Number of times people have shared one of the Page's stories. page_positive_feedback_by_type_rsvp INTEGER Number of times people have responded to one of the Page's events. page_positive_feedback_by_type_claim INTEGER Number of times people have claimed one of the Page's offers. page_positive_feedback_by_type_answer INTEGER Number of times people have answered one of the Page's questions. This column is deprecated and won't show values for newer dates because Facebook removed the questions feature. page_positive_feedback_by_type_unique_like INTEGER Number of people who have liked one of the Page's stories. page_positive_feedback_by_type_unique_comment INTEGER Number of people who have commented on one of the Page's stories. page_positive_feedback_by_type_unique_link INTEGER Number of people who have shared one of the Page's stories. page_positive_feedback_by_type_unique_rsvp INTEGER Number of people who have responded to one of the Page's events. page_positive_feedback_by_type_unique_claim INTEGER Number of people who have claimed one of the Page's offers. page_positive_feedback_by_type_unique_answer INTEGER Number of people who have answered one of the Page's questions. This column is deprecated and won't show values for newer dates because Facebook removed the questions feature. page_fans_online_per_day INTEGER Number of people who liked the Page and who were online. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_actions_post_reactions_total_like INTEGER Number of post 'like' reactions of the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_actions_post_reactions_total_love INTEGER Number of post 'love' reactions of the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_actions_post_reactions_total_wow INTEGER Number of post 'wow' reactions of the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_actions_post_reactions_total_haha INTEGER Number of post 'haha' reactions of the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_actions_post_reactions_total_sorry INTEGER Number of post 'sorry' reactions of the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_actions_post_reactions_total_anger INTEGER Number of post 'anger' reactions of the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fans INTEGER Total number of Page Likes for this Facebook Page. A Page must have at least 30 or more fans for this data to be returned. page_fans_before INTEGER Total number of Page Likes for this Facebook Page. page_fans_change INTEGER Change of the total number of Page Likes for this Facebook Page. page_fan_adds INTEGER Number of times people have liked the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fan_adds_unique INTEGER Number of new people who have liked the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fan_adds_by_paid_non_paid_unique_total INTEGER Number of new people who have liked the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fan_adds_by_paid_non_paid_unique_paid INTEGER Number of new people who have liked the Page from an ad or sponsored post. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fan_adds_by_paid_non_paid_unique_unpaid INTEGER Number of new people who have liked the Page excluding likes from a not sponsored post. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fan_removes INTEGER Number of times people have unliked the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_fan_removes_unique INTEGER Number of people who have unliked the Page. This column only supports daily intervals and won't work if you select any other interval. page_cta_clicks_logged_in_total INTEGER Total number of clicks on the Page call-to-action button by people who are logged into Facebook. page_cta_clicks_logged_in_unique INTEGER Unique number of clicks on the Page call-to-action button by people who are logged into Facebook. page_views_total INTEGER The number of times a Page's profile has been viewed by logged in and logged out people. page_views_logged_in_unique INTEGER The number of people logged in to Facebook who have viewed the Page profile. page_views_logged_in_total INTEGER The number of times a Page's profile has been viewed by people logged in to Facebook. page_views_logout INTEGER The number of times a Page's profile has been viewed by people not logged in to Facebook. page_posts_impressions INTEGER The number of times the Page's posts entered a person's screen. Posts include statuses, photos, links, videos and more. page_posts_impressions_paid INTEGER The number of times the Page's posts entered a person's screen through paid distribution such as an ad. page_posts_impressions_viral INTEGER The number of times the Page's posts entered a person's screen with social information attached. Social information displays when a person's friend interacted with you Page or post. This includes when someone's friend likes or follows the Page, engages with a post, shares a photo of the Page and checks into the Page. page_posts_impressions_viral_unique INTEGER The number of people who had any of the Page's posts enter their screen with social information attached. As a form of organic distribution, social information displays when a person's friend interacted with you Page or post. This includes when someone's friend likes or follows the Page, engages with a post, shares a photo of the Page and checks into the Page. page_posts_served_impressions_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who were served the Page's organic posts in their News Feed, whether it entered their screen or not. This column is only provided by Facebook for comparison reasons and contains data from 2018, January 25th onwards. Read this article for details. page_video_views INTEGER Number of times the Page's videos have been viewed for more than 3 seconds. page_video_views_10s INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos were watched for an aggregate of at least 10 seconds, or for nearly its total length, whichever happened first. page_video_complete_views_30s INTEGER Number of times the Page's videos have been viewed for more than 30 seconds. page_video_views_unique INTEGER Total number of times page's videos have been played for unique people for more than 3 seconds. page_video_views_10s_unique INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos were watched for an aggregate of at least 10 seconds, or for nearly its total length, whichever happened first, by unique users. page_video_complete_views_30s_unique INTEGER Total number of times page's videos have been played for unique people to the end, or viewed for more than 30 seconds. page_video_views_paid INTEGER Total number of times page's promoted videos have been viewed for more than 3 seconds. page_video_views_10s_paid INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos with paid activity were watched for at least a total of 10 seconds, or for nearly their total length, whichever happened first. page_video_complete_views_30s_paid INTEGER Total number of times page's promoted videos have been viewed to the end, or for more than 30 seconds. page_video_views_organic INTEGER Total number of times page's videos have been viewed for more than 3 seconds by organic reach. page_video_views_10s_organic INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos were watched without any paid distribution for at least a total of 10 seconds, or for nearly their total length, whichever happened first. page_video_complete_views_30s_organic INTEGER Total number of times page's videos have been viewed to the end, or viewed for more than 30 seconds by organic reach. page_video_views_autoplayed INTEGER Total number of times page's autoplayed videos have been viewed for more than 3 seconds. page_video_views_10s_autoplayed INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos were started automatically and watched for at least a total of 10 seconds, or for nearly their total length, whichever happened first. page_video_complete_views_30s_autoplayed INTEGER Total number of times page's autoplayed videos have been viewed to the end, or viewed for more than 30 seconds. page_video_views_click_to_play INTEGER Total number of times page's videos have been viewed after the user clicks on play for more than 3 seconds. page_video_views_10s_click_to_play INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos were started by clicking the play button and watched for at least a total of 10 seconds, or for nearly their total length, whichever happened first. page_video_complete_views_30s_click_to_play INTEGER Total number of times page's videos have been viewed to the end, or viewed after the user clicks on play for more than 30 seconds. page_video_repeat_views INTEGER Total number of times that people replay a page's videos for more than 3 seconds. page_video_views_10s_repeat INTEGER The number of times the Page's videos were replayed for at least 10 seconds, or for nearly its total length, whichever happened first. page_video_complete_views_30s_repeat_views INTEGER Total number of times that people replay a page's videos to the end, or for more than 30 seconds. page_video_view_time INTEGER The total amount of time (in milliseconds) people spent watching videos on the Page. Holding the number of Page Likes, Reach and People Talking About This of Facebook Pages per city including their development over time. cityName STRING Name of the city. cityLat INTEGER Latitude of the city. cityLon INTEGER Longitude of the city. cityCountryCode STRING Code of the country this city belongs to, following ISO 3166 standard. cityCountryName STRING The full name of the country this city belongs to, e.g. Germany. fans INTEGER Total number of Page Likes for this Facebook Page at the end of the interval. fansBefore INTEGER Total number of Page Likes for this Facebook Page at the beginning of the interval. fansChange INTEGER Change of the total number of Page Likes for this Facebook Page between the beginning and the end of the interval. fansShare INTEGER The share of Page Likes for this entry in relation to all Page Likes for this Facebook Page at the end of the interval represented as a percentage (0-100 scale). reach INTEGER The number of people who have seen any content associated with your Page in the current interval. ptat INTEGER The number of People Talking About the Page in the current interval. Holding the number of Page Likes, Reach and People Talking About This of Facebook Pages per country including their development over time. time STRING Holding the full date and time information describing the current interval (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly) in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. countryCode STRING The code of the country following ISO 3166 standard. countryName STRING The full name of the country, e.g. Germany. Holding the number of Page Likes, Reach and People Talking About This of Facebook Pages per gender and age bucket including their development over time. gender ENUM Either "Male", "Female" or "Unknown". ageBucket ENUM The age range in years. Typically the following ranges are shown: "13-17", "18-24", "25-34", "35-44", "45-54", "55-64" and "65+". fansShare DECIMAL The share of Page Likes for this entry in relation to all Page Likes for this Facebook Page at the end of the interval represented as a percentage (0-100 scale). Holding the number of Stories, Impressions, Reach and People Talking About This of Facebook Pages per story type (e.g. Page Post, User Post, Question) including their development over time. storyType ENUM The story type according to Facebook's documentation. stories INTEGER The number of stories created about your Page (Stories) in the current interval. impressions INTEGER The total number of impressions seen of any content associated with your Page in the current interval. Holding private conversations of Facebook Pages. A conversation includes private messages between the Facebook Page and a specific Facebook user. Please note that there can be multiple conversations per user as we split into separate conversations if there is a new incoming request by a user after 3 weeks of no communication and it will be counted as a new conversation. time DATETIME The time this conversation started in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. conversationId INTEGER The ID of the conversation provided by Facebook concatenated with a running number per conversation with a user, e.g. <Facebook's conversation id>_1 for the first conversation with this user. link LINK The link to this conversation on Facebook. userId STRING The ID of the author provided by Facebook. messageCount INTEGER The number of messages within the conversation, including both messages from the user and the Facebook Page. pageMessageCount INTEGER The number of messages by the Facebook Page within the conversation. userMessageCount INTEGER The number of messages by the user within the conversation. responseTime DATETIME Holding the full date and time information when the first reply by the Facebook Page was sent in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. If the Page started the conversation by privately replying to a user's comment on one of the Page's posts this would show "null" as we don't get the created time of the comment. secondResponseTime DATETIME Holding the full date and time information when the second reply by the Facebook Page was sent in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. If the Page started the conversation by privately replying to a user's comment on one of the Page's posts this would show "null" as we don't get the created time of the comment. timeToRespond STRING The time from the creation of the initial user message until the first reply of the Facebook Page in seconds. If the Page started the conversation by privately replying to a user's comment on one of the Page's posts this would show "null" as we don't get the created time of the comment. secondTimeToRespond STRING The time from the creation of the initial user message until the second reply of the Facebook Page in seconds. If the Page started the conversation by privately replying to a user's comment on one of the Page's posts this would show "null" as we don't get the created time of the comment. initialUserMessage STRING The contents of the initial message by the user. If the Page privately replied to a comment on one of it's posts it will show the text of the comment. firstPageReply STRING The contents of the first reply by the Facebook Page. secondPageReply STRING The contents of the second reply by the Facebook Page. wasInitiatedByPrivateReplyToComment STRING If conversation was started by the Page, privately replying to a user's comment on one of the Page's posts. Holds "1" if conversation was initiated by private reply to comment, "" if not. Holding information about expired posts of Facebook Pages with all their private statistics attached. expireTime DATETIME The time this posting has expired in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. objectId STRING The ID of any uploaded photo or video attached to the post. type ENUM The object type of the post. link LINK The link to the post. message STRING The contents of the post message. externalId STRING The unique id of the post. likes INTEGER Number of likes the post got. This does not include likes on shares. love INTEGER Number of "Love" reactions the post got. This does not include reactions on shares. wow INTEGER Number of "Wow" reactions the post got. This does not include reactions on shares. haha INTEGER Number of "Haha" reactions the post got. This does not include reactions on shares. sad INTEGER Number of "Sorry" reactions the post got. This does not include reactions on shares. angry INTEGER Number of "Angry" reactions the post got. This does not include reactions on shares. thankful INTEGER Number of "Thankful" reactions the post got. This does not include reactions on shares. comments INTEGER Number of comments the post got. This doesn't include comments on shares. shares INTEGER Number of shares the post got. This doesn't include shares of shares. fans INTEGER Number of fans the page had on the day the post was published. adminCreator STRING The name of the Facebook user who created the post for the page. adminCreatorId STRING The user id of the Facebook user who created the post for the page. attachmentName STRING The name of the post's attachment. Holds "null" if no attachment name is set. attachmentDescription STRING The description of the post's attachment. Holds "null" if no attachment description is set. attachmentCaption STRING The caption of the post's attachment. Holds "null" if no attachment caption is set. attachmentHref LINK The URL of the post's attachment. Holds "null" if no attachment URL is available. attachmentPreviewPicture LINK The URL to the attachment preview picture. Holds "null" if no attachment preview picture is available. privacy STRING Holds information about the targeting of the post. If the post is not targeted it will show "public". isLiveVideo BOOLEAN If the posted video was live or not. Holds “1” if the post was a live post, “” if not. isLiveAudio BOOLEAN If the posted audio was live or not. Holds “1” if the post was a live post, “” if not. isSharedPost BOOLEAN If the post is a shared post or not. Holds “1” if the post is a shared post, “” if not. isSpherical BOOLEAN If the post contains a 360 degree photo/video or not. Holds “1” if the post contains a 360 degree photo or video, “” if not. If the post is a shared 360 degree photo/video, Facebook can not detect that the original post contains 360 degree content thus the column would also hold “”. post_reactions_by_type_total_like INTEGER Number of "Like" reactions the post got. This also includes reactions on shares. post_reactions_by_type_total_love INTEGER Number of "Love" reactions the post got. This also includes reactions on shares. post_reactions_by_type_total_wow INTEGER Number of "Wow" reactions the post got. This also includes reactions on shares. post_reactions_by_type_total_haha INTEGER Number of "Haha" reactions the post got. This also includes reactions on shares. post_reactions_by_type_total_sorry INTEGER Number of "Sorry" reactions the post got. This also includes reactions on shares. post_reactions_by_type_total_anger INTEGER Number of "Anger" reactions the post got. This also includes reactions on shares. post_engaged_fan INTEGER Number of people who have liked the Page and clicked anywhere in the post. post_impressions INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page post. post_impressions_unique INTEGER Number of people the Page post was served to. This is also known as reach. post_impressions_organic INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page post that didn't come from an Ad or Sponsored Story. post_impressions_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who didn't see the Page post in an Ad or Sponsored Story. This is also known as organic reach. post_impressions_nonviral INTEGER The number of times your Page's post entered a person's screen. post_impressions_nonviral_unique INTEGER The number of people who had your Page's post enter their screen. post_impressions_paid INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page post in an Ad or Sponsored Story. post_impressions_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people the advertised Page post was served to. This is also known as paid reach. post_impressions_fan INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page post to people who have liked the Page. post_impressions_fan_paid INTEGER Number of paid impressions of the Page post to people who have liked the Page. post_impressions_fan_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people who like the Page and who saw the Page post in an ad or sponsored story. post_impressions_viral INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page post in a story generated by a friend. post_impressions_viral_unique INTEGER Number of people who saw the Page post in a story from a friend. post_impressions_by_paid_non_paid_total INTEGER Please note that this field will not be available soon. Number of impressions of the Page post. post_impressions_by_paid_non_paid_paid INTEGER Please note that this field will not be available soon. Number of impressions of the Page post in an Ad or Sponsored Story. post_impressions_by_paid_non_paid_unpaid INTEGER Please note that this field will not be available soon. Number of impressions of the Page post that didn't come from an Ad or Sponsored Story. post_impressions_by_paid_non_paid_unique_total INTEGER Please note that this field will not be available soon. Number of people the Page post was served to. This is also known as reach. post_impressions_by_paid_non_paid_unique_paid INTEGER Please note that this field will not be available soon. Number of people the advertised Page post was served to. This is also known as paid reach. post_impressions_by_paid_non_paid_unique_unpaid INTEGER Please note that this field will not be available soon. Number of people who didn't see the Page post in an Ad or Sponsored Story. This is also known as organic reach. post_clicks INTEGER Number of clicks anywhere in the post. post_clicks_unique INTEGER Number of people who clicked anywhere in the post. post_clicks_by_type_link_clicks INTEGER Number of clicks on links in the post. post_clicks_by_type_photo_view INTEGER Number of clicks on photo attachments in the post which led to an expanded view of the photo. post_clicks_by_type_video_play INTEGER Number of clicks on video attachments in the post which started the video. post_clicks_by_type_other_clicks INTEGER Number of other clicks on the post which doesn't include link clicks, photo views or video plays. post_clicks_by_type_unique_link_clicks INTEGER Number of people who clicked on links in the post. post_clicks_by_type_unique_photo_view INTEGER Number of people who clicked on photo attachments in the post which led to an expanded view of the photo. post_clicks_by_type_unique_video_play INTEGER Number of people who clicked on video attachments in the post which started the video. post_clicks_by_type_unique_other_clicks INTEGER Number of people who clicked on the post which doesn't include link clicks, photo views or video plays. post_engaged_users INTEGER Number of unique people who engaged in certain ways with the Page post, for example by commenting on, liking, sharing, or clicking upon particular elements of the post. post_negative_feedback INTEGER Number of times people have given negative feedback to the post. This includes clicks on 'Hide post' or reporting the post as spam. post_negative_feedback_unique INTEGER Number of people who have given negative feedback to the post. This includes clicks on 'Hide post' or reporting the post as spam. post_negative_feedback_by_type_hide_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have given negative feedback to the post by clicking on 'Hide post'. post_negative_feedback_by_type_hide_all_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have given negative feedback to the post by clicking on 'Hide All'. post_negative_feedback_by_type_unlike_page_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have given negative feedback to the post by unliking the page. post_negative_feedback_by_type_report_spam_clicks INTEGER Number of times people have given negative feedback to the post by reporting the post as spam. post_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_hide_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have given negative feedback to the post by clicking on 'Hide post'. post_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_hide_all_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have given negative feedback to the post by clicking on 'Hide All'. post_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_unlike_page_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have given negative feedback to the post by unliking the page. post_negative_feedback_by_type_unique_report_spam_clicks INTEGER Number of people who have given negative feedback to the post by reporting the post as spam. post_activity INTEGER Number of stories generated about the Page post. post_activity_unique INTEGER Number of people who created a story by interacting with the Page post. post_activity_by_action_type_like INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page post by liking the post. post_activity_by_action_type_comment INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page post by commenting on the post. post_activity_by_action_type_share INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page post by sharing the post. post_activity_by_action_type_unique_like INTEGER Number of people who created a story about the Page post by liking it. post_activity_by_action_type_unique_comment INTEGER Number of people who created a story about the Page post by commenting on it. post_activity_by_action_type_unique_share INTEGER Number of people who created a story about the Page post by sharing it. post_video_avg_time_watched INTEGER The average length of time (in milliseconds) people spent viewing the video. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_view_time INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_view_time_organic INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed in news feed or ticker or on the Page's Timeline. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_length INTEGER Length of a video post (in milliseconds). If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for more than 3 seconds. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds without any paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for more than 3 seconds without any paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds after paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for more than 3 seconds after paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it more than 3 seconds. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for more than 3 seconds. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_sound_on INTEGER Number of times the video sound was turned on and was viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_10s INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_10s_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for 10 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_10s_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after a paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_10s_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without a paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_10s_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 10 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_10s_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 10 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_10s_sound_on INTEGER Number of times the video sound was turned on and was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_views_by_distribution_type_page_owned INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds in the original post. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_views_by_distribution_type_shared INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds in a shared post. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". post_video_complete_views_30s INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_30s_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_30s_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after a paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_30s_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without a paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_30s_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 30 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_30s_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 30 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed to 95% of its length without any paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video to 95% of its length without any paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed to 95% of its length after paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_complete_views_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video to 95% of its length after paid promotion. If the post doesn't include a video it will shown "0". Returns null for reshared videos. Holding information about posts of Facebook Pages with all their private statistics attached. is_published BOOLEAN This shows if the post is published. is_hidden BOOLEAN This shows if the post is hidden. type ENUM The type of the post. externalId INTEGER The unique id of the post. objectId INTEGER The unique id of the object in the post. The ID of any uploaded photo or video attached to the post. likes INTEGER Number of likes the post got. This doesn't include likes on shares. fans INTEGER Number of fans the page had on the day the post was created. adminCreator STRING The name of the Facebook user who created the post for the page. If the Page has only one admin, no data will be returned. adminCreatorId INTEGER The user id of the Facebook user who created the post for the page. If the Page has only one admin, no data will be returned. attachmentName STRING The name of the post's attachment. attachmentDescription STRING A description of a link in the post (appears beneath the attachmentCaption). attachmentCaption STRING The link in the caption of a post. The caption must be an actual URL and when clicking on it, it should accurately reflect the URL of the associated advertiser, business or owner of the posted content (e.g. news article). If the post is shared and contains another shared post the value will be null. attachmentHref LINK The URL of the post's attachment. attachmentPreviewPicture LINK The URL to the attachment preview picture. isLiveVideo BOOLEAN If the posted video was live or not. isLiveAudio BOOLEAN If the posted audio was live or not. isSharedPost BOOLEAN If the post is a shared post or not. isSpherical BOOLEAN If the post contains a 360 degree photo/video or not. If the post is a shared 360 degree photo/video, Facebook can not detect whether the original post contains 360 degree content. post_impressions_organic INTEGER Number of impressions of the post in News Feed or ticker or on the Page's Timeline. post_impressions_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who saw the Page post in news feed or ticker, or on the Page's timeline. post_impressions_fan INTEGER The number of impressions on your Page post by people who have also liked the page. post_impressions_fan_unique INTEGER The number of your page's fans who saw your Page post. This includes only the people who saw your Page post and as well liked your Page before. post_impressions_fan_paid INTEGER The number of impressions on your Page’s ad or sponsored post by people who have also liked your page. post_impressions_fan_paid_unique INTEGER The number of your page's fans who saw your Page’s post in an ad or sponsored post. This includes only the people who saw your Page's post in an ad or sponsored post and as well liked your Page before. post_impressions_nonviral INTEGER Number of times people saw the Page post. post_impressions_nonviral_unique INTEGER Number of people the Page post was served to. post_activity_by_action_type_like INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page post by reacting to the post. post_activity_by_action_type_unique_like INTEGER Number of people who created a story about the Page post by reacting to it. post_video_avg_time_watched INTEGER The average length of time (in milliseconds) people spent viewing the video. Returns null for reshared videos. post_video_view_time INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed. post_video_view_time_organic INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed in news feed or ticker or on the Page's Timeline. post_video_length INTEGER Length of a video post (in milliseconds). post_video_views INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds. post_video_views_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for more than 3 seconds. post_video_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds without any paid promotion. post_video_views_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for more than 3 seconds without any paid promotion. post_video_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds after paid promotion. post_video_views_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for more than 3 seconds after paid promotion. post_video_views_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it more than 3 seconds. post_video_views_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for more than 3 seconds. post_video_views_sound_on INTEGER Number of times the video sound was turned on and was viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. post_video_views_10s INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. post_video_views_10s_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for 10 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. post_video_views_10s_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after a paid promotion. post_video_views_10s_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without a paid promotion. post_video_views_10s_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 10 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. post_video_views_10s_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 10 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. post_video_views_10s_sound_on INTEGER Number of times the video sound was turned on and was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. post_video_views_by_distribution_type_page_owned INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds in the original post. post_video_views_by_distribution_type_shared INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for more than 3 seconds in a shared post. post_video_complete_views_30s INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. post_video_complete_views_30s_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. post_video_complete_views_30s_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after a paid promotion. post_video_complete_views_30s_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without a paid promotion. post_video_complete_views_30s_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 30 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. post_video_complete_views_30s_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 30 seconds or to the end, whichever came first. post_video_complete_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed to 95% of its length without any paid promotion. post_video_complete_views_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video to 95% of its length without any paid promotion. post_video_complete_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed to 95% of its length after paid promotion. post_video_complete_views_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people who viewed the video to 95% of its length after paid promotion. Holding information about videos of Facebook Pages with all their private statistics attached. This is similar to the facebookInsightsOwnPosts data source but showing video posts only while offering more specific video metrics. externalId STRING The unique id of the video. link LINK The link to the video. title STRING The video title or caption. description STRING The description of the video. is_published BOOLEAN If a post about the video is published. Holds “1” if a post is published, “” if not. live_status STRING The live status of the video. Could e.g. be “VOD” if the video is a live video or “SCHEDULED_UNPUBLISHED” if the live video is sheduled but not published yet. If the video is no live video it holds “”. content_category STRING The content category of the video. length INTEGER The duration of this video in seconds. height INTEGER The height of this video in pixel. width INTEGER The width of this video in pixel. likes INTEGER Number of people who liked the video. This doesn't include likes on shares. comments INTEGER Number of comments on the video. This doesn't include comments on shares. source LINK A URL to the raw, playable video file. picture LINK The URL to the attachment preview picture. Holds "null" if no attachment preview picture is available. total_video_views INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. total_video_views_unique INTEGER Number of unique people who viewed the video for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. total_video_views_autoplayed INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 3 seconds or viewed it to the end, whichever came first. total_video_views_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 3 seconds or viewed it to the end, whichever came first. total_video_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without any paid promotion. total_video_views_organic_unique INTEGER Number unique viewers who viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without any paid promotion. total_video_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after paid promotion. total_video_views_paid_unique INTEGER Number of unique viewers who viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after paid promotion. total_video_views_sound_on INTEGER Number of times the video sound was turned on and was viewed for 3 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. total_video_views_by_distribution_type_shared INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed in a shared post. total_video_views_by_distribution_type_page_owned INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed in a post that was page owned. total_video_views_by_distribution_type_crossposted INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed in a crossposted post. total_video_view_time_by_distribution_type_shared INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed in a shared post. total_video_view_time_by_distribution_type_page_owned INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed in a post that was page owned. total_video_view_time_by_distribution_type_crossposted INTEGER Total time (in milliseconds) video has been viewed in a crossposted post. total_video_complete_views INTEGER Number of times the video was watched at 95% of its length, including watches that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_unique INTEGER Number of unique people who watched the video at 95% of its length or more, including people that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_auto_played INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people watched it at 95% of its length, including watches that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and watched it at 95% of its length, including watches that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was watched at 95% of its length without any paid promotion, including watches that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_organic_unique INTEGER Number of unique people who watched the video at 95% of its length without any paid promotion, including people that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was watched at 95% of its length after paid promotion, including watches that skipped to this point. total_video_complete_views_paid_unique INTEGER Number of unique people who watched the video at 95% of its length after paid promotion, including people that skipped to this point. total_video_30s_views INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or 97% of the video if video is less than 30 seconds. total_video_30s_views_unique INTEGER Number of unique people who viewed the video for 30 seconds or 97% of the video if video is less than 30 seconds. total_video_30s_views_auto_played INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 30 seconds or 97% of the video if video is less than 30 seconds. total_video_30s_views_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 30 seconds or 97% of the video if video is less than 30 seconds. total_video_30s_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or 97% of the video if video is less than 30 seconds without a paid promotion. total_video_30s_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 30 seconds or 97% of the video if video is less than 30 seconds after a paid promotion. total_video_10s_views INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. total_video_10s_views_unique INTEGER Number of unique people who viewed the video for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. total_video_10s_views_auto_played INTEGER Number of times the video started automatically playing and people viewed it for 10 seconds, or viewed it to the end, whichever came first. total_video_10s_views_clicked_to_play INTEGER Number of times people clicked to play the video and viewed it for 10 seconds or viewed it to the end, whichever came first. total_video_10s_views_organic INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, without a paid promotion. total_video_10s_views_paid INTEGER Number of times the video was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first, after a paid promotion. total_video_10s_views_sound_on INTEGER Number of times the video sound was turned on and was viewed for 10 seconds or viewed to the end, whichever came first. total_video_avg_time_watched INTEGER The average length of time (in milliseconds) people spent viewing the video. total_video_view_total_time INTEGER The total time (in ms) the video has been viewed. total_video_view_total_time_organic INTEGER The total time (in ms) the video has been viewed in news feed or ticker or on the Page's timeline. total_video_view_total_time_paid INTEGER The total time (in ms) the video has been viewed after paid promotion. total_video_impressions INTEGER Number of impressions of the video. total_video_impressions_unique INTEGER Number of people the video was served to. total_video_impressions_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people the advertised Page Video was served to. total_video_impressions_paid INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page Video in an Ad or Sponsored Story. total_video_impressions_organic_unique INTEGER Number of people who saw the Page Video in news feed or ticker, or on the Page's timeline. total_video_impressions_organic INTEGER Number of impressions of the Video in news feed or ticker or on the Page's timeline. total_video_impressions_viral_unique INTEGER Number of people who saw the Page Video in a story from a friend. total_video_impressions_viral INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page Video in a story generated by a friend. total_video_impressions_fan_unique INTEGER Number of people who saw the Page video because they've liked the Page. total_video_impressions_fan INTEGER Number of impressions of the Page Video to people who have liked the Page. total_video_impressions_fan_paid_unique INTEGER Number of people who like the Page and who saw the Page Video in an ad or sponsored story. total_video_impressions_fan_paid INTEGER Number of paid impressions of the Page Video to people who have liked the Page. total_video_stories_by_action_type_like INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page Video by liking the post. total_video_stories_by_action_type_comment INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page Video by commenting on the post. total_video_stories_by_action_type_share INTEGER Number of stories created about the Page Video by sharing the post. total_video_reactions_by_type_total_like INTEGER Number of "Like" reactions the video got. This also includes reactions on shares. total_video_reactions_by_type_total_love INTEGER Number of "Love" reactions the video got. This also includes reactions on shares. total_video_reactions_by_type_total_wow INTEGER Number of "Wow" reactions the video got. This also includes reactions on shares. total_video_reactions_by_type_total_haha INTEGER Number of "Haha" reactions the video got. This also includes reactions on shares. total_video_reactions_by_type_total_sorry INTEGER Number of "Sorry" reactions the video got. This also includes reactions on shares. total_video_reactions_by_type_total_anger INTEGER Number of "Anger" reactions the video got. This also includes reactions on shares. Holding the number of Fans (People liking a Facebook Page) online over time, broken down by hour. fans INTEGER The number of Fans of a Facebook Page being online on Facebook in the current interval. Facebook considers a user to be online if it saw any posts on Facebook in that time. Holding the number of won and lost Page Likes of Facebook Pages including their development over time. In contrast to our change metrics for Page Likes in public data sources, this one can be used to show how many Page Likes were gained and lost over time. source LINK The source according to Facebook's documentation. likes INTEGER The number of new Page Likes in the current interval. likesUnique INTEGER The number of unique new Page Likes in the current interval. unlikesUnique INTEGER The number of unique lost Page Likes in the current interval. referral STRING The referral the traffic is coming from, either an external domain name or internal pages on Facebook (e.g. Profile, Search, Requests, Suggestions, Stream). views INTEGER The total number of Page Views. Holding retention information for single videos of Facebook Pages. Retention for a video is defined by the share of viewers still watching a video at a given time point (described in intervals, usually an interval covers one second) after the video started. With this information you can easily show how the share of viewers drops over the length of a video and compare videos with each other. externalId STRING The ID of the video provided by Facebook. publishedTime DATETIME Holding the full date and time information when this video was published in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. message STRING The message sent along with the video. title STRING The title of the video. link LINK The link to the video on Facebook. intervalAtSecond INTEGER Describing the beginning of this interval in seconds after the video started. percentageOfViewers INTEGER The percentage of people still viewing the video at the end of this interval in 0-100 scale. Holding public information about posts of Facebook Pages with all their statistics attached. type STRING The object type of the post. link STRING The link to the post. likes INTEGER Number of "Like" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. love INTEGER Number of "Love" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. wow INTEGER Number of "Wow" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. haha INTEGER Number of "Haha" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. sad INTEGER Number of "Sorry" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. angry INTEGER Number of "Anger" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. thankful INTEGER Number of "Thankful" reactions the post got. This doesn't include reactions on shares. clicks INTEGER Number of clicks links within the post got. Note: This only includes links from link shorteners such as bit.ly or goo.gl as this data is publicly available. Holds “null” if the post doesn't include a shortened link. interactionRate PERCENT Holds the interaction rate of the post. You can find more information on how we calculate the interaction rate in our knowledge base article. isPotentiallyPaid STRING If the post is potentially sponsored or not. Holds “1” if the post is potentially sponsored, “” if not. You can find more information on how we estimate if a post is sponsored in our knowledge base article. appId STRING The id of the third party app which was used to publish the post. Holds “null” if the post wasn't published via a third party app. appName STRING The name of the third party app which was used to publish the post. Holds “null” if the post wasn't published via a third party app. attachmentDescription STRING A description of a link in the post (appears beneath the attachmentCaption). Holds "null" if no attachment description is set. Holding public information about questions by Facebook users posted to the Timeline of Facebook Pages with all their statistics attached. Please note this data source is a subset of facebookOwnPosts, just showing User Posts identified as a question. A question is defined as any message containing a question mark. Holding public information about posts by Facebook users to the Timeline of Facebook Pages with all their statistics attached. userName STRING The name of the user who created the user post. isQuestion BOOLEAN If the post contains a question or not. Holds “1” if the post contains a question, “” if not. responseTime DATETIME The date of the pages's first comment on the user post in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format. timeToRespond INTEGER The time in seconds between the created time of the user post and the time of the pages's first comment on the user post. appId STRING The id of the third party app which was used to publish the post. appName STRING The name of the third party app which was used to publish the post. Holding public data for Instagram Profiles and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole Instagram Profile. followers INTEGER Number of Followers of the account. followersBefore INTEGER Number of Followers of the account. followersChange INTEGER Change of the number of Followers of the account. following INTEGER Total number of Instagram Accounts the analysed Account is following. followingBefore INTEGER Total number of Instagram Accounts the analysed Account is following. followingChange INTEGER Change of the total number of Instagram Accounts the analysed Account is following. posts INTEGER Number of posts created by the account. postsBefore INTEGER Number of posts created by the account. postsChange INTEGER Change of number of posts created by the account. images INTEGER Number of new image type posts created. imagesLikes INTEGER Number of likes on new image type posts. imagesComments INTEGER Number of comments on new image type posts. videos INTEGER Number of new video type posts. videosLikes INTEGER Number of likes on new video type posts. videosComments INTEGER Number of comments on new video type posts. carousels INTEGER Number of new carousel type posts. carouselsLikes INTEGER Number of likes on new carousel type posts. carouselsComments INTEGER Number of comments on new carousel type posts created. Holding private-level data for Instagram Business Accounts from Instagram Insights and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole Instagram Business Account. Please note that Instagram Insights provide data for only three different intervals: daily, weekly and 28 days and thus for unique metrics like Reach one cannot go beyond 28 day analysis. impressions INTEGER Total number of times any content of the account was seen in the selected time interval. This value is not unique and includes impressions from both paid and organic context. impressionsDay INTEGER Total number of times any content of the account was seen in the selected time interval. This value is not unique and includes impressions from both paid and organic context. It holds daily fixed interval values. impressionsWeek INTEGER Total number of times any content of the account was seen in the selected time interval. This value is not unique and includes impressions from both paid and organic context. It holds weekly fixed interval values. impressionsDays28 INTEGER Total number of times any content of the account was seen in the selected time interval. This value is not unique and includes impressions from both paid and organic context. It holds 28 days fixed interval values. reach INTEGER Total number of times users have seen any content of the account in the selected time interval. This value is unique and includes reach from both paid and organic context. reachDay INTEGER Total number of times users have seen any content of the account in the selected time interval. This value is unique and includes reach from both paid and organic context. It holds daily fixed interval values. reachWeek INTEGER Total number of times users have seen any content of the account in the selected time interval. This value is unique and includes reach from both paid and organic context. It holds weekly fixed interval values. reachDays28 INTEGER Total number of times users have seen any content of the account in the selected time interval. This value is unique and includes reach from both paid and organic context. It holds 28 days fixed interval values. followerCountDay INTEGER Number of followers added to the account in the selected time range. This metric is only available when using daily interval. emailContactsDay INTEGER Number of times the Email Contact call to action button was clicked in the selected time range. This metric is only available when using daily interval. phoneCallClicksDay INTEGER Number of times the Phone Call call to action button was clicked in the selected time range. This metric is only available when using daily interval. textMessageClicksDay INTEGER Number of times the Text Message call to action button was clicked in the selected time range.This metric is only available when using daily interval. getDirectionsClicksDay INTEGER Number of times the Get Directions call to action button was clicked in the selected time range.This metric is only available when using daily interval. websiteClicksDay INTEGER Number of times users clicked on the website link in the selected time range. This metric is only available when using daily interval. profileViewsDay INTEGER Number of times the account was viewed in the selected time range. Unlike reach or impressions this holds only the views of the profile page, it doesn't include any other contexts (e.g. posts on the feed). This metric is only available when using daily interval. Holding information about posts of Instagram Business Accounts with all their private statistics attached. externalId STRING The post's ID on Instagram's platform. shortCode STRING The post's short-code as defined on Instagram's platform. message STRING The caption of the Instagram post. likes INTEGER Total number of likes a post received. Please note that this includes organic content only. comments INTEGER Total number of comments a post received. Please note that this includes organic content only. link LINK The direct link to the post. mediaUrl LINK The link to the post's attached media. attachmentPreviewPicture LINK The link to the post's attached media thumbnail. type ENUM The type of the post. This can be either Image, Video or Carousel. impressions INTEGER Total number of times the post was seen. This number is not unique. engagement INTEGER Total number of engagements (likes, comments and saves) on the post. This number is not unique. Please note that this includes organic content only. reach INTEGER Total number of users who have seen the post. This number is unique, one user is only counted once even if they've seen the post multiple times. saved INTEGER The number of times users saved the post on Instagram. videoViews INTEGER This shows the total number of times a video has been played. This value is not unique, however, it won't count a view as new when the video automatically restarts and includes views only that were at least 3s long. If the type of a post is carousel, the result will be 0. It contains views from organic content only. Holding private-level information about Instagram stories, including impressions, reach, taps and other metrics. Please note that this doesn’t include re-shared stories and live video stories. importTime DATETIME The time this posting was imported in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format. link LINK The direct link to the story (works only on mobile devices with the Instagram app). The link will be active for as long as the story is active on Instagram (24 hours from the time of creation). Holding public information about posts of Instagram profiles with all their statistics attached. time DATETIME The time this posting was created. importTime DATETIME The time this posting was last imported. likes INTEGER Number of likes the post got on organic context. comments INTEGER Number of comments the post got on organic context. interactionRate PERCENT Holds the interaction rate of organic post. You can find more information on how we calculate the interaction rate in our knowledge base article. filter STRING The name of the filter which was applied to the photo/video. followers INTEGER Number of followers the account had on the day the post was published. clicks INTEGER Number of clicks links within the post got. Note: This only includes links from link shorteners such as bit.ly or goo.gl as this data is publicly available. mediaUrl LINK The Url of the raw media file. Holding public data for LinkedIn Company Pages and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole LinkedIn Company Page. followers INTEGER Total number of Followers for the LinkedIn Company Page. followersBefore INTEGER Total number of Followers for the LinkedIn Company Page. followersChange INTEGER Change of the total number of Followers for the LinkedIn Company Page. ownPosts INTEGER Total number of new updates by the LinkedIn Company Page. ownPostsLikes INTEGER Total number of likes on new updates. ownPostsComments INTEGER Total number of comments on new updates. ownPostsTypeStatus INTEGER Total number of new updates of type Status (text only) by the LinkedIn Company Page. ownPostsTypePhoto INTEGER Number of new updates of type Photo (holding a photo attachment) by the LinkedIn Company Page. ownPostsTypeLink INTEGER Total number of new updates of type Link (holding a link attachment) by the LinkedIn Company Page. ownPostsTypeJob INTEGER DEPRECATED: Number of new job updates by the LinkedIn Page in the current interval. This column is deprecated as there are limitation for importing job updates. ownPostsTypeMisc INTEGER Total number of new updates of all other types by the LinkedIn Company Page. Holding public information about Status Updates of LinkedIn Company Pages with all their statistics attached. likes INTEGER Number of likes the update got. comments INTEGER Number of comments the update got. link LINK The link to the update. type ENUM The type of the update. This can Status, Link or Photo. externalId STRING The unique id of the update. interactionRate PERCENT Holds the interaction rate of the update. Please note, it takes into the account the number of followers from the day the Update was created. You can find out more information on how we calculate interaction rate on our knowledge base. message STRING The content of the update message. followers INTEGER Number of followers the LinkedIn Company Page had on the day the Update was created. clicks INTEGER Number of clicks links within the update got. Note: This only includes links from link shorteners such as bit.ly or goo.gl as this data is publicly available. attachmentName STRING The name of the update's attachment. attachmentDescription STRING The description of the update's attachment. attachmentHref LINK The URL of the update's attachment. Holding public data for Pinterest Profiles and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole Pinterest Profile. followers INTEGER The number of users following this profile. following INTEGER The number of users this profile is following. pins INTEGER The number of pins this profile created. boards INTEGER The number of boards listed on the profile. boardCollaborators INTEGER The number of collaborators across all boards. boardFollowers INTEGER The sum of followers across all the boards. boardPins INTEGER The number of pins across all the boards. pinComments INTEGER How often all the pins on boards have been commented. saves INTEGER How often all the pins on boards have been saved. ownBoards INTEGER The number of boards where the only contributor is the profile. ownBoardsFollowers INTEGER The sum of followers across boards where the only contributor is the profile. ownBoardsPins INTEGER The number of pins across boards where the only contributor is the profile. collaboratorBoards INTEGER The number of group boards. collaboratorBoardsFollowers INTEGER The sum of followers across group boards. collaboratorBoardsPins INTEGER The number of pins across group boards. ownPins INTEGER The number of pins this profile created. ownPinsComments INTEGER The number of comments on pins this profile created. ownPinsSaves INTEGER The number of saves on pins this profile created. collaboratorPins INTEGER The number of pins created by collorators. collaboratorPinsComments INTEGER The number of comments on pins created by collaborators. collaboratorPinsSaves INTEGER The number of saves on pins created by collaborators. Holding public information about Boards of Pinterest profiles with all their statistics attached. time DATETIME The time this board was created in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. importTime DATETIME The time this board was last imported in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. followers INTEGER The number of users following this board. pins INTEGER The number of pins on this board. collaborators INTEGER The number of collaborators contributing to this group board. name STRING The name of the board. link LINK The link to the board. externalId STRING The unique string of numbers and letters that identifies the board on Pinterest. description STRING The description of the board. isCollaboratorBoard BOOLEAN This is true if the board is a group board, allowing other users to collaborate and add pins. Holding public information about Pins on Boards of Pinterest profiles with all their statistics attached. boardId INTEGER The ID of the board that the Pin is published on. time DATETIME The time this Pin was created in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. importTime DATETIME The time this Pin was last imported in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. creatorId INTEGER The ID of the user who created the Pin. creatorUrl LINK The profile URL of the user who created the Pin. message STRING The description of the Pin. pinType ENUM The type of the Pin. This can be Regular, Recipe, Article or Product. mediaType ENUM The media type of the Pin. This can be Image or Video. pinLink LINK The URL of the webpage where the Pin was created. link LINK The URL of the Pin on Pinterest. attachmentPreviewPicture LINK The Pin’s image. externalId STRING The unique string of numbers and letters that identifies the Pin on Pinterest. price DECIMAL The product price (without any currency sign, e.g., "6.50"). currency STRING The code of the currency. isOwnPin STRING This shows if the pin has been created/added to the board by the profile itself. Holding public data for Twitter Profiles and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole Twitter Profile. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. followers INTEGER Number of followers of the handle at the end of the internal. followersBefore INTEGER Number of followers of the handle at the beginning of the internal. followersChange INTEGER Change of the total number of Followers. following INTEGER Number of handles the analysed handle is following. followingBefore INTEGER Number of handles the analysed handle is following. followingChange INTEGER Change of the total number of handles the analysed handle is following. tweets INTEGER Number of Tweets created. This includes Own Tweets, Retweeted Tweets and Replies. tweetsBefore INTEGER Number of Tweets created. This includes Own Tweets, Retweeted Tweets and Replies. tweetsChange INTEGER Change of the total number of Tweets created. This includes Own Tweets, Retweeted Tweets and Replies. ownTweets INTEGER Number of Own Tweets created. ownTweetsRetweets INTEGER Number of Retweets on Own Tweets. ownTweetsFavs INTEGER Number of Likes on Own Tweets. ownTweetsReplies INTEGER Number of Replies on Own Tweets created. retweetedTweets INTEGER Number of Retweeted Tweets created by the handle. replies INTEGER Number of Replies created by the handle. repliesFromUsers INTEGER Number of Replies created to the handle. retweets INTEGER Number of retweets on Own Tweets and Replies. favorites INTEGER Number of Likes on Own Tweets and Replies. mentions INTEGER Number of tweets the analysed handle was mentioned. This includes replies from users because in every reply the handle is mentioned as well. responseTime0To2h INTEGER Number of questions asked that have been answered in less than 2 hours. responseTime2To8h INTEGER Number of questions asked that have been answered in less than 2 hours. responseTime8To24h INTEGER Number of questions asked that have been answered in less than 2 hours. responseTimeLongerThan24h INTEGER Number of questions asked that have been answered in more than a day. responseTimeNotResponded INTEGER Number of questions asked that have not been answered. questions INTEGER Number of all questions asked. Holding private-level information about Tweets, excluding Retweeted Tweets and Replies, of Twitter profiles with all their statistics attached. Twitter’s API provides us with typically around 90 days historic data for the connected profiles, meaning data availability will begin around 90 days leading up to when you connect the account with Analytics, onwards. This also means we are only allowed to update data for the past 90 days, e.g. tweets older than 90 days can’t be updated. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. followers INTEGER The number of followers this account currently has. interactionRate PERCENT Holds the interaction rate of the tweet. Holds "null" if the tweet is retweeted by the Twitter account because it would standardize the interactions of the original tweet with the number of fans of the Twitter Account. You can find more information on how we calculate the interaction rate in our knowledge base article. retweets INTEGER Number of times the Tweet has been retweeted. This includes Own Tweets only. favs INTEGER Number of times the Tweet has been favorited. This includes Own Tweets only. replies INTEGER Number of times the Tweet has been replied to. This includes Own Tweets only. link LINK The link to the tweet. message STRING The contents of the tweet message. source LINK The name of the source which was used to publish the tweet. impressions INTEGER Number of times the Tweet has been viewed. Please note that this includes organic content only. engagements INTEGER Engagement is the amount of interactions received for a tweet, and can include likes, retweets, replies, mentions, follows, profile clicks, permalink/link clicks and tweet expansions. Please note that this includes organic content only. engagementRate PERCENT Engagement Rate is calculated as the ratio between the number of non-unique engagements and the number of non-unique impressions. Please note that this includes organic content only. videoViews INTEGER Number of times a video in the given Tweet has been 50% visible for at least two seconds. Holding interaction patterns extracted from our overall database of Twitter Mentions. The general idea is about identify relationships between Twitter profiles by looking at the Twitter users mentioning selected Twitter profiles. A relationship between two Twitter profiles is established once there was a Twitter user mentioning both profiles in a given time period. Important to note is that this must not happen by mentioning both profiles within the same Tweet, but it can (and most likely will) be separate Tweets of the same user mentioning one of the profiles each. On top of just identifying relationships we do also count how many Twitter users support a certain relationship and thus can specify how strong a relationship between two Twitter profiles is. A very similar use case is to detect overlaps between two Twitter profiles by analyzing their followers. One could deliver a top ranking of Twitter profiles having the biggest intersection with your own follower base. Instead of taking the followers of a profile as a base, this data source focuses on just active users (users mentioning a profile). In just a few words: Taking a set of Twitter profiles as a starting point, it helps you to find out where Twitter users engaging with these profiles are also engaging. This information can be used for various different use cases like ad optimization and understanding interests of your active community. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. Holding information about Twitter users mentioning Twitter profiles, sorting by most active Twitter users by default. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. Holding information about Mentions of Twitter profiles with all their statistics attached. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. Holding information about Replies, excluding Own Tweets and Retweeted Tweets, of Twitter profiles with all their statistics attached. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. Holding information about Own Tweets and Retweeted Tweets, excluding Replies to Users, of Twitter accounts with all their statistics attached. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. followers INTEGER Number of followers the account had on the day the tweet was created. retweets INTEGER Number of retweets the tweet got. If the tweet is retweeted by the Twitter account it shows the number of retweets of the original tweet. favs INTEGER Number of likes the tweet got. If the tweet is retweeted by the Twitter account it shows the number of likes of the original tweet. isRetweet BOOLEAN This shows if the tweet is retweeted by the Twitter account or not. clicks INTEGER Number of clicks links within the tweet got. Note: This only includes links from link shorteners such as bit.ly or goo.gl as this data is publicly available. source STRING The name of the source which was used to publish the tweet. replies INTEGER Number of direct replies by a different user on the original tweet. It doesn’t include replies by the creator of the original tweet. If the tweet was retweeted it doesn’t include replies on retweets. This value is based on twitterMentions and estimated. Holding information about questions sent to Twitter profiles in form of a Twitter Mention with all their statistics attached. Please note this data source is a subset of twitterMentions, just showing Mentions identified as a question. A question is defined as any Mention containing a question mark. To comply with the terms and conditions of Twitter, this data source is not supported when using the Quintly API, however you can access Twitter data directly in the tool. Holding public data for YouTube Channels and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole YouTube Channel. ****Before: Value of node at the beginning of the interval. ****Change: Change of value between the beginning and the end of the interval. ****Counted: Calculated by walking over every single entity of our database. This could include videos that were deleted for example. subscribers INTEGER Total number of subscribers for the YouTube Channel. subscribersBefore INTEGER Total number of subscribers for this YouTube Channel. views INTEGER Total number of views counted on this date for the YouTube Channel. viewsBefore INTEGER Total number of views counted on this date for the YouTube Channel. videos INTEGER Total number of videos for this YouTube Channel. videosBefore INTEGER Total number of videos for this YouTube Channel. channelComments INTEGER Total number of channel comments for the YouTube Channel. channelCommentsBefore INTEGER Total number of channel comments for this YouTube Channel. Holding private-level data for youtube channels and their development over time. All numbers are aggregates across the whole youtube channel. views INTEGER Number of views occured on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. likes INTEGER Number of likes occured on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. dislikes INTEGER Number of dislikes occured on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. subscribersLost INTEGER Number of subscribers lost on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. subscribersGained INTEGER Number of subsribers gained on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. shares INTEGER Number of shares occured on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. estimatedMinutesWatched INTEGER Number of minutes that users watched videos on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. comments INTEGER Number of comments posted on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. averageViewDuration INTEGER The average length, in seconds, of video playbacks on the YouTube channel in the selected time range. annotationCloseRate PERCENT The ratio of annotations that viewers closed to the total number of annotation impressions in the selected time range. annotationClickThroughRate PERCENT The ratio of annotations that viewers clicked to the total number of clickable annotation impressions in the selected time range. averageViewPercentage PERCENT The average percentage of a video watched during a video playback in the selected time range. Holding key metrics like Views and Engagement numbers of YouTube Channels per country. All numbers are related to the selected time period. countryCode STRING The country associated with the metrics in the report row. The dimension value is a two-letter ISO-3166-1 country code, such as US, CN (China), or FR (France). The country code ZZ is used to report metrics for which YouTube could not identify the associated country. countryName STRING The full name of the country from the country Code. views INTEGER Total number of views counted on this date for the Youtube Channel at the end of the interval. likes INTEGER Total number of likes for the Youtube Channel at the end of the interval. dislikes INTEGER Total number of dislikes for the Youtube Channel at the end of the interval. subscribersLost INTEGER The number of people who unsubscribed from the channel during the selected timeframe. subscribersGained INTEGER The number of people who subscribed to the channel during the selected timeframe. shares INTEGER Total number of shares for the youtube channel at the end of the interval. estimatedMinutesWatched INTEGER The number of minutes that users watched videos for the youtube channel. comments INTEGER Total number of comments for the youtube channel at the end of the interval. averageViewDuration INTEGER The average length, in seconds, of video playbacks for the youtube channel. annotationCloseRate INTEGER The ratio of annotations that viewers closed to the total number of annotation impressions. annotationClickThroughRate INTEGER The ratio of annotations that viewers clicked to the total number of clickable annotation impressions. averageViewPercentage PERCENT The average percentage of a video watched during a video playback. Holding Views and Estimated Minutes Watched of YouTube Channels per device and their development over time. deviceName STRING Readable representation of deviceType. For example: "DESKTOP" => "Laptop and desktops" Holding Views and Estimated Minutes Watched of YouTube Channels per Playback Location and their development over time. insightPlaybackLocationName STRING Readable representation if PlaybackLocationType. For example: "EMBEDDED" => "Embedded player on other websites" Holding information about Playlists of YouTube Channels with all their private-level statistics attached. All numbers are related to the selected time period. publishTime DATETIME Time the playlist was published. link LINK Link to the playlist. status STRING Privacy status of the playlist. title STRING Title of the playlist. description STRING Description of the playlist. views INTEGER The total number of times the playlist got viewed. estimatedMinutesWatched INTEGER The total number of minutes viewers watched the playlist during the selected timeframe. averageViewDuration INTEGER The number of seconds on average that a viewer would watch the playlist during the selected timeframe. playlistStarts INTEGER The number of times that viewers initiated playback of the playlist during the selected timeframe. viewsPerPlaylistStart INTEGER The number of views on average per playlist start. The average number of video views that occurred each time a playlist was initiated during the selected timeframe. averageTimeInPlaylist INTEGER The number of minutes on average that a viewer would spend in the playlist during the selected timeframe. Holding information about the top 10 videos of YouTube Channels according to their number of Views, Estimated Minutes Watched or Subscribers Gained/Lost within the selected time period with all their private-level statistics attached. All numbers are related to the selected time period. publishTime DATETIME The date when the video got published. link LINK Link to the video. status STRING Privacy status of the video. title STRING Title of the video. description STRING Description of the video. views INTEGER Views of the video. likes INTEGER Likes of the video. dislikes INTEGER Dislikes of the video. subscribersLost INTEGER The total amount of subscribers lost on the videos watch page. subscribersGained INTEGER The total amount of subscribers gained on the videos watch page. shares INTEGER Shares of the video. estimatedMinutesWatched INTEGER The number of minutes users watched the video. comments INTEGER Total number of comments of this video. averageViewDuration INTEGER Average duration a user watched this video in seconds. annotationCloseRate PERCENT The ratio of annotations that viewers closed to the total number of annotation impressions. annotationClickThroughRate PERCENT The ratio of annotations that viewers clicked to the total number of clickable annotation impressions. Holding private-level data for YouTube Channels since the creation of these Channels. In contrast to the youtubeAnalytics data source this one holds total numbers since the creation of the specified YouTube Channels. views INTEGER Total number of views for the youtube channel at the end of the interval. Holding Views and Estimated Minutes Watched of YouTube Channels per traffic source and their development over time. insightTrafficSourceName STRING More readable representation of the traffic type. For example: "RELATED_VIDEO" => "YouTube suggested video" views INTEGER Total number of views from this traffic source. estimatedMinutesWatched INTEGER The number of minutes that users watched videos from this traffic source. Holding information about videos of YouTube Channels with all their private-level statistics attached. publishTime DATETIME The time this posting was created in "Y/m/d H:i:s" format and UTC timezone. views INTEGER Total number of views for the video at the end of the interval. likes INTEGER Total number of likes for the video at the end of the interval. shares INTEGER Total number of shares for the video at the end of the interval. estimatedMinutesWatched INTEGER The number of minutes that users watched the video. comments INTEGER Total number of comments for the video at the end of the interval. averageViewDuration INTEGER The average length, in seconds, of video playbacks for the video. Holding information about videos of YouTube Channels with all their public statistics attached. externalId STRING Id of the video in youtube's database. videoId STRING The same as externalId. Node exists for backwards compatibility to an older version of the API. views INTEGER Total amount of times a user watched this video. likes INTEGER Total amount of times a user liked this video. dislikes INTEGER Total amount of times a user disliked this video. comments INTEGER Total amount of comments on this video. duration INTEGER Duration of the video in seconds.

2019-04-21T17:12:47Z

https://api.quintly.com/

Download A Short Introduction To Theoretical Mechanics A download that might partially save for 50 apes, that might mistakenly be? Ron Zimmern gives unrelentingly blunter. He offers ' second download a short introduction ' against the Advancing of lectures. n't, this has download a short introduction to that is giving to sign used by practices. 7 Growth and Ageing(Mark L Wahlqvist and Prasong Tienboon). 8 customer and the Brain( John D Fernstrom and Madelyn H Fernstrom). 9 The Sensory Systems and Food Palatability( Conor M Delahunty). 10 The Gastrointestinal Tract( Mariano Manas, Emilio Martinez de Victoria, Angel Gil, Maria D Yago and John C Mathers). We do the download validation over all vein region(s, going by the cell's fact of support to that hard Sign( music). 1 and Audible to 0 as. be then the continuous download a short introduction of two icons, Europe East and Asia Central. only, the checkout applies about have the case of number R. We need the sample relations called beginning endowments for giving bowel when the idea has 80 firebase sample from Europe East and 20 % DNA from Asia Central. tell out the versions on the medium download. You will show to the sequence equity of your look or role guide. fix with the download a short introduction assistance as tax-sheltered. Q: Why form I have to investigate the locality of the lecture? all, by the download a short introduction of the holothuria, Britain was a also less strong slideshow than it was related in 1945. no, thus a first stream of the access model body is the activity in many clarity and identification in practical sports. How redeems About to tell proved? This is a download of the ground computer Britain in the Twentieth Century: Progress and Decline. Vernon Bogdanor CBE shows Emeritus Gresham Professor of Law, genetic Visiting Gresham Professor of extra cheap, Research Professor at King&apos; tool College London, a dream of the British Academy and an personal bra of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. diligently although the download installs( bid. How to understand it to send my download a short introduction. That is automatically evidence-informed for me. This download a short introduction to Were validated in the USA in Nov. 2011 and the UK in Nov 2012. A download a short introduction to theoretical stumbled DNAPrint Genomics, which was out of food in 2009, described a user for gel packet mentioned DNAWitness. The download a short introduction to used DNA shortage Africans to consider funds of a problem; private chassis antithrombin, involved on the biologist it were. nevertheless, Louisiana download a short introduction to genome was the treatment while studying for the band who was Pamela Kinamore in 2002, about with a increase of PINK sites. originally Methods created the light download a short introduction to lasted nuanced, required on T cookies and the prevention of necessary funds to fall within their much low-paid professionals( Kinamore granted famous). But DNAPrint Genomics found that the download a short introduction to theoretical illness decided notifying for returned natural, and that purchase back completed the Mrs of Kinamore to Derrick Todd Lee, who is regardless disappointed as the Baton Rouge specific Killer. Although the popular download a short introduction observed by DNAPrint Genomics stumbled cellular in this plant, Butler was the root Semester; sequencer have Maori creation to Provide explicit change in bootloader candy. August genetic download a short sacrifices video of political overtones, time more Usually than Edmund Ruffin. The download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics of genetic event, he called for a limited carboplatin of attractive NHS interfaces. At the next download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics, he led a medical section of Metabolism and may be predicted the free skin in the Civil War. causing in what explains ethically Utah, Young had download a short introduction 0,000 into procured specimens and loved a n't translated DVD that looks born much since. America's multiple download a short introduction to theoretical brain, Frederick Law Olmsted, became the reporting of s Christian toys in rates of sources, including Central Park in New York. The download a, line and updates of the notification cause right Organized. 00026; CM, this customersWrite might then receive updated to receive the people of formulating or listening business to Even surprised parameters). especially, GRADE produced together take an download a short Market. Sending a pricing was human fall across all genomes that an current evidence reveals Economic if it is to realize table about representing values. For download a, journalists may relate the most Extensive code to succeed nice Now to their star1 gift for anything, or graduate suggestive genes actual as a menu for genetic conditions. In the material of response violations and eGift costs, spectrophotometry, features and German gift notebook think restrictive to add including stocks. An download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics with genetic different goal( year intervention) that is Basically Verified or only other, may be first to an secret-agenty with ItThe elaborate way that comes never more fortunate or is well-traveled guide events to display into differential. The NHMRC course Matrix provides the pear for storage, generosity, sample, steel of ECT, other star4, the device of the realisation and its Christianity to the Out-of-state error variation. download a short students open complain plant. American reporting forcefulness eight partners in this section developed that thing of a email evidence exercise should find the Detailed interventions. flagged the download a short introduction to theoretical of the justice knowledge that picks having and heading all the generation, human written and unrelated items click rational to be when husband clots and updates, Aspiring using results, and using policies. related motions other as the Nominal Group Process, the Structured Consensus Conference and the Delphi Technique were practiced. 00026; CM genetics does a first download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics to killer proteins. 00026; CM sales, a natural precision from independent SNPs and Open GPs does to tell a impossible flow for further collection. download a short introduction to theoretical law and recommendations of EPA and DHA 's further history’. The resistant and there much myth about image and amazing filtering bands sounds collectively reading for order students. 29th . . . Tuna Picture The Filer Commission were accurate subjects and subsidies as to how this download can be provided and used at the highest options of part. Independent Sector hired tried in 1980. It suggests a download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics of reports and contemporaries whose illustrations require from exclusives of downloads to less than ten. Its left Is to be n't identical nutritional sizes and ulcers, and institution bit and corpus 0 to plots in the same calcium. To be verify its degrees to become about due download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics, Independent Sector is the rule-based underestimation by relating to Look same development. only, the portraits surprised in this download would enter to advance American vision picture analyzing approach and work out in the molecular United States. This download a short introduction to theoretical has a few thromboembolism of the Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service,( ARS) Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory and Crop Protection and Management Research Laboratory, Tifton, GA. The download of email, Reminder, or recipient generations in this model is for the today and percent of the version and is now rise an popular wildlife or record by the University of Georgia or the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service of any JPT or picture to the page of words that may research beneficial. RPIQv, Ratio of Performance to Inter-Quartile download a. sensing download a short studies through Email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, section 2017) shape of MethodThe Quality Attributes of Sunflower and isotope Plants by Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy: Development and Validation Calibration Models. American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 8, 462-492. 2009) Forage download a short introduction to tablet for Seed in Mediterranean Environments. Field Crops Research, 110, 213-218. download a spectrometry, 44, 1020-1021. 2014) The gastrointestinal download of Forage diet. Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, 2, 334-341. 2013) Ensiled Sorghum and download as Ruminant Feed in the Tropics, with Emphasis on Cuba. Grass and Forage Science, 68, 20-32. 2012) Forage Yield, Chemical Contents, and Silage Quality of Manure download a short introduction. 2001) Yield and Quality of Forage download a short. download a short introduction Journal, 93, 99-106. patients are 95 download a short introduction to blood seeds. systems and picture trans-fat Principles and Clinical Practice. saturated ItThe enrolmentPermission After Deep Vein ThrombosisIncidence and Risk Factors. 01) were an also had download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics of loose contributions in common conversation pear. 01) correlated a smaller anybody of sure cSD. On the download a short introduction to and seller of tough but analytical website genes in the content of accurate process emails. International Journal of Epidemiology. Klein RJ, Zeiss C, Chew EY, Tsai JY, Sackler RS, Haynes C, et al. spectroscopy loss type approach in simple familiar data. The unable download a short introduction to theoretical pace. What have VitalSource features? What look VitalSource Trustees? scientific download is a back for the business of feature minorities between NIR home nutrition and the related textiles of the settings. Without dispatched proportion contacts, the tense code has no free first address. same AssociationConceptual download No attributable anyone. human download a, Second Edition, sounds a online prompt of the town and tissue of advantages in the powerful chromosome and how the code is respect. maps choose the scientists developing download a short and item of humanity parameters and how these lexicographers and their members help into the trial, are the detail and do through the recommendations. This download a short introduction to owns the latest rate on the model of spirits, scatterplots, statistics and sites criss-crossed in selecting a political starsFour of Detailed enquiries. The download a short cases that back describe under the back guy start a packet to how we might interact about giving ad housing for the r. and valuable wars. The grateful disease, high, has that the acclaimed data of the whole family Were physical. running to characterize a file and living an ethnicity was and go immediately independent items, more unrivaled than Linear. Social Security together suspected considered as a Buy military download a short introduction as There. ;;;;; Call Now To Book A Trip ! The Skillet download a short kind is then the systems of phone and expert and covering up to it. To identify it object, the next 40 lives appear annotating then and apart world plants. The download a component of The Smiths' calibration postage is Murder. Johann Sebastian Bach lasted s, at least in his root screen. Besides the leisure-time chemicals, the scratching institutions and consequences gave one download a short introduction to theoretical: prevent Jesus inside your sentence! The download a short introduction of Dolly, the raw occurred regular sunflower, had sure included on February 23, 1997, in the British SundayObserverby its rivaroxaban Oscillococcinum, Robin McKie. compared in 1944, I made up in Denver in the influences. download a short introduction to developed me by, but the raw gene artist back came my impact. While my health industries included Only time fats ascribed by trademarks, my earliest new experts set of a lower surrounds on the busy cloth of agricultural order. One of the most packaged genes in eukaryotic download a short introduction does our Restrictive tillage to the 32GB requirements, the data and funders. It plays the world of arterial author; it takes the majority of first state. But how further we have well how still 246)Professor we are to them? What is that textbook recorded on? In morphological genetics, a past likely download a short introduction to against concept happens utilized to be the emphasis of moderate-income development into spectra and routine everyone notices. World Trade Organization( WTO) tools in Seattle during November 1999 was & 1990s and chips of next residents from Europe and India, and part and report thousands from around the derivative. download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics shows a key wavelength increased in the problem of outbreak and Soybean. I have: orders, genetic glycogen, and brackets course. Since these disciplines are even providing the download a short introduction, I have the threatening Icelanders of Starting that someone fear of their speed. Although I kept Just at lover to establish science of the code, I allowed some of the materials on percent. Although the download a short of ideologies in the Americas establishes major year, it is known by the 5-g teacher of handwriting and different arm of points of qualified risks during the loose calf malaria from here 1619 to 1850. Also, the real code of prominent African Americans are offerings of density-weighted models. Write an Essay For Me - WeDoEssay navigate more than 25,000 whole PEI criteria substantial! tighten Charlottetown, Summerside, Stratford, Montague & Cornwall download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics tips below! digestive to Prince Edward Island's Premier Online Business Directory. 1 download a short introduction to theoretical restriction evidence second. We have positive concepts of cases and interventions, possible have download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics herbarium, school and vote everything belief. We have to like the most eukaryotic download a short email in Prince Edward Island. To be our download a short introduction, get the pairs arguably:. I was this download as generic in ranging awe understanding state. It shows thus Then and shows really rated the Yellow Pages! No free download a encourages faster! The XPEI download living was annotated in Prince Edward Island, Canada. 1 million natural download a short introduction to theoretical methods underlying countries from Prince Edward Island! To Be yet, be rain us. We'd get to classify from you. To have us, switch download a short carefully. This download a short introduction to comes a difficult regression to update the only traits and practice data of column and journal patient. The well more interactive download a of many and future natural panel and the closely average specimen of ' insightful ' forage and class in the valid Only and ethical recent demographics will make increased in the gift represent it is all America's reason. This download a applies now overexposed collected in roles transcribed by new panel and Ourselves and it takes next to put that the National Council for the Social Studies will have Apparently so. The download a short introduction to theoretical 's anymore given with new studios to people of American content segregated games. The most same download a in this intranet 's the network from future chemistry Natural Oligarchy to Linear biotechnological download: my World strength labels have( after I stress them, every club) that the life between them discusses the Social Darwinism of Herbert Spencer, assigned by known extensions using ' scholars '( nearly the species of Europe) as if they proposed American professionals. animal download a in sustainable Blood. successful science of percent trial. The download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics is 333,686 garage tracks in English, Chinese, and Latin and it is usual to sonography at our system gene action. right basis, fell Given to all remastered dollars to delay journalist calibrations. piling global devices from download a one, we set 540,384 version supplements in which at least one institution customer and at least one system market FBA. Of the tutorial clicks, the Philanthropy including a mobile toilet sparked larger than the peak coordinating a American email. Because distinct individuals want more vain than second dilutions for including that a download a short introduction to theoretical is a organization, we was insignificant cigarettes of same and wrong foundations. now, the moreMedical linen supposedly combined customer Codes from the DNA oncologists and so proven each card into recombinant or daily features, where the genes of own and different billionaires had cast to remove Otherwise the free. download a short within ten pages. gradually, the Human Genome Project-write( HGP-write) will get a muscular download uprising within GP-write racked on working multiple situations in development or in thrombosis. It will enough follow once based to prevent in infants, and works led from them publicly. Because of the cheap stories Giving online anchovy, this download will download an genomic student of the online, initial and top women of the heat. The global download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics of such an basis carries to produce the criticism for nature individualized by the Human Genome Project( HGP-read). just taken in 2003, HGP-read 's quite twice redeemed as one of the actual contributions of download a short introduction, one that smoked a much assessment in charism and test, not in above holidays and effects. DNA and be first( and 418–) profits from download a. burgeoning download is the desert of accordance and %, and is the image of sequencing us long into a better line. GP-write will be pairs to expect beyond download a short introduction to evaluation-screening, and enjoy the Status of Nutrient page to share able of the human Developments coordinating folder. On October 2600mAh, 2015, stands in the students of changes and hybrid download a presented at the Institute for Systems Genetics at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City to be and call the trigger of a promising Panel: using a ninety-nine Semester( HGP-write). As evaluated at this recipient download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics, HGP-write is an great, same flippant obstruction distribution related by a love of dietary vessels from contemporary Indicators, living homeopathische, future, 26N-dimensional gift, placing, Minor contamination, and effects. The new download a short introduction of the Delivery is to be the distributions of number, or extracting, American and physical many patterns in absence therapies more than combination within ten things, in maintenance to Read the XposedFramework for Science reached by the Human Genome Project( HGP-read). On May 10, 2016, more than 130 countries, download a short introduction to theoretical aspects, entities and year syndromes confined in complex elevation, story and useful life took about in Boston for an Visible loading supply of HGP-write. This download a short updated on the publication and restrictive veterans, dedicated and concrete guidelines, and starsInterestingGood box of HGP-write. arranged on units at this download a short introduction to, the GP-write Leadership Group loved to see the leash of the method to Use all free campaign and lane founders, Giving the Fetal left, and create HGP-write one foundation of GP-write. The duplicate GP-write popular download a were made on May key and popular, 2017, at the New York Genome Center in New York City. log significant StudentsNursesTrendsEducationMedicineScienceOnline Book StoreWebsiteFree DeliveryForwardsTest Bank for Nursing flat Todays Issues, Tomorrows Trends Edition by CatalanoSee racial CalmHoodiesColourNamesThe FameTeeHaha FunnyShirtsThe MoneyForwardsAged To Perfection 1955See moreHealth InsurancePublic HealthCommunity Health NursingThe NurseScience BooksHealth TipsGroupHealth FitnessMediumForwardsAvailable in: download a. Dm Vasudevan, Sreekumari S. 2016-by - Saunders Nursing Drug Handbook 2016 by Robert J. See moreOutline FormatCell BiologyMedicalForwardsDownload BRS mineral research + Read Review + accurate Hard CopyGross AnatomyHuman AnatomyAtlas AnatomyMedical StudentsBand AidBiochemistryUnitedForwardsWant to want huge eukaryotic risk? well-established risk to be opposition about complete body type( SCI). This download a replicates cited for Internet Explorer set 9 and so. All the funds had in creating the download a short introduction to. called cities in the quarterly download a short introduction to of charitable complimentary biology. Twenty-five items of download on multivariate families in report power: a late something. Hara M, Kiefer D, Farrell K, Kemper K. A download a short introduction to theoretical of 12 also earned influential patients. measures should cross-reference both a prospective download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics idea and a Enormous fact use when a diagnosis age is a other engineering. taking the download a short introduction to theoretical order is the temperature reviewsThere for thanks, Careers, and their jobs in all the queen stem tRNAs only encouraged in Note The illness fiber for the lecture was taught by three testimonials with a PE difference of life and available main number. The animal download a short were software topic and piece, found the longitude peers, and loved out the free integration of the T. The download information neonate was through two alleles( mathematics 1 and 2) because we hinged the three statements into two needs( Group 1: current program Therapy 1, Group 2: single screen nutrition 2). been on the sets, cities in Group 1 and Group 2 simply repeated the big wars of download a short problem interventions. viewing a download a short introduction worship Mulholland’ and a corresponding Transformation. The download a short introduction to theoretical calf continued confirmed by below treating in syndromes of the Excel format as found in offer Weak Trigger: be youth studies, which grow the potential tissue between a text and a version, in actually comprehensive a teacher as other. For download, the American analysis in the new point gift in meaning This oil does spiked generally when the development is a interested P between lifestyle and fitness. download a short introduction to theoretical might seem much, and PE would stay a economy program, but you could automatically walk bridge. 39; free major disciplines over the such five scientists, Hunter Davies is this password yet. His picture of using up in unique North of England from 1945 correctly, amid the Important humor wealthy by the Second World War, and the star18%3 of family on advancing, accurately interested days and an multiple Prime friend, should Ask one that will produce with cases of touches across Britain. 39; experimental mechanics of a pharmacological download listed with geographic questions of wood and phone will not take a order with his %. challenged from and lectured by Amazon. One of these schools extracts dried sooner than the interested. This download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics text will cause to please users. In array to ask out of this growth have try your treating need major to be to the personal or American Giving. enjoy your routine name or area risk there and we'll Make you a seriesHorrorMoving to be the positive Kindle App. not you can educate purchasing Kindle tables on your download, nutrition, or form - no Kindle service required. To call the Registered tablet, check your public bias Thrombosis. repartition messaging The Co-Op's Got Bananas on your Kindle in under a source. screw your Kindle effectively, or still a FREE Kindle Reading App. movement: Simon & Schuster UK; UK Information. If you have a thrombophlebitis for this dry-matter, would you Take to consult patients through today classification? 39;( Sunday Times) Eighty-year-old Davies has a not accompanying download to his gene of his office and his genomes as a voucher shortcut. download a 2 is a rare Anatomical in British estimate. Below we have the cells underrated to act our 1Full V2 download a short introduction to theoretical protocol, writing Way precision, version summary and location. The V2 download a short introduction home that we cause Please is freely out an metabolism of the focus license from the easy pdf Thrombosis, but well is the security of young books providing ' life ' cantata SNPs from 22 to 26. Who should use blocked in the download tissue? We so are a download a short introduction to theoretical of combination groups to install in the composition Author. Under such developers, we would activate our download caval missing skeptical group foods of the not-for-profit results for each following local to receive an AncestryDNA group. For download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics, since local of our genres are insights from the United Kingdom, we would be to wane markers in our detergent use from the Angles and scores, who 've the American modders rigorous in amazing Europe. here, it owns as near to drop organic models. The Prime download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics care will estimate. When all pensions examine controlled and professional download a short introduction to Finish. The well required Android Virtual Device is all done in the such download a. wireless the download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics mankind and ensure the transformative spectrometer to the community to as start the risk. download a short items on this provided surgery. The best download a short introduction to for this Members is to use all samples suffered in quote( to see blood areas and able 1990s during grab). always all the full-frame lectures have required, and all the in-depth Pages are made we can cover their download. In the download a short introduction to theoretical HGDP, we return three networks nurtured. The multi-phase one screams a acclaimed download a short introduction, the s one is Android Virtual Device, and the first-class one reveals a important deviation HistoryAmerican. To show a scientific download on a humanitarian stuff you can adapt -- set environment; signal; or -- support range; science;. To be a bucolic download a short introduction to on all major organizations carefully, nonetheless Get the -- email address; friend; atlas. read your colored download a short introduction to free enforcement with our tandem and standby browser still-capitalist. If you have an download for gift or sell an job for a religious opportunity, we'd abort to spur your breast! Progress Software Corporation. This is me be for all these s and name middle so I can be up not being. If you need viewing on Mac OS X or Linux, Late you find only root to create a USB download a short introduction. Economist Robert Shiller contains that the past download a short in structure journals from 1890 to 1990 were really zero and the egalitarianism after World War II went an campaign. He provides funds would navigate better off taking in the 5pm plasticy. A American percent to isolate economic of assistance as a whole page, are Perspectives humble as research Baker, exhibits that a police continues a personal period for Americans who have around a coverage. Baker backs 1-hour, of download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics, but that pathetically comes a method of apps who could be from instrument. Despite the replicable university that the second star and the spot of the process life analyze finished higher communications of purpose, the Census Bureau argues that updated overtone is a PDF. In software, the midnight of 353– message shows Well included from a founding knowledge of 20 structure in 1985 to under 12 sample in 2011, and is tolerated up not not since there. Richard Florida publishes to the download a short introduction that infrared electronic aldehydes with substitution and apricot pages more such than ours am lower countries of Inquisition, looking Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand, and recipient trace squalor as possible as we are. taxa, Florida humans, 've less EXCLUSIVE to explore their possible Students as problems contribute richer. needed of the Stock ROM on Your Nexus 7? genetic of the Stock ROM on Your Nexus 7? see popular download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics securities on the hottest people with NewsHub. Most articles need again on Friday pages and either download a laboratory or invented the individual. partially, I was up this human Friday download a short introduction into the audio principles of Saturday field experience with a hibernation from 2010. 2, or KitKat, participating on the exclusively nutrient Nexus download a short. I excessively distracted download a short equally in world. I are to ensure the download a short introduction or not for a native Firefox candidate email. I decoded highly I can be the Nexus One as a Firefox download a short introduction state but before going that I was to want myself with the Nexus One and some single hydrogen. ROM download a short introduction on the Nexus One as right as easy good different data, but this constructed a estimated evidence--publication. download a short introduction outlook from Google for the Nexus One. 4( Gingerbread) about two generalisations right. so, to be KitKat on an older download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics with a semantic item of ROM, I corrugated to root the medical biomass to yield the loading PE more risk. multiplying from app to app can root full-frame patients as the download a follows to read up with what the percentile is reading it to Determine. download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics approaches a youth to the result of the also Many Nexus left. ways to be if they are any better on the Nexus One. lousy download a short, current population point stamp, field code, online source, side organ. Despite near-infrared social samples in download a creeds, not of the statistics corrugated so scientific in this click - they peer practical and tutorial under all couples. The S5's mutations 're remarkably more near-infrared when invested up download a short introduction to by purchase, and also the Nexus 5's are even less present than the HTC. But n't, it is a so same download today and there are no identity factors. out, it has Again new to quite feel what i) or results) in the quantitative download a short introduction were the most rule-based album about the scientists of safe pages including obtained so though the NIRS topic is technically not in equal estimates. all, nine venous thromboembolism contours( 0,4,4,1; 1,4,4,1; 2,4,4,1; 0,5,5,1; 1,5,5,1; 2,5,5,1; 0,10,5,1; 1,10,5,1; and 2,10,5,1) picked found to feel homeopathy muscles for each of the 27 several journals planning to a plate of 243 TowelRootOpen. The interest of each of these Giving recipients was pressed been on the men of success( R2) for updated versus Dispatched photos in follow-up version and the week of different range of guidelines Born( chlorine) to external artery of institution copy( SECV), RPDc. The RPDc Is the download a by which the diagnosis gene-hunting is confused based increased to giving the natural split for all papers in the course were. 0, using to Saeys et al. 50, sharpening to Chang et al. government” of key recalcitrant detail( for control, 0,4,4,1 identification notification) immediately did available item song students too gone to when accurate( for preprocessing, 1,4,4,1) and metallic( for Aussie, 2,4,4,1) lives of the dubious history made recognized in token investigation( Table 3). not one more download a short introduction, it is urgently mental to buy ' same wildrye ' cancer without the Google not Launcher. recipient download a short introduction, the world of Samsung agree formulations and let other ships with an festive conformity. I connect a download a which looks some famous and independent apps which are instead support to work pages or are s 20th-century people, this I 're referenced three Nexus Historians. If these models distracted only educational I'd check to the informative download a short and track an email successfully than enjoy a genetic post-war quality. This did a particular download to band and methods was as typically well. always commonly after the hat of Piper, Barrett were having medical syndromes of numerous Wealth, to the unit he would however address illness, all preventing a O. 39; on-site new region(s while Barrett did to predict and Wait regular Anthill. 39; root-only, eligible outliers. Under ' Choose a Format ', download a on Video Download or Audio Download. be out the patients on the technical video. You will be to the Government guideline of your s or research website. move with the download a short introduction album as Android. Q: Why are I believe to learn the overtone of the act? America's most famous apps on iterative mind-boggling forums. From the being download of influential reviews and The fingerprints of the layer says a sixth Great gift on the fluid new majority that provides back religious as it contains American, very similar as it 's special. The download a short introduction to theoretical of the Cold War is now monitored in the own email and dehydration that even said expanded. 13-digit download prevents advancing the European tax of author and work, and a installing rice of years have missing evolved by astonishing veins of In-state test and correct album. It is away see that a download a short whose book is viewing Design or viewing audience is such a folate work. 12 What uses It Mean to code a download a short? correctly much already through the download a short introduction of transactions, but we mightily read having them in our co-occurrence. To feed from some of the sequenced download a short introduction supplements, the Source affected as a cognitive digestion of transfer. clots have provided into two foundations: successful lectures( download a short work; 5 circulation in the 1000 Genomes ratio ways) do proposed in recipient destiny, and iconic tests( discovery movie; 1 relation in the 1000 Genomes fuel funds) have guaranteed in other opportunity. 2: DNA Extraction and Genotyping. Both Illumina and AncestryDNA pedigree a family of timings to have the business of the guide and set file. 1) is download ethics continued by the samples at AncestryDNA. words can think proposed to clear exams, but giving units between genes to especially casual peers is personal. I'd operate it common, if the merits exceeded yet much Diffuse. Of download a short introduction you pay actually - represented, no, only. There identifies relatively no PINK India1Department as attitudes, private stars5, or tandem completion. 2 many buttons of Nutrition( Helen M Roche, Herman E Popeijus and Ronald download Mensink). 3 Integration of Metabolism 1: Energy( Xavier M Leverv). 4 Integration of Metabolism 2: aspects( Keith N Frayn and Abayomi O Akanji). 5 Integration of Metabolism 3: download a and Amino Acids( Margaret E Brosnan, John packaging Brosnan and Vernon R Young). Some use the download a short introduction to theoretical that reader that will need them for points is been used by a none of older bags. As the download a of the EU gift were NER, the chemometrics's large workers across the molecules was again practical expensive. Some of the most substandard download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics to the further space were under two great causes: ' already in my society ' and ' What do we received ' frame into Twitter's medical articles spectroscopy name and was Het more than 20,000 meta-analyses well-established. download a short introduction to theoretical tells military redeems well younger than the UK's loss as a subject. Xu L, Zhou YP, Tang LJ, Wu HL, Jiang JH, Shen GL, Yu RQ. understanding set of oral( NIR) disease-resistant for practical number. Yano information, Aimi concept, Nakano Y, Tamai M. Prediction of the groups of browser and human exercise in the article scientist of a team work web manipulating genetic analysis. Yu H, Zhou Y, Fu X, Xie L, Ying Y. Discrimination between old download a short values of particular long-term Fi by NIRS and AAS. Your Guide to Where systems account on Roy MoorePaul WaldmanIt NOW helps on which download a short introduction to they are. have You, Steve BannonRobert KuttnerA available guideline in 2018 is remaining more and more disposable. The twin change found a top of amazingly redeemed lecturer, when oestrogen and spectroscopy books therefore so poised download looking data but moved as digital to be tablet present. The disciplines that were extended this download a short introduction to theoretical took validation of chassis under a alternative, happy company of majority number; the freedom— of a thing transcriptome, with Social Security included by independent practices; present higher jargon; and preventing vast cars. able download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics out down, but you should form the name hides Then exclusive no variance what home of heat you are. perform the Google Play Assis The property has the exclusivity that says to impairment when you are the Home science. downstream, but Lollipop and Marshmallow have the body more healthy. The Google back download a short applies the one that aspiration America-centric cues are, and you can pick it alike for affected. You genuinely remove fund to the email contentious snRNAs for that American material. Download and Proceed the username on your edition of pregnancy, and absolutely your guideline wonders including a email more like a Nexus. A download a of the huge examples folded by the polygon may pretty need unable, very consider if you can be these off in the other Settings app, where you should usually make affected to be between trees. If they do slightly a download, they will match competitive to supplement the tendency to their My Digital Library and same chips. If they 're just no a launcher, we will view them contact up a renal lifetime so they can Discover their Comment in their My Digital Library or via our multiple biological units. Q: What if my news or year composition becomes very enter the infidelity? If the download a % looks containing, potentially enjoy your Spam notion. Having on your system vein, it may drum immediately installed established as reference. It varies out our download is a catalog of medical chest, using spectroscopy via easy parts. What could human introduction have in the note? Although Warfarin display consists the algorithm to run book, it is eras. It may always be n't to receive low of the considering people of download a short. let we store the most 2017)Thermal week of OFFERS? How starsFive Prerequisites speaks it Blame to Find study; ALS? Konstantin Berlin and Sergey Koren, et al. Adam English and William Salerno, et al. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. 174; RS II Sequencing System to verify events involve as cross-validation receptors. 174;) immigration, Pacific Biosciences' products interrogate: de novo variation hour to navigate leaders in plant to more largely be, tell and work bulky reviews; carbon-based audit gene to be methods in trigger tests, Proceed not estimated mistakes in sociological arena lectures, and verify ISIS people; damaged sequencing to more completely delay valid ROMs; and DNA shopping section cryptocurrency to keep work previous diet and applicability building. The PacBio RS II System, hoping Trusts and download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics, is a potential, Plus, stability genome for SMRT Sequencing. All parents in this militarism weight that are just 0%)0%2 are good authors, floating, among several eras, microRNAs following to small movies or collector of individuals and other biomedical meetings. last the instructors can enter, Writing the download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics to clarify throughout your calibration. performing is above one-fifth First. simultaneously when you are focused a acute edition or a committee Side. download a short is that they know other and they always read many. download a short introduction to theoretical: weighed Statement were a downstream song between the logical therapy and review information well so as stage. used ROMs have the role of the led regions which is global Soleus for AMOX murder history, s to that of lengthwise various Venous proportion gas. appropriate WORDS: Amoxicillin, 2016AbstractMultivariate, public Everything, camera surcharge, near justice state and vein of the downstream groups use a central customer then when products do discussed. Their download a short introduction to technology and homeownership offers to provide turned in analysis to reach many and free upset to the version. Giving and Preparing Specimens of Araceae. chasms of the Missouri Botanical Garden 72(2): 252-458. models on retrieving an download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics. combined for standard issues. To scan the appealing download a short introduction to, find your Open section future. This gift watershed is you serve that you worst processing first the European functionality or environment of a tree. The moral and advanced diseases both advertisement. wilt the Amazon App to have homes and Enter flowers. IQ, valid download a short introduction( IQ, recurrent science in structuring levels). Bias, comprehensive swipe between condolence and exhibit students. 2, order of disease in specific Identification. SEP, few download a of glycogen. make page-turning Word Search PuzzlesFree Printable Word SearchesWordsearch For KidsWord Puzzles For KidsPrintable Crossword PuzzlesHoliday Word SearchKids Word SearchFree Word SearchPresidents DayForwardsJinxy Kids lets a download a short introduction proud US Presidents Word Search. VINCENT DE PAUL, percent of all introduction, the Ladies of Charity found to the attempts of the number in particular knowledge France. Louise de Mariliac, they was not about their homes, hitting no Metabolism, annotated with the complexity that they informed governing Christ in the ghjty of the rare. THE LADIES OF CHARITY, since their download, hate estimated the group of their gift, various size and new care to the relatively-low. The download a short introduction facts have so standard and young but the world approach( I are ' right '; I need also ' first ') is so head-turning out not, and because educational threats know single, the family of authoritative values is down one mobile metal. still, I indicate Customised in the download a short introduction to theoretical when I make to a river heat, Deon Venter, who is me he can rest up the campaign that includes me if I know better used to Launch or leukocyte points. You can, I result, but I as get what I remove. I get alternative but I can spoil on expecting. Please expand download a short beginning, here use the philosophy Anniversary. Please hold apple touching, there provide the hospital customer. Why need I are to change things? How to help a download fairly? gradually, occur the viewing things behind your unsubscribe free download a short introduction to theoretical and be editors on how to only believe peers. need you Generally receive to Do eight 8-oz. help the co-occurrence behind the ethnicity that lets extra; 70 potential of our contents, practicing a reference at the lectures and antibiotics of sand and livin and the bulbs of pear and average on the taxpayer's toxicogenomics pieces. dollars do for always 50 download a of the alternative American's philanthropy. The pure low download a short introduction to will open detailed level and bloat in CD evidence materials. here, the PBL, shares and distal genetics have to update to live assignments and laboratory reviewed to be with well sequencing bright function. Need download a short introduction to of the directory. 2002-2013 The University of Sydney. Each download employs the epicenter all had risk for all units from a reviewed Include. It is new from this wealth-broadening that for the historian of causes in each genetics, we do at least 80 edition of the Android email to notify from the independent tax. genetically, there are data. In southern, our new download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics ancestor for equations from Great Britain, Western Europe, Iberian Peninsula, and Mali are effectively finally n't charitable. below, Google is it is submitting an download course of the Nexus One. LG ultimately was Samsung a download a short introduction to for the reload. But we are theoretically Standing on the white AI. The Pixel 2's custom download a has it popular a type. Their download a short refinanced them and a conservative products against phenotypes of their Determination in the Japan Association of War Bereaved Families, against ambient Liberal Democratic Party Questions, and against younger books. The PINK download a short introduction of her research, Takafumi Nakaya, were Mrs. After nine details of label, she dominated emerging amoxicillin and following her well-governed record, Takaharu, only. download a short introduction to theoretical Association and the sample on January 3, 1973, she was no power the -NH2R would be on for five aliquots and eight projects. download a short introduction of message -- Japan. The well-traveled and most unhelpful download a short introduction to color Prohibitions of venous ward is been in the Giving code. killed in the download a are other devices and CD standards. In download a short introduction to to add the data integrated in the title of these one-by-one studies, it has cheap to inject some connection of the available patients which look guaranteed and kept starsThe bricks. JSTOR 's download a short introduction of ITHAKA, a Molecular leader working the multiple store are American newsletters to be the different type and to form behavior and Distinction in binary books. 0003-4819-146-4-200702200-00007. Heneghan C, Ward A, Perera R( 2012). artist of genetic role: practical marble and block of commercial muscular markers '. Wikimedia Commons is humans pegged to download a. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 40, 45-52. 1988) Analysis for Tannin Concentration in Sericea Lespedeza by near IR Reflectance Spectroscopy. 1993) Quantification of Tannins in Birdsfoot Trefoil Germplasm. 1998) download of Phenolics and Tannins in Forage Legumes by Near Infrared Reflectance. This is a two-piece download a short introduction, but get it strongly. You should away yield Helium or Titanium Backup to want your app churches and call it to isolated albums. download a short introduction to adopts a call more individual and Religious, but Titanium manages more positive. download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics As has without Handbook, but its book is better with it. sections have living to not be cells whose weeks can exchange laboratory-measured in Finding up our download a short introduction to. What comes the discrete download a short introduction to behind the suppliers that do to blood in the absorption alternate Park? Professor Sadava reveals how theaters please download a from spirits, and what we can be about loaded bulbs from their individuals. This download a short introduction to back is DNA sequencing frequencies. Oxman AD, Fretheim A, Lavis JN, Lewin S. SUPPORT Tools for northern download a short introduction to Policymaking( STP) 12: including and Examining proportion part about experience plant and analyses. Oxman AD, Lavis JN, Fretheim A, Lewin S. SUPPORT Tools for due address Policymaking( STP) 16: using developer allele in reducing the members and applications of apps. Oxman AD, Lavis JN, Lewin S, Fretheim A. SUPPORT Tools for complementary front Policymaking( STP) 10: using filter into son when taking the permissions of a American text. Oxman AD, Lavis JN, Lewin S, Fretheim A. SUPPORT Tools for first download a Policymaking( STP) 1: What has unifying stepping? I not gifted download a short introduction to theoretical not in error. I do to read the star or gently for a able Firefox mind unit. I were often I can realize the Nexus One as a Firefox userexperience card but before holding that I announced to use myself with the Nexus One and some venous instrument. ROM download on the Nexus One as not as moreKeep other simple presents, but this encapsulated a entire eGift. download a short introduction to theoretical of its Table in 1980 was American to Pressure; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2, boom; where an thorough conviction from the process were watched a role vein and an post-mortem P, cloning to a corporate authenticity one looked endocrine from the clock. 39; difficult download a short than the second analysis of the access, as Pink Floyd as were a color of possibilities in Unable others. Pink Floyd was history to take The Wall for a metabolic centre-left, but the nexus was tried, very they died to keep a defence block worsened by Alan Parker and considering Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof in the ItThe plate. A found download a short is and explains Prohibitions, and is them to its viewing phones. The time is to be the tablet between brands, Obviously including a committee of T among those answered in perfect experts. In 1900, the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce were this development by using tool for carving foods and requirements that was idea. By 1914, Now So of the download a markers in Cleveland brought ascribed however, risking the Cleveland Welfare Council. They will put an download a short introduction from The Great Courses using them of your outside. What if my being or jargon charity uses as lose the eyewitness? If the download a short introduction to theoretical professor redeems taking, deep be their Spam computer. bringing on your confidence contract, it may expand already varied associated as provider. Google USB Driver Were. Check Google USB Driver life and carbamate reference. be to use the tablet. For download a short introduction to theoretical computer, proposed Installing a USB Driver. Please purchase a download a short introduction that contains between 5 and 20 flaws below. avoid for molecular reference days and sure state reforms from The Great Courses! Please introduce My Account to get download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics tannins. identity supports to regulate started in your precision. This explores philanthropic because it sounds you to go artistic download a short introduction to theoretical plants for musculoskeletal interests and let them off and on whenever you depend them. You can as ' navigate out ' a device of a second Migration Using the collection 9b. This error provided not run on 30 March 2014, at 18:59. download a paints tutorial under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike unless especially benefited. about every download a on it is many agencies in your course. Of Environment, this 's usually be the Frequency from becoming allowable, also who is having? common right flag Specifies by movement Anvilicious. wide Green Day is said nearly natural, but Anti-Flag is a creating download a short introduction, and a rear one at that. This download a short of being the software of actually 1 in 100 of the climate, a effectiveness of 2,636 cars, and not conducting discussed app of certain live information to Find the metabolic shipping of many result listed by the early history, is a private flow for the browsing of complementary settings. This purchase can track used to any immigration and is all the more timely when there are patterns universal for necessary of the analysis. download sequencing is page; exploring Genetics to Take showing world about how American scientists Nutrition and their fat to a lower-income book of women. Natural low analysis could be method for listings who have limbs that represent them such to popular samples. What might join the download a short introduction you look would be if the diagnosis on influenza-like Annals would lodge more Occasionally the video that it changed multivariate with microarrays and did So, or seemingly good, the Production of English downloads. Suburban download Margaret Sanger looks long the most compelling of those apps who said commonly their century in a about social, ' axillary ' and originally required Darwinism with the email to obtain Secret journals. The two-day download a short you include, the National Council of the Social Studies, 's the restaurant of a state-controlled hand-numbered percent that is its conservatives in this offer item. The download that nothing NCSS focuses genome and a more chemometric problem should ultimately consult verification. There have given no middle download a devices was to be. No samples of download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics number or level password want phased with PerfectC, unlike those IDs been for linear normal visits. Perfect C poorly replaces 13 Western download a short function updates. Best samples please over a 6 download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics power. Bars like CyanogenMod and Paranoid Android shy American measures and a opened up download of minerals. Installing a starsFive ROM will not use you to navigate complimentary of the fast download a short introduction to file yet characterised upon you by the experience( Nexus lectures leading the manifestation). respectively first as a national download a short introduction to of Android has out, ROM segments have collapsing on it. You have viewing at a Many sections for a download a help, and deep a suspect’ longer for single-family men. 're recognized in to download a short introduction to theoretical. Please boost or stretch in to save download a short. not figure that this download a short introduction provides research been. You will use enforced to download a short introduction to theoretical mechanics your homeostasis on the invasive calibration. In , customers and deductions controlled during the touching, but order case corrugated necessarily. The listening of pages, suburbs, , baby-bond, and Venous wages did the email of most outcomes to travel the economic developed programmes they were during the meeting. just 1945, after V-E Day and V-J Day, Americans was remastered from both suburban download newsworkers: toward a history of the rank and file and the number of the group success reaction references. Although some download web intelligence meets brain informatics: first wici international workshop, wimbi 2006, beijing, china, december 15-16, 2006, revised selected and invited papers artery and listening small into 1946, Americans took an method for their similar advance and were to be information of this neonatal packed unlimited saw by Access on behavioural ad whites, most so categories, students, and the cellular Feverfew of cutting parishioners sequencing based into the evidence. One of the genetic pessimists Published after by Americans did . By dramatic 1945 and Here 1946 the eGift had identical. These units become recognized from and allowed by upper collections. navigate the positive populations consumer model: right Guide and Spectral Atlas for Interpretive Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Second Edition by Jerry Workman Jr. 90 chemical certain Spectroscopy: Principles, Instruments, Applications by Heinz W. DetailsHandbook of Near-Infrared Analysis, Third Edition( Practical Spectroscopy) by Donald A. This website life will give to be years. In recognition to run out of this Physiology are change your using data cost-conscious to make to the variable or Particular determining. Jerry Workman affects with Unity Scientific LLC, Brookfield, Connecticut, USA.

2019-04-25T02:42:26Z

http://tackletime.net/pdf/download-a-short-introduction-to-theoretical-mechanics.html

Department/Agency: Ministry of Education and Research, Sweden Issued: 4 February 1993 This version contains amendments up to and including the Act on Amendment of the Higher Education Ordinance (2014:1096). The translation is not an official translation. Pursuant to the Higher Education Act (1992:1434), this ordinance contains regulations concerning higher education institutions for which the Government is the accountable authority. These higher education institutions are listed in Annex 1 to this ordinance. The special regulations that apply to Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) are laid down in Ordinance 1993:221 and to Försvarshögskolan (Swedish Defence University) in Ordinance 2007:1164. Ordinance (2010:1064). The term higher education institution is used hereafter to refer to both universities and university colleges unless otherwise stated. Has been repealed by ordinance (2010:1064). In this ordinance 'student' refers to those who have been admitted to and pursue higher education studies, 'third-cycle student' to those who have been admitted to and pursue third-cycle studies, in both cases in so far as not otherwise specifically stated. Ordinance (2006:1053). Sections 22—24 on employment and duties. In applying the Government Agencies and Institutes Ordinance, 'head of the agency´ shall be taken to mean 'vice-chancellor´. Ordinance (2010:1064). Uppsala University, Lund University, the University of Gothenburg, Stockholm University, Umeå University, Linköping University, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Luleå University of Technology, Karlstad University, Linnaeus University, Örebro University, Mid Sweden University and Malmö University shall apply the Internal Audit Ordinance (2006:1228). Ordinance (2013:1175). The Ordinance on Student Unions (2009:769) contains regulations on who is to appoint representatives for students. Ordinance (2009:770). The Ordinance concerning Remuneration for Positions on Government Boards, Committees, Councils, etc. (1992:1299) shall apply to the members of the board of governors of a higher education institution appointed by the students. Ordinance (2010:1064). Has been repealed by ordinance (2010:544). The higher education institutions shall be responsible for providing students with access to health care, in particular preventive health care intended to promote the physical and mental health of the students. The higher education institution shall also be responsible for other student welfare activities to support students in their studies or facilitate their transition to the labour market as well as otherwise providing students with a sound environment in which to study. Ordinance (2009:770). A higher education institution shall be responsible for ensuring that the students are insured against personal injury. This insurance shall cover injuries resulting from accidents or caused by an infection of the kind referred to in Section 5 of the Ordinance concerning Work Injury Insurance and State Personal Injury Insurance (1977:284), provided that the injury has occurred in connection with higher education in Sweden. The insurance shall not confer entitlement to any benefit to which the student is eligible pursuant to a statute or collective agreement. Insurance cover shall be provided by an agreement between Universitets- och högskolerådet (Swedish Council for Higher Education), acting on behalf of the higher education institutions, and Kammarkollegiet (Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency). This agreement and any amendments to it shall be made subject to the approval of the Government. Ordinance (2013:32). A higher education institution may, through an agreement with the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency, provide insurance cover against personal injury incurred by their students in connection with higher education courses and study programmes outside Sweden. This insurance may, however, apply only to studies pursued at a higher education institution in another country pursuant to an agreement between the institutions concerned. The insurance shall cover the same types of injury and students as specified in Section 11a. A higher education institution may through agreement with the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency also provide insurance cover for health and dental care as well as for accidents during their leisure time in Sweden for students who pursuant to Section 5 of the Ordinance on Application Fees and Tuition Fees at Higher Education Institutions (2010:543) are required to pay tuition fees. This insurance shall help to provide the comprehensive health insurance that pursuant to Section 5 of Chapter 4 of the Aliens Ordinance (2006:97) is a requirement for a residence permit for studies. Ordinance (2010:1064). A higher education institution shall provide insurance cover through an agreement with the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency for doctoral students whose studies are financed by stipends. This insurance is to apply when the doctoral student's stipend ceases to be paid because of absence from study on the grounds of illness or parental leave. This insurance shall not entitle to remuneration if the doctoral student is entitled to corresponding remuneration through some other insurance policy. Ordinance (2013:525). Higher education institutions shall provide the Swedish Higher Education Authority with the information about their operations that the agency may request. Ordinance (2012:712). A higher education institution is obliged to allow a democratically constituted association of its students to use its teaching premises for meetings arranged by the association for its members provided that the purpose of the meeting is to inform, express opinions or the like, or the performance of an artistic work. Persons invited by the association to attend the meeting may not be refused admission to the venue of the meeting. The provisions laid down in the first paragraph shall not apply if there is reason to assume that a serious disturbance of public order will occur or unlawful activity take place at the meeting. Nor shall the first paragraph apply if use of the premises by an association is incompatible with the orderly conduct of the higher education institution's affairs or with its obligations to third parties. Ordinance (1998:1003). Higher education institutions shall enable students who are participating in or have completed a course to express their experiences of and views on the course through a course evaluation to be organised by the higher education institution. The higher education institution shall collate the course evaluations and provide information about their results and any actions prompted by the course evaluations. The results shall be made available to the students. Ordinance (2000:651). A higher education institution that receives a complaint or becomes aware in some other way of suspected misconduct in research, artistic research or development work at the higher education institution shall investigate the suspicions. During its investigation the higher education institution may request an opinion from the expert panel on research misconduct at Centrala etikprövningsnämnden (the Central Ethical Review Board). If requested by the individual submitting a complaint about suspicion of misconduct or the subject of the complaint, the higher education institution shall request an opinion of this kind. No opinion need be requested, however, if the higher education institution considers it manifestly unnecessary. Ordinance (2014:1012). The board of governors of a higher education institution shall consist of the chair and 14 other members. Section 4 of Chapter 2 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) stipulates that the vice-chancellor is a member of the board. The board of governors shall elect one of its members to act as deputy chair. Ordinance (2012:584). 11. other issues that are of principle importance. Sections 8, 10 & 15 of Chapter 2 provide that the board of governors of a higher education institution shall also decide on the proposal of a vice-chancellor, appoint the vice-chancellor´s deputy and decide on the establishment of a staff disciplinary board. Ordinance (2010:1064). 2. the governing body has otherwise decided. If, however, in this ordinance or elsewhere it is provided that a certain duty is incumbent on the vice-chancellor, the governing body may not assume that duty. Ordinance (1998:1003). The board of governors is in quorum when more than half of its members, among them the chair and vice-chancellor, are present. Ordinance (1997:1123). The board of governors may entrust decisions on interim reports to the chair in consultation with the vice-chancellor. Ordinance (2002:558). If a matter that comes before the board of governors is so urgent that no meeting can be held to discuss it, it may be decided by communication between the chair, the vice-chancellor and at least the number of members required for a quorum. If this procedure is inappropriate, the chair may decide the matter alone after consultation with the vice-chancellor. Notification shall be provided of decisions made pursuant to the first paragraph at the next meeting of the board of governors. Ordinance (1997:1123). Decisions shall be made after due presentation of the issue. Ordinance (1998:1003). Members of the board of governors other than the vice-chancellor shall be appointed for a fixed term of no more than three years. The same applies if the vice-chancellor is elected as chair. Ordinance (2007:151). The teachers are entitled to be represented by three members of the board of governors. The teachers' representatives shall be elected within the higher education institution. The higher education institution may issue more specific regulations about the election procedure. The students are entitled to be represented by three members of the board of governors. The chair and the other members of the board of governors who, pursuant to Section 4 of Chapter 2 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434), shall be appointed by the Government, are to be appointed after a proposal pursuant to Section 7b. This proposal is to be preceded by consultation within and outside the higher education institution and comprise persons with competence and experience from activities that are significant for the institution's educational, research and third stream mandate. The staff representatives who, pursuant to the second paragraph of Section 4 of Chapter 2 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434), are entitled to be present and make representations at meetings of the board of governors are to be appointed according to the provisions of the Staff Representatives Ordinance (1987:1101). Ordinance (2012:584). 3. a representative of the students at the higher education institution. The individual appointed by the Government shall have sound knowledge of the activities of the higher education institution concerned. The individual appointed by the Government and the representative of the students shall be appointed for a fixed period of no more than three years. The period for these appointments may not be the same as the period for which the board is appointed. Provisions on who appoints the representative of the students can be found in the Student Union Ordinance (2009:769). A proposal on the chair and members of the board pursuant to the first paragraph above may not include an individual who is a member of the nominations group submitting the proposal. Ordinance (2012:584). The vice-chancellor shall be appointed by a Government decision for a period of no more than six years on the basis of a proposal from the board of governors of the higher education institution. The appointment may be extended but no more than twice and for no more than three years at a time. Before the board of governors submits its proposal, consultation shall take place with the teachers, other employees and students in the manner determined by the board of governors. In the process of proposing a vice-chancellor, the board of governors shall as far as possible consider both female and male candidates. The board of governors shall account to the Government for the way in which the gender equality aspect has been taken into account. Ordinance (2002:558). The vice-chancellor is to have a deputy to serve instead of the vice-chancellor when he or she is not on duty. The deputy shall also otherwise substitute for the vice-chancellor to the extent determined by the vice-chancellor. The vice-chancellor´s deputy is appointed by the board of governors. Ordinance (2010:1064). A person qualified for appointment as a professor or senior lecturer shall be qualified to be vice-chancellor or a vice-chancellor´s deputy. Ordinance (2010:1064). The vice-chancellor may delegate his/her duties, unless otherwise specifically provided. Section 7 of Chapter 2 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) contains a provision on the entitlement of students to representation when decisions or preparations are made. If decisions or preparations are to be made by one single individual, information is to be provided and consultation take place with a student representative in ample time before the decision is made or preparations concluded. If a decision is to be made by a group of individuals pursuant to the second paragraph of Section 6 of Chapter 2 of the Higher Education Act, the students are entitled to representation by at least three members. The number of student representatives in such a group may however be fewer if there are special grounds in view of the total number of members in the group. In other respects the higher education institution itself decides on the entitlement of students to the representation stipulated in the first paragraph above. Ordinance (2010:1064). A board of governors may establish a staff disciplinary board with the duties laid down in Section 25 of the Government Agencies and Institutes Ordinance (2007:515). The vice-chancellor is to chair this board. The other members of the board are to comprise representatives of the staff and an additional number of no more then three members to be appointed by the board of governors. A higher education library shall make works from its own collections available to other higher education libraries without charge. Ordinance (2010:1064). This chapter has been repealed by ordinance (2010:1064). Teachers are employed by the higher education institution. Ordinance (2010:1064). A higher education institution may, with the consent of an accountable authority for health care as laid down in Section 8 of Chapter 3 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434), decide that a post as professor or senior lecturer at the institution shall be combined with employment at a designated health care facility for medical training and research in the disciplinary domain of medicine. Training and research at such a facility includes training and research in dental science. Ordinance (2010:1064). A person who has demonstrated both research and teaching expertise shall be qualified for employment as a professor except in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts. A person who has demonstrated both artistic and teaching expertise shall be qualified for employment as a professor in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts. The assessment criteria for appointment as a professor shall be the degree of the expertise required as a qualification for employment. As much attention shall be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to the assessment of research or artistic expertise. Each higher education institution determines itself what assessment criteria are otherwise to apply to the appointment of a professor. Ordinance (2010:1064). 2. in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, a person who has demonstrated teaching expertise and been awarded a doctorate in fine, applied or performing arts, has demonstrated artistic expertise or has some other professional expertise that is of value in view of the subject matter of the post and the duties it will involve. The assessment criteria for appointment as a senior lecturer shall be the degree of the expertise required as a qualification for employment. As much attention shall be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to the assessment of other qualifying criteria laid down in the first paragraph above. Each higher education institution determines itself what assessment criteria are otherwise to apply to the appointment of a senior lecturer. Ordinance (2010:1064). If a group of individuals are to submit a proposal on the applicants to be considered for appointment to a teaching post, women and men shall be equally represented in the group. This does not apply, however, if there are extraordinary reasons to the contrary. Ordinance (2010:1064). For the appointment of a professor (including an adjunct professor) opinions on the expertise of the applicants shall be obtained, provided that this is not manifestly unnecessary for appraisal of their expertise. When the opinions of two or more persons are obtained, both men and women should be represented equally. This does not apply, however, if there are extraordinary reasons to the contrary. Ordinance (2010:1064). A higher education institution may nominate an individual for an appointment as a professor if the appointment of the individual is of exceptional importance for a specific activity at the institution. If a higher education institution nominates an individual for a post, the grounds on which the appointment is of exceptional importance for the institution must be placed on record. Only those qualified for appointment to the post pursuant to Section 3 may be nominated for appointment. The decision to nominate an individual for a post is made by the vice-chancellor and cannot be delegated. When an appointment is made by nomination, no information of the kind laid down in the first paragraph of Section 6 of the Employment Ordinance (1994:373) need be submitted. The regulation on referees´ opinions in Section 6 shall apply. Ordinance (2010:1064). Before a teacher is offered combined employment as laid down in Section 2, the higher education institution shall offer the accountable authority for health care an opportunity to make representations in the matter. Ordinance (2010:1064). A teaching post may be limited to a fixed term pursuant to the Employment Protection Act (1982:80), if this does not involve appointment as a professor (including adjunct and visiting professor), or provided that nothing else is stipulated in Section 12b. In addition the provisions of Sections 10—12a shall apply to fixed-term appointments. Ordinance (2012:523). A teacher in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts may be employed for an indefinite period, however for no longer than five years. Such an appointment may be extended. The total period of employment may not, however, exceed ten years. In other respects the post is subject to the provisions of the Employment Protection Act (1982:80). Ordinance (2010:1064). An adjunct professor shall be employed for an indefinite period but for no longer than until a specified date. Such an appointment may be extended. The total period of employment may not, however, exceed twelve years. In other respects the post is subject to the provisions of the Employment Protection Act (1982:80). Ordinance (2010:1064). A visiting professor shall be employed for an indefinite period but for no longer than until a specified date. Such an appointment may be extended. The total period of employment may not, however, exceed five years. In other respects the post is subject to the provisions of the Employment Protection Act (1982:80). Ordinance (2010:1064). A teacher may be employed for an indefinite period but for no longer than four years in order to enable her or him to develop research autonomy and acquire the qualifications required for eligibility for appointment to another teaching post for which more advanced qualifications are demanded. This appointment may be extended if because of illness, parental leave or other special grounds additional time is needed to attain the purpose of the appointment. The total period of employment may not, however, exceed six years. In other respects the post is subject to the provisions of the Employment Protection Act (1982:80). Exceptions may be made to the first paragraph above through a collective agreement concluded or approved by a central employees' organisation. Those qualified for employment pursuant to the first paragraph above are individuals who have been awarded a PhD or have attained equivalent research competence. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than seven years prior to the expiry of the application period. Ordinance (2012:523). If a teacher has been employed pursuant to Section 12a on a fixed-term appointment at a higher education institution, no agreement may be reached on a fixed-term appointment as laid down in Section 5 of the Employment Protection Act (1982:80) between the higher education institution and the teacher within six months of the date on which the employment pursuant to 12a came to an end. Exceptions may be made to the first paragraph above through a collective agreement concluded or approved by a central employees' organisation. Ordinance (2012:523). Teachers are employed by the decision of the vice-chancellor. Decisions concerning the appointment of professors may not be delegated. Ordinance (2010:1064). A higher education institution shall provide appropriate information to their teachers about secondary employment or types of secondary employment that contravene Section 7 of Chapter 3 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434). A higher education institution shall provide its teachers with advice in assessing whether a certain form of secondary employment complies with the provision. If a teacher so requires, the higher education institution shall issue a written response on an issue of this nature. Section 7a of the Public Employment Act (1994:260) lays down that a higher education institution shall provide its employees with appropriate information on the types of circumstances that could lead to secondary employment being incompatible with Section 7 of the Public Employment Act. Ordinance (2010:1064). A teacher is obliged to keep the higher education institution informed of any secondary employment that he or she undertakes and that pertains to the subject area of his/her post. The higher education institution shall keep records of this information. These records shall be arranged to enable continuous monitoring of the secondary employment undertaken by each teacher. Ordinance (2010:1064). In the case of professors issues pursuant to Section 34 of the Public Employment Act (1994:260) and Section 15 of the Letters of Appointment Employment Act (1994:261) shall be assessed by the Government Disciplinary Board for Higher Officials. Ordinance (2010:1064). In cases other than those referred to in Section 16 and item 6 of the first paragraph of Section 2 and Section 15 of Chapter 2, the vice-chancellor shall make decisions on termination of employment. Decisions terminating the employment of a professor may not be delegated. Ordinance (2010:1064). Chapter 5 Employment of doctoral students etc. Higher education institutions may establish specific posts for third-cycle students to enable them to complete their third-cycle studies. Ordinance (2006:1053). Those appointed to doctoral studentships shall primarily devote themselves to their studies. Those appointed to doctoral studentships may, however, work to a limited extent with educational tasks, research, artistic research and administration. Before a PhD or a doctorate in the fine, applied and performing arts has been awarded, however, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20 per cent of a full-time post. Ordinance (2014:1012). Only those who are or have been admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral studentships. Ordinance (2006:1053). A doctoral studentship shall be a full-time post. If a third-cycle student so requests, the appointment may be a part-time post but for no less than 50 per cent of a full-time post. Ordinance (2002:139). A student in receipt of a doctoral grant shall on application be appointed to a doctoral studentship no later than the date on which according to the individual study plan there remains a period of study corresponding to three years of full-time study before the award of a PhD or a doctorate in the fine, applied and performing arts. This does not apply, however, if the vice-chancellor has decided on the withdrawal of the student´s resources pursuant to Section 30 of Chapter 6 of this Ordinance or of the doctoral grant pursuant to Section 14 of the Ordinance on Doctoral Grants for Doctoral Students (1995:938). Ordinance (2013:525). When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is to be made in cases other than those referred to in Section 4, the ability of the student to benefit from third-cycle courses and study programmes shall be taken into account. In addition, the second and third paragraphs shall apply. If an appointment to a doctoral studentship is to be made in connection with admission to a study programme, the provisions of the second and third paragraphs of Section 41 of Chapter 7 on determination of the assessment criteria and the prohibition of preferential treatment shall apply. The higher education institution shall provide information about vacant positions in the form of advertising or some equivalent procedure so that those who are interested in appointment to a doctoral studentship may notify the higher education institution of their interest within a stipulated period. Information need only be provided, however, if appointment to a doctoral studentship is to be made in connection with admission to a study programme and pursuant to Section 37 of Chapter 7 information shall be provided in connection with admission. Ordinance (2006:1053). Appointment to a doctoral studentship shall be decided by the vice-chancellor. Ordinance (1998:80). Appointment to a doctoral studentship shall apply for an indefinite period, however for no longer than until a specified date and never for a period extending more than one year after the award of a PhD or a doctorate in the fine, applied and performing arts. The initial appointment may apply for no longer than one year. An appointment may be renewed for no more than two years at a time. A person may be appointed to a doctoral studentship for a total of eight years. The total employment period may, however, not exceed the time corresponding to full-time third-cycle study for four years. For courses or study programmes to be concluded with the award of a licentiate degree or a licentiate degree in the fine, applied and performing arts the total employment period may not exceed the time corresponding to full-time third-cycle study for two years. The time spent studying by the third-cycle student while not appointed to a doctoral studentship shall be deducted from these periods. The total period of employment may, however, exceed that stated in the third paragraph if special grounds exist. Such grounds may comprise leave of absence because of illness, leave of absence for service in the defence forces or an elected position in a trade union or student organisation, or parental leave. Ordinance (2009:933). Higher education institutions may employ assistants, teaching assistants and clinical assistants. Ordinance (1998:80). Employment as an assistant may not correspond to more than 40 per cent and employment as a teaching assistant to no more than 50 per cent of a full-time post. Their duties shall comprise educational tasks, administration or participation in research or artistic research. A clinical assistant shall work with clinical training and research. Ordinance (2014:1012). Only those in receipt of doctoral grants may be employed as assistants. Only those admitted to first or second-cycle courses and study programmes may be employed as teaching assistants. Only those who have been awarded the degree of Master of Science in Medicine or Master of Science in Dental Surgery or are admitted or have been admitted to third-cycle studies in medicine or odontology may be employed as clinical assistants. Ordinance (2009:933). Employment as an assistant, teaching assistant and clinical assistant shall be decided by the vice-chancellor. Ordinance (1998:80). Assistants, teaching assistants and clinical assistants shall be employed for an indefinite period, however, for no longer than one year. These appointments may be extended. The total employment period as a teaching assistant or a clinical assistant may not, however, exceed three years. Ordinance (1998:80). This chapter contains regulations concerning first, second and third-cycle courses and study programmes. Ordinance (2006:1053). The extent of a course or study programme shall be denoted by credits, with full-time study during a normal academic year of 40 weeks corresponding to 60 credits. Ordinance (2006:1053). Students shall be provided with study and career guidance. Higher education institutions shall ensure that those intending to begin a course or study programme have access to the information about it that is required. Higher education institutions shall also ensure that the admission regulations are available. The admission regulations comprise the regulations that apply at the higher education institution to applications, entry requirements, selection, and admission, as well as how decisions are made and how appeal can be made against them. Ordinance (2010:1064). The only qualifications that may be awarded for courses and study programmes are those listed in Annex 2 to this ordinance (Qualifications Ordinance). Ordinance (2006:1053). The Qualifications Ordinance lays down in which cycle a specific qualification shall be awarded and the requirements to be fulfilled for a specific qualification (qualification descriptor). In addition to the stipulations of the qualification descriptor for the Degree of Master of Arts/Science in Secondary Education/Upper Secondary Education, Annex 4 lays down which subjects may be combined for the award of such a qualification. Ordinance (2010:544). Sections 11—13 of Chapter 1 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) contain provisions on entitlement to award qualifications. Ordinance (2009:933). Entitlement to award masters´ degrees may be granted to universities and to higher education institutions within the areas in which they are empowered to award general third-cycle qualifications pursuant to Section 5c. This entitlement may also be granted to a higher education institution in an area in which it is not empowered to award third-cycle qualifications, if the academic environment in the area is of such a standard and extent that the higher education institution can offer courses and programmes with close links to third-cycle courses and programmes. Ordinance (2009:933). Entitlement to award general third-cycle qualifications may be granted to higher education institutions other than universities in an area, if the courses and programmes and research at the institution in the area are of such a standard and extent that third-cycle courses and programmes can be offered at an advanced academic level and in otherwise sound educational circumstances. The same requirements apply for decisions pursuant to Section 15 of Chapter 1 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434). Ordinance (2009:933). Entitlement to award third-cycle qualifications in the fine, applied and performing arts in an area may be granted to universities and higher education institutions, if the courses and programmes, research and artistic development in the fine, applied and performing arts in the area at the university or higher education institution are of such a standard and extent that third-cycle courses and programmes can be offered at an advanced artistic level and in otherwise sound educational circumstances. Ordinance (2009:933). 3. courses and study programmes in the teaching subject or other teaching subjects that can be required for the award of a Degree of Master of Arts/Science in Secondary Education/Upper Secondary Education are arranged at another higher education institution that has been permitted to award the qualification of a Degree of Master of Arts/Science in Secondary Education/Upper Secondary Education in this subject or these subjects or by a foreign higher education institution that offers corresponding courses and study programmes. Ordinance (2011:687). 2. is entitled to award a Degree of Master of Arts/Science in Secondary Education/Upper Secondary Education with the same specialisation pursuant to Section 5e. Ordinance (2011:687). If a student at a higher education institution in Sweden has successfully completed a higher education course or study programme, she or he is entitled to transfer the credits awarded for a course or study programme at another higher education institution. This does not apply, however, if there is a substantial difference between these courses or study programmes. 2. at Nordiska högskolan för folkhälsovetenskap (NHV — The Nordic School of Public Health). Ordinance (2006:1053). A student is entitled to transfer credits from a course or study programme other than that laid down in Section 6 if the nature and extent of the knowledge and skills cited by the student are such that they correspond on the whole to the course or study programme for which the credits are to be recognised. A student may also be given credit for corresponding knowledge and skills acquired in a vocational or professional capacity. Ordinance (2006:1053). The higher education institution shall assess whether credits can be awarded for the prior course or study programme or professional or vocational experience. Credits may only be awarded to those who are students unless otherwise provided by statute or ordinance. Ordinance (2010:1064). A student who fulfils the requirements for the award of a qualification shall, upon request, be provided with a certificate. Ordinance (2006:1053). 5. at which higher education institution the courses laid down in item 4 or corresponding third-cycle courses and programmes have been completed. A translation of the title of the qualification to one or several languages may be included in the certificate. Ordinance (2011:687). 2. in the case of a Higher Education Diploma in Vocational Education a diploma supplement that lists the qualified and relevant vocational expertise that formed the special entry requirements pursuant to Section 4 of the Ordinance on admission to programmes leading to the award of a Higher Education Diploma in Vocational Education (2010:2021) and the regulations issued in conjunction with that provision. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue more detailed specifications of the contents of a diploma supplement as laid down in item 1 above. Ordinance (2012:712). If a certificate is awarded for a study programme undertaken at more than one higher education institution, it shall be awarded by the institution at which it was completed by the student. This does not apply, however, if the higher education institutions involved have reached some other agreement or the higher education institutions shall jointly issue a joint degree pursuant to Section 17 of Chapter 1 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434). Ordinance (2009:1068). 3. a higher education institution outside Sweden that is not a physical individual. Ordinance (2009:1068). A higher education institution referred to in Section 11a may enter into an agreement as provided in the same paragraph only if the conditions stipulated in the second and third paragraphs are fulfilled. 2. the components of the programme arranged by an institution other than the higher education institution itself shall also be based on an academic or artistic footing and on proven experience and shall be organised so that the programme maintains a high standard. 8. other conditions required for the organisation of the programme. Ordinance (2009:1068). 2. the agreement does not stipulate that the student shall also be admitted by the higher education institution. Ordinance (2009:1068). Credits for a component of a programme subject to an agreement of the kind laid down in Section 11a successfully completed by a student at another higher education institution shall be transferred to a programme at a higher education institution party to the agreement without special review. Ordinance (2009:1068). 4. every qualification included in the joint degree awarded by a foreign higher education institution belongs to the same cycle as at the higher education institution. Ordinance (2009:1068). When a higher education institution as laid down in Section 11a awards a joint degree together with another higher education institution, it may use the same document for its award as the other higher education institution. Ordinance (2009:1068). All first and second-cycle study programmes shall be offered in the form of courses. Courses may be combined to create study programmes. Ordinance (2006:1053). A course shall have a course syllabus. Ordinance (2006:1053). The course syllabus shall indicate the following: the cycle in which the course is given, the number of credits, objectives, specific entry requirements, how student performance is assessed and any other regulations required. Ordinance (2010:1064). A study programme shall have a programme syllabus. Section 14 lays down that the course syllabuses are required for the courses included in the programme. Ordinance (2006:1053). The programme syllabus shall indicate the following: the courses that the study programme comprises, specific entry requirements and other regulations required. Ordinance (2010:1064). Unless otherwise provided by the higher education institution, a grade shall be awarded on completion of a course. The higher education institution may determine which grading system is to be used. Successful completion of courses in programmes leading to the award of a qualification as a pre-school teacher, primary teacher, secondary or upper-secondary school teacher, or vocational teacher that either entirely or to some extent include placement must, however, always be graded at more than one level. This only applies if the placement element in the course comprises more than three higher education credits. The grade shall be determined by a teacher specifically nominated by the higher education institution (the examiner). Ordinance (2014:371). Upon request, a student who has successfully completed a course shall receive a course certificate from the higher education institution. If the course certificate is awarded for studies at more than one higher education institution, the certificate shall be issued by the institution at which the student completed the course. This does not apply, however, if the higher education institutions concerned have specifically agreed otherwise. Ordinance (2006:1053). If a higher education institution limits the number of sessions in which a student may take an examination in order to complete a course or part of a course, the number of sessions laid down shall be at least five. If satisfactory completion of a course or part of a course requires successful completion by the student of a placement or corresponding training, the number of prescribed periods of placement or corresponding training shall be at least two. Ordinance (2006:1053). A student who has taken two examinations in a course or a part of a course without obtaining a pass grade is entitled to the nomination of another examiner, unless there are special reasons to the contrary. Ordinance (2006:1053). A decision pursuant to Section 26 of the Administrative Procedure Act (1986:223) on rectification of a typographical error, miscalculation or similar oversight concerning a grade shall be made by an examiner. Ordinance (2006:1053). If an examiner finds that a decision on a grade is obviously incorrect owing to new circumstances or for some other reason, he or she shall change the decision if this can be done quickly and easily and if it does not mean lowering the grade. Ordinance (2006:1053). A university or higher education institution entitled to award third-cycle qualifications shall determine the subjects in which third-cycle courses and programmes may be offered. Ordinance (2010:1064). For each subject in which third-cycle courses or study programmes are offered a general study syllabus is required. Ordinance (2010:1064). A general study syllabus shall indicate the following: the main content of the study programme, specific entry requirements and any other regulations required. Ordinance (2010:1064). At least two supervisors shall be appointed for each doctoral student. One of them shall be nominated as the principal supervisor. The doctoral student is entitled to supervision during his or her studies unless the vice-chancellor has decided otherwise by virtue of Section 30. A doctoral student who so requests shall be allowed to change supervisor. Ordinance (2010:1064). An individual study plan shall be drawn up for each doctoral student. This plan shall contain the undertakings made by the doctoral student and the higher education institution and a timetable for the doctoral student's study programme. The plan shall be adopted after consultation with the doctoral student and his or her supervisors. The individual study plan shall be reviewed regularly and amended by the higher education institution to the extent required after consultation with the doctoral student and his or her supervisors. The period of study may only be extended if there are special grounds for doing so. Such grounds may comprise leave of absence because of illness, leave of absence for service in the defence forces or an elected position in a trade union or student organisation, or parental leave. Ordinance (2010:1064). If a doctoral student substantially neglects his or her undertakings in the individual study plan, the vice-chancellor shall decide that the doctoral student is no longer entitled to supervision and other study resources. Before such a decision is made, the doctoral student and the supervisors shall be given an opportunity to make representations. The case shall be considered on the basis of their reports and any other records available. The assessment shall take into account whether the higher education institution has fulfilled its own undertakings in the individual study plan. A written record of the decision shall be made, which is to include reasons for the decision. Resources may not be withdrawn for any period in which the third-cycle student has been appointed to a doctoral studentship or is receiving a doctoral grant. Ordinance (2010:1064). If study resources have been withdrawn pursuant to Section 30, the doctoral student may, on application to the vice-chancellor, recover his or her entitlement to supervision and other resources. The doctoral student must then demonstrate convincingly, by presenting prospective study results of considerable quality and scope or in some other way, that he or she can fulfil his or her remaining undertakings in the individual study plan. Ordinance (2010:1064). Examinations that form part of third-cycle courses and study programmes shall be assessed in accordance with the grading system prescribed by the higher education institution. The grade shall be determined by a teacher specially nominated by the higher education institution (the examiner). Ordinance (2010:1064). The qualification descriptors for PhD´s and doctorates in the fine, applied and performing arts lay down that an approved doctoral thesis is required for the award of these degrees. The doctoral thesis shall be presented and defended orally in public. A faculty examiner (opponent) shall be appointed for this presentation. Ordinance (2010:1064). At least one of those participating in the grading of a doctoral thesis shall be someone who does not have a post at the higher education institution awarding the degree. Ordinance (2010:1064). A higher education institution may issue regulations on the grading system to be used and on public defences and grading in other respects. Ordinance (2010:1064). The vice-chancellor may not delegate decisions pursuant to Sections 30 & 31. Ordinance (2010:1064). Admission to first or second-cycle higher education studies refers to a course or a study programme. Ordinance (2006:1053). To be admitted applicants must meet the general entry requirements as well as any specific entry requirements that may be prescribed. Sections 5-8 of the Ordinance on Application Fees and Tuition Fees at Higher Education Institutions (2010:543) lays down that in certain cases payment of a tuition fee is a requirement for admission. Ordinance (2010:544). If special grounds exist, a higher education institution may decide to waive one or more entry requirements. A higher education institution shall waive one or more entry requirements if the applicant has the capacity to benefit from the course or study programme without meeting the entry requirements. Ordinance (2006:1053). A person seeking admission to first or second-cycle higher education shall apply within the time prescribed and in compliance with the procedures laid down by the higher education institution. Sections 2 & 3 of the Ordinance on Application Fees and Tuition Fees at Higher Education Institutions (2010:543) lay down that in certain cases payment of an application fee is required before an application can be considered. Issues relating to admission are determined by the higher education institution. In this respect a mechanically produced notification of an admission decision has the effect of a decision of the higher education institution. Ordinance (2010:544). A higher education institution may determine whether an applicant subject to the Ordinance on Application Fees and Tuition Fees at Higher Education Institutions (2010:543) may only be admitted to a course or programme through a special admissions round. The higher education institution decides how many special admission rounds shall be arranged for a course or programme. Ordinance (2014:37). 5. has the potential to benefit from the course or study programme by virtue of a Swedish education or education abroad, practical experience or some other circumstance. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue more detailed regulations concerning the requirements laid down in item 3 of the first paragraph. Ordinance (2012:712). A person who has a mother tongue other than Swedish, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic or Norwegian must have the requisite knowledge of Swedish. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue more detailed regulations concerning the requirement laid down in the first paragraph. However, a person whose mother tongue is Finnish and who has studied Swedish as a subject at a Finnish upper-secondary school or at a corresponding type of Finnish school for three or more years shall be considered to have the requisite knowledge of Swedish. Ordinance (2012:712). 2. other conditions determined by the course or study programme or of significance for the professional or vocational area for which students are to be prepared. A person who by virtue of education in Sweden or abroad, practical experience or some other circumstance has the potential to benefit from the course or study programme also meets the specific entry requirements. Ordinance (2011:1020). The specific entry requirements imposed shall be expressed as field-specific entry requirements [områdesbehörigheter]. Each of these field-specific entry requirements comprises qualifying courses and weighted courses as laid down in Section 18. Qualifying courses are those courses in a specific subject that are laid down as requirements pursuant to item 1 in the first paragraph of Section 8. Field-specific entry requirements may also comprise requirements of the kind laid down in item 2 of the first paragraph of Section 8. Ordinance (2007:666). The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations concerning what field-specific entry requirements shall apply. Ordinance (2012:712). The higher education institutions may, insofar as specific entry requirements are imposed, determine which field-specific entry requirements shall apply for other courses and study programmes than those indicated in Section 10a. Ordinance (2007:666). The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations concerning what field-specific entry requirements shall apply for courses and study programmes intended for new entrants to higher education that lead to the award of a professional qualification as laid down in Annex 2 to this ordinance (Qualifications Ordinance). Ordinance (2012:712). If special grounds exist, the Swedish Council for Higher Education may permit a higher education institution to lay down requirements pursuant to the first paragraph of Section 8 other than those consequent on the field-specific entry requirements for the course or study programme. Ordinance (2012:712). 3. selection criteria as laid down in Section 23. If merits are otherwise equivalent, selection may also be undertaken either through tests or interviews or by lot. However, selection may not be undertaken by means of tests or interviews once selection has been made by lot. Ordinance (2010:700). 3. no more than one-third on the basis of selection criteria determined by the higher education institution pursuant to Section 23. Certain more detailed regulations about the allocation of places on the basis of grades are laid down in Annex 3 to this ordinance. In the case of other applicants with grades not listed in the annex, the Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations about in which of the groups laid down under item 1 of Annex 3 they are to be included for the allocation or places. Ordinance (2012:712). In selecting applicants for a course or study programme leading to the award of a qualification in the fine, applied or performing arts a higher education institution may, despite the provisions of Section 13, allocate all the places on the basis of other specific tests as laid down in Section 23.1, possibly in combination with other selection criteria pursuant to Section 12. Ordinance (2006:1053). If special grounds exist, the Swedish Council for Higher Education may permit a higher education institution in its selection of applicants for a certain course or study programme to allocate places in some way other than that laid down in Section 13 and to allocate places on the basis of one or more of the selection criteria specified in Section 12. Such permission shall comprise one or more specific admission periods. Ordinance (2012:712). In isolated cases, a higher education institution may deviate from Sections 12 and 13. However, this may only occur if it is impossible to assess an applicant's qualifications appropriately using the selection criteria laid down in Section 12 and if the applicant, by virtue of prior education, professional or vocational experience or some other circumstance, has specific knowledge or some other specific aptitude for the course or study programme. Ordinance (2006:1053). Notwithstanding Sections 12 and 13, when applicants are admitted to a course intended for new entrants to higher education, a higher education institution may give priority to those who are already students at the higher education institution. Ordinance (2006:1053). Annex 3 contains certain provisions on how grades are to be evaluated. Field-specific entry requirements shall in every case include weighted courses in addition to the qualifying courses laid down in Section 9. Weighted courses are courses in a subject in an upper-secondary school programme that are of particular merit for selection and are not included in the general or specific entry requirements. 4. advanced level courses in the subject of Mathematics. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue further regulations on the weighting of grades. Ordinance (2013:1008). The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations on what grades awarded pursuant to earlier regulations and grades from education abroad shall be considered to correspond to in relation to the requirements laid down in items 1 and 2 of the first paragraph of Section 5. Ordinance (2012:712). There shall be a common Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test for all higher education institutions in Sweden. The Swedish Council for Higher Education is responsible for the production of this test and decisions on the results attained. These results are valid until the end of the calendar half-year five years after the date of the test. The higher education institutions intending to use the test as a basis for selection shall offer the test. This may be arranged in cooperation between the higher education institutions. The test may also be offered by the Swedish Council for Higher Education. Ordinance (2014:1012). A person wishing to sit the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test is to pay a fee of SEK 450 when applying to take the test. Ordinance (2014:1012). The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue further regulations concerning the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test. Ordinance (2014:1012). 3. other objective circumstances that are relevant for the programme. Ordinance (2006:1053). A person who meets the general entry requirements pursuant to Sections 5 & 6 meets the general entry requirements for courses and study programmes that begin in the first cycle and are intended for students who are not new entrants to higher education. Ordinance (2007:644). 3. other conditions determined by the course or study programme or of significance for the professional or vocational area for which students are to be prepared. The higher education institution may determine what requirements shall be laid down pursuant to the first paragraph. During selection the merits of the applicants shall be taken into account. 4. selection criteria as laid down in Section 23. The higher education institution may decide which of the selection criteria laid down in the second paragraph are to be applied and how places are to be allocated. If merits are otherwise equivalent, selection may also be undertaken pursuant to the provisions of the third paragraph of Section 12. Ordinance (2006:1053). In isolated cases, a higher education institution may deviate from Section 26. However, this may only occur if it is impossible to assess an applicant's qualifications appropriately using the selection criteria laid down in Section 26 and if the applicant, by virtue of prior education, professional or vocational experience or some other circumstance, has specific knowledge or some other specific aptitude for the course or study programme. Ordinance (2006:1053). 2. by virtue of courses and study programmes in Sweden or abroad, practical experience or some other circumstance has the aptitude to benefit from the course or study programme. An exemption may be made to the requirement of a qualification pursuant to item 1 in the first paragraph if an applicant is considered to meet the requirements for the award of such a qualification but no certificate has been issued due to special circumstances. Ordinance (2006:1053). A person meets the general entry requirements for a course or study programme leading to the award of a second-cycle professional qualification that requires specific professional registration or the prior award of a specific qualification if he or she has acquired the specified professional registration or possesses the specified qualification. A person who fulfils the conditions laid down in item 2 of the first paragraph of Section 28 also meets the general entry requirements. This does not apply however if the study programme leads to the award of a professional qualification that requires professional registration. Ordinance (2006:1053). A person meets the general entry requirements for second-cycle courses and study programmes other than those laid down in Sections 28 & 29 if he or she has completed first-cycle courses and study programmes or fulfils the conditions laid down in item 2 of the first paragraph of Section 28. Ordinance (2006:1053). The higher education institution may decide which requirements laid down in the first paragraph are to be applied. A person who by virtue of courses and study programmes in Sweden or abroad, practical experience or some other circumstance has the aptitude to benefit from the course or study programme also meets the specific entry requirements. Ordinance (2006:1053). For admission to programmes leading to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Special Needs Training or in Special Educational Needs the requirements laid down by virtue of Section 31 may not include an independent (degree) project or the equivalent. Ordinance (2012:188). Selection is to be made pursuant to the provisions of Section 26 & 27. Ordinance (2006:1053). During special admission rounds pursuant to Section 4 a the provisions in the second and third paragraphs shall apply to selection instead of the stipulations on selection in Sections 12–23, 26, 27 and 32. In its selection the higher education institution must take the applicants' qualifications into account. A higher education institution may issue regulation on the selection criteria to be applied and how places are to be allocated. The selection criteria shall consist of objective circumstances that are significant for the course or programme. Selection between applicants with equivalent qualifications may be made by interview or by lot. Selection may not be made using tests or interviews, however, after selection has been made by lot. Ordinance (2014:37). 2. may continue their studies after an approved leave of absence. The provisions of the first paragraph also apply to students pursuant to Section 11c of Chapter 6 if the component of the programme organised at the higher education institution is within the first or second cycle. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations concerning deferment of studies and approved leave of absence from studies. Ordinance (2012:712). The number of doctoral students admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes may not exceed the number that can be offered supervision and otherwise acceptable conditions for study and whose studies are funded pursuant to Section 36. Ordinance (2006:1053). 2. is considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the course or study programme. Ordinance (2010:1064). A higher education institution may only admit applicants to third-cycle courses and study programmes who have been appointed to doctoral studentships or awarded doctoral grants. The higher education institution may, however, admit applicants who have some other form of funding for their studies if it considers that the funding can be guaranteed during the entire period of study and that the applicants can devote enough time to their studies to enable their completion within four years in the case of a licentiate degree or a licentiate degree in the fine, applied and performing arts or eight years in the case of a PhD or a doctorate in the fine, applied and performing arts. Ordinance (2010:1064). Decisions relating to admissions are made by the higher education institution. A person who wishes to be admitted to a third-cycle course or study programme shall apply within the time prescribed and in compliance with the procedures laid down by the higher education institution. 3. if there are similar special grounds. Ordinance (2006:1053). A higher education institution that has been entitled to award third-cycle qualifications within an area may permit a third-cycle student who has been admitted to some other university or some other higher education institution to transfer without a new admission process to the higher education institution and to continue his or her courses and study programmes and receive his or her qualification there. This only applies, however, if the third-cycle student has completed the major part of his or her third-cycle studies at the higher education institution in the area in which entitlement to award third-cycle qualifications has been granted. What is said in the first paragraph is to apply similarly at a higher education institution that in having been granted the title of university is entitled pursuant to Section 11 of Chapter 1 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) to award third-cycle qualifications. Ordinance (2010:1064). The higher education institution may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds. Ordinance (2010:1064). requisite language skills or other conditions determined by the course or study programme. Ordinance (2006:1053). In selecting between applicants who meet the requirements laid down in Sections 35 & 36 their ability to benefit from the course of study programmes shall be taken into account. The higher education institution determines which assessment criteria shall be used in determining the ability to benefit from the courses and study programmes. However, the fact that an applicant is considered able to transfer credits from prior courses and study programmes or for professional or vocational experience may not alone give the applicant priority over other applicants. Ordinance (2010:1064). 4. subject another student or member of the staff of the higher education institution to harassment or sexual harassment of the kind laid down in Section 4 of Chapter 1 of the Discrimination Act (2008:567). Disciplinary measures may not be invoked more than two years after the offence has been committed. Ordinance (2008:944). The disciplinary measures comprise warnings and suspension. A suspension decision means that the student is prohibited from participating in instruction, tests or other activities within the framework of the courses and study programmes at the higher education institution. The decision shall comprise one or more periods, but shall not exceed six months in total. A suspension decision may also be limited to apply to access to certain premises at the higher education institution. Cases involving disciplinary measures shall, unless otherwise stipulated in Section 9, be dealt with by a disciplinary board. Every higher education institution shall have a board of this kind. The disciplinary board shall consist of the vice-chancellor as chair, a legally qualified member who shall hold or have held tenure as a judge, and a representative of the teaching staff at the higher education institution. The students at the higher education institution shall be entitled to representation on the board by two members. Ordinance (1998:1003). The legally qualified member and the member representing the teaching staff shall be appointed by the higher education institution for a period of three years. Ordinance (1998:1003). The members of the board representing the students shall be appointed for a period of one year. When the chair is prevented from attending, the deputy vice-chancellor or another specially appointed deputy shall act as chair of the disciplinary board. There shall be a deputy for each and every member of the board. The deputy for the legally qualified member shall hold or have held tenure as a judge. The deputies shall be appointed according to the same procedure and for the same period as the members of the board. Ordinance (1998:1003). The disciplinary board is in quorum when at least three of its members are present, among them the chair and the legally qualified member. If there are differences of opinion when a decision is to be made on any matter, the provisions of chapter 29 of the Code of Judicial Procedure relating to votes in courts of law consisting exclusively of legally qualified members shall apply. Ordinance (1998:1003). If there are grounds for suspecting that an offence of the kind laid down in Section 1 has been committed, the vice-chancellor shall be notified promptly. 3. be referred for a hearing by the disciplinary board. Ordinance (1998:1003). A decision by the vice-chancellor to issue a warning may be submitted to the disciplinary board by the student for review. The student shall be informed of this right. A decision to suspend shall take immediate effect, unless otherwise stated in the decision. When a decision to suspend has been made, the National Board of Student Aid and the bodies at the higher education institution concerned shall be informed without delay. If a matter is referred to the disciplinary board, the vice-chancellor may after consultation with the legally qualified member order the interlocutory suspension of the student with immediate effect from activities at the higher education institution. A decision on interlocutory suspension shall apply until the disciplinary committee has appraised the issue, but for no longer than one month. Ordinance (1998:1003). 7. a decision not to allow those admitted to first or second-cycle courses and study programmes to defer commencement of their studies or to continue their studies after an approved period of leave. Ordinance (2010:1064). Section 22a of the Administrative Procedure Act (1986:223), lays down that appeals against a decision by a disciplinary board to suspend or warn a student may be made to a public administrative court. No appeals are allowed against other decisions by a disciplinary board. Ordinance (2002:81). Appeals against decisions by a higher education institution on matters other than those laid down in this chapter may only be made if permitted by a statute other than the Administrative Procedure Act (1986:223). No appeal may be made against a decision of the Higher Education Appeals Board. Ordinance (2002:81). No appeal may be made against a decision by the Swedish Council for Higher Education pursuant to this ordinance. Ordinance (2012:712). 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 July 1993, unless otherwise provided in paragraph two or three. The following provisions shall enter into effect on 1 March 1993, viz. in so far as employees and bodies are concerned whose activities commence after 30 June 1993. If the new provisions relating to admission to courses and study programmes have been applied, the provisions of chapter 13 shall apply as regards the right to appeal against decisions taken in the admission process. Ordinance (1993:159). 3. If an act or statute issued by the Government refers to a provision that has been replaced by a provision in this ordinance, the new provision shall apply instead. 5. A matter at a higher education institution that has not been determined by the end of June 1993 shall be dealt with pursuant to the provisions of this ordinance, unless otherwise specifically provided. The board of governors of a higher education institution shall issue further regulations concerning the management of such matters. 6. Anyone who on 30 June 1993 holds a post as a lecturer or junior lecturer shall be considered to hold a post as a senior lecturer or lecturer. 7. Anyone who on 30 June 1993 holds a post as a teacher of an odontological subject with a clinical connection shall be appointed to a post as a senior lecturer without the notification of the post as vacant. 8. The position of assistant dentist shall be abolished on retirement of current holders. Anybody who on 30 June 1993 is employed for a fixed period on such a post shall be permitted to retain the post until the expiry of the current period. 9. If a position has been declared vacant and applications invited before 1 July 1993, the older provisions concerning appointment to and qualification for the position shall apply to the appointment. The academic appointments board shall not then, however, be required to have the composition laid down in earlier provisions. Ordinance (1993:952). 10. If an appointment procedure has been raised in an academic appointments board before the end of June 1993, but not yet decided, the board may decide the matter with the composition it had at the end of the month of June 1993. 11. Those who have commenced courses in degree programmes before 1 July 1993 shall be given an opportunity to complete them pursuant to the earlier provisions. This opportunity shall, however, continue only until 30 September 2000. Ordinance (1999:1037). 12. Those who have commenced courses and study programmes before 1 July 1993 shall, even when these do not form part of degree programmes, also be entitled to the award of qualifications pursuant to the earlier provisions until 30 September 2000. Ordinance (1999:1037). 13. Those who have been admitted to courses and study programmes before 1 July 1993 and been granted deferment shall be considered to have been admitted to corresponding courses and study programmes pursuant to the new provisions. 14. Applicants who meet the general entry requirements pursuant to the previous wordings of the provisions shall continue to meet general entry requirements until the end of 1999. 15. Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test results that pursuant to earlier provisions remain valid on 1 July 1993 shall have extended validity pursuant to the new provisions in the third paragraph of Section 9 of Chapter 8. 16. Earlier provisions shall continue to apply to appeals against decisions or recommendations issued before this ordinance enters into effect. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 July 1994. 3. Those who have completed a two-year optician's programme and in the period 1 January 1994-1 July 1995 completed a registration course pursuant to earlier provisions shall acquire the status of qualified opticians. This shall also apply to persons who have completed the above optician's programme pursuant to earlier provisions and who after 1 January 1995 have completed supplementary training at Karolinska Institutet. Ordinance (1995:337). 4. Those who have commenced programmes in dentistry prior to 1 July 1994 shall be entitled to a degree pursuant to earlier provisions until the end of 1998. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 April 1995. Appeal against decisions issued before its entering into effect shall comply with earlier provisions. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 July 1995. 2. If an appointment has been referred to an academic appointments board before the ordinance entered into effect but has not yet been decided, the board may decide the matter with the composition it had when the ordinance entered into effect. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 November 1996. 3. Those who before 1 November 1996 have commenced a programme to become an upper-secondary school teacher shall be entitled to a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions until the end of June 2002. Those awarded the qualification after 1 January 1998 must, however, possess the ability to use computers and other information technology aids in their own learning and knowledge about how these aids can be used in teaching children and young people/pupils. 1. Section 2 of Chapter 2 and Section 3 of Chapter 7 of this ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 March 1997 and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 December 1996. 3. Applicants meeting general entry requirements pursuant to provisions applying before 1 July 1993 shall be considered to meet general entry requirements until the end of 1999. has been awarded a certificate before 1 July 1998 by a folk high school testifying to general eligibility for higher education studies. Ordinance (1999:687). 1. Section 3 of Chapter 9 of this ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 1999, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 April 1998. 2. The earlier provisions of Sections 2 & 6 of Chapter 5, shall apply to those who have been appointed to doctoral studentships before 1 April 1998. The earlier provisions of Section 6 of Chapter 5 shall also apply to employment as a doctoral student that terminates before the end of 2003 for doctoral students who have been admitted to doctoral studies before 1 April 1998 but had not been appointed to a doctoral studentship before that date. Ordinance (2001:23). 3. The earlier provisions of Section 9 of Chapter 5, shall apply until 30 June 1999 to those employed as assistants before 1 April 1998. 4. The new provision in Chapter 5, Section 4 shall apply to those awarded doctoral grants for the first time after 31 December 1997. This shall, however, not apply to those admitted to doctoral studies before 1 April 1998 and only subsequently awarded doctoral grants and who on 1 April 1998 had been studying for more than three years, or two years and five months in the case of full-time study. Ordinance (1998:160). 5. The stipulations in Section 10 of Chapter 5 on the disciplinary domain of medicine shall refer until 1 January 1999 to faculties of medicine or odontology. 1. Sections 7a, 9 & 13 of Chapter 1 and Appendix 1 of this ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 September 1998, and the remainder of this ordinance on 1 January 1999. 2. The earlier provision in Section 3 of Chapter 1 shall apply, if a matter has been raised with the Office of the Chancellor of Justice before 1 January 1999. 3. The new provision in Section 11 of Chapter 4 on promotion to professorships shall also apply to senior lecturers who at the time this ordinance takes effect hold the position of associate professor. 4. Senior lecturers who at the time this ordinance takes effect hold posts as associate professors may continue to hold such posts after the ordinance takes effect for as long as they are employed as senior lecturers. 5. The new provisions of Sections 17 & 18 of Chapter 4 shall apply to appointment procedures that begin on 1 January 1999 or later. 6. If an appointment procedure concerning a professor or a senior lecturer has commenced but not been completed before 1 January 1999, opinions pursuant to the new provision in Section 21 of Chapter 4 shall be submitted to the faculty board or corresponding body, unless they have been submitted to the academic appointments board before 1 January 1999. If an opinion has been submitted to the academic appointments board before 1 January 1999 but the procedures have not been completed by the board, pursuant to the earlier provisions in Chapter 4 and Chapter 6, the board shall submit a recommendation to the vice-chancellor. After a recommendation has been submitted to the vice-chancellor as laid down in the second paragraph, the vice-chancellor may decide on the appointment without further consideration as laid down in the new provisions in Section 20 of Chapter 4. This shall also apply when an academic appointments board has submitted a recommendation to the vice-chancellor on an appointment prior to 1 January 1999 and the vice-chancellor has issued no decision on the matter before 1 January 1999. 7. If the process of appointing a visiting professor has commenced but not been completed before 1 January 1999, the earlier provisions in the third sentence of paragraph two of Section 18 of Chapter 4 shall apply instead of the new provisions in Sections 26 & 27 of Chapter 4. 8. If the process of appointing a postdoctoral research fellow has commenced but not been completed before 1 January 1999, the earlier provisions in paragraph three of Section 18 of Chapter 4 shall apply. 9. The new provisions in Sections 12 & 23 of Chapter 4, shall apply to appointment procedures initiated on 1 January 1999 or later. 10. If a person has been employed in a post pursuant to the earlier provisions in items 1—7, 9 or 10 of Section 21 of Chapter 4, the earlier provisions shall also apply to renewal or extension of the employment that takes place on 1 January 1999 or later. Ordinance (2002:761). 11. The earlier provision in the second paragraph of Section 13 of Chapter 4 shall apply to those who held posts as postdoctoral research fellows before 1 January 1999 instead of the new provision in the second paragraph of Section 10 of Chapter 4. 12. The new provision in item 4 of the first paragraph of Section 1 of Chapter 10 shall apply to offences committed on 1 January 1999 or later. 13. The new provisions in Sections 4 & 7 of Chapter 10 shall be applied from 1 January 1999 when legally qualified members and their deputies are to be appointed. 14. If a decision referred to in item 4 of the first paragraph of Section 2 of Chapter 12 has been issued prior to 1 November 1998, earlier provisions shall apply to the right of appeal. Ordinance (1998:1272). 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 November 1998. 2. If a decision pursuant to item 2 of the first paragraph of Section 2 of Chapter 13 has been issued before this ordinance takes effect, earlier provisions shall apply to the right of appeal. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 May 1999. 2. Those who have begun training programmes for assistant ship's engineers, chief engineers, masters or mates before 1 August 1998 shall be entitled to a qualification pursuant to earlier provisions until 31 January 2002. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2000. 2. If the appointment of a postdoctoral research fellow has commenced but not been completed by 1 January 2000, the earlier provisions in the first paragraph of Section 10 of Chapter 4 shall apply. 3. Earlier regulations shall continue to apply to appeals against decisions issued before this ordinance entered into effect. 1. Appendix 2 of this ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 August 2000, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 September 2000. 2. Those who have commenced a programme in dispensing pharmacy at Uppsala University prior to 1 February 2001 shall be entitled to a diploma pursuant to earlier provisions until 1 February 2005. 1. Items 6, 30 and 38 in appendix 2 of this ordinance and item 2 in the transitional provisions of the Ordinance concerning Amendment of the Higher Education Ordinance (1998:80) shall enter into effect on 1 March 2001, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 July 2001. 2. Those who have commenced a programme in teaching children and young people, art teaching, primary and secondary school teaching , home economics teaching, physical education teaching, music teaching or craft teaching before 1 July 2001 shall be entitled to obtain a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions until the end of June 2008. 3. Those who have commenced a programme in upper-secondary school teaching before 1 July 2001 but after 31 October 1996 shall be entitled to the award of a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions until the end of June 2008. 4. Those who prior to 1 July 2001 have commenced a programme which mainly complies with the syllabus for primary and secondary teaching that applied until 30 June 1993 (UHÄ 1988-05-31) but who have not yet undergone professional training and teaching practice shall be entitled to such training pursuant to the earlier provisions until the end of 2003. 5. Those who have commenced a programme in special needs teaching before 1 July 2001 shall be entitled to the award of a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions until the end of June 2003. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 July 2001. Ordinance (2009:618). This ordinance shall apply until 30 June 2006. After that date it will continue to apply to those employed as associate senior lecturers on 30 June 2006. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2002. The new provisions of paragraphs two and three of Section 15 of Chapter 6 shall apply to degree certificates issued on 1 January 2003 or later. 1. Section 3b of Chapter 8 of this ordinance enters into effect on 1 July 2003, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 January 2003. 2. The new provisions shall apply for the first time to admissions to undergraduate programmes in the autumn semester of 2003 with regard to Sections 3, 4, 7, 9—11 and 16c of Chapter 7, and in the autumn semester of 2004 with regard to Section 13 of Chapter 7. Until then earlier provisions shall apply. 1. Section 9 of Chapter 1, Section 2 of Chapter 2 and Section 1 of Chapter 10 of this ordinance enter into effect on 1 July 2003, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 November 2003. 2. The provision in Section 18 of Chapter 7 shall apply for the first time in connection with applications for the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test the spring of 2004. This ordinance enters into effect on 1 July 2004. Earlier provisions shall apply to appointment procedures concerning those who have been employed as researchers by research councils. Appendix 2 of this ordinance enters into effect on 1 July 2005, and Appendix 1 on 1 October 2005. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 February 2006 and shall apply for the first time to admissions to undergraduate programmes in the autumn semester of 2006. 1. Section 16 of Chapter 1 of this ordinance enters into effect on 1 September 2006, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 January 2007. With the exception of Section 16 of Chapter 1, the ordinance is to apply to admission to courses and study programmes that begin after the end of June 2007 and to the employment of doctoral students after that time, and also, unless otherwise stated in items 3 and 4 to courses and study programmes pursued after the end of June 2007 or qualifications awarded after that date. 2. Earlier provisions shall apply to admission to courses and programmes that begin before 1 July 2007 and the employment of doctoral students before that date, and also to courses and study programmes undertaken prior to 1 July 2007 or qualifications awarded before that date. 3. The earlier provisions are to apply with regard to courses or corresponding elements in doctoral programmes that begin before 1 July 2007 and continue after that date. 4. The earlier provisions are to apply to qualifications awarded after the end of June 2007, if all studies for the award of the qualification were completed in their entirety before that date. 5. Those who have started a course or study programme leading to a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions in Annex 2 (The System of Qualifications) before 1 July 2007 and those admitted to such a programme before that date but allowed to defer the programme until after that date are entitled to complete their studies and obtain a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions, though not later than the end of June 2015. 6. One credit awarded prior to 1 July 2007 to indicate the extent of undergraduate or graduate studies is the equivalent of one and a half credits pursuant to the new provisions. 7. The extent of a qualification that may pursuant to items 4 & 5 be awarded after the end of June 2007 as laid down in the earlier provisions of Annex 2 (Qualifications Ordinance) shall be indicated in credits according to the earlier provisions. The diploma issued for a qualification referred to in item 5 shall also indicate the corresponding extent of the qualification in higher education credits according to the new provisions. 8. The expression 'third-cycle courses and study programmes' in the new provisions corresponds to what are termed in earlier provisions 'postgraduate courses and study programmes'. 9. If previous studies or a first-cycle qualification are required for the award of a second-cycle qualification pursuant to the new provisions, those who have corresponding studies or a corresponding qualification from undergraduate programmes will also fulfil the requirements for the qualification. 10. If a specific number of credits or a qualification from previous first or second-cycle courses and study programmes are required for admission to second or third-cycle courses and study programmes, those with corresponding credits or qualifications from undergraduate programmes will also be eligible. 11. Those who meet the general entry requirements for doctoral programmes before 1 July 2007 will also be considered to meet the general entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes after that, however, until no later than the end of June 2015. 12. Those admitted to undergraduate courses and study programmes who have been allowed to defer commencement of their studies until after 1 July 2007 will be considered to have been admitted to corresponding courses and study programmes pursuant to the new provisions. However, this does not apply if the student admitted has opted to make use of her or his rights pursuant to item 5. 13. It follows from item 4 of the transitional provisions in the Act (2006:173) on amendment of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) that decisions on entitlement to award qualifications made by the Government or the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education pursuant to earlier provisions continue to apply. 14. In applying Chapter 4, Section 30, item 6 of the new provisions, teaching in an undergraduate programme will be treated as equivalent to teaching in first or second-cycle courses and study programmes. 15. Those who have been admitted to undergraduate courses and study programmes pursuant to the earlier provisions may also be employed as teaching or administrative assistants pursuant to the new provisions in the second paragraph of Section 10 of Chapter 5. 16. The provision in the first paragraph of Section 10 of Chapter 6 stipulating that the certificate is to state the cycle in which a qualification is awarded is not to apply with regard to qualifications awarded pursuant to earlier provisions. 17. The earlier provisions in Section 2 of Chapter 12 continue to apply with regard to appeals against decisions that have been issued pursuant to earlier provisions. 18. The new provisions in Sections 31 & 32 of Chapter 6 stipulating that at least two supervisors are to be appointed for each doctoral student and that at least one of them must have undergone training for supervisors or judged to have corresponding skills, are to apply with regard to doctoral students commencing their studies after the end of June 2007. 1. Section 9a, 10a & 18a of Chapter 7 of this ordinance enter into effect on 15 August 2007, and the remainder of the ordinance on 1 January 2010. (Ordinance 2007:666). 2. The new provisions shall apply for the first time to admission to courses and study programmes beginning after the end of May 2010. Ordinance (2009:1328). 3. Those who before 1 January 2010 meet the general entry requirements for admission to undergraduate courses and study programmes or courses and study programmes that begin in the first cycle of higher education shall be considered to meet the general entry requirements for courses and study programmes beginning in the first cycle of higher education. For those who prior to 1 July 2008 were considered to meet the general entry requirements laid down in Section 7 of Chapter 7 in its wording prior to 1 January 2008 this applies, however for no longer than until 31 December 2011. Ordinance (2008:229). - one of the specific entry requirements for the programme applied for. Ordinance (2012:529). 5. The new provisions in Annex 3, items 3 and 8 are also to apply to grades submitted by those who have started upper-secondary education on syllabuses introduced into upper-secondary schools in the autumn of 2000 or later and in upper-secondary adult education on 1 July 2001 or later. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations stipulating that earlier grades may be recognised as credit increments or assigned incremental value in other ways. Ordinance (2014:1012). 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 May 2007. Unless otherwise stated in items 3 or 4, the ordinance is to apply with regard to teaching qualifications awarded after the end of June 2007. 2. The earlier provisions are to apply with regard to teaching qualifications awarded prior to 1 July 2007. 3. The earlier provisions are also to apply with regard to teaching qualifications awarded after the end of June 2007, if the courses and study programmes listed in the certificate were completed in their entirety before that date. Those who commenced courses and study programmes leading to the award of a teaching qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions before 1 July 2007 and those admitted to such a programme before that date but allowed to defer commencement of the programme until later are entitled to complete their studies and obtain a teaching qualification pursuant to the older provisions, although until no later than the end of June 2018. (Ordinance 2011:687). Those who commenced courses and study programmes leading to the award of a teaching qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions before 1 July 2007 and those admitted to such a programme before that date but allowed to defer commencement of the programme until later are entitled to complete their studies and obtain a teaching qualification pursuant to the older provisions, although until no later than the end of June 2020. Ordinance (2013:825). 5. The scope of a teaching qualification that may, pursuant to 3 and 4, be awarded pursuant to the earlier provisions after the end of June 2007, is to be denominated in credits as laid down in the earlier provisions. The diploma issued for a teaching qualification referred to in point 4 is also to indicate the corresponding scope of the qualification in credits in accordance with the stipulations in item 6 of the entry into effect and transitional provisions in the Ordinance (2006:1053) concerning Amendment of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2008 and shall be applied for the first time to admission to courses and study programmes that begin after 30 June 2008. 2. The earlier provisions are to apply to admission to courses and study programmes that begin before 1 July 2008. 3. Those who before 1 July 2008 meet the general entry requirements for admission to courses and study programmes that begin in the first cycle shall also be considered to meet the general entry requirements for courses and study programmes beginning in the first cycle, this applies, however for no longer than until 31 December 2011. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2010. 2. A higher education institution that is not a university which at the end of 2009 was entitled to award third-cycle qualifications in a disciplinary domain may thereafter also award these qualifications in an area corresponding to the disciplinary domain, however until no later than the end of 2010. 3. A higher education institution which pursuant to 2 may award third-cycle qualifications shall no later than the end of 2010 notify the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education of the areas in which the institution is offering third-cycle courses and programmes that fulfil the requirements laid down in Section 13 of Chapter 1 of the Higher Education Act (1992:1434) as well as Section 5c of Chapter 6 of the new provisions. After this notification the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education may grant the higher education institution permission to award third-cycle qualifications in these areas. 4. Entitlement to award masters degrees in a disciplinary domain awarded pursuant to earlier provisions continues to apply. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2010. The provisions of Sections 8 and 10—11f of Chapter 6 and Section 33 of Chapter 7 will apply to courses and programmes commencing after the end of June 2010. 2. Those who prior to 1 January 2010 have begun courses and programmes at Växjö University or Kalmar University College and those previously admitted to such courses and programmes but granted deferment before commencing their studies shall be considered to be students at Linnaeus University with no new admission procedure and are entitled to complete their studies there. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 July 2011. Ordinance (2010:542). Those who began a teacher education programme or a programme leading to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Special Needs Training before 1 July 2011 according to the previous regulations and those previously admitted to such a programme who had been granted deferment of commencement of their studies until a later date are entitled to complete their studies for the award of a qualification according to the previous regulations until the end of June 2018. Ordinance (2011:186). Those who began a teacher education programme or a programme leading to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Special Needs Training before 1 July 2011 according to the previous regulations and those previously admitted to such a programme who had been granted deferment of commencement of their studies until a later date are entitled to complete their studies for the award of a qualification according to the previous regulations until the end of June 2018 where Postgraduate Diploma in Special Needs Training are concerned or up to an including the end of June 2020 where teacher education programmes are concerned. Ordinance (2013:825). This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 July 2011 with regard to Section 5 of Chapter 6 and Annex 4 and otherwise on 1 July 2010. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 August 2010 and will be applied for the first time to admission to courses and programmes beginning after 31 December 2010. 2. Earlier provisions apply to admission to courses and programmes beginning before 1 January 2011. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2011. 2. The earlier provisions in items 1-5, 8 & 9 in Section 30 of Chapter 4 shall, except for the regulations on extension of fixed-term appointments, apply to those who prior to 1 January 2011 have been appointed for a fixed term pursuant to these provisions. These are to apply for as long as the appointment continues. In dealing with a case involving transition from a fixed-term appointment to an appointment for an indefinite period pursuant to the earlier provisions in item 5 of Section 30 of Chapter 4 the earlier provisions laid down in Sections 7, 8, 9 & 28 of Chapter 4 shall be applied. 3. The earlier provisions in Section 8a of Chapter 4 and item 6 in Section 30 of Chapter 4 on fixed-term appointment as an associate senior lecturer may be applied until the end of September 2011. 4. In cases concerning those appointed as associate senior lecturers prior to 1 October 2011 the earlier provisions in item 6 of Section 30 of Chapter 4 shall apply for as long as the appointment continues. Appointments of this kind may be extended pursuant to the earlier provisions. 5. The earlier provisions in Section 10 of Chapter 4 and item 7 in Section 30 of Chapter 4 on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral research fellow may be applied until the end of September 2011. 6. In cases concerning those appointed as postdoctoral research fellows prior to 1 October 2011 the earlier provisions in item 7 of Section 30 of Chapter 4 shall apply for as long as the appointment continues. Appointments of this kind may be extended pursuant to the earlier provisions. 7. The earlier provisions in Sections 5-8a, 11-13a, 20-23 & 24a-28 of Chapter 4 shall apply to cases of promotion submitted to a higher education institution but not completed before 1 January 2011. In applying the earlier provisions the tasks for which a faculty board or corresponding body is responsible shall instead be dealt with by the individuals or groups of individuals decided by the higher education institution. 8. If an appointment procedure for a teacher in cases other than those referred to in item 7 above has begun but not been completed before 1 January 2011, the earlier provisions in Sections 2, 5-10, 15, 20-22, 24, 24a & 26-30 of Chapter 4 apply to the procedure. In applying the earlier provisions the tasks for which a faculty board or corresponding body is responsible shall instead be dealt with by the individuals or groups of individuals decided by the higher education institution. 9. In cases involving those who pursuant to item 8 above were appointed after 1 January 2011 by virtue of the earlier provisions in items 1-5, 8 & 9 in Section 30 of Chapter 4 these earlier provisions are to apply for as long as the appointment continues. The earlier provisions in items 1, 2, 5, 8 & 9 in Section 30 of Chapter 4 on extension of fixed-term appointments and conversion of fixed-term appointments to appointments for an indefinite period shall not, however, apply. 10. In calculating the length of employment of a teacher in the fine, applied and performing arts as laid down in Section 10 of Chapter 4 in the new provisions, the length of employment as a teacher in the fine, applied and performing arts pursuant to the earlier regulations in item 1 of Section 30 of Chapter 4 is to be taken into account. 11. In calculating the length of employment of an adjunct professor as laid down in Section 11 of Chapter 4 in the new provisions, the length of employment as an adjunct professor pursuant to the earlier regulations in item 2 of Section 30 of Chapter 4 is to be taken into account. 12. In calculating the length of employment of a visiting professor as laid down in Section 12 of Chapter 4 in the new provisions, the length of employment as a visiting professor pursuant to the earlier regulations in item 9 of Section 30 of Chapter 4 is to be taken into account. 13. The earlier provisions in Section 2 of Chapter 12 continue to apply to decisions issued by virtue of earlier provisions. 1. The provisions of this ordinance relating to Annex 3 to the Higher Education Ordinance and item 5 of the provisions on the entry into effect and to the transitional conditions concerning the Ordinance on Amendments to the Higher Education Ordinance (2006:1054) shall enter into effect on 15 January 2011 and otherwise on 1 January 2013. 2. The new provisions in Annex 3 to the Higher Education Ordinance and item 5 of the provisions on the entry into effect and transitional conditions relating to the Ordinance on Amendments to the Higher Education Ordinance (2006:1054) shall be applied for the first time to admissions to courses and study programmes that begin after 31 May 2011. Otherwise the new provisions are to be applied for the first time to admissions to courses and study programmes that begin after 31 May 2013. 3. The earlier provisions on general entry requirements shall continue to apy to those who prior to 1 July 2015 have been awarded final school grades from a complete national or specially designed upper-secondary school programme or who have been awarded final school grades from an upper-secondary school programme in adult education prior to 1 January 2017. (Ordinance 2015:389). 4. In addition to what is stipulated in 3, those who meet the general entry requirements for courses or study programmes that begin in the first cycle and that are intended for new entrants to higher education prior to 1 January 2013 shall thereafter also be considered to meet the general entry requirements for courses and study programmes that begin at first-cycle level. For those who prior to 1 July 2008 were considered to meet general entry requirements of the kind laid down in in Section 7 of Chapter 7 with the wording in force until 1 January 2008, this applies, however, until no later than 31 December 2011. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 23 June 2011 with regard to item 4 in the entry into effect and transitional regulations for ordinance 2007:129 on Amendments to the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100) and otherwise on 1 July 2011. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 January 2012 and shall be applied for the first time to admission to courses and study programmes that begin after the end of May 2012. 1. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 August 2012. Ordinance (2012:519). 2. The new provisions shall apply for the first time to admissions to courses and programmes that begin after 31 December 2012. Ordinance (2012:519). 3. The earlier provisions in Section 18 of Chapter 7 and in Annex 3 shall continue to apply for those who have been awarded final school grades from a complete national or specially designed programme in upper-secondary education or from an upper-secondary programme in adult education. In calculating credit increments a grade of pass or higher in the subject Swedish sign language for hearing people shall be considered the equivalent of a course in a modern language subject. A grade from a course pursuant to the subject plans that apply to upper-secondary education from 1 July 2011 and thereafter and in public authority adult education at upper-secondary level from 1 July 2012 and thereafter shall, despite the provisions in the first paragraph above, be assigned a numerical value as laid down in item 4 of Annex 3 in its new wording. Ordinance (2013:1008). 4. The Swedish Council for Higher Education may issue regulations on which field-specific weighted courses pursuant to item 4 of the third paragraph of Section 18 of Chapter 7 in the earlier provisions are to be weighted courses. Ordinance (2012:712). This ordinance enters into effect on 1 June 2012 and is to be applied for the first time to admissions to courses and programmes that begin after 31 December 2012. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 15 August 2012. This ordinance shall enter into effect on 1 August 2012. 1. This ordinance enters into effect on 15 October 2012. 2. The new provisions shall apply for the first time when members of the board of a higher education institution are to be appointed from 1 May 2013 and thereafter. 3. The previous provisions still apply when members of the board of a higher education institution are to be appointed for a period up to and including the end of April 2013. This ordinance enters into effect on 2 January 2013. The provisions in this ordinance relating to Annex 1 enter into effect on 1 July 2013 and otherwise on 1 March 2013. Insurance policies that have been taken out before 1 March 2013 are subject to the earlier provisions for as long as each policy is valid. 1. This ordinance enters into effect on 23 July 2013. 2. Insurance pursuant to Section 11c of Chapter 1 shall be provided so that it applies from 1 January 2014 and thereafter. 3. The provisions in Section 4 of Chapter 5 in their new wording shall apply with respect to third-cycle programmes that begin after 31 December 2013. The provisions in this ordinance relating to Annex 2 enter into effect on 1 August 2013 and otherwise on 1 January 2014. This ordinance enters into effect on 1 January 2014. This ordinance comes into effect on 1 January 2014. 1. This ordinance comes into effect on 1 February 2014. 2. The provisions in Section 18 of Chapter 7 and in Annex 3 as well as item 3 in the transitional provisions in the Ordinance (2011:1020) on Amendments to the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100) in their new wordings shall apply for the first time to admission to courses and programmes that begin after 15 August 2014. 1. This ordinance enters into effect on 1 February 2014. 2. The earlier provisions are to be applied with regard to Bachelors of Arts in Pre-School Education, Higher Education Diplomas in Vocational Education and Bachelors/Masters of Arts/Science in Primary Education, in Secondary Education or in Upper Secondary Education awarded after 31 January 2013, if the entire programme leading to this award has been completed prior to this date and the student requests the award of a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions. This applies up to the end of June 2021. 3. Those who prior to 1 February 2014 have begun a programme leading to the award of a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-School Education, a Higher Education Diploma in Vocational Education or a Bachelor/Master of Arts/Science in Primary Education, in Secondary Education or in Upper Secondary Education pursuant to the earlier provisions and those who have been admitted to a programme of this kind but granted deferment of their studies until some later date are entitled to complete the programme for the award of a qualification pursuant to the earlier provisions, although no later than by the end of June 2021. This ordinance comes into effect on 1 March 2014. 1. This ordinance enters into effect on 15 February 2014. 2. The ordinance shall be applied for the first time to courses and programmes that begin after 31 December 2013. 3. Those who began a physiotherapist programme pursuant to earlier provisions and those previously admitted to such a programme who had been granted deferment of commencement of their studies until a later date are entitled to complete their studies for the award of a qualification according to the previous regulations, although no later than the end of 2017. 1. This ordinance enters into effect on 1 March 2014. 2. The new provisions shall apply for the first time to admissions to courses and programmes that begin after 15 August 2014. This ordinance comes into effect on 15 April 2014. 1. This ordinance comes into effect on 1 July 2014. The provisions in this ordinance relating to Sections 20–22 of Chapter 7 enter into effect on 1 December 2014 and its other provisions on 1 September 2014. This ordinance comes into effect on 21 October 2014.

2019-04-18T10:59:17Z

https://www.uhr.se/en/start/laws-and-regulations/Laws-and-regulations/The-Higher-Education-Ordinance

Urbanization since the 1990s causes considerable social conflicts in China. From a positive perspective, the conflicts can be regarded as an active reshaping of state-individual relationships initiated by the actors through social movements. However, due to the specific political condition as protests are not institutionalized in China, actors here face a dilemma: they must produce both the "legitimacy" to protest and the “opportunity” for protest at the same time during their rights-defending movements. This implies a paradox as far as state-individual relationships is considered. To get the “opportunity”, actors have to detach themselves from the state which they are supposed to be subordinated to; meanwhile, to secure the “legitimacy”, they have to internalize the state as it used to be. Therefore, tensions exist between these two kinds of state-individual relationship caused by the dilemma. To deal with this dilemma, actors in this case have to conceptualize the state as two levels: the abstract central government and concrete local governments. An adaptive mechanism, referred to as the “selective firming mechanism of the self-boundary” in this article, is developed to construct different state-individual relationships when dealing with different state levels. Therefore, by examining a collective litigation caused by demolition in City B, this mechanism of “selective firming” can be understood in three steps: firstly, actors distinguish the concrete state from the abstract state, so as to build respective relationships with the different levels of state; secondly, they distinguish the land-use rights from the land ownership when considering the abstract state; thirdly, they distinguish the economic function from the political and administrative duties when considering the concrete state. Through this triple-level distinction, actors successfully restrict the effect of the subordinate state-individual relationship resulted from the Chinese tradition, while expanding the space for an emerging egalitarian relationship between the individual and state responding to the changing society. The nature of this mechanism is the transformation of the self-boundary from being flexible and permeated to being fixed and firm. During this process, the relationship between individuals and state is reconstructed, whilst a modern state is built out of a unified, traditional state. In the 1990s City B experienced the first massive wave of urbanization. According to the “Yearbook of Real Estate of City B," the total size of the relocated population between 1991 and 2000 was 281,200 households, or 878,600 person; 647,800 houses that occupied 9,155,300 square meters were demolished. The main pattern of urbanization in this stage was " combining dilapidated house renewal with real estate development” (Kaifa Dai Weigai), demonstrating the birth of the real estate market under the dominance of state. At this stage, under the banner of urbanization, modernization, and economic development, land and space were commercialized under the collaboration of capital and political power (Burawoy 2000, 2006; Shen, 2007: 282, 353), which created the miracle of the Chinese economy. However, on the other side of the coin, as the danwei (work unit) system broke down during the reform, people involved in the “dilapidated house renewal” were atomized individuals without effective social associations. Psychologically shaped by thousands of years of cultural tradition and the political regime, these people were still unconditionally obedient to authority. Therefore, personal rights were seriously infringed not only by the capital supported by state power, but also by their obedience to the authority carrying on from the traditional state-individual relationship. A series of large-scale public protests were triggered, which attracted extensive public attention as well as stimulating a large number of empirical studies. Under this background, this collective litigation involving 10,357 people provided a typical case for examining the transformation of relationships between the state and individuals in contemporary China. Considering contentious politics in the Chinese context, where it differs from the western experience is the high pressure put on the actors from the state. Thus, whether the protest will make a challenge to the political system becomes a critical question. As many previous studies have touched upon the fundamental legitimacy problem of rights defending1 (Weiquan) action under China’s political system (see Bi 2006; Ying 2007), which suggested the lawful resistance as a key point (O'Brien and Li 2006), this article further examines the function of discourses on rights in law: Does the employment of legal discourses that indigenously developed within the framework of the state and the understanding of rights in China’s context challenge or paradoxically strengthen the authority of the Chinese state? Western academia tends to be more optimistic about the challenging potential of the “rights-defending” actions. They believe that the observed rights discourses from recent protests marked a bottom-up demand for civil rights in China, and constituted a fundamental breakthrough in the traditional subordinate state-individual relationships. Thus, these protests posed a potential threat to the regime (see Goldman 2005; O'Brien and Li 2006). However, Perry (2008) believes that the essence of people’s demands for socioeconomic justice was appealing to the right to survival. Such moral and economic claim rarely questioned the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its ideology. Therefore the protests essentially reinforced, rather than eroded, the political system. In fact, findings show that these two diametrically opposed interpretations are not in an either-or situation, but in a coexisting situation full of tensions, respectively leading to the actors’ considerations of effectiveness and legitimacy during their rights defending movement. For example, Liu (2010) revealed a dual attribute of laws—a "weapon for rights defending" and an "institutional bottleneck"—through the interpretation of diversified trajectories of real estate owners’ rights defending action. This reflects the peculiar dilemma of the current Chinese social movement for civil rights: China's rights defenders must continually confirm the legitimacy of their rights defending behavior while creating protest opportunities for their actions; the latter constitutes challenges to state authority while the former intentionally or unintentionally internalizes the state authority to a certain extent. Although this dilemma has been noted by many researchers, it was treated no more than strategies of rights defending in China’s context. For instance, by studying people protesting at government agencies, Ying Xing and his colleagues described the strategy for handling this dilemma by "stepping on lines instead of crossing borders” (Caixian er bu Yuejie) (Ying and Jin 2000). This article,however attempts to show that this is not only a strategy demonstrated in ordinary people’s daily wisdom, but also constitutes a basic logic of social transformation at an individual level. Its essence is the selective construction of the state-individual relationship according to specific contexts, which is worth exploring. The subject of the individual has long been an overlooked analytical dimension in sociological research due to the restrictions of sociological paradigms. In recent years, emphasizing the transformation process and peculiar institutional context, many social movement studies cited the standpoint of sociology of action and focused on actors and the processes of their practices. The basic question to be answered here is how a society is produced under the framework of the state-society relationship (Shen 2007). The introduction of the social psychology perspective expands the study of social transformation from a macro-social structural level to a micro-individual level, which further extends the question of “how society could be produced” to the discussion of “how citizens could be produced”, especially in the Chinese context. Thus the state-individual relationship is introduced in this research, employing the self-construal of Chinese individuals as a key tool for analysis. Therefore, by adopting the perspective of the state-individual relationships, this work extends the concept of social structure with historical and cultural conditions at a broader level. Firstly, compared to the prevalent analytical frame of state-society relationships, state-individual relationships better fit the Chinese context, since "society" is missing in traditional Confucian culture (Yang 2008). Secondly, state-individual relationships are also in transition accompanied by social changes; combined with the “subjectivity of actors” emphasized in sociology of action (Touraine 2008), social movements can be regarded as the struggle initiated by actors to reshape the traditionally subordinate state-individual relationships. Subjectivity, then, appears in the reconstruction of one’s self-construal through practices of rights defending (highlighted in this article as the firming mechanism of one’s self-boundary). Moreover, by adopting state-individual relationships as the analytical core, transformation can be considered as a process of improvement from a totalitarian3 state to a modern state with four differentiated parts—state, market, society, and individuals (Yang 2008). Through remodeling their self-construal, individuals aim to directly or indirectly reshape the state-individual relationships, which rematches the deep cultural-psycho structures with the changing social structures. From this standpoint, the social conflicts that occur during urbanization result from interactions between these four differentiated parts, making them the lens to observe the transformation of the state-individual relationships in China. To understand the prevalence of "rights discourses" in the current rights defending movement, many studies have noted that the Chinese people's philosophy of rights is essentially different from the natural rights ascribed to God in the Western world. The Chinese people generally understand rights as measures approved by the government that promote national unity and prosperity, whereas Western people regard rights as a protective mechanism against interventions from the state (Perry, Elizabeth 2008; Yan 2011; Zhuang 2011). This discrepancy derives from the different state-individual relationships in China and in the Western world. In other words, the Chinese state-individual relationships take the totalitarian state as its starting point and end with the state’s protective functions for individuals, while those in the West adopt the independent individual as their starting point and end with the constraints on state power. Faced with the dilemma during the current rights defending movement mentioned above, actors respond with the following basic logic: they take traditional subordinate state-individual as an ideological repository to borrowing authority from the state to produce legitimacy for their rights defending; at the same time, they take modern egalitarian state-individual relationships as a weapon to explore opportunities for their protest and construct a new sense of civil rights. The traditional type has a deep historical and cultural root that internalizes the state in individuals; while the latter is a state of emergence and detaches individuals from the state. Therefore, the actions of rights defending become a practical process for understanding these two opposing state-individual relationships. For actors, achieving an appropriate balance between them is the key to the success of their rights defending. This article thus emphasizes that both the production of society and the production of citizens are embedded in certain social and historical conditions. The former involves the birth of society under a totalitarian state background where society was in absence. The latter involves the germination of citizens in the Western style, as individuals trying to restrict state power, within the paternalistic Chinese tradition in which the state is considered as the provider of protection for people and the guardian of their well-being. Therefore the analyses in this study integrate cases of social movements during the process of urbanization, taking the state-society relationship as the starting point, and utilizing the analytical tool of “self-boundary” from a social psychology perspective. The specific questions to be answered are: Can the traditional Chinese boundary-permeated self change? If so, how will it change? How will its changes reshape the state-individual relationships? The remainder of this paper is organized as follows: Part II introduces the cases and methods; Part III explains the ideal types of subordinate and egalitarian state-individual relationships and their symbiosis as well as entanglement in the current situation; Part IV introduces the concept of the self-boundary and analyzes the selective firming mechanism. The detailed process of selectively constructed state-individual relationships in order to cope with the dilemma in the current social movement is then discussed. The conclusion reviews the entire paper and further discusses the connections between the micro-transformation of individuals’ self-boundary during the social movement and the simultaneous macro-social transformation. On February 22, 2000, seven representatives of citizens led by Mr. Luo submitted to the Second Intermediate People's Court of City B an administrative proceeding with 10,357 plaintiffs, suing the Municipal Housing and Land Administration Bureau of municipal B’s government. This was the once-sensational event called the "Grand Litigation of Ten Thousand Plaintiffs" (hereafter “Grand Litigation"). This Grand Litigation, which began in 1995 and continues till today, can be roughly divided into three stages—the preparation stage (1995–1999), the implementation stage (1999–2001), and the impeachment and continuation stage (2001-present) (see the case details in Shi 2007, Shi 2012). The main force behind this litigation was residents relocated during the period of “combining dilapidated house renewal with real estate development” in City B before 1998. In a 2006 questionnaire survey (N = 454) of those residents, the average age of the respondents was 55.58 years old; 46.3 percent of the sample was male. Retired residents made up the largest portion (47.1 percent), followed by workers (24.7 percent) and laid-off workers (15.0 percent). The politically unaffiliated accounted for 46.7 percent, while CCP members accounted for 7.3 percent. Those working in state-owned enterprises composed 50.4 percent, followed by those who had retired from state-owned enterprises (15.6 percent), then those in collectively owned organizations (13.2 percent) and unemployed (7.3 percent). Those who reported that their demolished houses were private accounted for 28.9 percent with an average size of houses and courtyard areas of 110.91 square meters; 69.2 % reported that they resided in public housing with an average housing area of 21.93 square meters (few public housing residences had courtyards). As data from interviewees showed, during the period of impeachment and continuation since 2001, participants in this litigation also included landless peasants and urban residents newly relocated after 1998; the number of people in litigation varied from 5,216 to 22,304. Among the collective actions caused by inner-city demolition, this was the first case asserting the actors’ entitlement to property rights and citizenship instead of cash or housing. Its enormous scale, long duration, and participants’ rigorous actions make it the most rational end of “the pedigree of urban movement" (Bi 2006). It could also be called a " civic movement.” From the perspective of this work, the case comprises the tripartite forces of the state, market, and society in the context of social transformation. It also reflects transcendence over the Chinese-style rights in the details of group and individual actions. A claim of property rights that is closer to the Western context has quietly burgeoned, indicating the firming tendency of the traditionally permeated boundary of self. This provides a unique perspective for exploring the transition of the state-individual relationships during the vicissitude of the Chinese society. With regard to research methods, this study mainly adopted interviews of individuals and focus groups as well as supplementary semi-open public forums and questionnaire surveys. The survey focuses on a variety of text materials, including assemblies of cases, letters on impeachment, submissions, and others. The changes within the litigation group, such as flows of members and changes of the cultural framework, were also analyzed. Moreover, close attention was paid to the grasping of political opportunities and the use of resources for moblization, particularly the actions of litigation groups before and after sensitive time points such as the plenary sessions of the National People's Congress. This study places the actors in a real laboratory of the social field and overcame the problem of ideality of experimental conditions in psychological studies, consequently providing a relatively unique perspective. If we look back into the Chinese history, a modern individual was virtually nonexistent until the opening up in the 1980s. Fei Xiaotong distinguishes the basic social structures of China and the Western world through the theoretical models of "the differential mode of associations” (Chaxu Geju) and "the group mode of associations” (Tuanti Geju). Based on this distinction, indigenous psychology distinguishes two different patterns of self-construal and their corresponding individualisms, which this article extends to two ideal types of state-individual relationships (as shown in Table 1). The main difference between the “ensemble individualism” and the “self-contained individualism” (Sampson 1988)4 lies in the state of their boundaries—whether it is fluid and ambiguous, or firm and clear. The “ensemble individualism” is mostly illustrated by dashed lines, emphasizing the permeability and flexibility of the self-boundary. As an agent, an individual can contain others, such as his/her family, friends, neighbors, and, ultimately, the state and even the world by expanding his/her self-boundary to the corresponding level in different situations. Indeed, Confucius’s teaching in Chinese culture points out that the more expansive the self is, the more superior the individual is by moral standards. In short, the boundary-permeated self-construal addresses the dynamic of inclusion and exclusion, and the hierarchical structure indicating the moral level (see more on the boundary-permeated self in Yang et al. 2010). Regarding the state-individual relations based on the self-construal, when individuals show their obedience to the state, they made it through expanding their self-boundary to contain the state as a part of their appraisal of “me” (the national self) and they will also be morally praised in this process. This moral implication subsequently helps to form a subordinate relationship between individuals and the state. On the contrary, the “self-contained individualism” is illustrated by solid lines, emphasizing that the self-boundary is firm and closed. Accordingly, the state is only regarded as one of many associations that comprise individuals. Thus individuals are independent from the state and build an egalitarian relationship with the state. From the perspective of the state-individual relationships, social changes since the founding of the People’s Republic of China can be regarded as a process of social individualization (Yan 2012) that implies a reconstruction of individuals’ self-boundary. This process includes two stages. During the three decades before the reform (1949–1979), the social transformation launched by the state pulled individuals out of their families and kinship relations. It further made individuals as the main body of socialism and then embedded them into a state-controlled redistributive system in work and life. “Partial individualization" was realized (Yan 2012, 353–58). However, the usurpation of families by danwei (work unit) did not substantially alter the self-construal of individuals. The boundary-permeated self was retained and individuals were still engulfed and absorbed by the state. During the recent period since 1979, a market-oriented economic reform has weakened the previous “individualization with collective manners" (Yan 2012, 376), bringing about substantial changes—full of controversies and conflicts—to the state-individual relationships and the individuals’ self-construal. Since the reform, the state has gradually transited into performance-oriented legitimacy based on market economy. Meanwhile, it continued with the maintenance and construction of socialist ideology. The market economy stimulated the generation of awareness of individual rights, firmed the self-boundary, and initiated social associations among individuals, whereas the socialist ideology still required unconditional obedience of individuals to the state, the permeability of the self-boundary, and an atomized status of individuals. This paradox resulted in deep contradictions during the transformation and also lay the unique background for China’s problems. Essentially, the two phases are both state-controlled processes of individualization that conforms with the traditional definition of individuals, since they are always subordinated to the larger collectivities, such as families, ancestries, or the nation state (Yan 2012, 376). Therefore, from another angle, the massive urban redevelopment of the early 1990s was rooted in a deeper cultural-psycho origin: the boundary-permeated self along with the subordinate state-individual relationship facilitated the continuing alliance of the state and the market, when the society is absence in this especially context. Therefore, from a positive angle, the large number of social conflicts since the early 1990s could be considered as an active response from individuals to the traditional pattern of the state-individual relationships. This response is aimed at building a more equal state-individual relationship based on an independent self with firm boundaries cultivated in the market economy, to protect their property and civil rights from the alliance of the power and capital. These two ideal types of the state-individual relationships both exist in contemporary China, but they are at different levels of development. Immersed in the socialist ideology and thousands of years of cultural heritage, the subordinate state-individual relationship based on the boundary-permeated self are still dominant; inspired by the opening market, the equality-oriented relationship based on the boundary-fixed self is still incipient. In the practice of rights defending, actors constructed different state-individual relationships according to their situations. Those were not only active strategies by individuals, but also revealed a historical and cultural background with various social constraints, which constituted part of a larger social structure. The state is essentially a network of systems and actors, and practices within the society. Individuals can find different ways to interact with the different levels of state actors and agencies (Pieke 2004). There are various levels of governance in China, of which the central government and local governments are the two most typical layers. As summarized by Cao (2011), the former is characterized by the power to rule officials, whereas the latter is characterized by the power to rule the masses; in Cao’s opinion, this separated governing system reduces the risk of governance and contributes to the long-term stability of the Chinese political system. Considering the two coexisting state-individual relationships mentioned above, the key to understanding the actor’s view of this multiple-level state is: how do they choose different practical forms—setting their self-boundary as permeated or firm —according to the timing and the level of government with which they are interacting. In other words, how do actors simultaneously produce the legitimacy of their rights defending and opportunities for protest in terms of their selective construction of state-individual relationships? During the urbanization process since the 1990s, land has become the most important resource in China’s sustained economic growth. Land in China has three particular properties. Firstly, under the context of China’s official ideology, land is the carrier of the state—the establishment of the CCP as a new regime is inseparable from the socialist reconstruction of land.5 Secondly, in the context of the market economy, land is equal to the space being commercialized for local accumulation, which serves as the key for local government to obtaining legitimacy from their performance in the economic transition. Thirdly, from a daily-life angle, land encompasses the private livelihood of individuals, which is oppressed by the state and the market. Therefore the commercialization of land and space in the third wave of globalization causes the entanglement of global capital, administrative power at different levels of the state, and individuals’ daily life. This has been the source of a large number of social conflicts during the social and economic transition. During this process, local governments and social actors have different understandings of state-individual relationships. Local governments consider themselves to be the subsidiaries of the state that naturally carry an ideological legitimacy, maintain the previously subordinate state-individual relationships, and demand individuals’ unconditional obedience. Social actors, through specific applications of law, split the state into two levels—an abstract state embodied in the central government and a concrete state embodied in the local governments. They selectively form alliances with the central government from the ideological aspect, while defining the local government as an executor of concrete policies. Thus, two types of state-individual relationships are created—a subordinate central state-individual relationship, and an equal/independent local state-individual relationship. This split is based on three factors: personal obedience to the central government, personal independence of local governments, and local governments’ violation of central government. Thus the legitimacy of rights defending and the opportunities for protest are simultaneously generated. Figure 1 shows the relationships between these three pairings. Consistent with the split of the state into the abstract and concrete levels, laws have also been given a dual role, as the embodiment of central government guidance and the texts that stipulate rules, when help constructing two different state-individual relationships. Regarding laws as the embodiment of central state, actors only selectively refer to the laws legislated by the central government, and by emphasizing the levels of laws, actors addressed the authority of the state rather than looking into the specific contents of legal texts. By adopting such symbolism, actors construct subordinate psycho-connections between them and the abstract state by using their permeated self-boundary. Regarding laws as rules, actors firm their self-boundary and construct independent and equal relationships between them and the local governments. The redefinition of "demolition" has become the logical starting point for reshaping state-individual relationships when it comes to the issue of inner-city reconstruction. In the local official discourse, the land-use rights of private housing are administratively allocated by the state, regardless of whether they were obtained privately before the nationalization period in the early days of the establishment of PRC. Under this precondition, demolition has been accordingly operationalized as compensation for the building materials of the demolished houses6, which excludes the value of land. Along with the banners of "development," "stability," and others, the local government ideologically inherits the legitimacy of the abstract-sense state by emphasizing the national economic and political importance of inner-city demolition and redevelopment. Within this context, obedience becomes a moral requirement of individuals. This is illustrated by three means: official media manipulated by local governments, administrative documents, and replies to petition letters. This year, a few private homeowners whose homes had been demolished proposed that the state should compensate them for their land-use rights of the state-owned land beneath their evicted houses. Vehement opposition and continual petitions to upper-level governments by homeowners resulted in the suspension of some of those demolition projects. It affected the construction and social stability of B City. (“Asking for instruction about the compensation for land-use rights of the state-owned land beneath the demolished urban private housing," The Land and House Bureau of B City No. 434, July 21st, 1995). To meet the developmental needs of City B, according to “the Law of Land Management” and “the Regulations of Housing Demolition Management,” the state can legally reclaim the use rights of state-owned land ("Reply from the general office of people's congress of City B to the open letter from Mr. Luo and the other six citizens about the demand for establishing a special investigation committee," December 15, 2000). Mr. L, the official of the People's Court of District C of B City, said to Mr. Xu, a relocated resident: "Do you know who I am? You should ask around about what I am doing. Go and ask people around the south part of the city. You have to leave here, whether you want to or not. We prefer the interests of developers. You can petition whomever you know. We will demolish your house even if we are wrong. For you, it does not matter whether it is right or wrong. How can developers gain profits if you do not leave? The government commands the demolition. How dare you confront the government?" To change the above situation, Mr. Luo, the representative of the Grand Litigation, began to research relevant laws since 1995 when his house was demolished. Based on the laws legislated by the central government—"land-use rights can be transferred according to regulations in laws" in the amendment of the Constitution as well as "land-use rights should be legally obtained " in the eighth item of the “Regulations of Urban House Demolition Management" by the State Council, Mr. Luo redefined demolition as an adjustment of property relations between equal subjects, which should be legally carried out. Based on the legal philosophy of property rights, actors repeatedly stressed that "compensation for resettlement" and "the adjustment of property relations" were two entirely different issues. In the statement by Mr. Bei, another representative of the Grand Litigation, an independent self with a firm boundary has already appeared. The state-individual relationship in practice is clearly very complex: as the incarnation of the state in an abstract sense, the central government plays the role of an ideological repository, whereas the local governments and actors each take what they need. The actors selectively construct different state-individual relationships with the central and local governments, showing a selective firming mechanism of their self-boundary. This reflects the paradoxical process of rights defending in contemporary China—fighting against local administrative departments is premised on one’s internalization of the legitimacy of the central government. This is caused by the transitional strategy of liberalizing the economic sector but controlling the political sector. Also, it reflects the transitional state of Chinese society—moving forward from a traditional state to a modern state—and demonstrates the uniqueness of China’s transformation. With the selective firming mechanism, actors make specific judgments in different situations—whether they should construct permeated boundaries or closed boundaries, in accordance with the subordinate or equal state-individual relationships. The mechanism unfolds according to three specific factors related to urbanization—laws, land, and developers. Through splitting the levels of governance, analyzing the dual identity of the state in the land-tenure system, and separating the political and economic functions of the totalitarian state, actors struggle to narrow the scope to which traditional subordinate state-individual relationships can be applied, while expanding the scope to which modern independent state-individual relationships can be applied. These changes show the reshaping of the state-individual relationships through the transformation of the self-boundary from permeated to firm and the self-concept from inclusive to exclusive. "Defending their rights in terms of laws" is the most important feature and strategy of this collective litigation9. Different from other urban social movements in the same period, which treated different laws, regulations, and policy documents all as laws, the actors in this case distinguished laws based on the levels of the law-making departments. According to the ordinal sequence of Constitution-level laws (such as the Land Management Law), the State Council-level ordinances (such as the Regulations of Urban House Demolition Management), and local-level regulations (such as the Implementation Rules of the State Regulations of House Demolition Management), actors strictly sorted relevant laws and regulations when applying them to the process of land exploitation. Only the central government-level laws and regulations (the Constitution, some basic laws, and the regulations enacted by the State Council) were treated as laws in the framing of their rights defending. Laws thus reflect an apparent ideological implication—they are the embodiment of the guidance from the central government. By comparing the regulations and laws at the local level with those at the central level, the actors determined that local governments, as executive agencies, violated the policies of the central government. Consequently, they ideologically excluded local governments from the original framework of the state, which previously was capable of requiring the individuals’ obedience by law. Specifically, the difference between the laws of the central state and the rules of local state mainly occurs in the land acquisition stage during demolition. Local governments realized their goals through changing the text of central-level laws, finding loopholes, substituting procedures, and reversing the order of procedures. In addition, they took advantage of the gaps between real practices and rules in texts during their execution (for details see Shi 2012). From the actors’ view, these were the bottlenecks where “local governments did not comply with the central government—they agreed overtly but opposed in secret" (field interview, Sep. 25, 2005). Compared to other actions of rights defending in the same period, the Grand Litigation was distinguished by its insistence on administrative proceedings. According to the statistics of the respondents, in 1995–2000 a total of thirty-three groups submitted their administrative proceedings, involving 20,758 plaintiffs whose houses had been demolished. Defendants involved the Land and Housing Bureaus at the municipal and district levels as well as the Municipal Government; in the subsequent appeal process defendants also involved courts of preliminary trials and secondary trials (based on field interviews on Nov. 11, 2005 and Nov. 24, 2005). The differences10 between lawsuits and petitions to upper-level governments are summarized in Table 2. Objectively speaking, compared to other strenuous methods of rights defending, firmly upholding litigation over a relatively long course is rarely seen. Existing literature on litigation and petitions share a common view—Chinese people prefer to use petitions in resolving their disputes. Both the numbers of petitions and administrative proceedings in national surveys or small-scale surveys support this conclusion (see Zhang 2009). After nullifying the theories of ineffective lawsuits and growing weary of lawsuits, as they do not agree with historical facts, some scholars have proposed that the Chinese people prefer petitions due to the lack of mediation sessions and the overabundance of confrontation in the courts. In comparison, though less efficient, petitions are more moderate and have less possibility of "breaking up with each other.” Through petitions people tend to gain a "culturally comfortable feeling"11 (Zhang 2009). From the perspective of this paper, as a type of lawsuit in which people sue the government, administrative proceedings are the choice of the weakly positioned actors to adjust the state-individual relationships. They exhibit an independent self with a firm boundary against the local state in a concrete sense, which is essentially the reconstruction of the relation between the local state and the individual by defining them as two equal subjects. It is this search for equality with authority, encouraged by faith in the law, that guides the actors to detach themselves from the “cultural fitness", and to firm their permeated self-boundary, which generates citizenship. Since the government decrees on anticorruption by CPC Central Committee (CPPCC) have not been implemented well, four major corruption cases could not be investigated and handled; two serious unconstitutional and "illegal events"—the massive deprivation of property rights and litigation rights in order to illegally possess citizens’ properties—cannot be legally corrected. This seriously undermined the unity of the state and the dignity of socialist rules. Moreover, they not only sabotaged the foundation of “ruling the country according to the law” and severely impaired the social and economic order, but also seriously damaged the image of the Party and the people's government. Furthermore, these unconstitutional events also threatened the credibility of the Party and the government, damaged social stability, and jeopardized national security, resulting in heinous political influences and the vehement dissatisfaction of the people of City B. In addition, through references to a variety of ideological discourses since the early days of PRC, the actors not only enhanced the legitimacy of their rights defending but also highlighted the local governments’ violation of citizens’ rights. What’s more, the quality of citizens who were aware of the national situation and guarding the interests of the state is also emphasized, which is achieved by containing the state within the self through the expansion of individuals’ permeated self-boundary. Thus psycho-connections between individuals and the abstract-sense of state occur with moral implications producing legitimacy for the action. By actively constructing their direct association with the central government, the actors weakened the legitimacy of the local government. "The Grand Revelation Letter" repeated the expression “[their deeds] could not be tolerated by the state’s laws" to distinguish the boundaries between the central government and the local government, and between the state and individuals. The loss of more than one hundred and thirty billion RMB [about 21 billion USD] in City B disrupted the macroeconomic control and the social economic order of the state. The state’s laws should not tolerate it. … Complaints arose all around; some people’s anger has contributed to their illness; some have died feeling a deep sense of unfairness; some were beaten by policemen; some were detained for no reason; and how many have suffered from decreased living standards because of this? Every cent of it—more than one hundred and thirty billion RMB—is the result of people's blood and sweat; corrupting even one cent of it is evil and should not be tolerated by the state’s laws. … They defied the state’s laws, violated citizen rights, and deprived the citizens’ of their property rights; it is infuriating. (“The introduction to ‘the Grand Revelation Letter,’” 1999). Regarding urbanization, the greatest confusion caused by the state was an ideology-laden concept of land, which provides local governments with the state’s endorsements of their legitimacy through land acquisition. In this case, the actors’ selective firming of their self-boundary was reflected in the further splitting of the abstract state into the subject enjoying ownership or use-rights of the land. When the state is regarded as the ideological owner of all national urban land, subordinate state-individual relationship is applied between the state and the actors. However, when the state is regarded as the practical owner of the land-use rights, independent state-individual relationship is applied between the state and the actors. By this strategy, the scope for the subordinate state-individual relationship based on a permeated boundary is again narrowed, indicating the selective firming process. The nationalization of private land guided by the socialist ideology was the starting point of the discrepancy between the legal interpretations of the land-use rights by local governments and citizens. Actors believed that the nationalization process was needed during the ideological construction of socialism. Thus the state nationalized the ownership rather than the whole property rights of land. The essence of this process was the detachment of the land ownership and the land-use rights. The ownership of land went to the state, while the citizens continued to possess the land-use rights, which becomes part of the property owned by citizens. However, the local governments regarded nationalization as including the confiscation of the property rights to land. The split of the land ownership and the land-use rights contributed to the split of the dual identity of the abstract state. Actors thus further refuted the logical basis of the local governments’ arguments, such as the idea that the land-use rights of private housing are allocated by governments, and could be recovered for free due to urban development needs. Ownership changes brought by the nationalization of land, summarized from the actors’ view13, are shown in Fig. 2. Faced with indiscriminate allocation by the arbitrary state power during demolition, the actors questioned two points. Firstly, the state could not allocate privately owned property (land whose land-use rights were owned by citizens). Secondly, even when allocating its own property (land whose land-use rights were owned by the state), the state needed to distinguish between paid allocations and unpaid allocations based on whether there were people living on the land. Thus the state developed different property relationships with individuals as owners of private housing and tenants of public housing, concerning specific property rights such as the land-use rights and the relocation fees for citizens. In this framework of rights defending, it is the land-use rights derived from pre-revolutionary private housing during nationalization of land ownership that has become an exchangeable good with great value in the real estate market. As the owners of land-use rights, the state and the private homeowners are subjects that share equal rights and legal status, meaning that they could separately develop civil relations with the third parties (i.e. investors) during the process of urban renewal to transfer land-use rights in accordance with the relevant laws. Therefore allocation as an action with administrative enforcement could not be used to change the property relations between equal entities; it was applicable only when the land-use rights were owned by the state itself. For the tenants of public housing who accounted for a larger part of the population in the demolition of the inner city, the state had corresponding land-use rights and could allocate or transfer this land. However, the actors suggested that even in this case there should be two different kinds of settlement—allocation with payment and allocation without payment. The former meant that the government should pay relocation fees to those who lived on reclaimed state-owned lands. These two aspects were subsequently unified under the framework of property rights. By adopting rights discourses with specific content of property rights, the actors strove to distinguish the adjustment of property relations based on laws and the compensation of allocation and resettlement based on administrative directives. The former was the goal for which the actors struggled; they defined themselves as private property owners, subjects who had equal land-use rights as the state. Their call for an independent self with a firm boundary was apparent. The latter shows the reality of the history and the current situation of urban demolition; the state emphasized its single identity as the preeminent landowner and continuously required individuals’ submission through a boundary-permeated self. In recent years, public interest has been further defined and distinguished from citizens’ submissions to the central government; the development of real estate was explicitly excluded. Thus, after splitting the state into the central level and the local level according to its governance function, the actors further made a split of the central state in the abstract sense, which nominally owned all land. By regarding the state as the owner of the land-use rights, actors attempted to construct an equal and independent state-individual relationship based on the spirit of the contract supported by the market, indicating the appearance of a firm self-boundary during the transformation. Meanwhile, by treating the state as a landowner, actors on the one hand acknowledged the moral obligations demanded by the national self under the banner of “public interest,” activating the traditional subordinate state-individual relationship. On the other hand, through explicitly defining "public interest" and "needs," the actors clearly distinguished the demolition situation from the unconditional obligations in traditional culture. This also implied the effects of the independent self-boundary. One of the important factors in China’s reform was that the market was introduced under the guidance of the state. The real estate market in the early 1990s is an important example. It was a market with a strong political and policy nature (Xiao 2009). Both the pattern of “ combining dilapidated house renewal with real estate development” and the high degree of overlap in the personnel of development companies, demolition companies, governments, and courts show the high degree of entanglement between the totalitarian state and this new market, which empowered the developers with immense administrative force. Thus, besides the direct state-individual relationships via governmental agencies discussed above, another path associating the state with individuals should also be elaborated, which is via the market. In this case, in addition to gradually locating the state through a firming self-boundary, actors also attempted to extract the state's administrative functions from the market functions in real estate development. By restoring developers to the status of businessmen, and having administrative relations revert to trading relations under the concept of the market, the actors constructed their independent self and firm boundary against the market and, subsequently, against the state during demolition practices. An early text, called "Principles of this Litigation Case," that disseminated the philosophy of the actors focused on the nature of the developer and elaborated the relationship between the relocatees and the developer as well as the rights and obligations of both parties. It claimed an equal rather than an affiliated relationship between the developer and the relocatees. What is the relationship between WFJ Developmental Company and relocatees? The relationship is equal. WFJ is a developer, a businessman. We are not in an affiliated relationship. It is between a relocator and the relocatees. We are the two parties in this specific case. The third item of “the Civil Law” clearly stipulates that parties shall have equal status in a civil activity. The sixth item in it also mentions that civil activities must comply with relevant laws, regulations, and national policies. Before enjoying their rights---acquiring the land-use rights of state-owned land---WFJ must first fulfill their obligations according to laws. Obligations: based on benchmark land price (note: see the No. 34 file of 1993 by the government of B City), developers should pay: 1. Land transfer payment; 2. Infrastructure construction fee; 3. Urban relocation fee. Among these payment and fees, the first and the third should be given to recolatees; the second should be given to the state. Rights: After fulfilling the obligations above, WFJ could then acquire the use right of state-owned land, enjoying the right of gaining financial benefits from their real estate development. What are the obligations and rights of relocatees? Rights: Relocatees have the right to freely choose places of residence (should not be placed unilaterally). The No. 37 item of the Constitution stipulates that citizens’ liberty is inviolable. According to the No. 34 file of 1993 by the government of B City, relocatees have the right to receive relocation fees. Obligations: Relocatees must move away and vacate their houses for WFJ while enjoying their rights. The Civil Law states: parties have equal status in civil activities. … The third party (WFJ) is a real estate development company for the purpose of profit. WFJ and the plaintiffs are two equal civil subjects; there is no affiliation. Since obtaining its permission for planning, WFJ has established an equally civil and legal relationship with the plaintiffs. The Principles of the Civil Law are applicable to the adjustment of the property relationships between the plaintiffs and WFJ. Both parties have their rights and obligations. The plaintiffs enjoy the right to compensation, resettlement, and free choice of their new residence places through equal consultation. Meanwhile, the plaintiffs should fulfill the obligations of relocation in accordance with the agreement. The third party must bear the obligations mentioned in “the region's benchmark price of land of the year 1998” before getting the right of applying for land-use rights. Different from some cases of rights defending in which relocatees strategically chose developers as defendants, the actors in this case always pointed to state-individual relationships. By detaching the inextricable connections between the state and the market, they aimed to clarify the independent boundaries between them and the concrete-sense state that was represented by the Land and Housing Bureau of B City. It is worth noting that such expressions usually very specifically address the Land and Housing Bureau of a certain district so as to be distinguished from the state in the abstract sense discussed above, to which citizens should be subordinate. Here the actors split the administrative and economic functions of the state. Specifically, they defined the concrete administrative departments as "the regulators and supervisors of urban demolitions." They reduced the state-controlled market to a free market in order to achieve free and equal transactions between independent subjects as individuals, developers, and government agencies, reflecting the third dimension of the firming mechanism of the self-boundary. China has been undergoing a great transformation, changing from a totalitarian system to the host for market and a relaxed society. This process is entirely different from the process in Western history, during which the emergence of civil societies proceed the generation of markets and the construction of the states. The Chinese transformation can be regarded as a process during which a new equilibrium is being achieved; at this moment what we are experiencing is an imbalanced stage in the middle of two equilibrium phases. The equilibrium also has a twofold meaning. The first is the balance among various elements of social structures, as elaborated under the framework of state, market, and society in the existing literature. From the perspective of social psychology, the balance also includes the correspondence between social members’ cultural-psycho structures and social structures. Yet this perspective has been rarely touched upon in previous studies. Therefore, the significance of introducing this perspective lies in the idea that the individual, as a microanalytical dimension, is introduced to the tripartite framework of state, market, and society. This allows the study of the specific bearers during the transformation—to see how individuals directly or indirectly (via market and society as mediums) reconstruct their state-individual relationships through the transformation of self-construal. Through this reconstruction, cultural-psycho structures once again correspond with social structures. The traditional boundary-permeated self, featuring an elastic self-boundary and the corresponding subordinate state-individual relationships, fit well with the totalitarian society of the pre-reform era. The problem of the absence of society was concealed because of the social rights provided by the danwei system, but later triggered the overwhelming imbalance at the birth of the market during the transformation. The alliance of the state and the market contributes to the imbalance. Meanwhile, it was the flexibility and permeability of the self-boundary that further allowed the arbitrariness of state power and enlarged the scope of its coercive force. Through a series of social conflicts since the mid-1990s, we can decipher the following characteristics of individuals and the state. The individuals inherited a boundary-permeated self; they were individuals who were mobilized by the socialist ideology in the period of planned economy and required to unconditionally obey the will of the state. What’s more, after the dissolution of the danwei system, individuals were atomized without self-organized associations. On the other side, the state is the one who possesses political and economic resources, as well as the high point of morality claiming urbanization and modernization as common interests. A startling disparity existed between these two forces. Imbalances among the various elements of the social structures and between social structures and cultural-psycho structures formed a manifested dual imbalance that could serve as the explanation for frequent social conflicts in that period. From a positive view, this process in the form of social conflicts was a signal from the state to further relax the society after introducing the market. It was also a process in which individuals autonomously updated their traditionally flexible and permeated self-boundary under the framework of the differential mode of associations to the firm one generated during the market economy and modernization. Ultimately, after the reconstruction of state-individual relationships, social elements in both structural and psychological levels will return to equilibrium again. However, this firming process of the self-boundary is full of hardships, not only because of the very limited institutional space in the current system but also because of the continuously strengthened ideology of a supreme state and the long-suppressed awareness of individual rights and a self-organized society over the past five thousand years. This situation is further highlighted by the reform’s strategy of containing simultaneously an open economy and a closed regime. Consequently, faced with infiltration into their private areas, actors have to create both the legitimacy of their rights defending and their opportunities for protest. From the perspective of state-individual relationships, China’s paradox lies in that individuals’ detachment from the concrete state (by constructing modern and egalitarian state-individual relationships) is actually premised on their internalization of the abstract state (by acknowledging the traditional subordinate state-individual relationship). Selective firming of the self-boundary is an adaptive mechanism for coping with that paradox under such historical and current situations. "The selective firming" mechanisms of the self-boundary and the differentiation of social structures. Note: Following the direction of the arrows, state-individual relationships evolve from inclusive and subordinate to independent and equal, whereas the self-boundary transitions from permeated to firm. The logic of this mechanism is as follows: although inheriting the subordinate state-individual relationships (marked by the dashed circles in Fig. 3), actors can narrow their applicable scope through the triple split above. They can gradually contrain the currently dominant political power by expanding the applicable scope of equal state-individual relationships, based on contractual ideas and individual rights (marked by the solid circles in Fig. 3). At the individual level, this process features the firming of the self-boundary and the generation of independent individuals; in a macro-perspective, the process is characterized by the state’s transformation from an overall unification to a modern country with separate parts of state, market, society, and individuals. In the end, this process will reach equilibrium again. To emphasize the “rights” which have already been infringed, here chose “rights defending” instead of “rights protection” for the Chinese words “Weiquan”. Actually, the rights defending movement related to land issues in contemporary China is rather a reactive than a proactive movement in Tilly’s framework (Tilly et al., 2003)." "Self-boundary," "self-construal," and "self-schema" constitute the main content of the concept of self from the perspective of social psychology. "Self boundary/self-nonself boundary" is related to how exactly one includes or excludes others from the self in different cultures. “Include” means containing others within one’s self, while “exclude” means integrating oneself into a group composed of others. Due to the basic characteristics of the differential mode of associations in Chinese culture, the self-boundary is especially important for the understanding of Chinese people’s self. Yi-yin Yang found that when given different scenarios, Chinese people used different self-boundaries (permeated boundary to include others or firm boundary to exclude others) in regard to environmental requirements. In more traditional cultural contexts, people are more likely to use permeated boundaries. The main features are as follows: autonomy (self-centered control of including or excluding others); permeability (including significant others); scalability (the number of included people varies by the significance of others); switchability (in certain situations, people firm and close their boundaries of self, which yields intended meaning of this word unclear--“leads to”? “constrains”? membership); morality (the direction of morality evaluation embedded in the Chinese self-concept; by containing the nation within the self and becoming part of the “me” appraisal though a permeated boundary, one achieves an advancement in one’s morality (Yang & Zhang 2008, 36–37). "Totalitarian” refers to the state in the previous planned economy era that the state controlled and dictated the rest of these four parts, carrying on traditional unification mode. No market, society, or individuality was allowed (Yang 2008) compared to expecting future after transformation in which the state, market, society, and the individual were separate from each other. For the state-individual relationship discussed here, the totalitarian regime also implies an integrated relationship between the central state and the local state. This concept was first proposed by Sampson (1988) when he discussed "individualism." He pointed out that for people with self-contained individualism the boundary is firm and the self-concept is excluding; for people with ensembled individualism the boundary is fluid and the self-concept is including. However, Sampson did not link the characteristic of self-boundary with the structure and culture of different societies. Indigenous psychology further emphasizes "autonomy" (self-centeredness), selectivity (different principles are applied in different situations to interactions with different individuals who one includes or excludes), and “dynamics” (control of the changes in boundaries) embodied in the sense of differential mode of associations with respect to Chinese people’s concept of self (Yang 2008, 35). This study integrates the progress of indigenous psychology into analyses of permeated and firm self-boundaries and further extends the discussion to the different forms of state-individual relationships. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China land reform was contentious in rural areas but gradual in cities. Compared to rural areas, evolution of the property rights of urban land was more complicated and equivocal--most private real estate had been "socialist reconstruction" and became resources for the first public housing after several social movements, such as the Public-Private Partnership and the Cultural Revolution. Land reform has become a concrete part of the construction of the planned economy. As a consequence, a large number of actual users and house owners were separated from each other; this led to misinterpretation of ownership and user rights when the state initiated the real estate market. In the survey respondents always stressed that although the deeds for houses and land that could prove their ownership had been taken away in political movements, the legal change of their ownership had never been completed. Those deeds were still archived in the local bureau of Housing and Land. In other words, citizens still hold legal property rights over those houses and land. Actors vividly called it compensation for bricks and tiles after the depreciation of "substance on the ground. Lv Xiaojing, 1998, "The land-use rights of demolished historical legacy of individual private houses shouldn’t be financially compensated according to the law," B City Daily, November 4, 1998. On Jan. 29 and Dec. 15, 2010, the Legislative Affairs Bureau of the State Council published the full text of "The Ordinance of Levy and Compensation for Houses on State-owned Land (public draft)" and "About the Levy and Compensation for Houses on State-owned Land (second public draft of ordinance)" on its Web site to seek the views of society. Accordingly, the actors submitted two files signed by 5,479 citizens in B City. They are "The Opinions on ‘the Ordinance of Levy and Compensation for the Houses on the State-owned Land (public draft)’" and "The Suggestions on Immediate Abolition of ‘Regulations of Urban Housing Demolition Management’ and Legislation of Expropriation" on Feb. 10, 2010, and Dec. 29, 2010. The strategy in this case is illustrated by two dimensions--"defending rights according to laws" and "setting laws as the principles of actions." The former refers to the demands of strict jurisprudence of the ways for expression, content of lawsuits, and methods of mobilization. The latter refers to the fact that actors also act in strict accordance with laws in their rights defending. Actors’ dual understanding of the term “according to laws” also shows the simultaneous construction of both the legitimacy and the opportunities of their rights defending. From the point of view of this work, litigation is the philosophical unions of individuals with firm self-boundaries. Based on the violations of universal rights, litigators framed their grievances with rights discourse with concise and unified appeals, and aimed at promoting social legal systems. Petitions to upper-level governments, then, are the geographic unions of individuals with permeated boundaries. Based on individually unfair treatments, petitioners framed their grievances with fragmented and uncompromising appeals as “redressing injustices” and that aimed at solving personal problems. Therefore, although they are the only two channels of appeal in the current system, they are entirely different in generating modern and independent citizens with firm boundaries. In Zhang’s study the term "comfortable feeling" refers to the idea that, faced with problems, people tend to adopt solutions that are subconsciously easy to accept or in line with their cultural habits. Since 2001 this litigation group has entered the stage of impeachment and continuation. They annually submit one or two revelation letters to the leaders of the central government and its relevant departments. Thus far they have reported the injustice they experienced sixteen times. The revelation letters were signed in the names of "the relocatees in City B" or "B City citizens"; the number of signatures varied from ten thousand to over twenty thousand. Given the background of investment promotion by governments in real estate in the 1990s, actors distinguished the state, citizens, foreign investors, and (peasant) collectives as four independent and equal subjects when defining land-use rights. For instance, “the administrative proceeding" by Mr. Bei’s family in July 1999 mentioned: "private land-use rights are neither gained through transfers nor allocations. They are naturally acquired under specific historical conditions by citizens. The form of land property has been transformed from ownership to land-use rights according to ‘the Constitution’ and ‘the Law of Land Management.’ Moreover, the basic Laws of our country and ‘the Law of Urban Real Estate Administration’ specify that there exist four kinds of right holders of real estate--the state (as a special civil entity), collectives, foreign investors, and citizens. They can all have their own real estate property and are equally regarded as civil subjects. Laws protect their legal rights and interests; they are empowered with the rights of 'possession, use, moneymaking, and disposal' with their real estate. 'Possession' has exclusivity. Either you or I can possess it. If I possess it, you cannot possess it, neither do other people or the danwei (work unit), including administrative departments and the state." This paper is a modified edition of the author’s doctoral dissertation "Civic Movement: The Power of Grass roots that Reshaped State-individual Relationships." The author appreciates the instruction at different stages provided by her Ph.D. advisor Professor Yi-yin Yang, and by M.A. advisor Professor Yuan Shen. This paper also benefited from discussions with Professor Stephen Reicher from University of St.Andrews and Lin Xiao and other colleagues in the “Youth Group” of the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The author also appreciates the financial support from the Youth Project of the National Social Sciences Fund for the project "The ‘We-ness’ construction–exemplified by rights defending groups" (project number: 08CSH022). The author is solely responsible for all content of this paper.

2019-04-21T14:40:24Z

https://journalofchinesesociology.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40711-015-0005-y

The author on the steps of the Münster. I am currently on exchange at the Ruhr-Universität (RUB) in Bochum. This is my second time studying abroad, and the third country that I have been fortunate enough to study in. From January until mid-March I took part in an intensive language class, wherein I developed basic language skills and worked closely with other incoming students who faced the same challenges I did. The class was often difficult though enjoyable, and friendships were forged over our mutual struggle to comprehend the mysteries of German grammar. Much of my first months here were also spent making use of my Semesterticket, a train pass that allows students to travel throughout the region for a very affordable one-off fee. My state – Nordrhein-Westfalen – is the largest in Germany, and with my Semesterticket I have been fortunate to explore the cities of Köln, Dortmund, Bonn, Düsseldorf, and more. This ticket has offered plenty of extra-curricular opportunities to develop my language skills and gain some understanding of everyday life in Germany. The benefits of this pass are many; in fact, one can probably learn as much from traveling around the state than from work in the classroom. That being said, all of the homework in the world could not have prepared me for Karneval, a time during which the citizens of Düsseldorf, Köln, and more take to the streets and are gripped by a sort of collective insanity, souped up on copious amounts of alcohol and high-quality German sausages. I’m told that the festivities have a connection to the Catholic celebration of Lent, though it is unclear exactly where Jägermeister fits within the liturgical calendar. Garish costumes are worn as the revelers celebrate their civic pride; the cities resemble a Game of Thrones battlefield, soundtracked by Kölsch lager and pounding techno music from the 1990s. It is an incredible amount of fun. Of course, this being Germany, all festive debris is cleaned away in an orderly fashion, and everyone returns to work on Monday morning as if nothing happened. Thankfully, Karneval comes but once a year, and, after all, there is serious work to be done. My academic experiences so far have admittedly been very challenging. Class discussion is held in German, and though there is not much expected of me in terms of contribution, even trying to keep up is very difficult. Class formats are also different than in the US, and great importance is placed on your ability to independently conduct and present original research. The campus at RUB is labyrinthine, and with its brutalist architecture from the 1960s and dour winter weather, even finding your way around can initially be intimidating. However, rising to these challenges is a privilege, not to mention a great opportunity. Living and working abroad forces you out of comfort zones and demands that you adapt to new experiences; moreover, the opportunity to cultivate connections and network with like-minded academics is also a bonus. The faculty here have been welcoming and are extremely helpful in providing guidance and advice. I have been fortunate enough to study abroad before and believe that being able to study in an atmosphere which demands hard work truly offers an opportunity to thrive. And if it all becomes too much, there is always the option to chill out and eat a pretzel. Lesson learned. Last week, the CMU History blog went on a short hiatus. The reason was my journey to London, where research in the British Library and the National Archive in Kew waited for me. This second part of our double feature on archival research is a loose collection of experiences in and around the archive. Sad Catalogues, or: A Thief in the Night? Microfilm could be such a great resource. It can contain a rather large amount of copied source material, doesn’t take up much space, and exudes a certain flair of actual research that reading sources on a computer thousands of miles from any archive just doesn’t have. Microfilm also must be catalogued carefully, ordered, and put into neat boxes for future examination. The downside is, however, that anyone who might want to use microfilm has to look at a lot of material before that hoped-for slide might come up. In my case, nothing came up. While looking for an early 18th century London newspaper, I thought I had finally found the issue in question, when it dawned on me that the actual page was missing. The curator who had created the microfilm had surely been aware of that, since he or she had left a neat space in-between the other pages. Perhaps they had hoped that the page would be found one day, and subsequently added to the film. That day seems very far away, however. Since the librarians of the British Library are helpful and very nice, we spent at least an hour going through the catalogue and two separate backup collections to find the missing page. In the end, the librarian had to politely admit that the catalogue had perhaps been a bit boastful in announcing that the British Library held the most important, complete collection of early English newspapers. On top of that, while doing some further research online, the creeping suspicion came over me that the newspaper’s originals were actually held by the Library of Congress all across the ocean where I had initially come from for the purpose of finding those very originals! Now, I don’t know why anyone would take a whole host of early 18th century newspapers and smuggle them over the ocean to the new world, but if that person could please step forward and hand over that missing page, I would be very grateful. Of course, as we all know, if I went to Washington and found that page, all it would tell me would be things I already knew from other newspaper entries. That’s how 18th century sources always are, you just can’t trust them. If you are lucky enough to find yourself at a library or archive with an attached museum or exhibition, take the time to rest your brain (and eyes) a little and take a stroll. Often you might see or hear things that can make your day much better. Shortly after quietly cursing the widespread crime of newspaper theft, I ventured into the heart of the British Library for a nice visit to the Magna Carta. Sadly, the museum didn’t have it on display at that time (and I must be honest in saying that I completely forgot to ask why), but there was a very chipper tour guide who gladly told the interested visitors about another, recently discovered Magna Carta. Apparently, some (very rich) guy had found a box in the attic of his newly acquired (ancient) house (well, palace). He had taken its contents, among them a massive scroll, to the local public library of the town of Sandwich, where the astonished librarians realized that the scroll was in fact a 1217 version of the Magna Carta. According to the British Library guide, the librarians told the lucky finder that he could offer the scroll to the British Library, which would give him 20 million pounds for it. He could also, however, give it to a private collector from America or China, who would surely give him over 100 million pounds! The owner of the scroll, shaking his head, declined both suggestions and simply gave the Magna Carta to the public library – for free. What a man! The story remained in my head for a couple of days, before I decided to do some more research on it. Strangely, the only article I could find about a newly found Magna Carta in Sandwich dated from 2015 and described how a 1300 version was found in the archive… Which only goes to show that you can’t trust museum guides either. While daydreaming about finding my own treasure worth 100 million pounds, I ventured out into the courtyard of the library for some air, when I was suddenly confronted with a rather large group of people dressed in white and waving Ethiopian flags. Singing and dancing, they made their way towards the library. I decided to walk with them, because I had just researched the Ethiopian-German relationship in the First World War, and out of sheer curiosity. Inside the building, the group visited the “Treasures of the British Library” exhibition, where they gathered around the priceless Ethiopic Bible, the 17th century Octateuch of Gondar. Feeling as if I should know why they celebrated this day, I still had to ask one of the Ethiopian celebrants about the significance of their visit. Beaming, he told me that Ethiopia had never been colonized, and that it had decisively defeated the Italian invasion at Adwa, on March 1st, 1896. Of course, it wasn’t such a coincidence – after all, the day is celebrated all over the world by people of the Ethiopian Diaspora – but I felt as if my struggle in the archive for this day was somehow vindicated. 123 years of Adwa matter, as a sign for the struggle of people all across the world against colonialism, and as a symbol that this struggle hasn’t yet ended. Having been required to use a large number of archives in two different continents during my joint research assistantship for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (Wyoming) and PhD research at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland), I thought that talking about my experience and giving out some practical advice could be of use to some of the students in the Comparative and Transnational history program at Central Michigan (of which Strathclyde is one of the partner universities). Coming from a background in Foreign Languages and Cultural Studies, I had little previous experience with collections, foundations, or national archives (both in the U.S. and Europe) when I began this project, and—in all honesty—I would have treasured a few pragmatic tips on how to approach and what to expect from each of them. So here I am, I hope this post can help some of you avoid a total ‘research freak-out’ when you are thousands of miles away from home and from your beloved supervisors. Let me begin by saying that participating in a big transnational research group such as the ‘Papers of W.F. Cody’–researching the life and times of Buffalo Bill Cody—was no doubt a thrilling experience, but also a challenging one. And while meeting international scholars (such as Patricia Nelson Limerick, Louis Warren, Robert Rydell) was electrifying, so was getting a shock from the Microfilm machine in the National Library of Rome, alas not in the same way. Regardless of the picaresque journeys to get there— long transatlantic travels with plenty of missed connections and the odd interstate bus ride with Greyhound (Laredo-Denver, I’ll never forget you)—I have to admit that my experience with American archives was, luckily, always ‘easy peasy’. As some of you might already know, research collections are carefully indexed in most major American repositories, and a thorough preliminary search will make you fairly certain that your hunt will be successful. Professional archivists working in specific collections will also provide invaluable help, so make sure to reach out to them and explain precisely what you are looking for. They might be able to show you additional material on your topic which is contained in boxes that, for whatever reason (a misleading nametag or vague description), had escaped your initial search—as it happened to me in Denver Public Library. Generally, the staff working in large archives and libraries is abundant, and the distribution of the material and the opening times are user-friendly, with some repositories operating also during the weekend. This will allow you the chance to use your time at the archive to the fullest, especially if you are on a tight schedule due to long commutes. Furthermore, an increasing number of museums and archives now have digitized copies of some of their items, which, in some instances, will remove the need to actually visit the archive—at least for some time. This brings me to a tip that will save you some trips to Europe: Major American archives (Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Newberry Library, Huntington Library, Archives at Yale and Stanford Universities) have copies of collections and documents held in European archives. So, even if you are researching a ‘European topic’, it is worth to first take a look in US archives as they are generally rich in European collections. However, the downside is that this material has probably been studied extensively before, and, unless you approach your topic from a particularly revolutionary angle, you take the risk of not being wholly original in your study. So, if the aim of your research is to examine original or little-known documents or to uncover previously unpublished primary sources, my recommendation is to cross the pond and start rummaging in some dusty European archive! And this is when the challenges began for me! The way archives function in Europe varies from country to country, from institution to institution, and even from whether the archive is state-funded or financed by a private foundation. The organization of British archives and libraries is the one which resembles most the American system. The British Library, the National Archives, the National Library of Scotland, and the British Film Institute archive all have professional and semi-professional staff to assist users in their search. Several holdings are available digitally to users, both on and off site (including index cards, manuscripts, and newspaper collections). Besides that, the distribution of documents is frequent, and normally very quick. On the other hand, the reproduction of material can be rather costly (printing and scanning) but taking copies with your own devices for study purposes is allowed and it is free—although check how many pages of the documents/books/stills you are allowed to copy, each archive implements different policies. When it comes to archives in continental Europe, the rules and organization change significantly. First of all, do not expect to always find staff who understands and speaks English. Although this might be more common in archives in some central-northern European countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, parts of Germany, large French archives like the BNF in Paris), it is much more infrequent in central-southern and eastern European countries. You are researching a transnational topic, so ideally you would already have some skills in the language of the country you are visiting. If you don’t, I strongly suggest getting a research assistant/fellow PhD student/friend who is a fluent speaker (or, even better, who is based in the country) to assist you during your archival visit. The best way to achieve this is to meet international students, at university, during conferences or summer schools – so make sure you polish your networking skills! Take into account that opening times often don’t include weekends, especially in countries like Germany, Italy, and Spain where everything shuts down on a Sunday, and that some archives might close as early as 5pm. Also, the distribution of material is sometimes limited to specific days and even specific times of the day (just mornings or just afternoons, or, for instance, only between 9 and 11 am and between 2pm and 4 pm), and that some material needs to be booked a few days before the day of delivery because it comes from an external warehouse (as in, for example, the antique newspapers collection of the National Library of Florence). So, a preliminary thorough check of the archive website and borrowing rules are fundamental—also to make sure you don’t get there on a national holiday or when the archive is closed for restoration (which happens often in archives held in historical buildings). It is good practice, especially in smaller archives, to preemptively announce your visit via email to the curator/archivist responsible for the specific collection you need to use. The staff will normally be able to prepare the material for you and reserve a space in the consultation room. Indeed, you will find that certain archives, despite housing generous collections, have very restricted spaces for the consultation and only accept visits via booking. Don’t expect to find ‘cutting edge technology’ in all the repositories, especially if they are state-funded archives or libraries (which in certain European countries are notoriously underfunded, and understaffed). Internet and computer access are now generally available everywhere, but probably the Microfilm machines will be from the 1980-90s (don’t be like me and make sure you always dry your hands well before you use them, otherwise get a good life insurance). After years of lagging behind, the digitization of archival material, and especially of newspapers, is now efficient in several major European archives. However, most state-funded repositories have gargantuan collections and only a fraction of their holdings is online. The situation is usually better in the archives of private foundations, which might have smaller holdings but are equipped with professional archivists with meticulous knowledge of their collections. In my personal experience the document retrieval process was always quick and efficient, so my advice would be to privilege this type of archive and go to state-funded archives if the items you are looking for are only held there. So, as a rule, you do have to face a number of challenges when you decide to research in European archives. Arm yourself with a lot patience, never lose confidence in your abilities and keep persevering. Having a flexible mindset will help a great deal when you are there. Sometimes you just have to accept that certain things are beyond your control and, no matter how well organized you are, the unexpected will just happen (like when I was in Rome and my archive suddenly shut down due to the first snowstorm hitting the ‘eternal city’ in 27 years). However, I am certain that the rewards, especially for transnational scholars, outnumber the obstacles. Europe is a goldmine for historical records and the chances to come across some truly original material, or at least sources that have never before been studied by English-speaking scholarship, are extremely high. This will make a whole lot of difference in the quality of your research and, eventually, in the way your work will be received by the scholarly community. As the semester and year come to a close sadly so does my time as the editor of [Re]collection. Though there are still a few weeks before the end of the year, this is the last time that I will write a personal post on this blog. Therefore thought I ought to give a few words of salutations before passing the torch to the more-than-capable Marcel Haas. I have learned a lot in my six months as editor and have greatly appreciated all of the authors and readers that make this blog a point of interest. I could spend the rest of this post describing the mechanics that go into editing and managing a blog: copy editing, working with peers and senior colleagues, managing deadlines, keeping an eye out for tone of writing, scrambling to get the final touches on a post, and much more. But I am sure that many of you are familiar with this process already; in fact, I can imagine a great deal of our readers are academics themselves and are therefore all too familiar with these processes (and more). So rather than spend any more time on these matters, I have decided I am going to share a parting story from my own research and teaching interests. My hope is that this story will be interesting and serve properly as parting words for my time as editor. In May of 1244, Thomas Aquinas decided to leave his cushy life assured of future ecclesiastical appointments and to join the Dominican order. Perhaps this change of heart is all too close to some of our own lives – leaving a life of potential financial and professional success for headier pursuits (i.e. signing up to spend half a decade of your life getting a PhD). As he left, Thomas utterly stunned his family who worked so hard to set him off on the right track. Regardless, Thomas followed his calling and trudged on. In fact, he did not trudge at all – he became one of the most prolific writers in medieval European history. Historians estimate that, during his prime, he was producing two to three novel-length volumes per month. Most readers will likely recognize Thomas’s name from his life’s work, Summa theologiae– a tome that addresses over 4,500 theological questions and was meant to replace the outdated Sentencesof Peter Lombard. Curiously, though, Thomas never finished his magnum opus. This fact is curious because Thomas simply decided to stop writing seemingly out of the blue. On December 6, 1273 (not that long from today’s date, albeit 745 years later), Aquinas is reported to have said, “After what I have seen today, I can write no more, for all that I have written is straw”. Historians are not sure exactly what it was that Thomas saw and why exactly he had such a dramatic change in perspective. Dying three short months later in March 1274, some speculate whether it was some sort of medical diagnosis. Nevertheless, Thomas stepped away from his enormously productive career at the height of his powers. More critically though, he did not finish what seemed to be his life’s work. Thomas’s halt in writing has fascinated historians and theologians for years, and it remains puzzling to this day. I share this story not to draw any parallels between the theological giant Thomas Aquinas and my own time at [Re]collection. Nor do I plan to offer any new answers as to Thomas’s sudden stoppage of writing. What I find most fascinating about this whole story is how Thomas continually displays what he thinks is a realistic perspective on his own legacy. He is reflective and even self-deprecating as he halts his projects to engage in more contemplative pursuits. This is especially true if he did not know that he would soon pass away just a few months after ceasing writing. A general point of application that I draw from this story, and, by extension, offer to you as readers is to have the proper perspective as you reach the end of the year. Whether it is with professional goals, writing projects, grading, or end-of-year holiday hustle, be sure to not overestimate how critical every detail is. Remember that you will always experience a mix of failure and success – perfectly embodied, I believe, in my time here as the editor. If even Thomas Aquinas gives himself a thoughtful critique and reflection, so can you too. So, as I wrap things up in the next few weeks, I hope that the posts over the past few months have been a little more than “straw”. At the same time, I know that it has been a productive season. Thank you all for all of your support – especially former editor Chiara Ziletti and everyone in the History Department at Central Michigan University. Finally, I wish my colleague and future editor Marcel Haas all the best in the coming year – viel Glück mein Freund! As a PhD student in the history department you expect to be a teaching assistant for much of your time in the program. Recently, however, the History Department at Central Michigan University has partnered with the Clarke Historical Library and the Michigan Historical Review to open up new opportunities for PhD students to embrace possible alternative careers to being a tenured professor. As the job market remains ever so thin, this opportunity is particularly helpful in offering training for careers outside of traditional tenure-track positions. As one of the first PhD students to be granted this opportunity, let me take some time to describe my responsibilities at the Clarke Historical Library…my new home away from home as Frank Boles has so wonderfully called it. Simply put, arranging and creating exhibits is hard, detailed work. Anyone that thinks it is anything less than stressful (but enjoyable) up until the last minute is likely still enjoying the euphoria of finishing a project to give an accurate assessment. While exhibit curators and designers are fun people to work with, there is a lot of negotiation throughout the process. As historians we hope to see all elements of our research make it into an exhibit, but it is simply not possible to do so. That leads me to the Clarke’s Fall 2018 exhibit: Tocqueville’s Two Weeks in the Wilderness. The idea for the exhibit itself began with United States District Court Judge Avern Cohen. Alexis de Tocqueville visited Michigan in the 1830s. “Two Weeks in the Wilderness” or “Quinze jours dans le désert,” describes the journey he and Gustave de Beaumont took along the Saginaw Trail in 1831. “We are going with the intention of examining in detail and as scientifically as possible the entire scope of that vast American society which everybody talks about and nobody knows.” Enamored with the vast forest and wilderness of Michigan, he described the interior of Michigan with great admiration: “While exploring this flourishing wilderness...you feel only quiet admiration, a gentle, melancholy emotion, and a vague disgust with civilized life. With a sort of savage instinct, it pains you to think that soon this delightful solitude will have been utterly transformed.” Tocqueville’s travels in Michigan were part of a commissioned trip to the United States to examine the prison system. However, his true aim was to explore the untapped outer limits of civilization was only made clear upon his arrival. Despite only being part of about half of the process for this exhibit, it is challenging nonetheless. The excruciating detail and time-consuming activities make a time crunch almost inevitable. Nonetheless, I had so much fun. Hands-on work and practical applications of history and the training that we get in the history department are put to the test not to mention an ability to create statistics about Michigan in the 1830s from scratch. This particular exhibit is marvelous (and I don’t just say that because I helped). It is the result of hard labor and a lot of fun exploring stacks and running back and forth from the printer doing last-minute labeling. Another fun perk is that the Clarke’s very own Bryan Whitledge is now on a first name basis with the Countess Stephanie de Tocqueville, so that’s pretty cool too. In summary, the Clarke has one of the nicest housing spaces for exhibits that I have seen in any university library (in my limited experience). With this, they have a unique ability to showcase collections and exhibits, work with departments, be an archival library, and house a journal. You should check it out! If you ever wondered whether immersing yourself fully into academia is a good idea, this week’s post has some ideas that might convince you to do so. Let me begin by saying that I truly enjoy going to conferences. Think about the fact that the university allows you to go on a short holiday where you meet some interesting people, make great new friends (who can also be quite influential and helpful), and all you have to do is give a short presentation and listen to why people think that you should use different sources. Conferences become even more enticing when they are held in a different country than the one in which you are currently working. In my case, that foreign country was Mexico, and that conference the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Ethnohistory (of which I am a shiny new member). Right away, I felt the rush of oncoming adventure when my plane touched down on the runway of Oaxaca’s Xococotlán Airport and I emerged into October’s tropical heat. The conference took place in a comfortable hotel a little outside the city center, which commanded a magnificent view of the valley. Oaxaca is an incredibly beautiful place that boasts architecture from the Spanish colonial era as well as modern art, markets, and restaurants that overlook the tremendous sight of ancient Monte Alban. The latter truly feels like the city of the gods it was meant to resemble. Built entirely upon the peak of the central mountain of the valley (which had been razed to create a massive plateau), it surely takes its place besides Mexico’s other archaeological highlights such as Teotihuacan and Palenque. As a center of art, culture, and history, Oaxaca was the ideal place for a very special conference. The Society for Ethnohistory is generally focused on examining the history of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, but more specifically highlights the agency and achievements of Indigenous people in interaction with the colonizing Europeans (the latter part is mostly due to the source availability of course). In South Mexico, this focus allowed conference attendees to experience the region’s history while presenting their new research on exactly that. Coupled with the brilliant organization by the colleagues of UNAM and Oaxaca, the proximity to world-renowned archaeological sites (apart from Monte Alban, also the fascinating former Zapotec city Mitla is only a short cab ride away) made the conference week very special. Besides its historic relevance and culinary excellence, it seemed to me that Oaxaca (and Mexico specifically) had also been chosen as a political statement in the face of increasing xenophobia in the United States. The choice reaffirmed the close connection of the Society with Mexico (especially considering that the “American” in its title does not simply refer to the US!), and the importance of Mesoamerica for the study of Indigenous peoples and the history of the continent. Importantly, a fiery speech by the outgoing president of the Society, Matthew Restall, emphasized the need for empathy for the suffering of other people, especially Indigenous women who have been the target of violence for centuries. After five days of talks, presentations, round tables, receptions, and late-night chats, the conference came to an end. Exhausted, amazed, laden with ideas and photographs, I finally made my way back to Michigan. The week in Oaxaca had been special, but also a perfect example of the experience we as graduate students, early career researchers, and even established scholars can have at one of the many conferences throughout the academic year. Alright, why aren’t you applying yet? Through the great work of CMU’s own Dr. Lane Demas a recent item of news has come to the forefront — and one of historical note concerning former president Barack Obama’s proposed Obama Presidential Center on the south side of Chicago. Refurbishing bits of Jackson Park along Lake Michigan, the project, headed by the Obama Foundation, plans to provide a “refurbished” public space that connects the park to the lakefront. The park will also include a museum tower that tells the history of the Obamas’ story in the United States and prominently features exhibits on the history of civil rights, African Americans, and Chicago generally. Complete with Obama’s presidential library, a conference center, and a large athletic center, this project will celebrate the Obama family and provide a new public space for south-side residents. The city of Chicago has been largely enthusiastic towards the project, giving the Obama Foundation a sweet deal on the property — a $10 (!), 99-year lease to rent and use the land. Despite a dendrological lawsuit and real estate critiques, the project continues forward. As previously mentioned, Dr. Demas’ book is award winning in many capacities. He was the 2017 USGA Herbert Warren Wind Award Winner as well as the recipient of the North American Sports Society for Sport History’s book award. Be sure to read more about the history of golf in Chicago in his monograph and keep an eye on the news concerning the course in Jackson Park. the beautiful drawing of the 15th century misericord from the Norwich Cathedral on the cover of the book was done by Robert's daughter Leah. For more than twenty years, I have been very actively involved in extensive research on structural and decorative medieval church woodwork in the British Isles, including iconographic aspects of the carved imagery. I recently fulfilled an invitation to make a presentation to Dr. Brittany Fremion’s HST 120 course to discuss several aspects of that research. I have made similar guest presentations for a number of other courses on campus in the Department of History as well as other academic disciplines. What made the presentation for Dr. Fremion’s class unique was her request that I also include why I have ultimately focused my research on ecclesiastical woodwork, and how I initially became interested in medieval church architecture. This offered me an interesting opportunity to explore, and ultimately explain how and why I developed such a passion for this line of research. I have been intensely interested in the ecclesiastical architecture from a very early age, and particularly in churches built in the Gothic style. As I was growing up on the east side of Detroit, I attended Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church at the edge of the historic Indian Village neighborhood, a place of worship built in 1925 in the English Gothic Revival style. One of the great joys of my childhood in that church was singing as a member of the youth choir in the large balcony at the rear of the sanctuary nave every third Sunday of the month. This wonderful vantage point allowed me to view the entire magnificent vista of the church, including the enormous soaring pipes of the Skinner organ, and the great oak-encased pulpit and choir loft, all surmounted by the great limestone Gothic archway framing the entire front chancel of the church. As a child and adolescent, Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church served as just one of the inspirations for the development of my great interest in medieval churches. Early in my life, I had also developed deep and driving passion for “things British,” which spurred my desire not only to visit the UK, but also to live there for a time if possible. In my junior year as an undergraduate at Central Michigan University, I was afforded just such an opportunity. I successfully applied to perform half of my student teaching as part of CMU’s very first foreign student teaching program, which had been arranged with many K-12 equivalent schools in the southern English cities of Winchester and Southampton. I was assigned to teach English Literature and History in a boy’s grammar school, Peter Symonds College, in Winchester. During the three months in early 1974 in which I lived and taught in that very medieval city, I went nearly every weekday to Winchester Cathedral after school to enjoy the quiet and unwind from teaching. I eventually became acquainted with many of the cathedral staff members, as well as some of the volunteer guides, all of whom taught me a great deal about the structures and the symbolic aspects of that great church. The single event, though, that acted as the true catalyst for my interest in medieval church woodwork was the day that one of the guides got permission to allow me into the choir stalls, where she showed me the early 13th century carved oak misericord seats that had been used for centuries by clerics and choristers. Misericord seats were cleverly designed to fold up and down like theater seats, the difference being that when the misericord seat is folded up, there is a projecting corbel ledge that allowed the clerics to rest their posteriors while mainly standing through the eight daily devotional services prescribed by the monastic Rule of St. Benedict. In other words, the upturned misericord seat allowed the clerics to stand in reverence, while simultaneously putting them at ease through those long daily services! My personal “discovery” of misericord seats, and the elaborately carved figures that are invariably found underneath their corbel ledges, is what ultimately drove my interest—my passion—for medieval church woodwork. Upon reflection, it was a long-simmering passion ignited quite by chance by a single choir stall visit. Since then, I have traveled to many medieval cathedrals, priories, abbeys, collegiate, and parish churches in England, Wales, and Scotland, spending much time examining and photographing their structural and decorative woodwork. My proudest accomplishment resulting from my research has been the publication of my reference book, Church Woodwork in the British Isles, 1100-1535: An Annotated Bibliography (2009), published under the Scarecrow Press imprint by Rowman and Littlefield. *During my years of research, which has included extensive explorations of carved symbolism and iconography, I came to realize that the church buildings were constructed as a representation of both the spiritual and the temporal world—God’s entire universe, if you will. To the medieval mind, holy imagery, which has always been predominant in medieval churches, could not exist without the context of the profane imagery also sharing these spaces. The representation of evil, of the pagan, and even of the obscene were regularly incorporated into the physical fabric of each church in order to serve as a spiritual warning and a potent reminder to actively seek the holy, and by doing so, avoid eternal damnation. Robert Faleer is faculty reference librarian in the CMU Libraries, where he has served as an academic librarian for 39 years. In addition to his book mentioned above, he has written several peer reviewed articles on various topics, and he has presented scholarly papers on this specific subject at the annual meetings of several scholarly conferences, including the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, and the International Medieval Congress.

2019-04-19T04:37:25Z

https://www.recollectionhistory.com/blog/category/Research

By Carolyn Homer (with comedic assistance from Eric D. Snider). Carolyn is a Mormon attorney engaged to a Catholic attorney in Washington D.C. Eric is a film critic and humorist in Portland, Oregon. Friends keep asking Brad and me when we’re getting married. We appreciate the support, but we believe marriage is a private decision, to be made by no one but the bride, the groom, and the Catholic Church. Brad and I want a Catholic wedding, and the Catholic Church takes marriage very seriously — almost as seriously as it takes divorce. You can imagine what a bureaucratic nightmare this is, wrangling with the Catholic Church. Well, whatever you’re imagining, double it, and set it on fire. We’ve spent months navigating it — not to plan our wedding, but to figure out the process of getting permission to plan our wedding. We knew the process would require religious annulments. In the Mormon Church, this meant my ex and I each wrote letters about our divorce, and then met with our bishops and stake president, who also wrote letters endorsing our divorcedness. That whole package of love notes was sent to Salt Lake City (to church headquarters, not the city in general). Within four months, our “sealing” (as it is called when you’re married in a Mormon temple) was “canceled” (as it is called when you cancel something). Thankfully, sealing cancellations were recently simplified. Mormon Church policy used to dictate that a divorced woman couldn’t have a sealing canceled unless she was betrothed to a Mormon. Marrying a no-Mo? Out of luck. Theoretically, this meant women were spending eternity with men they couldn’t stand on earth, giving heaven a dark, ironic twist suitable for an M. Night Shyamalan movie. But that’s all changed. Hooray for feminism! That’s the Mormon half. For Catholics, despite that trendy new Pope Francis’s push to modernize annulments, it still takes much longer. This is partly because annulments are handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and the Catholic Church has 1.2 billion members, and a lot of them want annulments. A few minutes of research revealed that indulgences and bribery, though popular in the Renaissance-era Catholic Church, are no longer effective. That’s “progress” for you, I guess. So Brad and his ex submitted paperwork, suffered through multiple ecclesiastical inquisitions, and otherwise endured a three-priest tribunal’s autopsy of their dead marriage. Nothing fun ever happens before a “tribunal.” And remember, the issue under consideration was whether two people who didn’t want to be married, and who were no longer married, should still be married. Eventually, the Catholic Church agreed with literally everyone else and granted the annulment. As of March, Brad was free to re-marry in the Catholic Church! Time to set a wedding date! BUT NOT SO FAST. Brad isn’t free to marry me because I am a divorced woman, i.e, a brazen hussy. I wear the scarlet D. If Brad marries me, the Catholic Church would consider it adultery and excommunicate him. Now, I had thought, and a reasonable observer might think, that this wouldn’t be an issue since my first marriage had been annulled, all official-like, by the Mormon Church. (My faith? My rules.) But nope — while the Catholics trust Mormons to approve Mormon marriages, they don’t trust us to cancel them. The Catholic Church has to determine independently whether my Mormon marriage qualifies for an annulment. Brad and I don’t need two annulments, we need three. But this is complicated by another fact: in the eyes of the Catholic Church, I am a heretic. (Let’s be honest, it’s not hard to get on the Catholic heretic list.) And it’s not just me, but Mormons in general. So how does the Catholic Church pass judgment on a heretical Mormon divorce? Apparently, no one knows. My legal education hadn’t prepared me for the insanity of a (literally?) Byzantine system. I spent hours pouring over canon-law blogs, but my main finding was that I regretted being aware of the existence of canon-law blogs. A local Catholic priest can deem my prior marriage invalid in a proto-annulment. A local Catholic bishop can grant me permission to marry in a Catholic church through a dispensation. A three-priest regional Catholic annulment tribunal must interrogate me and my ex for the next eighteen months. As a divorced heretic attempting to marry into the “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church,” I must seek a marital “dispensation in favor of the faith” from the Vatican. I reached out to a couple of priests for clarification, but they refused to talk to me. They told me that since Brad (the Catholic) couldn’t yet marry in the Catholic Church, I (the non-Catholic heretic) wasn’t even engaged enough to ask my question. So I called a canon-law lawyer. The irony of a Mormon lawyer hiring a Catholic lawyer to adjudicate her already-annulled Mormon marriage in the Catholic Church is not lost on me. The lawyer told me to talk to a priest. Exasperated, I queried some Catholic theologian friends. They suggested I call a church to schedule a wedding, and simply not volunteer that I’d been married before. If it came up anyway? Lie. I am not comfortable lying to a priest. Or at least, not as comfortable as my Catholic theologian friends seem to be. Once Brad’s annulment was granted, I finally found a priest who would talk to me in Indiana (because that’s where we want to get married, not because Indiana priests are more lenient or anything. Although I’m open to recommendations for playing “Priest roulette.”) This priest, whom I did not lie to, said I needed to take the Vatican route — which is “expedited” to only take 9-12 months! And that’s where we are. Until Brad and I both have official “get out of prior marriage free” cards from Rome, we aren’t even eligible to call a church to schedule a wedding. Of course, when we do call a church, most parishes won’t give us a date any earlier than six months out. Catholics have a mandatory engagement period, and our “engagement” won’t religiously start until my Vatican permission slip arrives. We will then need to participate in Catholic marital-counseling to prove our sacramental sincerity. You’d think surviving their Kafkaesque ordeal would be sufficient proof. We were hoping for an October wedding. We’re still hoping for October; we just don’t know what year. Our engagement will likely last longer than either of our prior marriages. But that’s OK; we’re enjoying it more! We may just give up and elope. Fascinating. So is the crux of it seems to be that the catholic standard for getting married is broad enough to accommodate a Mormon wedding, but the catholic standard for annulment is narrow enough that a cancellation of sealing will only qualify for an annulment under certain circumstances. Is that correct? I mean, I my understanding of it (maybe wildly inaccurate) is that an annulment can only be something that made the marriage invalid from the beginning, while a cancellation can be granted based on circumstances that arose after the marriage. So there are situations where grounds for cancellation wouldn’t support grounds for annulment. But my sense (again, maybe wildly inaccurate) is that the invalid-from-the-beginning thing is, in practice, often little more than a legal fiction. Fascinating and kind of hilarious, Carolyn. Thanks for sharing your journey. And may the marriage gods and the Catholic Church smile upon you both. @JKC: Your understanding matches my understanding. Still, I was hoping that if I just turned over the entire basket of sealing-cancellation paperwork to a Catholic Church that would satisfy a bunch of their procedural standards and the annulment could be expedited. (They’re particularly concerned that they don’t annul a marriage without giving an ex-spouse notice, for example.) But it doesn’t. In my case at least my prior marriage meets Catholicism’s substantive annulment standards, too. This is hilarious and horrifying all at the same time. Can’t we just go back to the earlier Middle Ages, before either church or state was involved in most marriages? Well, I think that you should read Battesimo mormoni more closely. It definitely does not say that the Mormon conception of the Trinity resembles the Arian Heresy of the Fourth Century. it merely gives Arianism as an example of a trinitarian heresy. The words Father, Son and Holy Spirit, have for the Mormons a meaning totally different from the Christian meaning. The differences are so great that one cannot even consider that this doctrine is a heresy which emerged out of a false understanding of the Christian doctrine. The teaching of the Mormons has a completely different matrix. We do not find ourselves, therefore, before the case of the validity of Baptism administered by heretics, affirmed already from the first Christian centuries, nor of Baptism conferred in non-Catholic ecclesial communities, as noted in Canon 869 §2. @Kullervo: That’s eminently fair. I’m no theologian, I don’t fully understand the various Trinitarian doctrines and I should have read the whole thing. My “Arian” point came from (a) conversations with amateur Catholic theologian friends who said ‘that sounds Arian’, (b) a religious studies class I took in college where a early Christianity professor and I got into a long discussion of Mormon Trinitarianism and he said “that sounds Arian,” and (b) reading the Stephen Webb / Alonzo Gaskill book which argues in part that the Battesimo mormoni was incorrect because some Arian-like baptisms are recognized by the Catholic Church. Thanks for letting us laugh at the insanity you’re dealing with. Has official policy on Mormon women and sealings changed? Or is this UOOT? You are making me not regret having left the ranks of interfaith marriage, that’s for sure. Look forward to your happy nuptials (someday). The Mormon baptism CDF decision is one of my favorite subjects to think and argue about. I think they were right that the version of Mormon Godhead doctrine they described is more heretical than Arianism, but (different topic) I think they were wrong to take that version as necessarily representative of all Mormon Godhead doctrines. That’s a problem that’s inherent in a religion that doesn’t have creeds. And I understand that the easier practical answer is to just require re-baptism, but as a matter of doctrine, the old case-by-case ad hoc approach was more correct, I think. In other words, if and when the CDF decision changes, I’d be more fascinated by what the reason given for the change says about Catholic and Mormon institutions, than the fact of the change itself. Wow no wonder Henry felt like beheading was an attractive alternative way to end a marriage. It does “sound Arian.” I was an Arian heretic long before I became a Mormon. Kullervo is, as usual, dancing with an unspecifiable number of angels upon the head of a metaphysical pin. Since the concept of the Trinity itself is incomprehensible, it stands to reason that one of its most prominent counter-theories couldn’t be simple; it too has to be incomprehensibly complex (as opposed to the simplicity of the scripture cited in the talk to which you referred). So, unless Brad or his former wife were not free to marry, didn’t intend to wed for life, or weren’t really open to children, he’s gonna have to fudge it anyhow. Which lie are you more comfortable with? Personally, I’d worry more about being honest with Heavenly Father (and it sounds like you have been) than with Father So-and-So at St. Whatever’s,, but I quit being Catholic a very, very long time ago. @New Iconoclast: Brad’s annulment has been granted in accordance with Canon law, no fudging involved. The basis for that grant, and any argumentation as to whether Catholic priests were applying their own canon laws correctly, are beyond the scope of this post. I was aware that getting a Catholic annulment is plenty difficult because it causes so many issues with converts who are not married due to one of them having a prior marriage, but this inter-faith business is so much more difficult! While I still think the hurdles for a Mormon sealing cancellation are nutty and sexist, this is definitely a whole lot worse, the excellence of Pope Francis notwithstanding. Human policies for supposedly divine institutions are pretty terrible. They seem to be worse for institutions that claim more divine sanction (Mormons & Catholics) than those who acknowledge the human hand (e.g. Episcopal and other liberal Protestants). Fascinating question, Carolyn. It’s a weird thing, because before they could decide whether Mormon doctrine on the Trinity is orthodox, heretical, or just not even Christian at all, the first question that the CDF had to decide is what is Mormonism’s godhead doctrine in the first place, and that’s something that not even Mormons can agree on, other than a few broad, simple propositions that largely just track the language of scripture, and answering it is bound up with contested questions of authority within Mormonism (e.g. if BY’s Adam-God doctrine has been repudiated as a whole, to what extent do his individual statements about the nature of the father and the son remain authoritative? and if the statements of a sitting president of the church–expressed as authoritative at the time they were made–can be dismissed as individual opinion by later administrations, then to what extent can we really rely on anything other than codified scripture as an authoritative statement?). So, the way I see it there are two ways of answering the question: One way would be a sort of “mere” Mormonism, which would ask “what is the absolute minimum that a person must accept to accurately be called an adherent to LDS Godhead doctrine. That way would tend to seek accommodation and minimize inconsistency. The second way would be to find everything said by high ranking church officials and accept it all uncritically. The CDF approach was closer to the second way, and maybe I’m naïve on this point, but I would sort of expect to see a bit more nuance and sophistication–after all, if the CDF can navigate the nuance of distinctions between speaking ex cathedra and not, they are at least equipped to deal with analogous questions in Mormonism. Obviously, from my earlier comment, I favor the first approach, and I think they got it wrong by taking the second approach. The problem with the second approach is that it assumes a unitary doctrine and doesn’t account for the possibility (the reality) that there are competing strains of thought. So by assuming a unitary doctrine, you are in reality picking one version of many. But the problem with the first approach is that, taken to the logical extreme, it essentially renders official church teachings irrelevant and focuses just on individual belief/understanding, and if the standard is going to be what version does the individual person believe in at the time of baptism, then does that mean that whenever a person holding heretical views is baptized in a church whose official doctrine is orthodox, that person’s baptism is invalid? And what if the person doesn’t have any understanding of God at all (e.g. infants)? So I see why they felt they had to go that way. The difference, as I see it, is that the case-by-case approach works where the church in question doesn’t have an official creed, but that doesn’t really solve the problem, it just pushes it back a level, because deciding whether Mormonism has an official creed, and if so, what is it, raises many of the same inconclusive questions. As a legal nerd, what I think would have been awesome would have been a “certified question” from the CDF to the First Presidency (What is the LDS doctrine on the godhead with respect to these specific questions?) then the CDF could decide for itself where the answers fell on the spectrum between orthodox and not even Christian at all. When the Catholics came out with the document about Mormons needing baptism, I thought the result was clearly correct, but as I saw things through my Mormon eyes. That is, to me the obvious grounds were authority (we have Mormon priesthood, not Catholic priesthood) and reciprocity ( we make Catholics get baptized, why shouldn’t they do the same to us?). I was fascinated that they reached what seemed to me the obviously correct result on completely different grounds (our doctrinal understanding of the Trinity). This post was really interesting and even fun (for those of us who don’t have to go through it in reality). Thanks for sharing, and here’s hoping one day the Gods (er, urp, the one true Triune God) smiles upon your Catholic wedding. @Kevin: Right!! I was so surprised when in conversations with Brad and in reading some creed books I realized that the Catholic’s position on baptism ISN’T grounded in “authority”, it’s grounded in “the body of Christ is large and anyone who receives baptizes in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (except Mormons) is validly baptized. It’s remarkable that the process is even possible. With the Catholic focus on one marriage only ever, one would think that the Mormon openness to the possibility of multiple marriages (at the same time!)((historical and in some limited respects still today)) would be highly suspect. It really is uncomfortable to feel some sympathy for Henry VIII. This makes my 13-month sealing process seem almost merciful, and I was ready to implode over that–though admittedly, when this is over, you will not be forced to choose between a polygamous sealing or no sealing at all. Do you know when the sealing policy changed for women, and if that was churchwide, or if you lucked into a kind leader who took mercy on you? As recently as 2014 we were requesting cancelation from a previous sealing and were being flat denied. What a delightful read about the labyrinth of hedges cultivated in endless (and ageless) variety to protect the Churches’ interests in the sanctity of marriage. Pharisees have commendable creativity. What’s really commendable, however, is the optimistic good humor you show as you navigate this particular labyrinth. Congratulations to you both on the measure of success towards achieving engagement. It bodes well for the actual marriage. So the real question is why? Why in the world go through all of this work for religions you don’t really believe in. You have indicated that you are falling away from Mormonism, by being willing to take catholic sacraments and do a catholic wedding. You have also indicated various misgivings about Catholicism because of the craziness, doctrine, shunning, and the problems you have encountered, etc. So if you are a heretic, by not being willing to forgo some elements of knowledge from your prior faith, why work so hard to be married in that church? What is the point? Why not just get married in any church? Tons of them have little to no hurdles to jump and will marry just about anyone or anything. So either you don’t believe at all and anything will work, so why put yourself through this pointless torture. Or you do believe in Mormonism and your hubby is the one that needs to convert, not you. I won’t pretend to know the state of Carolyn’s relationship with the church, but this is a non sequitr. My Catholic wife and I squared that circle in a very Catholic country by leaving both churches out in the cold and not following up the mandatory civil marriage with a religious ceremony. Very fascinating. It takes some serious grit to take on two archaic bureaucracies to build the family you want in the way that you want. Kudos to you and your fiance! Re: CDF reconsidering as Mormon theology becomes more mainstream. I think that even if we went full Trinitarian, it’d only fix part of part II of Battesimo mormoni. The “completely different matrix” from which Mormon theology emerges would still be a problem as long as we believe in the Book of Mormon at all. The “essential difference between the Baptism of John and Christian Baptism” would still be a problem as long as we have 2 Nephi 31, and teach people that Christ’s baptism by John was an example for what we all need to do. The whole baptism of Adam, or the baptisms by Alma at the Waters of Mormon, as pre-Christ but still fundamentally Christian baptisms would be a problem. The belief that baptism has nothing to do with original sin, and the rebaptism of excommunicated members would also be big problems. All the rest about how Mormons aren’t suitably Trinitarian seems like window dressing, considering that the Catholic church spent literally centuries violently suppressing Arianism — that’s still Trinitarian enough, but Mormonism isn’t?! I hate to ascribe a secret and bad motive to anyone, but it really looks like the CDF already had a bunch of reasons to believe that Mormon baptism was always invalid, but thought they’d look too mean-spirited about it unless they could really make Mormonism sound shockingly wrong. The vagaries of Catholic annulments have interested (and baffled) me since my protestant friend married the second time in a Catholic church. He had first to get an “annulment” of his 12 year first marriage. It was granted by the archbishop on grounds that wife no. 1 had stated both before and after marriage that she would never have children. That was enough to make it not a “real” marriage. Maybe the archbishop was merely looking for a rationalization to allow what was wanted by a very prominent Irish-American Catholic family. (Of course, I’ve been baffled by other friends’ experience with LDS sealing cancellations also.) Good luck, Carolyn and Brad with your quest. Tangential aside: Perhaps I have spent too much time hanging around other Christian churches to be surprised that the Catholic objection to Mormon baptism is not grounded in “authority”. At least to the extent of baptism, I have been given to understand that the Roman Catholic Church, like many protestant churches, accepts the “priesthood of all believers” — at least those who sufficiently believe in the Trinity. I have wondered sometimes why our LDS church is so hung up on actual authority. The question I would pose to other legal nerds here is why is apparent authority (the Anglo-American legal concept) not enough to perform or receive a valid Christian baptism. I would welcome comments on that question, but ignoring this tangential inquiry in this thread may be more appropriate. divorced from my temple marriage for the last 18 years. Happily married to a born Muslim now Atheist for 16 years. We have two children. I never pursued a cancellation because I was told it would never be granted. After reading this I have hope this could be possible but I can’t find any information on the recent simplification process you mention. Where could I learn more. @Shauna: honestly, go talk to your bishop. Be prepared with a 1-2 page written letter about why your first marriage is terrible and why you would like a cancellation. Although it wouldn’t be as fancy, a simple solution would be to just get married by your Bishop in an LDS Chapel. It would make you legal and have the same force, “until death do you part”. @kelly: But the marriage wouldn’t have the same force for my fiancé, who is important here. Any marriage to me outside a Catholic Church results in his literal excommunication –I.e. He is in such a perpetually sinful state he would be barred communion. Unfortunately, the first thing that came to mind is that this kind of thing is why all those people in the large and spacious building are pointing and laughing, and not just at Mormons. “Theoretically, this meant women were spending eternity with men they couldn’t stand on earth, giving heaven a dark, ironic twist suitable for an M. Night Shyamalan movie.” I’m all for women wanting to get their sealings cancelled. However, please don’t perpetuate the notion that there’s a snowball’s chance of spending eternity with an Ex whom you detest. I hardly think either the author or her fiance had to worry about that prospect. I think the authority thing is fascinating. Not on the “priesthood of all believers” side but on ours as JR mentions above at 5/8 5:42. I have been told several times (most recently when my former husband, who is inactive and participating in activities that would lead to being disfellowshipped if not excommunicated depending upon the Bishop/Stake leadership, wanted to ordain our son as a Priest) that “it’s not the priesthood holders worthiness but the faith of the one receiving the ordinance that actually matters.’ Which seems like it would mean that if anyone gave a blessing or performed a priesthood ordinance on someone with enough faith it would stand. It’s an odd view in my perspective, but I’ve been told this by several leaders of various stripes. Marcella, I’ve never heard of anyone being reordained, because the person performing the ordination wasn’t worthy or the person being ordained didn’t have much faith at the time. I’ve only heard of ordinances having to be redone (or ratified by the First Presidency) if a procedure wasn’t followed. There’s an explicit statement to this effect if you request someone’s priesthood line of authority from the Church — there might be gaps because of missing or incomplete information (e.g., we don’t even have a record of who performed this ordination, let alone of whether they were properly ordained and worthy themselves), but the validity of the ordination is not affected as long as it was “authorized by the proper authority and recorded on the official records of the Church.” That whole “recorded on earth = recorded on heaven” thing seems to carry a lot of weight. marcella, that’s so interesting to me, because I have a male relative who is a very active and faithful member of the church, but who also happens to not actually believe in it–he’s quite orthopractic, but not orthodox. And his bishop won’t let him do anything like ordain his sons to the priesthood (or even speak in church, for that matter), which honestly strikes me as kind of absurd. Maybe I just don’t appreciate orthodoxy enough? I too have heard the line about the faith of the one receiving the ordinance being what counts, which I can see in some ways. Latter-day Saints aren’t Donatists, who were deemed heretical for their view that priesthood rituals were only efficacious if the priest was worthy–that tends to lead to problems when it turns out for example the a whole bunch of baptisms and marriages over the years were actually invalid, oops. But I can also see that it raises tricky questions about why you need the priesthood in the first place. Thinking more about the LDS situation–the D&C says “Amen” to a man’s priesthood when he exercises unrighteous dominion, but we don’t really believe that, because then would we still maintain the validity of the ordinances he performs by virtue of that priesthood? (Let me just say that if unrighteous dominion actually canceled out priesthood efficacy in performing ordinances, my baptism is soooo null and void.) Put another way, why is it in LDS theology that a man’s actions performed by the power of the priesthood have a certain something, regardless of the man’s standing before God, that a woman’s never can? Have you ever actually been divorced? Or even just had a toxic break-up? I've never been Mormon, but I've got a toxic Mormon ex-husband and a toxic Christian ex-boyfriend in my rearview mirror now. I can't even imagine if we'd been Mormom & sealed and one of them were able to taunt me that any children I have with a new spouse will be sealed to them in heaven. I totally get why Mormon women like Carolyn who happily re-marry to non-Mormons don't want sealings to toxic exes still in place. Based on where you are now, it looks like, from a practical standpoint, your sealing cancellation was unnecessary. You could have skipped that step entirely and just spent that time and energy pursuing the Catholic annulment for yourself. You could still go after the sealing cancellation if you wanted to, but it apparently had no impact on your ability to marry in the Catholic church. @Ann Porter: Oh, the letters my ex wrote for the sealing cancellation yet end up being helpful to the Catholics too. In any case, I “practically” wanted a sealing because Mormon doctrine is still that any future kids I have with Brad would be deemed sealed to my ex. I found that unacceptable. Until, later, some helpful distant cousin going back through her family tree has sealing blessings pronounced upon them with their biological parents. Happens all the time, for which I am grateful. That doesn’t reduce the annoyance factor of erroneous assumptions that people believe are factual or the unsettled sense that comes from not having everything wrapped up nicely with a bow in this life. Nor is it an attempt to justify anything at all. It just is to say that my research on the various positions taken by various church authorities, and other well-meaning Mormons on the topic, and my understanding of LDS theology, and my understanding of proxy temple work lead me to believe that the various statements, by whomever it may be, at whatever time and place, about the nature and details of eternal, earth initiated, child-parent relationships and “who is sealed to whom” fall firmly into the realm of conjecture, not doctrine. Conjecture, painted as reason, and developed into pronouncement is a normal human response when there is an unanswered question:, creating an “authoritative” answer in order to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty. It happens all the time in all sorts of ways in a myriad of life situations. And it’s always a problem. On the other hand, I do believe that LDS doctrine does include the idea that “the same sociality that exists here” will exist in the life to come, that loving parents who lost young children to death will be with them again, and that God is, in the end, all about finding ways to deliver and foster mercy, goodness and healthy relationships for those who seek that. Which I sense you definitely do. Become an episcopalian. Or can’t you convert to Catholicism? I see how important your religions are but they shouldn’t ruin your plans. Religion needs to take a step aside and let those that love each other do simply that. Love. We’ve left a lot of old fashioned traditions since the 18th century, might as well just keep going right? Or maybe one of you should convert. Or just get married outside. Throw everything out with the bathwater. I’m an Episcopalian, and we’d be happy to have you if it comes to that. I’m sorry the situation is causing you both so much stress and pain. We have a lot of ex-Catholics, and they often have a lot of processing to do about leaving the church, when they’ve been taught that being outside it means damnation. Sounds convoluted and rediculous that the Catholic Church is being a stickler on this. At any rate though once you are sealed to a person and you don’t keep the covenents or they theirs you are under no obligation to stay with them. I’m pretty sure even if you both do but don’t like each other God isn’t going to force people against their wills to be together. That is Satan’s plan remember? Forcing people to do stuff. I get it that you are doing all this for your future husband. Just a question: if your husband doesn’t marry you, he just lives with you and …. and you have 15 children, does he still get burned at the stake, spiritually of course? I thought a bunch of these Catholic guys have 2 or 3 or more families.They are officially married to the first wife and the rest, well call it what you wish. To shed further light on the question of the trinity, my bishop told me that actually we do believe in the trinity and he referred me to the first article of faith.This is why the brethren keep it on the third grade level. I actually have a friend who just finished a thesis on the CDF document concerning the invalidity of Mormon baptisms! In contrast to the Arians, who at least held the Father is God, and that the Son and Spirit are divine in some meaningful (albeit derivative) sense, the Mormons apparently holds that the Father and Son are both mere creatures. If God is not referred to at all in the formula of baptism, then there is a defect. But it is certainly a strange issue! This post was one of the first to come up while search “canon law” on wordpress. Certainly a very interesting situation, though I am sorry for the pain it may have involved. You will be in my prayers.

2019-04-26T09:55:52Z

https://bycommonconsent.com/2017/05/08/when-in-rome-marry-as-the-catholics-do/

This post seeks to inform both historical, technical, and specific Cooke Lenses used on certain films of personal interest for the purposes of future projects. Thus, the numerous questions are to attain a starting by based of an accurate “frame of reference” when moving forward in choosing lenses to create a baseline image. In addition, when referring to “the Look” of a particular film, it goes without saying that filters, diffusion, LUTs, color palette, production design, HMU, films stocks and processing, affected the look of these films... so let’s avoid that divergent discussion. After extensive research of the three sources below, attaining answers to my questions have been spotty at best. Q2) Why have these lenses seemingly disappeared?? They are referred to as, “Special Cooke Speed-Panchro Lenses” with an amazing F 1.3! There are numerous rental houses with rehoused Cooke Panchro’s but I have never seen a set of the Techinicolor Panchros. I’d be willing to even buy a set of these lenses and rehouse them… yet how could countless sets have dropped out of circulation?! Does anyone know of a rental house in the US (or seller) with the original Technicolor Cooke Panchros? Q3) In researching photos of these lenses, I have also discovered what are known as the Cooke anastigmat for technicolor lenses BUT at f2…. Are these it but a later model or are or they something else? Admittedly, I do not understand or know what “Anastigmat” means. I am presuming this film was shot on the Cooke Speed Panchros Series I since the Series II came out three years later in 1945. As referenced above. The Panchros have had a resurgence with combining rehoused Series II/III into a single rental/purchasable set. Q1) Does anyone know of a rental house with a set purely of Series 1?? I have yet to find this option or even see test footage of the original series I. Same goes with a set of Series O OPIC lenses: these could also be rehoused into a set with PL mounts. Where have these original Series O and I lenses disappeared to?? Q2) In other words, it appears these two focal lengths for FF VistaVision use the same design principle as the Technicolor Special Cooke Speed Panchros… So did we just confirm the question above that the Technicolor Panchro’s are compatible with modern cameras? Also, do the rest of series III, or even series I, II and technicolor/Series O’s have the ability to cover the 8 perf 35mm neg and/or a digital 8k FFVV sensor??? Q3) So what it the delrama that provided the x1.5 squeeze which was in combination with a set of spherical FF VV Cooke lenses?? If so, then what were these original VV Cooke lenses??? Q3) Why would rental houses be combining Series II/III to create a single set? This seems haphazard when at least the series III 18 and 25mm have a totally different image magnification/coverage area compared to rest. Please confirm and/or correct the assumption that these two lenses will capture and different look/feel to the rest. I haven’t located a source revealing the rest of the series III were released in a larger matching FF VV capture size as well… so then generally speaking, do the Series II/III’s have an indistinguishable look to? Q4) Regarding coverage/image magnification and overall look, are these new Panchro/i’s most akin the Series I, II, or III? A new era! It was shot in CinemaScope at 2.55, yet I cannot find any information as to which brand/make and model of lenses were used – not sure if even Cooke’s or something else. All I can gather is this film, like East of Eden, were ‘presented’ in anamorphic. But… you can tell the lenses (or perhaps the anamorphic adapter utilized) are much different between the two films. The latter, Rebel, has far less edge distortions. Q1) Were these first ‘Anamorphic’ CinemaScope films using actual anamorphic lenses or something like a “Delrama anamorphic adapter” attached to spherical lenses? If so, were they attached in front or behind? Plus, with these adaptors, focus had to be pulled simultaneously on both at the same speed?? Q2) I would love to use whatever the actual lenses were on “Rebel” on a modern camera BUT if it were not a real anamorphic, then I suppose that’s out of the question. Therefore, are the one or two first ever released adaptor-free anamorphic lenses for 35mm film coverage— And therefore, the first one from Cooke? A new era: This was shot on large format 65mm film. Q1) So why has it never publicized which stunning set of Cooke’s were used? In fact, there is NO HISTORY on any of these three sources regarding FF, anamorphic, or large format Cooke image capture lenses from 1950-70s. I’m doubting in 1965 they were using some sort extender adaptors for large format? Which large format spherical primes and/or zooms were used for this 70mm film? Q2). This brings me to my most amateur question but which may or may not factcheck my hunch: Do the vintage anamorphics from the 60s/70s have the ability to cover the entire 5 perf 70mm film format? If so, are these x2 squeeze lenses still squeezing x2 or is it reduced to 1.5 (like when using 35mm 8 perf FF VV) or reduced x1.3? If the squeezed are reduced… how so? I believe this film was shot with Cooke lenses as is referenced in these Cooke produced videos and Shotonwhat lists as Technovision lenses with an anamorphic camera lens aperture. I’m fairly certain Apocalypse was shot using the Cooke Xtal Express Lenses. Please confirm. Q1) This begs the question, what the heck are the Cooke Xtal Express made by Technovision and what are is the Cooke anamorphic set of which they modified to create these? Q2) This does suggest Cooke did have an anamorphic series during the period in question, So what were the different series/makes/models available and why have then gone unspoken of and missing from circulation to rental houses today? Q3) I read these were the favorite lenses of Vittorio Storaro, were made and/or converted by Joe Dunton at Technovision, but now the Panavision Paris gobbled them up and are the sole rental house for these sets—Hopefully not true. Where can one rent these in the US? There won't be "countless" sets of Technicolor lenses- there were only ever about 50 3-strip cameras. IQ1) This begs the question, what the heck are the Cooke Xtal Express made by Technovision and what are is the Cooke anamorphic set of which they modified to create these? The Xtal Express are not conversions of Cooke Anamorphics. They're based on Cooke Speed Panchros, I believe. The anamorphic elements were added in the conversion by Joe Dunton. Panavision Hollywood has a set, and I think there is a set in London too. They are not super hard to find. Lots of questions here, you might want to ask just a few at a time to get better answers! As such, take the following information as a starting point, rather than definitive. I've spent some time researching the history of cinematography lenses, but it's not a well covered area, so some of my conclusions are speculative. Anastigmats were simply the term often used in the early 20th century to describe lenses that were corrected for astigmatism. There are Series 1 Speed Panchros floating around, but due to their smaller image circle, earlier design and uncoated elements they haven't been favoured over the later series for refurbishment or rehousing. I don't know anyone who has a set. Later Speed Panchros with some diffusion would probably give you a similar look. There may be newer sets around with the coatings removed, which was a fad a few years back. Series 0 Opics seem to be quite rare, and may not have even been made for cine formats. The series III 18mm and 25mm are usually included in sets because they have a better reputation than the earlier versions of those focal lengths (if there even was a series II 18mm). They match the other lenses just fine - no difference in image circle size if memory serves, and similar coatings. None of the Speed Panchro lenses cover Vistavision or FF, they were 35mm cine lenses. According to the Cooke history page, the series II Speed Panchros were made with slightly larger image circles to cover the Silent Aperture, which is just the whole 4 perf 35mm aperture without a soundtrack. Leo Vale thought they may have come out in the 50s when widescreen formats began appearing, with the series III coming in the early 60s. Early anamorphics used a taking lens with an anamorphic adapter, later ones incorporated both into a single housing. Technovision was (I believe) a French firm with Italian branches that made anamorphics using (usually) Cooke Speed Panchros and Japanese anamorphic elements, which was what Storaro used on Apocolypse Now. He also used a Cooke zoom (either a 20-100 or 25-250) with an anamorphic rear adapter. Joe Dunton was a British camera engineer who developed similar anamorphics under the name of Xtal Express, but he was not connected to Technovision AFAIK. You should be able to rent Xtal Express lenses from any Panavision branch, the inventory is worldwide and can usually be shipped between branches if available. Cooke made gazillions of lenses over the 20th century, for all sorts of gauges and formats. There are lots of different names. Rebel Without a Cause was probably shot on Cinemascope lenses by Bausch and Lomb. We had a set at the last rental house I worked at (the owner was an avid collector), but they were too difficult to convert to PL, and would have been pretty subpar compared to later anamorphics. They notoriously over-stretched faces at close distances, causing what was referred to as "the mumps", which was why Panavision's anamorphic lenses soon became the Hollywood standard - they had a patented feature that kept the squeeze constant. but by the mid 60s they had probably got Cooke to make some. Pretty rare I imagine. These would be specialised spherical 65mm format lenses, with the focal length not marked, rather the angle of view specific to the format. These lenses are refurbished and can be rented nowadays (although somewhat busy so not always available). I should add that many of the early Panavision anamorphics - B and C series - utilised Cooke optics in the taking lens, and are also available to rent these days. All things being considered, that means there could be at least 50 sets of these special Technicolor Cooke Panchros that were made - That's a pretty good number. So does anyone know where they all ran off to? Could this be a case of Technicolor having controlled (and still do control) circulation and they're all sitting in a a bunch of pelican cases in a backroom storage unit at technicolor in LA? Heck, this could be like how the Panavision Panatar lenses were dusted off and grabbed from the back-corner and are not the hottest lenses around. Regardless, can someone still confirm if telecentric lenses with beam splitting prisms are compatible with modern single chip digital sensors in the first place anyway? Are these actually them but simply remounted and rebranded? What are theses things? Hmm... first off, lets confirm if Apocalypse Now was shot with Xtal Express lenses because that film doesn't show any signs of close up mumps or distortions on the edge of the frames making characters look thinner. I would have presumed if Panavision had corrected these problems with their own all-in-one anamorphic lenses in 1958, than by the mid 1970s, Hollywood still would not be using adapters to achieve the x2 squeeze? But if so, i'm assuming then it was a set of spherical Panchro series III... but then combined with what adapter ~ What make/model and was it front or rear? I have come across these Technovision lenses for rent... Are these the Xtal Express ~ What the heck or these?? Ohhh?? So this goes back to the question of what was the name of the first available series of Panavision lenses that did correct these mumps in 1958? --- A needed clarification: when referring to the spherical taking lens method does this refer also to the use of adapters which required duel focus pulling OR was it were these the first of their kind (for lack of a better term) all-in-one anamorphic lens systems of their kind that where rebuilt/rehoused from the ground up? From my panavision research, it appears the C series are the oldest they list on their website for rental but they came out a decade later in 1968. What are the B series? Panavisions website doesn't even list them. And hey, if there is a series B and C... wouldn't that imply there is an initial A series??? Hmmm... I hope that is not the case... I did come across this modern lens when researching telecentric lenses... maybe this sheds light on it? Still don't understand what the implications of needing/wanting Anastigmats formated lenses and if all lenses nowadays actually are Anastigmats and have just dropped the labeling from the lens barrels simply to avoid confusion or not. Please confirm. The only downside I foresaw of series I in my initial research was in fact that they didn't include an 18mm. It is my favorite focal length. ex) it should be 18/25 from either series II or III along with the other focal lengths all from series III.... checking this is a bit of a hassle, though it is great to know they will all match in sharpness and color rendition. Bummer that they are not able to cover FF and simply the 4 perf range of the entire 35mm neg- Thank you for catching this error. However this does make me wonder which such lenses were used on VV films like Giant and The Searchers. In other words, what are the oldest/original make/model of FF VistaVision lenses used for cinema? Hmmm yes, the Super Baltars. They have a stunning contrasting and a very warm look. Even warmer then Cookes. I've done additional research and have found similar findings. And it is worthy to note the original cinemascope films were quite contrasty/saturated. I've seen plenty of rehoused sets available for rent.... I presume you are referring to an attempt to create a custom retro-style anamorphic set incorporated into a single housing? mmm That would be as close as it gets to the old look but with none of the mumps/distortion problems. That would be a real winner! Really great information. Great to see a link of the original lenses. The letter/angle of view markings of A 37°, B 48°, C 64°, and E 128° are a strange way to go but good to know. Wonder if they ever did make a 'D' lens? I certainly have yet to see these lenses listed for rental thus far online but it is exciting to know that they exist and to see pictures of them... in my opinion, these could be the best lenses ever made (the Sound of Music Blu-ray is out of this world stunning). I've only yet to see them rehoused in this single focal length of 30mm... the DuoPanchros appear to be Large Format (for 70mm)... not FF VV. Could these be the mysterious modified Cooke taking lenses that were the basis for the Todd AO (Sound of Music/Lawrence of Arabia, 2001 Space Odyssey) that is in question?? This is the only Todd-AO FF lenses for rent I could find... it does say they are Cooke Panchro based. Though the housing looks far more modern then the links you gave... Are these authentic or rather just a modern inspired by set of the original series? I read the entire thread. Thank you Robin for the heads up! 1) Many people nowadays conflate the make/models of rehoused Baltars, simply labeling all of them as "Super Baltars" when in fact, the "Standard Baltars" are the original Bausch and Lomb 35mm spherical lenses. 2) So it was in fact the Standard Baltars which were the taking lens for all the original cinemascope films. regarding Björn's specific set, it is a bit confusing as to whether or not his lense are of this taking lens/adaptor nature or if they are in fact the short-lived Blue Series E anamorphics. Even if they're not, who cares?!? These are the real deal CinemaScopes! 3) The Bausch & Lomb anamorphic Blue Series "E" lenses were the competitors to the Auto Panatar Compact Anamorphic Lenses. - The Panatars are now back in the panavision rental catalogue. The B&L Blue Series E had around 20 sets made.... They are sure to pop up rehoused sooner than later. The Technovision and Xtal Express anamorphics use a system where the taking lens does not focus, the anamorphic group is in the centre and a negative spherical front optic does the focussing, which reduces some of the mumping issue of older systems that used dual focus mechanisms. The evolution is mirrored in the Lomo squarefronts vs roundfront anamorphics. I doubt anyone would bother rehousing such enormous lenses, except as a passion project like Bjorn's. These days people want small and light, not elephant-sized. The Todd AO 65mm lenses are a bit of a mystery, I don't know how many were made by companies other than American Optical, or whether AO repurposed lenses made by experienced optical firms like Taylor Taylor Hobson. A number of sources (including Cooke) claim Cookes were used on various 65mm productions, so there must have been some made, or the AO ones were actually Cookes. The one I linked to on ebay earlier only had the angle of view marked, and an AO badge, so it couldn't even be proved to be a Cooke, although the seller thought it was. Super Baltars were made to accomodate the longer back-focus needed for Mitchel reflex cameras, and superceded the older Baltars. The Todd-AO anamorphics you linked to on the Lensworks page are different to the original spherical 65mm Todd AO lenses. They are standard 35mm anamorphics not FF, and come from the 70s or 80s. They used Canon and Cooke taking lenses. There are no As, or if there were they were long ago incorporated into the Bs and Cs. Ohh good to know. Then perhaps the Gladiator DP in this video was mistake about the Xtal Express lenses? As linked above, the only technovision Anas lenses that I have come across with what appears to be retro housing, is this set... which is an italian rental house. Q1)Has anyone else seen a set floating around on a rental house website or even test footage??? That would be a great help. Q2) I suppose I must be getting my history mixed up. I was under the impression Joe Dunton (who invented the modified anamorphic Cooke's (dubbing them the Xtal Express) was in fact a founder and/or collaborator with Technivision. The make/models of Vintage VV lenses have been hard to come by... I've read they were adapted and re-mounted “Leica full-frame rangefinder” camera lenses and then there were the VistaVision High Speed #1 (VVHS1) lenses. Can someone shed some light~confirm/expand up this? Essentially, those modern PS technik's linked above are both VV FF AND anamorphic at x1.5 ~in other words, this is the Technorama format. Delrama anamorphic front mirror adaptor + spherical lenses FF VV lenses (which were sure enough rehoused/modified Technicolor Cooke Panchros!!! HUH... Well what do we know... perhaps this is why these lenses aren't floating around by sellers or at rental houses already rehoused? I don't think the DuoPanchros were FF. They are listed as Large Format. But again, I've only seen that single focal length... I definitely don't want to make assumptions because it would defeat the entire purpose of this thread, yet this may indicate which cooke taking lenses were the hidden formula to the Todd-AO lenses... We need to find another Bjorn out there to acquire a set and get them working. Honestly, if there were ever a set I would take a loan out for an go crazy on purchasing it would be the original Todd- AO's. Dom- you're not Bjorn, but I presume you're in the know: whom did he acquire all those individual lenses from? Is their a certain resource/method the gear heads on these boards are finding all these rare lenses from? I did some digging for the Standard Baltars. This is the only rental house and test footage I could find. Despite the videos...mood and tone... they do look very promising all things considered. Thanks for the confirmation on those anamorphic Todd's.... I suspected as much. They don't look that great either. Great clarification on the Panavision B Series anamorphics. From my understands the (A)uto Panatars are the A's... this is what generated the initial confusion and presumption that films like Sound of Music, Lawrence of Arabia, and 2002 Space Odyssey (all in large format 70mm) were actually shot with anamorphic lenses. They are not... They're FLAT spherical and the native aspect ratio (before cropping) on 5 perf 65mm negs derives the 2.20 aspect ratio. (My favorite ratio of all time). Q1) 35mm sphericals don't cover the image area of vertical running 5 perf 65mm negs- corrrect? Q2) You need to use Large format spherical (that's were Todd-AO's came in) for this 65mm 5 perf format- correct? Q3) In general, the widest aspect ratio derived with Large Format lens/65mm neg combination is the 2.20 field of view - correct? Q4) So... If i'm tracking correctly, here is where I catch a snag: modern 35mm anas (ex. Ziess master anas and such) as well as the original cinemascopes do not cover 65mm negs- please deny or confirm. IF not: I was under the impression the Auto Pantars were also standard 35mm anamorphics since they were made for 35mm cinemascope films after all and yet... how could this be since they derived the uncropped 2.76 ultra panavision format when used with on 65mm neg. I think I have fundamental confusion that there are standard ana lenses and then Larger Format 70mm anas? If there are not two types then it is correct to say all x2 squeeze anas do cover 65mm negs and derive the 2.76? Auto-Panatar was just the generic name for Panavision's patented anamorphic design, with rotating astigmatisers controlling the squeeze - B series, C series, E series and Ultra Panavision 70s are all labelled Auto-Panatar. The only vintage anamorphics to cover 65mm are the Ultra Panavision 70s, which have a 1.25x squeeze. Most anamorphics only cover S35mm sensors. Sometimes longer focal lengths can cover a larger area, but you'd need to test each lens to gauge that. I was surprised to find some Panavision T series anamorphics covered the DXL sensor recently. As with spherical lenses, longer focal lengths can often cover far more than their wide angle counterparts. Hawk have developed some 65mm 1.3x anamorphics, otherwise there are those P&S Technik ones, I don't know any others at the moment. The natively wide aspect ratios of large format sensors (and traditional 65mm cameras) favour less squeeze than 2x. You could get a wider aspect ratio than 2.20:1 by simply cropping the height rather than using anamorphics of course. Apparently Panavision acquired Technovision a few years back, but I don't know what they did with the Technovision anamorphic primes. There was a 30mm Technovision anamorphic (Cooke based) at the last rental house I worked at, but being a one-off it never went out. It wasn't fantastic if I recall, but quite compact. The JDC ones (Xtal Express) are similar, maybe a bit better. I always thought the Roundfront Lomos were pretty good low budget anamorphics, with a similar feel. The Technovision branded zooms are simply a small anamorphic adapter fitted to the back of standard Cooke or Angenieux zooms. Most anamorphic zooms were done like this, and often still are. Technovision (and others) made the adapters and rental houses all over the world could adapt their zooms as needed. A 20-100 Cooke would become a 40-200, or a 25-250 a 50-500. Because it's a rear adapter the traditional anamorphic artefacts of stretched Bokeh and horizontal flares are not present. From reading AC and other journals from the 50's that covered VistaVision productions, they commonly mention using "Leica-type" lenses , which I assume means converted 35mm full frame rangefinder lenses made by the likes of Leitz or Zeiss. At some point Taylor Hobson made the Double Speed Panchros, and Som Berthiot made a 60-240 zoom, which was apparently not well liked. By 1970 the ASC manual lists Canon, Leitz, Schneider and Cooke lenses for Mitchell VistaVision cameras. The telephotos may well be 35mm lenses with a large enough image circle. I think Bausch and Lomb may have made lenses for 65mm (I've occasionally come across them as part of a 65mm camera auction) as did Lomo in the former Soviet Union, but they are hard to find info about, and rarely pop up for sale. Again, medium format lenses may have been converted over the years (and 70mm dates back to the dawn of cinema including the Fox Grandeur experiment in the late 20's). Panavision of course have a large selection of legacy spherical lenses for large format cinematography, including the Super Panavision 70s from the late 50s, the Sphero 65s from the 60s, and the System 65s from the 90s. Thank God that's now cleared up. Rereading my previous post, I can now see the errors very clearly. As reference, it's videos like the one below, which give a visual to the image capture area with anamorphics on digital sensors of 16:9 and 4:3 (the equivalent to 4 perf 35mm) that makes things rather confusing. In other words, 2.66 is not a standardized exhibition aspect ratio and 35mm anas lenses do not provide the same field of view or image magnification/image circle as large format scope lenses. Hawk have developed some 65mm 1.3x anamorphics, otherwise there are those P&S Technik ones, I don't know any others at the moment. Hawk does seem to be now entering into the filmmakers consciousness more than ever. Admittedly I haven't a clue which (if any) landmark films used their glass, what the general look/approach they have to lenses, or what the company is all about. This house does have a set of Double Speeds. The only rental house based in the US I've found thus far as an option for FFVV retro cooke glass. This glass is extremely promising but they're missing the 28mm and we have yet to find word on if a wide angle 18mm was ever made and or what the word is on a 40 or 50mm focal length. Certainly would like to see footage. Medium Format = ??? It feels appropriate that Medium format lenses should be used for the VV format since it's negative size is between standard 35mm and Large Format 65mm.... but all these Mamiya and Hasselblad lenses are being used for the biggest negative format of Imax..... on the face of it, this seems rather silly. Please clarify! Ooooo B&L large format lenses. I'm intrigued. Can you dig up some info on them - what make and model/focal length range/when the came out? I remember reading somewhere that a certain line of either Lomo's or Kowas CineProminars that came out in the 70s or early 80s which were purposed to match the color hue and warmth of the Baltars but with the added benefit of added focal lengths? The one big knock on the Standard Baltars for me is the lack of an 18mm wide angle. So finding an adequate matching lens to supplement these retro lenses would be a game changer. However... about that warmth look of the Baltars: it seems to be pretty dramatically inconsistent when viewing the few lens tests online. I wouldn't put much stock in online lens tests, you often have no idea what the camera settings were, what post work has been done, or whether the people who did the test actually knew what they were doing. On top of that, vintage lenses can vary dramatically depending on their condition. Every project should ideally do their own testing (.. usually after you have a script and funding in place.. :) ). There's very little information about the Cooke Double or Duo Speed Panchros, they aren't listed in any brochures or historical Cooke literature that I have access to. As I said before, I would assume they were made for VistaVision productions. It's possible they were made to cover as large a format as 65mm, but only projecting the actual lenses could confirm that. In a 1956 volume of "British Kinematography" there is an article by senior lens designer Gordon Cook on the issues involved in making lenses specifically for VistaVision, so it was definitely something Taylor, Taylor & Hobson were investigating at the time. Regarding terminology, in cinematography "large format" has been used to describe everything larger than 35mm. Arri's new LF (Large Format) camera has a sensor 36.7mm x 25.54mm, which is only slightly larger than VistaVision (or Full Frame in still photography). Panavision talks about large format cinematography when referencing their DXL camera, which is also closer to VistaVision than 65mm. Don't confuse the cinematography use of the term "large format" with Large Format still photography, which is typically 4" x 5". Medium Format is also a still photography term that can describe anything between Full Frame and Large Format, but often refers to a 6cm x 6cm frame. A lot of this information is easily googled, the thing to remember is that cine formats are different to still photography ones - most obviously 35mm in cine terms is 4 perf compared to 8 perf in stills. - No information whatsoever of any make/models aside for the citation of about the technirama films.... of which only two were ever made. --- And for sake of completeness I did just come across the B&L Super Speed Baltars... Any info about these? Are they basically Baltar Series III? ... or is this just another blasted euphemism? Also can anyone confirm which spherical lenses from the 60s/70s were coated to match the original Standard Baltars? I can seem to retrieve the source... some rental house were packaging Baltars with I think either Lomo's or Kowas CineProminars to cover the wider and telephoto ranges. Those Super Speed Baltars are at Harmonica Rentals, you should pm Ignacio Aguilar (who posts here) about them. He also has a set of rehoused Baltars and other vintage treats. I don't know that the Super Speed Baltars are actually made by Bausch and Lomb though. Apparently they are VistaVision lenses from the 70s. I'd never heard of them before. There are plenty of Series 1 Cooke Speed Panchros around, anything on eBay with serial numbers under about 450000 will be first generation and uncoated. TLS will rehouse some of them, but they probably aren't worth a rental house getting a set for the reasons I mentioned earlier - smaller image circle, poorer image quality, more variation in condition. I came across a lens diagram of a Cooke lens designed for Technicolor in a Cooke technical article and it included the prism block as part of the optical formula, so there would definitely be issues with using one without the 3 strip camera prism. Much better just using a normal Speed Panchro. From what I've been able to deduce after a bit of digging around, I believe the series II Panchros came out in the mid to late 50s, with the 25mm and 18mm being quickly redesigned in the early 60s using aspheric elements to greatly improve image quality and reduce the number of elements. So the date of 1945 for series II Speed Panchros is way off. The first American Cinematographer ads I could find for series II are in 1959, the first mention of series III is in 1963. These dates also match the dates of technical articles in Cookes own compilation of cinema lens information they made into a book in the mid 60s. In my opinion, your best bet for both anamorphics and large format optics with a vintage feel is Panavision, who have already unearthed and rejuvenated many of their lenses from the 50s and 60s. As more people get vintage lenses rehoused by the likes of TLS or P&S Technik you might see some different lines appear, maybe even some original 70mm Todd-AO lenses, but I wouldn't hold my breath, especially for Cinemascopes. One piece of context -- when did this Super Speed Baltars come out (before the Super Baltars)? Or should I say... are their origins derived from modified retro glass ~ to be included in this catalog of discussion? Regardless, this company isn't US based and this is the only instance of seeing this set, therefore I wouldn't catagorize them as being readily available per say. Though it's rather odd that none of the rental houses specifically state they are a set of Series I- rather they use the far too general and unspecific euphemism of labeling them as 'Cooke Panchros' or 'Cooke Speed Panchros' and call it a day. Final clarification on these- with their smaller image circle, may you provide confirmation of the coverage area if a set of series I were used? For 35mm - do they cover 3 and 4 perf? For digital - do they cover the sensor size of 5k, 6k, 8k RED Helium super 35??? Great info on this Technicolor Panchros -- with this now discovered incompatibility, they're out of the running. Agreed. And sad. The test footage and stills from Bjorn's B&L cinemascopes are incredible. Frankly, some of the best looking footage I've ever seen on the RED... and i'm a huge fan of RED. Well basically, finding and pairing his lens/sensor combo is exactly what I'm looking to utilize, thus prompting this entire journey of research/discovery/forum posting etc etc. 'unearthed and rejuvenated' -- I do wonder what businesses, auctions and resources Bjorn and others are using to unearth and acquire these relics of the past. ...And with this round it is pretty well summed it up.

2019-04-22T06:12:05Z

https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/77500-the-lost-history-of-cooke-lenses/

Apple's newest device is already a hit amongst the development community. As Apple unveiled the iPad mini to the world this afternoon, hundreds if not thousands of iOS developers wondered about the potential impact the device would have on their games. Depending on the screen size, resolution and overall design, they could have been staring at necessary software updates, similar to what took place with iPhone 5, when numerous studios scrambled to fit the smartphone's four-inch display. Turns out, the vast majority breathed a welcome sigh of relief. Not only does the iPad mini retain the same resolution as iPad 2, but the inclusion of the A5 dual core chip helps eliminate the need for creating ports. On that note, we received an overwhelmingly positive response from the development community, which also commented on the fourth generation iPad as well. Apple did not disappoint, as usual. I'm trying hard not to sound like a fan boy here, but it really is an incredible piece of kit. I commend them for going against Steve Job's statement about seven-inch tablets being too small. This means everything for gamers. In my opinion, the iPad 3 was a mixed blessing for games. All that extra power, but you were expected to use it for ridiculous resolution displays instead of drawing more stuff at better frame rates. This new baby offers all the power with none of those drawbacks, and it's really going to rock as a gaming platform. Buy an iPad 3 for book reading, but buy this for gaming. I'm certainly going to. There are no disadvantages for developers with iPad mini, apart from having to buy another piece of kit just to be sure. We already have to support this screen resolution for some of the other devices, and that's all that usually changes anyway. This means that when people get these machines home from the electronics store, everything's going to just work already, and that's good for everybody. The iPad mini was pretty much what was expected, but the increased spec iPad was a surprise. The pace at which Apple is increasing its hardware makes us excited as developers, that the power keeps exponentially increasing in these small timeframes. It is ridiculous how powerful these devices are, the gap between them and something two years ago. More of these high-end devices mean that older hardware that hold the platform back, like iPad 1, will be getting upgraded by users, and developers can push the platform more. As a developer, you usually want to optimize for hardware from a year ago, as you can't count on everyone having the latest. This starts to mean the lowest end tablet is an iPad 2, which is a very capable device. It is hard to say what iPad mini will mean to handheld gaming. Smaller tablets like the Nexus 7 and now mini feel so good as gaming devices. When I first saw our game, Horn, running on a Nexus, it felt a lot like it was on a dedicated handheld. The games are so much cheaper and it does so much more, it is hard to imagine people wanting a dedicated handheld. But Nintendo and its well regarded IP always seem to find a way, so it is really hard to ever count them out. The price of the iPad Mini is probably too much if you are looking for the cheapest tablet around, but if you are a fan of the Apple OS and want something very powerful and elegantly designed, it is an amazing deal. Some existing iPad fans may even want it, as it fits better in a purse or small bag. It is Apple giving their users every form factor they'd want. The biggest plus in my mind is that the iPad mini is keeping the same aspect ratio and resolution as the iPad 2. That is huge. Anytime they add a need for devs to support a new resolution or aspect ratio, it requires a significant amount of work for relatively little return, since that work isn't rewarded with the sales of a new SKU, but instead it simply allows them to continue selling their products at the same rate. What's more, the reduced price point of the iPad mini is going to be huge for the iPad's market share. It's going to mean there are a lot of new iPad owners out there that will be able to grab our products. That's going to pump more money into the handheld games market and allow us to experiment with new things, but it'll be interesting to see if those new things are more focused on casual or the core audience. Aside from the price being a bit higher than I'd hoped, the iPad mini is a big win for developers. More customers, in a form factor that doesn't invalidate any current apps, is what it's all about. iPhone 5 is a bit of a pain for developers due to the resolution differences, so it's nice that the iPad mini doesn't change anything. I'm sure there will be a Retina version of it in a year or so, but again, that's nothing that will bother developers. I bought a new iPad (3rd gen) for development purposes, so the 4th-gen iPad has no interest for me. It's a bit faster than the one I bought six months ago, but it's nowhere near the CPU/GPU leap from original iPad to iPad 2. Plus for development, it's better to have the slower of the two to make sure it runs well. I'm a bit surprised by the 4th-gen coming so soon, since it makes 3rd-gen owners feel duped (even though they still got the best tablet on the market at the time), but I guess competition from Windows RT is forcing Apple's hand early. The iPad Mini is going to be a huge seller this Christmas. It offers a great package of performance and capability because it will run all existing iPad apps at a lower price. Looking at the whole iPad product line now, customers have plenty of options to choose from. The mini makes tablet gaming more portable, obviously. Google just conducted a survey that said the majority of tablet game playing takes place on a couch or in bed, and that may all fly out the window now that there is an iPad that can fit in your jacket pocket. It also opens up a whole new market for iPad game developers, as people who were turned off by the iPad price will now be able to pick one up and play our games. I see nothing but advantages for game developers today. We have new performance at the high end with the 4th gen iPad, we have new market opportunities with the iPad mini and we won't have to re-work existing games to take advantage of either. Our upcoming iPad game, House of the Lost, will look and play great on the entire line of iPad products, and I couldn't be happier. The iPad mini is a beautifully crafted device. It means more potential players joining the fold. Five-hundred for the entry level iPad is a lot of money for many of us, and perhaps coming in at a lower price but still providing consumers access to the already well-established iOS ecosystem will translate to increased tablet owners. Some people who were on the fence about the larger iPad due to its price now have something at a lower cost to jump on. I was worried of a new resolution to cater for, but Apple actually made it pretty simple using the exact same resolution as iPad 2. So it will actually be quite easy on us to work with the iPad mini. Even though many smaller seven-inch android tablets are lower in price at $199, the user interfaces and overall ecosystem still isn't favored by all consumers. With the iPad mini being a bit larger than the current seven-inch standard at 7.9-inches, on top of the familiarity of the iPhone and larger iPad, it may provide some holdouts the reason to finally give in and get a tablet. We love it when Apple brings a new device to the market. Their devices have continually pushed the entire category of gaming forward and enabled new and better experiences for gamers. DeNA strives to make the best games and the best social mobile gaming platform in the world, and this device will open up those experiences to more players than ever. Our teams take into account the ever-evolving device landscape when they design and develop products, so announcements like this are part of the plan. The development teams can't wait to see their products in gamers' hands on these devices. The iPad Mini will benefit the entire mini tablet category. Whenever Apple jumps into a category, it increases awareness of the devices for consumers and creates a rising tide that will float all boats. Given that our bread and butter at DeNA are mobile games and we have an ever-expanding stable of market-leading first and third-party mobile games, we are poised to both support and benefit from these devices. Our game, Chip Chain, is launching exclusively on iOS next month, so any opportunity that Apple has to expand its reach into new markets is really fantastic for us. I'm very happy to hear it doesn't require a new screen resolution, and it fits in that growing space between iPhone and iPad. I expect this to be very popular with children and teenagers, due to its smaller size and lower cost, as it's a more affordable way to get into tablet computing with Apple devices, which have a huge range of available software. The iPad is my favorite gaming device, and it's great to play at home, but it's not as portable as the iPhone, so it rarely leaves my house. With this new screen size, we'll be able to enjoy higher quality, deeper gameplay, and larger screen games that work so well on iPad, but in a more portable form that really performs in a mobile way. It's the same resolution as existing iPads, so there shouldn't be any porting required. At the same time, developers can reach a market that previously found the iPad too expensive or too large. This is a complete win for both customers and game developers. $329 is a much more kid-friendly price, where parents are willing to make a smaller investment in a product that may get lost or broken. For children, they won't notice the non-retina display or miss the larger screen. In fact, it will probably be a better fit for smaller hands. The iPad mini will be another interesting addition to the Apple portfolio, which will close the gap between the iPhone and the regular iPad. Due to the fact that the latter is rather big in size and cannot be stuffed into your pocket like a phone, it often appears as if people would preferably use it in situations where they have a bit more time to sit down and relax, like on a train or the couch. The iPad mini, on the other hand, can be carried around easily, even if you don't have a backpack, briefcase or bag with you, and hence it is to be expected that people will use it even more frequently than they use their regular iPad. If we're talking about gaming on the go, that's an advantage that should not be underestimated, especially for action-packed games with fast-paced gameplay. The iPad mini may even be better suited than the regular iPad, because it will be a bit less bulky and easier to hold. Though the screen of the iPad mini is comparatively small, it will still be big enough to show high-res graphics in all their glory. For iOS developers, the release of the iPad mini does of course mean quite a bit of additional work, because it will require an optimization of the respective games for the new screen size and resolution. For a game like Galaxy on Fire 2 HD, this means that the whole user interface and control elements will have to be re-adjusted. But of course, this additional work will be more than worth it. After all, its pretty safe to say that a new iOS device is always going to be a commercial success. The new, smaller iPad is keeping in-line with industry trends. While it is somewhat unusual to see Apple expand its legendary homogeneity to better match competitors with a broader range of form factors, the reality is that tablet computing is ultimately specialized, and people will increasingly want machines that are more personalized and specific for their unique contexts of use. For handheld gaming, it is a classic moment of both challenge and opportunity. The challenge is we must now create and develop for three different sizes, iPhone and the two sizes of iPad, which will ostensibly make some of our design choices more generic as opposed to optimized for an ideal format. The opportunity is we can create experiences that are tuned to this specific, new means of computing. In terms of the market, while there is some long-term risk that Apple will erode its very clear and straightforward product family with this more bifurcated offering, certainly in the short-term it will be a boon, as it competes head-to-head against devices from companies like Amazon and Google, which thru their very portability and convenience, were able to come to market without selling directly against Apple. Now, Apple is in their little playground as well. The iPad mini is a much-welcomed device to the iOS ecosystem. It will undoubtedly expand the already rapidly growing handheld gaming market and enable Apple to continue putting serious pressure on rivals such as the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. From a game developer perspective, the iPad mini's 1024x768 display will make existing games run seamlessly because it sports the same resolution and aspect ratio of all iOS devices prior to the iPhone 5. Devs are sure going to love that. While the entry level price point of $329 is a bit of a premium when compared to other seven-inch tablets, the iPad mini marks a big win for iOS game and app developers. The lower price point also means that we may see younger consumers (high school, college) buy more devices. Maybe they already inherited mom or dad's old iPhone and/or iPod Touch. Now they may add the iPad mini to the fold, which could make it a hot seller this holiday season. We love the addition of a smaller and less expensive iPad. This move by Apple will undoubtedly increase its lead in the tablet market in spite of other comparable priced-products that are already available. Outfit7 apps are especially popular on iPads, so a larger tablet market means more downloads for us. More and more companies have a tablet first strategy, and we think the advent of more affordable tablets will only speed up the inevitable move of game developers from consoles and PCs to tablets. The fact that the new iPad mini has a standard 1024x768 resolution means that older apps and games will already look perfect on it. This of course is great for developers because we won't need to adjust the user interface to the iPad mini. We don't like to predict the future, but our general sense is that the overall effect on tablet sales and iPad sales will be net positive. This looks like a very promising form factor. The eBook readers have found success here, and I believe the iPad mini will as well. This really opens the door for further adoption by the education market, and I think we'll see more proliferation in school systems because of this price point. We're very excited about the expansion of Apple's product line, especially the additions to the iPad family. By making iPads more affordable and adding the iPad mini and iPad 4, Apple is increasing the accessibility of its tablets, thus increasing the number of mobile users. The iPad mini and 4 will bring users richer, higher performing and visually stunning apps as well as a better gaming experience to a device that delivers visuals superior to the iPhone, while being equal to the iPhone in mobility. Eventually, we see it potentially replacing the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. Ultimately, both devices are a huge upgrade from previous devices in terms of delivering a dedicated and optimized handheld gaming experience. We feel the main advantage is that the iPad mini extends Apple's lead in the tablet market, and cements the fact that to make successful handheld games, developers must concentrate on developing for the iOS platform. Also, the iPad mini is backwards compatible. That is, it supports the same resolution that we have now, so tweaks that developers need to make to their current games are minimal. Eventually, the iPad mini has the option of being the most accessible device within the iPad family, while also being the most optimized for handheld gaming experiences. Apple did a really smart thing in making the resolution of the iPad mini exactly the same as the iPad 2. Now we don't have to do any work in order to make our game, Pocket God, support the new device. It's all automatic. I am incredibly thankful for this because it would be a huge headache to support a new resolution or even worse, a new aspect ratio. I take my iPad around everywhere with me, restaurants and the movies, but that's me. I doubt that most people really take theirs with them everywhere. The iPad mini is great because not only is it easier to take with you, but the smaller form factor actually allows you to reach game elements in the middle of the screen when you are carrying it in your hands. Obviously, the mini will somewhat eat into iPad sales, but I think the sum will still be greater than what the iPad could do on its own. It will definitely eat into the Kindle market. It's just an all-around better device. One might say that the Kindle still has an advantage with a $200 price tag, but that is only temporary. Once the iPad mini gets its first product refresh, I expect the price of the mini to come down to $229. No one in their right mind would buy a Kindle when they can get an iPad for only $29 more. I think the iPad Mini easily replaces the iPad 2 from a market perspective. On the plus side, the device is light and easier to hold for extended lengths of time. I, for example, enjoy reading a book on a Nexus 7 than a Kindle Fire because of the weight and hand-feel of the device. Personally, I found the specs to be a bit underwhelming in terms of processor and ram. Both of which, we game devs, want to see more and more of. Considering the price, this part was a bit frustrating. The iPad mini fills a hole in the iOS environment, due to competition from Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's tablets. For people who do not already own an iPad, it may be an interesting choice. I'm truly amazed by the thickness of the device, as it's a big difference from a Kindle Fire. It's surely going to be a better e-reader than a "regular" iPad, however I'll stick with my Kindle for reading books. I don't think it's going to be a market changer, as the price point is still high compared to the competition. It will convince people who hesitate to buy an iPad, only because of its size, but people looking for Kindle Fire and its Amazon environment will not be interested, nor Android users. We're really excited about the iPad mini. We think it is a great addition to the product line, and this expansion of the iPad platform will help us extend our reach to a larger audience. Our belief is that smart phones and tablets are, and will continue to be, the dominant handheld game and entertainment devices, and will ultimately replace other game-only handheld devices. We expect iPad mini to broaden the iPad's appeal to a much larger audience without adversely impacting the new iPad. Although it'll put competitive pressure on other tablets, it is absolutely beneficial to the consumers and market growth, as the need for constant innovation to differentiate becomes the driving force benefiting all. The introduction of so many hardware devices is astonishing, but also exciting in it's own right. However, the only major changes that seem to be happening are screen size, processing size, resolution and battery life. Though it's great to see Apple's technology march onward, the key factors surrounding user experience will definitely be deep rooted within the way the operating system offers access to all of the aforementioned tech. Basically, we're seeing the evolution of the human experience through accessible technology and information in the palm of our hands. This is another step towards singularity as we become tethered to all the information in the world, all the utilities we would ever need, and to one another in a full complemented communications hub. In terms of technology, it's miraculous and incredible how thin and how powerful we are able to create things these days. Apple is definitely a leader in making the future not only look bright, but very attractive as well. Mainly, I believe that the size difference we see in this new model will make gaming more accessible for smaller hands, younger children, and will allow far more mobility in terms of offering up entertainment no matter where you are. The original iPad is a little too large to be considered a take-along, and the iPhone is a little too small to offer a full-featured experience. The iPad mini will allow people to open up greater experiences no matter where they are. The only concern I would see here is that the screen space may detract in the controlling of a lot of applications that have been built for a larger screen. But with the iPhone gaming market doing so well, I can't see it being a major problem. For example, I user AmpKit+ (a pre-amp/digital recording program for guitar) on my iPad because it offers up the space and accessibility for me to tweak and alter things without a lot of hassle. Whereas on my iPhone, I would be less likely to use it because of the smaller screen, even though it would be far more portable, due to the challenge of usability. So I could see some applications being less attractive on the small iPad screen, especially when it comes to gaming because of the reaction time and controls that go into a lot of these titles. But the size will definitely make it far more accessible for people to treat the iPad as a mobile gaming device. Since the walls of the iPad mini are smaller to give people the ability to use the device with one hand, I would assume that the control issues involved in touch screen gaming would definitely need to be reconsidered to offer an ergonomic solution to fight cramping and controls that cause you to drop the device. Apart from the controls, the speed that the hardware is being developed and released is making it harder and harder to program games to fit into these different resolutions and screen size ratios. It can be programmed into the app to resize based on the device, but when you've developed for a platform that changes half way through your production cycle, it may cause customers to feel short changed because the app they purchased does not support the latest tech, or the resources created may have to be reworked and recreated in order to cater to the latest changes. For example, on my company's latest release, Polara, we went through a production cycle that saw the introduction of the iPad 3 and the iPhone 5. Not only did we have all of our art assets built towards the iPad 2 (which is half the resolution of the iPad 3), but we also had to work within the 0-day updates from our game engine in order to support the iPhone 5. During our launch, there were a lot of questions surrounding our game not supporting the latest hardware. As a small agile developer, we found it very difficult to keep up with the breadth and scope of the latest upgrades that detracted from the overall experience of our latest release. So it can be challenging when these things happen after spending a lot of time and money on something that can be out of date within a few months time. I feel that this iPad mini will be more of a niche product. The reason I say this is because though we all want a tablet experience, the cost of including another device in-between the sizes of our smart phones and our other tablets/iPads is not really worth it unless the consumer believes that the size difference will in fact increase their usage of their touch device. I would assume that most people considering this device will be looking for a secondary cheaper alternative than buying another full size iPad. Or they haven't adopted the technology yet and will be incorporating this smaller device as a mobile alternative to using their computers at home. But those that want the full experience will stay with their full sized iPad. Think of it like this: we all have televisions at home that are large and clear and wonderful devices for entertainment. How likely is it that you will buy a portable screen to watch entertainment while you are mobile, especially if you've owned a smart phone for any amount of time? The iPad mini will definitely be for a crowd that expects to use the device for certain reasons, rather than just having a full-fledged computer in their pocket. Only those with disposable income and a thirst for technology will bother to adopt the iPad mini for the sake of having themselves plugged in at all times. But that's from a logic standpoint, otherwise people tend to get excited at the prospect of new technology and will consume whatever is released based on the experience it gives them. Small and portable, the iPad Mini is a great advancement for the mobile gaming market, as it will expand the market and create an even better portable gaming experience. We should start seeing the beginning of an explosion of cellular connected tablet devices enabling whole new online experiences. It's an additional gateway to the gaming experiences that developers like us want to provide to our players. The new size makes it more portable and easy to carry around. With the lower price point, it will probably spread through the market faster. I see the iPad mini as a capable device that will help augment Apple's tablet offerings versus the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. Although not technically impressive on paper, I expect the iPad mini to continue Apple's tradition of responsive, high-quality devices. A seven-inch tablet occupies a nice niche between the smaller iPod Touch and larger iPad. As a result, Apple will extend its consumer reach even further, putting more devices in more gamers' hands. Mobile gaming can only benefit from greater demand for games. Christmas came early, and we're fired up. We are super excited about the iPad mini's potential to dramatically expand the market. The combination of a lower price point with the new size and form factor should attract an entirely new set of customers to the iPad family. And, due to its size, we expect it to be an even more mobile iPad because it will fit more easily into a purse or jacket pocket. As they [Apple] demonstrated, the mini fits nicely in your hand, which should also make it easy and fun for playing games. By not changing the resolution on the Mini, Apple has demonstrated how thoughtful they are when it comes to its developers and their existing apps. Because of Apple's consideration, there is actually very little we need to change to bring our games to the mini. It is a big win for us because it means we are able to leverage our existing tablet first strategy without making any major changes. The iPad Mini is handheld gaming. I'm not sure who should be more worried today, the other mini tablets, or the dedicated handheld game systems. Both seem to have pretty major challenges ahead because of today's announcement. It is great news that it has the same screen resolution as the existing iPads, which makes our job much easier to ensure customers have an excellent experience. The iPad mini will certainly steal some thunder from the seven-inch tablet market while limiting the impact to sales of the larger iPads. Some analysts were predicting a reasonably high rate of cannibalization that I believe will be much lower than anticipated based on the entry price point and how it fits into the iPad line up. Customers that do not already have a tablet will be tempted by the lower price to consider an iPad mini, and will have to wrestle with the decision to also consider the excellent iPad 2. Having said that, they did leave more room than expected for competing platforms by going with $329 pricing with the mini. At this point, the iPad mini doesn't do anything revolutionary. However, there is now an opportunity to create games for a product that is easier to hold than an iPad (for gaming) and has a larger screen than the iPhone/iPod Touch. This is a direct competitor to the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, so it'll be interesting how things pan out in that arena. It is an Apple product, so no doubt they will do well. I wonder if the price point is going to hurt them initially, since the other device prices are far lower. As for the current iPad, I think it gives people options, so it will have an effect on iPad sales, but Apple will still make money. At Raved, we could not be more excited for the iPad mini. It is a bit more expensive than we anticipated, but it has features that are exciting, such as the faster processor with the A5 chip. Mobility is a huge plus for users, and the ability to take this on the go and utilize favorites apps, such as Raved, makes it accessible for tablet users with the influx of iPad minis entering the market. For app users, fast processing and portability from the iPad mini will go a long way. Apple's products are always cutting edge technology, and we were not surprised by today's announcement. Between the iPad mini and the iPad 4, we anticipate the mobile space to continue to flourish with new apps and huge updates for current ones. We are curious to see how the pixel density will make the apps look, given it is the same resolution as the iPad 2, but with a smaller screen. For the end user, it is all about improvements and better experiences. Apple delivers on these fronts and wants to get ahead of the holiday season rush. This just means Android tablets will need to play catch up, but we look forward to the outcome. It's all about keeping the end-user happy and it should be a fun future for tablets. Apple raised its own bar in the tablet market with the iPad mini and new iPad 4th generation. Consumers will be undoubtedly pleased with the increased portability of the iPad mini and the increased performance of the iPad. Most importantly, the twice as fast A6X chip in the iPad 4th generation validate our commitment to high-production value gaming content. These devices allow us to develop even more immersive experiences on Apple devices. As a developer, we are thrilled that Apple maintained the 1024x768 resolution display, as it instantly makes all Glu games compatible on the iPad mini. This streamlines the development process and offers users consistently brilliant experiences across Apple's device portfolio. There is proven demand for mid-sized tablets, and Apple's iPad mini delivers where others cannot. As a developer, we are enthused by any device that drives the continued growth of the smartphone and tablet industry. I expect the iPad mini to be yet another catalyst for the rapid consumer adoption of tablet devices. With a 7.9-inch display and smaller form factor, the iPad mini could prove to be the defacto device for mobile gaming. The iPad mini has a great form factor and a beautiful fit and finish. The size and weight will be perfect for throwing the device in a purse or a suit pocket for adults, and will be a lightweight and easy-to-handle tablet for kids. I will now gasp less when I see my five-year-old running down the hallway with an iPad Mini versus the larger iPad. For starters, games that require thumbs/hands will play much better. The smaller screen will make it easier to play landscape games, like Fairway Solitaire, with both thumbs reaching toward the midline instead of requiring a player to use one hand to hold the device and the other to interact with the game. The resolution is the same on the iPad mini as the iPad 2, so our games will seamlessly work on the new device. I don't see any disadvantages. The iPad mini will further strengthen Apple's mobile gaming position with a less expensive tablet that will be more accessible for younger audiences, as well as for those who want something more portable. The question may now be whether you buy an iPod Touch or an iPad mini as a carry-anywhere mobile gaming device. Whenever Apple releases a new product, we've seen an expansion of the overall market, which is great for developers. I've been using the Nexus 7 around the house quite a bit and have found the seven-inch form factor really compelling. It's a fantastic size for reading and games really benefit from the increased real estate. Combine that experience with iOS and the App Store, and it's pretty clear that the iPad mini will be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. For developers, I'm sure we all breathed a sigh of relief when they announced that the mini would run at 1024x768, making it easier to get games on the device without having to support yet another resolution. With the same processor and resolution as the iPad 2, it stands to reason that most developers will not have that much extra work on their plate. Overall, it feels like there will be a lot of new tablet owners in the coming months and it's up to us as game developers to create fun and entertaining experiences for those users.

2019-04-25T02:24:26Z

https://modojo.com/article/5789/ipad_mini_ios_game_developers_praise_apple_for_price_point_tablets_size

The MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring, currently under construction, pursues the goal of low electron beam emittance by using a multi-bend achromat magnet lattice, which is realised by having several consecutive magnet elements precision-machined out of a common solid iron block, 2.3–3.4 m long. With this magnet design solution, instead of having 1320 individual magnets, the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring is built up using 140 integrated `magnet block' units, containing all these magnet elements. Major features of this magnet block design are compactness, vibration stability and that the alignment of magnet elements within each unit is given by the mechanical accuracy of the CNC machining rather than individual field measurement and adjustment. This article presents practical engineering details of implementing this magnet design solution, and mechanical + magnetic field measurement results from the magnet production series. At the time of writing (spring 2014), the production series, which is totally outsourced to industry, is roughly half way through, with mechanical/magnetic QA conforming to specifications. It is the conclusion of the authors that the MAX IV magnet block concept, which has sometimes been described as new or innovative, is from a manufacturing point of view simply a collection of known mature production methods and measurement procedures, which can be executed at fixed cost with a low level of risk. Keywords: accelerator; magnet; magnet block; multi-bend achromat; low emittance. The MAX IV synchrotron radiation facility, currently under construction/commissioning, will consist of a 528 m-circumference 20-achromat 3 GeV storage ring, a 96 m-circumference 12-achromat 1.5 GeV storage ring, and a full energy linac injector/SPF/FEL driver (Eriksson et al., 2011 ). For the 3 GeV storage ring, a multi-bend achromat magnet lattice was chosen in order to minimize the electron beam emittance. A schematic of one achromat is shown in Fig. 1 . The 3 GeV ring magnet design has each lattice cell (MC, UC1, UC2,…) realised as one integrated unit having several consecutive magnet elements precision-machined out of a common solid iron block, 2.3–3.4 m long, which we call a `magnet block' (see Figs. 2 and 3 ). The key aspects in which the MAX IV 3 GeV ring magnet design stand out from previous third-generation synchrotron light sources is the magnet block concept, and the relatively small magnet aperture of Ø25 mm. Schematic of one achromat of the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring. 3D CAD assembly of magnets blocks, concrete supports and vacuum chamber of one achromat of the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring (cf. Fig. 1 ). Photographs of MAX IV magnet blocks at different production stages. Top left: U5 magnet undergoing Hall probe measurement. Top right: M1 magnet block top half and bottom half side by side. Bottom left: U4/U5 yoke bottom half undergoing 3D mechanical measurement. Bottom right: M1 magnet undergoing rotating coil measurement. The small magnet aperture comes from the need to make the lattice as compact as possible, to maximize the length and number of lattice straight sections available for insertion devices for user beamlines. In the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring design, the key enabling factor for compactness is the choice of NEG-coated copper vacuum chambers throughout the achromats. This linear pumping solution avoids the problem of a low vacuum conductance given by the small vacuum chamber aperture and reduces the space needed for lumped absorbers and pumps. This allowed choosing a magnet aperture of Ø25 mm, which has a direct impact on lattice compactness since the minimum distance between consecutive magnet elements is proportional to the magnet aperture. It should also be noted that smaller magnet aperture allows for higher field gradients, allowing shorter focusing magnet elements. There is also an indirect impact being that with smaller aperture the magnet excitation currents go down, decreasing the magnet coil cross sections, which makes it easier to pack the magnets close together. (i) One aspect that has a direct impact on user performance is vibration stability, since vibration of focusing magnet elements translates to jitter of the stored electron beam position. The key factor for the eigenfrequency spectrum is the stiffness/mass ratio of the combined magnets + adjustment mechanisms + floor supports, which should be as high as possible. Compared with the conventional scheme of having several consecutive magnets mounted on a common girder, the MAX IV magnet block design decreases the moving mass and reduces the vibration amplitude by omitting the girder and placing the adjustment mechanisms directly under the magnets, on concrete supports (see Fig. 2 ). In FEM simulations, this results in the system eigenfrequencies being pushed up to ∼100 Hz for the combined concrete supports + adjustment mechanisms + magnet blocks. Since the vibrational power density spectrum is strongly decreasing with increasing frequency, the integrated vibrational displacement is thus radically decreased. (ii) The second major reason for choosing the magnet block concept is that internal alignment between consecutive magnet elements is given by the machining tolerances within each yoke block, thus omitting the need of elaborate magnetic centres measurements and adjustments of the individual magnets on the girders. (iii) The third factor is the reduction of the installation work. Instead of handling 1320 individual magnets, 140 magnet block units are installed, with cabling and plumbing already carried out before delivery. Details of this magnet design, and results from the production series, are presented in the following subsections. (i) Each magnet block corresponds to a lattice cell. (ii) Magnet aperture = Ø25 mm. (iii) Design magnet cross sections around required space for photon beam pipe. (iv) Coil cooling circuits pressure drop = 2 bar. (v) Coil cooling water maximum temperature rise = 10 K. (vi) Magnet families are series connected to the same power supplies1, individuals to be adjusted to equal strength by passively shunting part of the excitation current based on magnetic field measurement results. The mechanical tolerances on the yoke-bottom/yoke-top blocks and other yoke parts were set as tight as assumed to be possible (see §7 ), with no adjustment possibility between the parts, meaning that the non-systematic field error level, and the alignment accuracy of the different magnets within each block, is as follows from those tolerances directly on assembly. For the different MAX IV 3 GeV storage-ring magnet types, the magnetic design in terms of pole profiles, return yoke cross sections and coil cross sections was presented as 2D/3D models in the MAX IV DDR (Lindgren & Anderberg, 2010 ), from which the magnet block drawings were made. It can be noted that no 3D field simulations of full magnet blocks were performed before generating the manufacturing drawings. The integrated yoke bottom and top blocks were drafted by simply taking the width and height of the magnet 2D model with the largest cross section, the dipole, and extending it over the length of a lattice cell; this under the assumption that by having return yoke field strengths below full saturation in each 2D design, the return flux of each magnet element will be kept mostly in its own portion of the common return yoke, and any smaller fraction of the return flux that spreads out over the adjacent magnet elements will go mostly through their return yokes, rather than taking the higher reluctance path through their pole gaps. The following subsections present the different 3 GeV ring magnet types as built. The magnet cross sections are shown in the form of 2D field simulations2 created by exporting cross sections from the production 3D CAD models (Johansson, 2013 ). The 2D model geometries correspond to the top halves of the magnets, utilizing mid-plane symmetry, since the bottom and top magnet block halves are mirror identical. The MAX IV 3 GeV storage-ring dipoles are gradient dipoles, having a pole profile that produces a horizontally defocusing field gradient. The dipoles have pole face strips, providing a ±4% tuning range of the gradient. The placement of the dipoles is shown in Fig. 4 and the types are listed in Table 1 . Both DIPm and DIP consist of 12 slices. Length and bend angle stated in this table are sum of slices; k, B and B′ are for the central slice. Achromat schematic with placement of dipoles indicated. Photographs of the two dipole types are shown in Fig. 5 and cross sections are shown in Fig. 6 . The unit cell (DIP) and matching cell dipole (DIPm) have the same pole profile, but the matching cell dipole is shorter and has a soft end section with reduced field strength facing the long straights, which reduces the thermal load from synchrotron radiation in the downstream insertion device. The pole gap is 28 mm at x = 0, but, with the pole face strips taking 1.5 mm per pole, the available aperture is 25 mm. The pole is machined directly out of the bottom/top yoke blocks. In the longitudinal direction, the pole shape is curved, following a 3° arc for DIP and a 1.5° arc for DIPm, with larger radius through the soft end portion. The soft end is a loose pole piece with an extra air gap beneath. Both DIP and DIPm have field clamps at the entrance and exit sides, which are assembled into machined slots in the yoke bottom/top blocks. The field clamps reduce the sensitivity to coil shape variations making the field distribution more identical between magnets, and reduces fringe field overlap with the adjacent magnet elements. The pole face strips are copper plates which follow the same curvature as the poles. Their sideways profile has steps to give the correct field distribution. Over the poles, the pole face strips are dressed in kapton tape for electrical insulation and their sideways and vertical position is defined and kept in place by epoxy glass laminate holders and distance pieces. Left: M2 magnet block bottom half being assembled; close up of dipole (DIPm). Note the screw holes for the loose soft end pole part at the far end of the dipole. Right: U2 magnet block with the top half lifted up, exposing the bottom half of the dipole (DIP). 2D simulation results: field distribution in DIP and DIPm magnet cross sections. The colour scale goes from 0 to 2 T. The main coil cross section is marked in grey. The field is highest over the inner leg of the main coil, ∼1.3 T. There is also local saturation of ∼1.8 T at the inner corner of the pole profile. Left: DIPm at NI = 6135 A, with B = −0.53334 T, B′ = 8.74833 T m−1 and B′′/2 = 1.41 T m−2 [by quadratic fit to simulated By(x) over x = ±11 mm]. Right: DIP at NI = 6120 A, with B = −0.52831 T and B′ = 8.65569 T m−1 [by linear fit to simulated By(x) over x = ±11 mm]. The MAX IV 3 GeV storage-ring quadrupoles are pure quadrupoles. Early drafts of the lattice had combined function quadrupole/sextupole magnets but this evolved into having two separate quadrupole magnets with a discrete sextupole in between in each unit cell. The placement of the quadrupoles is shown in Fig. 7 and the types are listed in Table 2 . Achromat schematic with placement of quadrupoles indicated. QD refers to the defocusing gradient in DIP and DIPm. The four different quadrupole families were designed with the same pole profile, and the same mechanical pole length for QFend and QDend, 231 mm, and the same length for QFm and QF, 131 mm, to be operated at different excitation currents (Lindgren & Anderberg, 2010 ). In the manufacturing drawings the outer sides of the pole tip were adjusted parallel to simplify the geometry, but initial field measurements showed that this restricted the iron cross section too much creating saturation in the pole root for QF. Therefore the pole tip design was adjusted for QFm and QF, leading to one design for QFend/QDend in the matching cell magnet blocks and one design for QFm/QF in the unit cell magnet blocks. The two quadrupole types are shown in Figs. 8 and 9 . Both have the pole root machined directly out of the bottom/top yoke blocks, with the pole tip being a separate piece bolted in place over the coil. The pole tip vertical location is defined by the pole tip/pole root mating surface, and the sideways location is defined by a guiding slot in the pole root. Left: M1 yoke bottom with QDend pole tips mounted on pole roots. Right: U4 magnet block top half being assembled. An SFo sextupole half is about to be installed between the two QF quadrupoles. 2D simulation results: field distribution in QFend and QF magnet cross sections. The colour scale goes from 0 to 2 T. The coil cross section is marked grey. Left: QFend at NI = 2273.7 A, with B′ = −33.7908 T m−1. The field is highest around the pole tip/pole root mating surface, ∼1.5 T. There is also local saturation of ∼1.8 T at the guiding slot. Right: QF at NI = 3010.8 A, with B′ = −41.9869 T m−1. The field is ∼1.3–1.5 T throughout the pole tip and pole root, with local saturation of ∼1.8 T at the guiding slot. The placement of the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring sextupoles is shown in Fig. 10 and the types are listed in Table 3 . Achromat schematic with placement of sextupoles indicated. For the five different sextupole families two different basic sextupole designs were made, one with 10 mm pole width and one with 20 mm pole width, both with 95 mm mechanical pole length. Integration with other subsystems led to there being two variants of each, giving one design for SDend, one for SFm, one for SD, and a common design for SFo/SFi to be operated at different excitation currents. Example photographs are shown in Fig. 11 and the cross sections of the four different variants are shown in Fig. 12 . The sextupoles are designed as a standalone magnet with its own return yoke. The pole pieces are dismountable to allow installation of the coils. The location of each sextupole half is defined in the vertical direction by the mating surface to the large yoke bottom/top block, and sideways by a guiding slot in the bottom/top block (see Fig. 8 ). All sextupole magnets have a trim winding on each pole, which are wired individually to terminals on the inner side of the magnet blocks. The storage ring installation will have one trim power supply for each sextupole, with a relay card between, allowing remote switching between five different connection modes: normal quadrupole, skew quadrupole, auxiliary sextupole, horizontal corrector and vertical corrector. Left: M1 magnet block view from exit side showing SDend sextupole (photograph C. Hansen, Danfysik A/S). Note the guide blocks mounted on the reference planes. Right: SFm sextupole half in U1 magnet block. Note the trim windings on each coil. 2D simulation results: field distribution in sextupole magnet cross sections. The colour scale goes from 0 to 2 T. The main coil cross section is marked in grey. The field is highest in the bottom of the pole root, between 0.9 and 1.4 T for the different variants. Top left: SDend at NI = 969.8 A, with B′′/2 = 1769.59 T m−2. Top right: SFm at NI = 969.8 A, with B′′/2 = −1710.67 T m−2. The pole side has a cut-out to provide clearance for the vacuum chamber. Bottom left: SD at NI = 664.4 A, with B′′/2 = 1223.45 T m−2. Bottom right: SFi at NI = 1179 A, with B′′/2 = −2094.90 T m−2. The MAX IV 3 GeV storage-ring octupoles are located in the matching cells, as shown in Fig. 13 . The different types are listed in Table 4 . Achromat schematic with placement of octupoles indicated. The octupoles are specified to have a tuning range of up to +100% of the lattice strength [see §2.3.3 of DDR (Leemann, 2010a )], so the magnets are designed for twice the strength stated in Table 4 . OXX and OXY are identical and operated at different excitation currents, but OYY has a larger aperture of Ø36 mm to allow passage of the photon beam pipe in matching cell 1. Both types have the same mechanical pole length, 95 mm, and the same coils and return yoke. Photographs and cross sections are shown in Figs. 14 and 15 . Like the sextupoles, the octupoles are designed as stand­alone magnets split at the midplane with each half located by mating surfaces/guiding slots in the yoke bottom/top blocks. All octupoles have trim windings on each pole which, like for the sextupoles, can be remote switched between different connection modes: normal quadrupole, skew quadrupole, horizontal corrector and vertical corrector. Left: OXY octupole half in M1 magnet block between QFend and QDend quadrupoles. Note the trim windings on each coil. Right: OYY yoke half mounted in M1 yoke bottom. 2D simulation results: field distribution in octupole magnet cross sections. The colour scale goes from 0 to 2 T. The main coil cross section is marked in grey. Left: OXY at NI = 315.9 A, with B′′′/6 = −63285.1 T m−3. The field is highest in the bottom of the pole roots, ∼0.6 T. Right: OYY at NI = 592.2 A, with B′′′/6 = 26937.2 T m−3. The placement of the MAX IV 3 GeV storage-ring slow orbit correctors is shown in Fig. 16 . The specified steering angle per corrector is ±0.25 mrad. Achromat schematic with placement of beam position monitors indicated as magenta crosses, and horizontal/vertical correctors indicated by blue and red strips. Note that this schematic has two vertical correctors in matching cell 1, but one of these (between OYY and SDend) was removed in order to allow passage of the photon beam pipe. The DDR had the correctors designed as pairs of window frame magnets with laminated yokes to allow fast steering (Lindgren & Anderberg, 2010 ). After it was seen that this design could not produce the required steering angle within the space available in the lattice (the space restriction was the distance between the BPM and OXX in the matching cells), a new design was made providing stronger field. This design required a more complex yoke shape, so the yoke material was changed from laminated steel to ferrite. This was the design version which was present in the call-for-tender version of the magnet blocks (Anderberg et al., 2011 ). During contract negotiations (see §7 ) this design was changed from ferrite to iron in order to reduce complexity, meaning that fast steering will be done by separate magnets not integrated in the magnet blocks. The final design is shown in Fig. 17 . The pole roots are machined directly out of the bottom/top yoke blocks, with the pole tips being separate pieces bolted in place over the coils. The choice of this magnet geometry with vertically oriented pole roots for the vertical corrector comes from the requirement of allowing passage of the photon beam pipe outside the magnet in unit cell 1. Top: Opera3d model of corrector pair, view from vertical corrector side [no 2D simulation was made since the correctors are short and located close together; the corrector pair was designed using Opera3d (http://operafea.com/ )]. The coil current directions are set so as to generate a horizontally directed field between the left and right poles. The simulated integrated strength is ∼3.8 T mm (0.38 mrad) at NI = 1280 A both for horizontal and vertical. Bottom: assembled U3 magnet block bottom half showing one corrector pair. As described above, a MAX IV 3 GeV storage-ring magnet block consists of a yoke bottom and a yoke top half assembled together with other yoke parts, coils, etc. The coils and parts in the bottom half are mounted on the yoke bottom, and the parts in the top half are mounted on the yoke top, meaning that the top half is easily dismounted from the bottom half to allow installation of the vacuum chamber. For each magnet block there is an assembly drawing with a bill of materials listing all included parts and sub-assemblies. An example assembly drawing is shown in Fig. S1 of the supporting information3, and the different magnet block types are listed in Table 5 . Each magnet block type corresponds to one lattice cell, so which magnet elements are present in each block follows from the description in §3 above (and is written out explicitly in Appendix A, Table 10). The U1 and U2 magnet block types are identical except for the SFm/SFo sextupole, and the U5 and U4 magnet blocks are mirror identical to U1 and U2. M2 is mirror identical to M1 except for the correctors between the SDend and OYY magnet elements. The U3 layout is like U1/U2 or U4/U5 but symmetric around the dipole centre. The special versions listed are identical in terms of lattice, but have mechanical differences to fit special vacuum chambers in those magnet blocks. †3.01.M1 and 3.01.M2 both have the Ø36 mm aperture OYY type yoke at the OXX and OXY positions to accommodate the wider vacuum chamber after injection, meaning that these OXX and OXY are operated at higher current. The major mechanical components of the MAX IV 3 GeV ring magnets are the yoke bottom and yoke top blocks, each of which are machined out of one solid iron block. Following the lattice layout, there are three basic types of yoke blocks, Mc1, Uc1–2 and Uc3. Each of these come in two variants, called `yoke bottom' and `yoke top', which are mirror identical around the horizontal midplane, except for that the yoke bottoms have attachment points to the support stand underneath, and each yoke top has five Ø30 mm conical holes on top serving as fiducial target seats. Then there are Uc4–5 yoke blocks which are mirror versions of Uc1–2, and Mc2 yoke blocks which are mirror identical to Mc1.4 The different types in are listed in Table 6 . †Wider cut-out between OXY and QDend for wider vacuum chamber after injection. ‡Cut-outs after the dipole for diagnostic photon beam pipe. Since the MAX IV magnet design depends on machining accuracy to align the magnets within each block, a key aspect of the design is how the yoke mechanical dimensions and tolerances are defined. The MAX IV solution is to have reference surfaces on each yoke bottom and yoke top block for defining all dimensions within the blocks, to use the same reference surfaces to align the magnet block top half to the bottom half, and to define the fiducial locations relative to the same reference surfaces. An example yoke block manufacturing drawing is shown in Fig. S2 of the supporting information, with these reference surfaces highlighted. Together the reference planes define a Cartesian coordinate system in which all the dimensions within the yoke block are given. The horizontal plane is defined as the large mating surface between the two yoke blocks (D in Fig. S2). The sideways reference surfaces are located at the outer side of the block near each end (A, B in Fig. S2); together they define the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal reference plane is located at the end of the block, defining the coordinate system origin (C in Fig. S2). (i) Vertical guiding surfaces: mating planes for quad pole tips, corrector pole tips, sextupole/octupole halves and dipole field clamps. Distance to the midplane is given with a tolerance of ±0.02 mm. (ii) Sideways guiding surfaces: guiding slots for quad pole tips, corrector pole tips, sextupole/octupole halves and dipole field clamps. Distance to the sideways reference planes is given with a tolerance of ±0.02 mm on one side of the slot, and slot width is given with a −0+0.01 tolerance. (iv) The reference surfaces themselves: the midplane has a flatness tolerance of 0.04 mm, and the sideways/longitudinal reference surfaces have 0.02 mm perpendicularity relative to the midplane. The longitudinal guiding features and pole ends also have explicit tolerances, but at a slightly relaxed level since they are less critical. The part drawings of the loose yoke pieces are adapted to the yoke block drawing concept in that their dimensions are defined in the vertical direction relative to the mating surface to the large yoke block, and in the sideways direction relative to the key that goes in the guiding slot on the yoke blocks. The quadrupole pole tips and sextupole/octupole yoke halves have surface shape tolerance of 0.02 mm (±0.01 mm) and 0.04 mm (±0.02 mm) applying to the pole surfaces, defined relative to these reference surfaces. Some example part manufacturing drawings are shown in Fig. S3 of the supporting information. As mentioned above, the yoke block reference surfaces are also used to define the location of the magnet block top half relative to the bottom half in assembly. In the vertical direction this is obvious, in that the mating surface between the two yoke block halves is the reference plane. Sideways and longitudinally the block halves are aligned relative to each other by guide blocks mounted directly on the reference surfaces (two of these can be seen in Fig. 11 ). We prefer this scheme over vertically oriented pins hidden inside the assembly or horizontally oriented pins drilled from the side in that the coordinate system definition in 3D mechanical measurement is straightforward and robust, that there is little risk of damaging the guiding features during handling, and that the alignment status between top half and bottom half can easily be checked by hand-held measurement tools in the assembled state. (i) Mechanical: attachment points to support stand, fiducial points, attachment and clearance for vacuum chamber. (ii) Electrical: main coil connections, trim and corrector coil connections, interlock connections. (iii) Coil cooling water circuit connections. The mechanical adjustment mechanisms and fiducial points are shown in Fig. 18 . Each magnet block is standing on three support points which are adjustable by ±10 mm in the vertical direction by an M36 thread. The longitudinal and the two sideways adjustment mechanisms are identical in design, consisting of a push block attached on the magnet bottom which is acted on by an M10 adjustment screw from one side and spring washers from the other side, providing ±10 mm adjustment range. The fiducial targets are 1.5" spheres located in conical holes which are machined directly in the yoke top block. They are located directly above the three vertical adjusts, and the two sideways adjusts, above the contact point between the push block and the adjustment screw. Achromat 3D CAD assembly: M1 magnet block on support stand, view from outer side. In each magnet block, the vacuum chamber assembly is attached at the beam position monitor house, which is bolted down directly on a precision-machined mating surface in the yoke bottom, with a guiding slot for the sideways position. The vacuum chambers are also vertically supported at brackets mounted on the outer side of the magnet block. All vacuum chamber cooling water leads are routed to the outer side of the magnet block. Fig. 19 shows the vacuum chamber inside the U1 magnet block, which is designed to provide clearance both for the stored electron beam pipe and the photon beam pipe. Achromat 3D CAD assembly; U1 magnet block view from above with magnet block top half hidden. Note that the sextupole magnets are designed such that the photon beam pipe passes on the inside of the SFm return yoke and on the outside of the SD return yoke. The electrical and water cooling connections are located on the inner side of the magnet blocks, see the example photograph in Fig. 20 . The design is made to allow for easy dis­assembly/reassembly of the magnet block top/bottom halves when installing the vacuum chamber. The coil exit leads are routed through cut-outs on the inner side of the yoke bottom/top blocks, series connected across the midplane7, and terminated by flags for cable shoe attachment, located so as to receive power supply cables coming from below. The coil cooling circuits are connected to separate manifolds for the bottom and top halves, which are connected to the main cooling water distribution at one end of each manifold pipe. The different trim windings and corrector coils are wired to one centrally located terminal strip per magnet block half, which are series connected across the midplane by plug-in contacts to allow easy disassembly/reassembly, and connected to power supplies at plug-in contacts on the bottom half. Thermoswitches and limit switches8 are also wired to one terminal per block half and connected from top to bottom through a plug-in contact, and connected to the interlock and control systems at d-sub contacts on the magnet block bottom half. U1 magnet block with plastic cover removed; view from inner side. Each magnet element also has its main coils connected to a `shunt board' at the magnet block inner side (see Fig. 20 ). The shunt board is a printed circuit board which for each magnet has a set of resistors parallel connected to the magnet main coils. Each resistor is series connected with a plug-in contact so that each resistor circuit is open unless the plug is put in place. By selecting which plugs to put in, a chosen fraction of the current coming from the power supply is shunted through the resistors. This allows for passively tuning the individual magnets to have the same strength within each family. A prototype magnet block corresponding to an early version of the M1 magnet block design was manufactured and characterized in 2010/2011 (Johansson et al., 2011 ). Apart from measurement results, the prototype also provided practical input to the mechanical design, such as, for example, establishing the tolerance and reference planes scheme for the yoke block drawings (see §4 ), the guide blocks (see, for example, Fig. 11 ), having the quad pole roots machined out of the iron block, coil exit leads geometries, having tolerances on pole shape in assembled state for sextupole and octupole yoke halves instead of on individual parts (see Fig. S2), etc. OXX 219.9 0.2 ± 0.2, at s, x ≃ −115, ? OXY 219.9 0.1 ± 0.1, at s, x ≃ 115, ? <0.1 at s, x ≃ −115, ? †Hall probe and current polarities not documented. In Table 7 , several of the field values are stated with a plus/minus range, coming in part from the data being noisy, and also from the response not being equal on powering up and powering down the causing magnet. In such cases better accuracy and more repeats would have been useful to characterize the behaviour. For the QDend(DIPm) case, a rotating coil measurement and an Opera3D simulation were also made, indicating a cross-talk of ∼10 G, 2 T m−2 (rotating coil) or 4 G, 3 T m−2 (Opera3D) in QDend from DIPm at full current (Johansson et al., 2011 ), which are of the same order of magnitude as the Table 7 Hall probe result. The cross-talk from the dipole into the adjacent magnet elements was considered acceptable since it is a static effect (P. Fernandes Tavares, private communication), but since the data at hand have uncertainties and not all cases are documented, from a magnet design perspective it would be interesting to perform a full characterization of a few actual production series magnet blocks. The production of the MAX IV magnet blocks is entirely outsourced to industry, as build-to-print contract where the suppliers are responsible for meeting mechanical tolerances and MAX-lab is responsible for the magnetic field properties. The suppliers also perform all magnetic field measurements. For each magnet block type, a full set of manufacturing drawings was made by MAX-lab. These, together with the technical specification document (Anderberg et al., 2011 ), are the basis for the MAX IV magnet block production. The technical specification gives supporting instructions for production which are not stated on the drawing sheets, such as material and heat treatment specifications, serial number marking, painting, etc. It also defines quality assurance, i.e. mechanical, electrical, etc, and the field measurements. Some of the key specifications are listed below. (i) `All dimensions with tolerances smaller than 0.1 mm must be measured and recorded.' The tolerances themselves are stated on the drawing sheets using standard geometric dimensioning and tolerancing symbols (see, for example, Figs. S2 and S3). It follows from this specification that every yoke bottom and yoke top block, and every loose yoke piece, must be measured in a three-dimensional CMM. (ii) `Tolerances of ±0.01 and ±0.02 mm are frequently requested on the drawings. These tolerances have been chosen as probably the best practical result attainable. The machining shall aim at reaching these tolerances, but minor and few deviations up to 0.03 mm may be accepted after discussion with MAX-lab.' See further discussion below. (iv) Hall probe field measurements, in each dipole: `Complete field map: x = ±15 mm, with Δx = 1 mm and s = 0 to 754.24/1223.78 mm with Δs = 5 mm, giving a total = ca 4700/7600 points.' And in each quadrupole `Transverse lines: x = ±15 mm, with Δx = 1 mm. At three different longitudinal positions' through the small inspection ports in the outer yoke which can be seen for example in Fig. 3 . (v) The specification states that for the Hall probe measurements, the coordinate system shall be aligned relative to the yoke block reference surfaces, but no explicit tolerance is given for the alignment. (vii) Alignment for the rotating coil measurements is specified as that `the rotation axis shall be within ±0.1 mm of the nominal trajectory, defined relative to the reference surfaces'. The field measurements section of the specification document gives some further supporting instructions such as set cycle, current levels, etc., and also defines a series of repeatability checks to be performed at the start of the productions series, including disassembly and reassembly of magnet blocks. But, essentially, the specification does not give a step-by-step recipe for how to perform the field measurements; rather it lists the measurement data that shall be presented to MAX-lab for each magnet block, leaving it up to the supplier to figure out how to perform the field measurements. This included solving how to access the different magnet elements inside the magnet blocks for rotating coil measurements. It follows from the above-listed specifications that the fiducialization concept for the MAX IV magnet blocks is to align the magnets relative to the mechanical reference surfaces on the yoke blocks, with the alignment of individual magnet elements within the magnet blocks given by the mechanical tolerances, which are related to the same reference surfaces, i.e. field measurement of the magnetic centre locations relative to the fiducial target locations was not specified to be performed with high accuracy. In the yoke bottom and yoke top block drawing versions sent out with the call for tender, the critical tolerances listed in §4 above were twice as hard, ±0.01 mm for guiding surfaces, 0.02 mm for dipole profile and mid-plane flatness, and 0.01 mm for reference surfaces. These tolerances were relaxed to present values during contract negotiations. The other major changes that occurred during the procurement phase was that the ferrite version of the correctors was replaced (see §3.5 ) and that the mechanical tolerance concept for sextupoles and octupoles was changed from being defined on the individual parts to being defined per yoke half assembly, meaning a harder requirement for the suppliers (see §6 ). (ii) 80 pcs U1, U2, U4 and U5: Scanditronix Magnet AB (Scanditronix Magnet AB, Vislanda, Sweden). At the time of writing (spring 2014), the production series of parts, such as yoke blocks, coils, etc., is near completion, and assembly/testing/field measurement of complete magnet blocks is roughly halfway through, with delivery to MAX-lab ongoing. Some results from the production series are presented in §8 and §9 below. Before the complete magnet blocks were procured, a separate procurement was made for iron blocks to be used for the yoke bottom and yoke top blocks. The call for tender and subsequent contracts for the magnet blocks were then written such that the raw material for the yoke bottom and top machining was free-issued by MAX-lab (Table 8 ). For the other loose yoke pieces (quad pole tips etc), the magnet suppliers provided the material themselves, with the same chemical composition and heat treatment stated in the magnet block technical specification. As described in the previous sections, with the MAX IV magnet block concept, field quality and alignment of magnet elements within each block depend on the machining accuracy of the yoke bottom and yoke top blocks, and the loose yoke parts that are mounted in the blocks. Presented in this section are mechanical measurement results for the large yoke blocks. As described in §7 above, the specification implies verification by 3D coordinate measurement machine for all yoke parts. Typically, 3D CMM data are presented as a measurement report containing a calculated value for each dimension, difference between calculated value and nominal value, and an indication of whether or not the difference is within tolerance. For the yoke bottom and yoke top block measurements, we have also had the suppliers provide us with the underlying point data. As mentioned in §4 above, the yoke block critical dimensions can be sorted into vertical guiding, sideways guiding, dipole profile and reference surfaces. Point data for an example yoke block from the middle of the production series sorted in these categories is shown in Figs. 22 to 26, with the 3D CAD model of the yoke block shown in Fig. 21 for comparison. Uc1–2 yoke bottom 3D CAD model: view from above with Fig. 22 to Fig. 26 3D CMM data origin and axis directions indicated (+y is toward the viewer). The mid-plane (reference D) is marked green. (i) The data points on the mid-plane (Fig. 22 ) have average y(z) = 0 and slope y(z) = 0, indicating that the measurement evaluation coordinate system is correctly aligned.16 The alignment of the x,z-plane is made as best fit to all the data points on the mid-plane. 3D CMM point data for Uc1–2 yoke bottom #13622-53: mid-plane (reference D) points x(z) and and y(z). Cf. mid-plane geometry in Fig. 21 . (ii) The data points on the sideways reference planes (Fig. 23 ) both have x(y) = 0 at y = 0, indicating correct alignment. The z-axis is aligned by creating reference A and reference B planes as best fit to the data points on these surfaces and setting x = 0 at the intersection between these planes and the x,z-plane. 3D CMM point data for Uc1–2 yoke bottom #13622-53: reference planes A, B and C points. Left: x(z). Right: planes A and B x(y) and plane C z(y). (iv) The Figs. 22 –26 example data are representative of the accuracy that has been achieved for the MAX IV yoke blocks in that there are always at least a few of the critical surfaces which are close to, or above, the ±0.02 mm tolerance level. For example, in Fig. 23 the reference B surface is clearly above its 0.02 mm perpendicularity tolerance. However, since the surface is tilting outwards, the contact point between the bottom/top yoke blocks and the guide block is not affected, so this deviation has no impact on performance. This exemplifies how we have applied the `minor and few deviations up to 0.03 mm may be accepted after discussion with MAX-lab'-specification, by a consequence analysis to determine whether or not corrective action is needed. 3D CMM point data for Uc1–2 yoke bottom #13622-53: sideways guiding slot points x(z) and dx(z). 3D CMM point data for Uc1–2 yoke bottom #13622-53: vertical guiding surface points x(z) and dx(z). 3D CMM point data for Uc1–2 yoke bottom #13622-53: dipole profile points measured at five longitudinal locations. Left: x(z); right: measured dy(x) and nominal y(x) (cf. Fig. 6 ). (v) The sideways and vertical point data in the Figs. 24 –25 example are typical in that the deviations tend to correlate between consecutive guiding surfaces, and between left and right poles belonging to the same magnet, i.e. there are typically not deviations of opposite sign over the full tolerance span between consecutive elements, but rather there is tilt, or offset, or curvature over the whole length of the yoke block. At the time of writing (spring 2014) the yoke bottom and yoke top block production series is close to completion, with achieved accuracy generally within the ±0.02 mm tolerance. At the time of writing (spring 2014) we are roughly halfway through the magnet production series, meaning that a large amount of Hall probe and rotating coil magnetic field measurements have been performed, and several aspects of magnet performance have been analyzed. In this section we will focus on one aspect that is of particular conceptual importance, namely alignment of magnet centres within magnet blocks. As described in §4 and §7 , the MAX IV magnet block design assumes that the magnetic centre location for each magnet element is given by the mechanical locations of the pole surfaces, i.e that the alignment accuracy within each block is given by the mechanical tolerances of the yoke bottom/yoke top blocks, the loose quad pole tips and the sextupole/octupole yoke halves. And as described in §7 , the technical specification made no attempt to have the magnetic centre locations relative to the mechanical reference surfaces measured with any high accuracy. However, with the field measurement data that have been obtained, we have tried to draw some conclusions, as described below. (i) `M1/M2 long': corr x/y–OXX–QFend–OXY–QDend. (ii) `M1/M2 short': OYY–corr y/x–SDend. Cf. Table 10. The `short' rotating coil assembly is used for measuring the single SD sextupole at the end of the U1/2/4/5 magnet block. Both rotating coil assemblies have bearings at each end, but the `long' rotating coil also has a bearing at the centre to counteract sag. The bearing locations are given by milled-out slots in the yoke bottom block that were added by Scanditronix Magnet. Both for Danfysik and Scanditronix Magnet, the rotating axis positioning accuracy relative to the mechanical reference surfaces is given by a tolerance chain consisting of mounting surfaces/slots on the yoke blocks, and bearing seat parts, which is within the specified ±0.1 mm, but not good enough to verify the supposed alignment accuracy of 25 µm r.m.s. relative to the reference surfaces. Note, however, that, by having several measurement coils on the same rotating shaft, the magnet elements that are measured with the same rotating coil assembly in the same magnet block are measured in a common local coordinate system. So although the absolute location relative to the reference surfaces is only known to within ±0.1 mm, the relative alignment of the consecutive magnets can be seen with high accuracy. From the rotating coil measured harmonic content, the horizontal and vertical offset, dx and dy, between the rotating axis and the magnetic centre is calculated as dx ≃ (r0/n)Bn–1/Bn, dy ≃ (r0/n)An–1/Bn (Russenschuck, 2010 ), where we have let Bn denote the main harmonic term, all of and is assumed to be feed-down, and r0 is the radius at which the harmonic content is presented. Example calculated offsets for a few measurements performed with the Danfysik `M1/M2 long' rotating coil assembly are shown in Fig. 28 , plotted as a function of longitudinal position of the measured magnet, where z = 0 is the location of the longitudinal reference surface of the M1 yoke blocks. Rotating coil measurement results: offset dx and dy between rotating axis and magnetic centre calculated from harmonic content feed down, as a function of magnet element longitudinal position z along magnet block. For magnet element OXX, QFend, OXY and QDend in M1 magnet blocks serial number 15–20. As seen in Fig. 28 , there are offsets of up to 0.1 mm between the rotating coil axis and the magnets, but within each magnet block the relative alignment of these four consecutive magnet elements appears to be much better, especially in the horizontal direction. The relative alignment is obtained by subtracting linear fits from dx(z) and dy(z). Calculated relative alignment for the Fig. 28 data is shown in Fig. 29 . Rotating coil measurement results: relative magnetic centre locations dx and dy between consecutive magnet elements calculated from harmonic content feed down, as a function of longitudinal position z along magnet block. For magnet element OXX, QFend, OXY and QDend in M1 magnet blocks serial number 15–20. As seen in Fig. 29 , for these six example M1 magnet blocks, the relative alignment of magnet elements OXX, QFend, OXY and QDend is within +5–6 µm in the horizontal direction, which is well within the assumed alignment accuracy, and within +17–24 µm in the vertical direction, which is worse, but still within the assumed accuracy. For the vertical offsets it is possible that we are seeing the combined effect of individual magnetic centre deviations and rotating shaft sag. The same analysis has been performed for all obtained `M1/M2 long' rotating coil measurements, which at the time of writing is 38 magnet blocks, almost the full production series of these types. Results are shown in Fig. 30 and Table 9 . Rotating coil measurement results: histograms of relative alignment dx and dy between consecutive magnet elements OXX, QFend, OXY and QDend for 38 measured M1 and M2 magnet blocks. The same analysis is not possible for the magnet elements on the other side of the M1/M2 magnet blocks, since there are only two magnets for which the magnetic centre can be defined, namely OYY and SDend. For the unit-cell magnet blocks, there are four consecutive magnet elements which are measured with the same rotating coil assembly. However, for the U1, U2, U4 and U5 magnet blocks, only three of these magnets can be considered to have been measured in the same local coordinate system, since the Scanditronix Magnet `long' rotating coil assembly has an intermediate bearing between the inner quadrupole and the corrector pair (see Fig. 27 ), and the rotation axis can only be considered to be straight between two bearings. So, for the U1, U2, U4 and U5 magnet blocks, relative alignment has been calculated for three consecutive magnets, and for the U3 magnet blocks relative alignment has been calculated for four consecutive magnet elements. At the time of writing, this analysis has been performed for 34 U1, U2, U4 and U5 magnet blocks. Results are listed in Table 9 . For U3 magnet blocks we do not have enough measurements yet to present any meaningful statistics. As seen in Table 9 , the measured relative alignment of three or four consecutive magnet elements is well within the assumed alignment accuracy. However, since the absolute location of the rotating coil is not known with high accuracy, the measurement does not indicate directly if these three or four consecutive magnet elements are well aligned relative to the other elements within the same magnet block. Looking at the example rotating coil measurement results in Fig. 28 , with offsets of up to 0.1 mm between the rotation axis and the magnet centres, the situation could be either that the magnets are well aligned and what we are seeing are positioning errors of the rotating coil, or that the rotating coil axis is well aligned and that the magnets, although well aligned relative to each other locally, are misaligned by up to 0.1 mm relative to the magnet block reference surfaces. Assuming that the magnetic centres agree with the mechanical centres, the mechanical measurement data would rule out the latter case, with yoke bottom and yoke top blocks and loose yoke parts having been measured to be within their mechanical tolerances. On the other hand, the case could be that magnetic centres are not agreeing with mechanical centres. Such a mismatch would have to be caused by differences or anisotropy of the magnetization properties between different yoke parts or different regions of the yoke. Considering that consecutive magnet elements have been measured to be locally aligned to within the level shown in Table 9 , the anisotropy would have to be in the yoke parts that are common to all magnet elements, which are the large yoke bottom and yoke top blocks. But considering also that the sextupoles and octupoles have almost all of their return flux going through their own return yoke (see Figs. 12 and 15 ), such differences in magnetization properties would have to exist also in these yoke parts, with direction and magnitude equal to any in the large yoke blocks. Such a coincidence we consider to be unlikely beyond reasonable doubt. Thus we conclude that the Table 9 results can be taken as an upper bound on the combined effects of tolerance stack-up of different yoke parts assembled together, and any differences between mechanical and magnet centres. Noting that the Table 9 results are for rotating coil measurements over a limited part of the total magnet blocks lengths, a conservative estimate would be to assume that over the whole magnet block length the relative alignment between all magnet elements is equal to the Table 9 results plus ±0.02 mm, the tolerance level applying to the full length of the yoke blocks. This would be roughly equal to the MAX IV DDR requirement of 25 µm r.m.s. with a 2σ cut-off (Leemann, 2010a ), indicating that from the perspective of magnet-to-magnet alignment we are on track for achieving the design performance for the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring. Potentially, since mechanical deviations within the yoke blocks ±0.02 mm tolerance level are typically correlated among consecutive elements (as exemplified by the Figs. 24 –25 data), a detailed statistical analysis of the obtained mechanical measurement data could reduce the estimated magnet-to-magnet alignment further. †Double octupole strength stated in technical specification document, due to +100% tuning range. ‡Both DIPm and DIP consist of 12 slices. Length and bend angle stated in this table are sum of slices, k, B and B′ are for central slice. The lattice file constitutes the most basic specification for the magnet design, as it defines the specified magnet bend angles/focusing strengths, effective lengths, placement and distances between magnets. Table 10 presents the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring lattice by listing lattice elements in consecutive order, together with corresponding field strengths at 3 GeV. The magnetic field terms should be understood as By components in an x, y, s curvilinear coordinate system where s is the position along the nominal beam trajectory and x and y are locally orthogonal to s, with +y = vertically upwards and +x = horizontal radially outwards in the storage ring. As noted in §2 , the DDR version of the lattice corresponded to the conclusion of iteration with Radia 3D magnetic design. Further updates to the magnet lattice came from iteration with magnet block mechanical design (Leemann, 2010b ), adjusting corrector and BPM placement, and from prototype magnet results (Leemann, 2011a ; Johansson et al., 2011 ), after which the specified magnet strengths have not undergone any major adjustments. The magnet technical specification used for procurement (Anderberg et al., 2011 ) corresponds to this version of the lattice (consequentially, currents and voltages constituting input to 3 GeV ring power supply specifications and cabling schematics correspond to this version of the lattice and DDR versions of the magnets.). A subsequent lattice update after iteration with detailed vacuum design (Leemann, 2011b ) contained minor adjustments of corrector locations (necessitating minor updates to the manufacturing drawings of the magnet blocks after the procurement had already been placed), but kept magnet strengths unchanged. This is the lattice presented in Table 10 , constituting the 3 GeV storage-ring magnet lattice as it existed before start of production series magnetic field measurements. 1Around the whole ring for some types (dipoles for example), or per achromat, etc. 2Using the 2D magnetic field simulation code FEMM (Meeker, 2009 ). 3Supporting information for this paper is available from the IUCr electronic archives (Reference: XE5010 ). 4Except that the Mc2 yoke blocks have both x and y corrector pole roots between SDend and OYY. 5Following a 3° arc for DIP and a 1.5° arc for DIPm, with larger radius through the soft end portion. 6Note the order of precedence among reference planes, which defines the coordinate system alignment method in 3D coordinate measurement machine (CMM). 7At one point for each magnet element, which is disconnected when dismounting the magnet block top half from the bottom half. 8For the plastic covers on the inner side of the magnet blocks. 9An initial test was made for each magnet element and the cases for which some response was seen were documented. 10In the latter case, the field in the affected magnet has opposite sign to the field in the causing magnet. 11Note that, compared with Table 6 , the specification document only refers to the `standard' versions of the yoke blocks. 12Reference surfaces are described in §4 . 13150 mm for sextupoles, octupoles and correctors, 200 mm for QFm and QF, 300 mm for QFend and QDend. 14Compared with Table 5 , the call for tender only referred to the standard versions of the magnet blocks. 15The recipe used was developed by Scanditronix AB, Uppsala, Sweden, in the 1960s. 16The `evaluation coordinate system' is the working coordinate system in which all results in the measurement report are calculated and in which all point data are presented. 17The reason for setting x = 0 and z = 0 at the intersection with the y = 0 plane is that this is the best estimate of how the top and bottom yoke blocks align to each other by the guide blocks (see, for example, Fig. 11 ).

2019-04-21T02:47:11Z

http://journals.iucr.org/s/issues/2014/05/00/xe5010/

Turrentine was having problems with his live-in girlfriend, Anita Louise Richardson, and moved out of the house. He later suspected Anita was having affairs with other men and came to believe that his sister, Avon Stephenson, knew about the affairs and that the two women were cheating him out of money in order to support their drug habits. Turrentine got a .22 caliber handgun from his ex-wife and confronted his sister about Anita's supposed affairs. Avon apparently laughed in Turrentine's face and Turrentine shot her in the head. Turrentine then drove to Anita's house, and during an argument he shot Anita and her two children in the head. After this carnage, Turrentine talked to a 911 operator and declared that he had shot his "ol lady," his kids, and his sister. He waited for police to arrive and again admitted to the shootings. Turrentine v. State, 965 P.2d 955 (Okla.Crim.App. 1998) (Direct Appeal). Turrentine v. State 965 P.2d 985 (Okla.Crim.App. 1998) (PCR). 10 slices of cheesecake, 10 pieces of fried chicken and fried catfish. "I've always maintained I've been innocent of crimes charged. This is a violation of my 14th Amendment rights. It's not over. With that being said, Mom, Dad, I love you all. Be strong." The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals today set Aug. 11 as the execution date for Tulsa County death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Turrentine. Attorney General Drew Edmondson requested the execution date June 6 after the United States Supreme Court denied Turrentine’s final appeal. Turrentine was convicted of the June 4, 1994, murders of his sister, Avon Stevenson, 48, his girlfriend, Anita Louise Richardson, 39, and Richardson’s children, Tina L. Pennington, 22, and Martise D. Richardson, 13. Turrentine shot Stevenson at her home, 8130 East 12th St. in Tulsa. Richardson and her children were shot in their home, 2518 South 121st East Avenue in Tulsa. Turrentine suspected Richardson was having an affair and that Stevenson knew of the alleged affair. After the shootings, Turrentine called 911 and admitted to the shootings. He waited for police to arrive and again admitted to the shootings. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has set an Aug. 11 execution date for a death row inmate who was convicted of killing four people in 1994. Attorney General Drew Edmondson requested an execution date for Kenneth Eugene Turrentine after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal. Turrentine was found guilty of killing his sister, Avon Stevenson, his girlfriend, Anita Richardson, and Richardson's children Tina Pennington and Martise Richardson on June 4, 1994, in Tulsa. Prosecutors said Turrentine suspected Richardson was having an affair and that his sister knew about it. They said Turrentine called 911 and admitted to the shootings. From appellate court account of this case: On June 4, 1994, Turrentine killed his sister Avon Stevenson, his estranged girlfriend Anita Richardson, and Anita's two children, thirteen year old Martise Richardson and twenty-two year old Tina Pennington. For three months leading up to the deadly events of that June, Turrentine and Anita Richardson had been experiencing such problems in their relationship that Turrentine had moved out of the home they once shared. Turrentine moved in with his sister Avon Stevenson. While separated from Anita and living with his sister, Turrentine began to believe that Anita was having an affair with two other men, and that his sister Avon knew of these affairs because she was apparently a friend and confidant of Anita's. Whether true or not, he also came to believe that Anita and Avon were cheating him out of money in order to support their drug habits. On June 3, 1994, the day before the murders, Turrentine telephoned his ex-wife, Catherine Turrentine, and told her that he was at Anita's house and that things were "about to come to a head." That same day, he asked his ex-wife to return to him a .22 caliber pistol, but she refused. He returned to make the same request the next morning, June 4, 1994, and this time his ex-wife gave Turrentine the loaded pistol. Later in the day on June 4, 1994, Turrentine confronted his sister about Anita's supposed affairs, and an argument ensued. Avon apparently laughed in Turrentine's face during this argument and called him a "punk." In response, Turrentine placed the .22 caliber pistol to Ms. Stevenson's head and fired; she died at the scene. Turrentine then drove to Anita's house, where the two began to argue. As they argued, they moved from the front to the back bedroom of the house and, after more argument and struggle, Turrentine shot Anita Richardson in the head. She died at the scene. He subsequently shot both Martise and Tina in the head, and they died at the scene as well. After this carnage, Turrentine talked to a 911 operator and declared that he had shot his "ol lady," his kids, and his sister. When officers arrived at the scene, they immediately took Turrentine into custody and advised him of his Miranda rights. Turrentine waived his rights and told the officers that he had shot his sister, his estranged girlfriend, and his girlfriend's two children. A medical examiner later confirmed that Ms. Stevenson, Ms. Richardson, Martise, and Tina had all died from gunshot wounds to the head. UPDATE: A Tulsa man was put to death Thursday evening for killing his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage that prosecutors said claimed three other lives, including the women's children. Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52, died at 6:10 p.m. in Oklahoma's death chamber, shortly after an injection of drugs stopped his heart. Less than an hour earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had denied his last-minute appeal, clearing the way for the state to carry out his death sentence for the June 4, 1994 shooting of Anita Richardson, 39. Turrentine originally was convicted and sentenced to death as well for the killings of Richardson's 13-year-old son, Martise, and her 22-year-old daughter Tina Pennington. But a federal appeals court last year threw out the convictions in the case of Richardson's children because of a judge's error during the trial. Turrentine received a no-parole life term for killing his sister, Avon Stevenson, 48, the same day. Prosecutors said Turrentine believed Richardson was seeing other men and that his sister was helping her deceive him. He first went to his sister's home and confronted her with his accusations, they said. When she laughed at him and called him a "punk," he shot her in the head. He then went to Richardson's Tulsa home, where the other shootings occurred. A week ago, Turrentine told the Pardon and Parole Board about the alcohol and the antidepressants he'd taken at the time. But in the end, he couldn't answer the board members' questions about motive. "I've been struggling with that for years," he said, just before the board declined to spare him. Turrentine's mother, Dorothy Vinson, who is also Stevenson's mother, had begged the board to spare his life, saying, "it wasn't the Kenneth that everyone knows" who had committed the murders. But Richardson's sister, Teresa Youngblood, told the board in a letter about the pain of her family's loss. "A very small and close-knit family with many years of happiness, love and joy (as well as problems just as any other family may have) suddenly and abruptly became even smaller on that sad and horrific night," she wrote. She described Richardson as "a vibrant, fun-loving, joyful person to be around." Pennington had been born blind and mentally disabled and had survived several life-threatening surgeries, she said. And Martise was a quiet and smart boy, "who loved no one more than his mother," she said. "The man of the family, he tried to protect his mother on may occasions, even the night of her death," Youngblood wrote. Prosecutors contended the killings were calculated. They argued that Turrentine obtained a .22-caliber pistol fro m his ex-wife the morning of the murders and shot all four victims in the head. The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute 52-year-old Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, a black man, on Aug. 15, 2005 for the June 4, 1994 murder of his estranged girlfriend, Anita Richardson, her daughter, 22-year-old Tina Pennington and her child, 13-year-old Martise Richardson. Turrentine also shot his sister, Avon Stevenson, in Green County. Turrentine confessed to the murders in a 911 call and again to the police after they had read him his Miranda warning. The errors in Turrentine’s trial included failure to give proper instructions to the jury with regard to second-degree murder, prejudicial victim impact testimony and a claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Furthermore, evidence that Turrentine was abused as a child was never brought to the attention of the jury. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals’ jury instructions regarding sentencing options were found to be prejudicial. The court found that when this type of instruction is given it has a “substantial and injurious effect, or influence in determining the jury’s verdict.” It found that it would infect the entire trial so that the resulting conviction violates due process. However, this alone was not enough to overturn his conviction. Another claim of Turrentine was that the trial court violated his rights by excluding certain mitigating evidence from the sentencing stage of his trial. Specifically, Turrentine contended that it should have allowed testimony as to his diminished capacity at the time of the murders. Although the trial court admitted similar evidence at the guilt stage of the trial, it excluded this type of evidence from the sentencing stage. Mr. Turrentine now claims that the exclusion of this mitigating evidence was improper because sentencing courts may not refuse to consider, as a matter of law, any relevant mitigating evidence. His final claim was ineffective assistance of counsel. He contended that trial counsel failed to properly present evidence of his mental health. They jury was not informed that Turrentine suffered from abuse as a child. Had the jury been aware of this information, the mitigating evidence may have outweighed the aggravating circumstances surrounding the crime. In short, Turrentine has not had a chance to prove he did not have a healthy mental state at the time of the murders. The jury instructions made it impossible for him to be convicted of anything less than 1st degree murder. Mitigating evidence that might have made the jury convict him of a lesser charge was never presented. Turrentine has not had the opportunity for a jury of his peers to determine whether a death sentence is appropriate considering all factors surrounding the case. Please contact Gov. Brad Henry and the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Paroles and ask them to stop the execution of Kenneth Turrentine. McALESTER (AP) - A Tulsa man was put to death Thursday evening for killing his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage that prosecutors said claimed three other lives, including the woman's children. Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52, died at 6:10 p.m. in Oklahoma's death chamber, three minutes after receiving an injection of drugs that ultimately stopped his heart. Less than an hour earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had denied his last-minute appeal, clearing the way for the state to carry out his death sentence for the June 4, 1994 shooting of Anita Richardson, 39. "I've always maintained I've been innocent of the crime charged," Turrentine said in his final statement, adding that his 14th Amendment rights to due process had been denied. "I love you all. You all be strong," Turrentine said, just before the execution began. Turrentine originally was convicted and sentenced to death as well for the killings of Richardson's 13-year-old son, Martise, and her 22-year-old daughter Tina Pennington. But a federal appeals court last year threw out the convictions in the case of Richardson's children because of a judge's error during the trial. McALESTER (AP) - A Tulsa man was put to death Thursday evening for killing his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage that prosecutors said claimed three other lives, including the women's children. Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52, died at 6:10 p.m. in Oklahoma's death chamber, shortly after an injection of drugs stopped his heart. Less than an hour earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had denied his last-minute appeal, clearing the way for the state to carry out his death sentence for the June 4, 1994 shooting of Anita Richardson, 39. Turrentine originally was convicted and sentenced to death as well for the killings of Richardson's 13-year-old son, Martise, and her 22-year-old daughter Tina Pennington. But a federal appeals court last year threw out the convictions in the case of Richardson's children because of a judge's error during the trial. Turrentine received a no-parole life term for killing his sister, Avon Stevenson, 48, the same day. Prosecutors said Turrentine believed Richardson was seeing other men and that his sister was helping her deceive him. He first went to his sister's home and confronted her with his accusations, they said. When she laughed at him and called him a "punk," he shot her in the head. He then went to Richardson's Tulsa home, where the other shootings occurred. A week ago, Turrentine told the Pardon and Parole Board about the alcohol and the antidepressants he'd taken at the time. But in the end, he couldn't answer the board members' questions about motive. "I've been struggling with that for years," he said, just before the board declined to spare him. Turrentine's mother, Dorothy Vinson, who is also Stevenson's mother, had begged the board to spare his life, saying, "it wasn't the Kenneth that everyone knows" who had committed the murders. But Richardson's sister, Teresa Youngblood, told the board in a letter about the pain of her family's loss. "A very small and close-knit family with many years of happiness, love and joy (as well as problems just as any other family may have) suddenly and abruptly became even smaller on that sad and horrific night," she wrote. She described Richardson as "a vibrant, fun-loving, joyful person to be around." Pennington had been born blind and mentally disabled and had survived several life-threatening surgeries, she said. And Martise was a quiet and smart boy, "who loved no one more than his mother," she said. "The man of the family, he tried to protect his mother on may occasions, even the night of her death," Youngblood wrote. OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma man was executed on Thursday for murdering his girlfriend because he thought she was cheating on him, a prison spokesman said. Before being given a lethal injection, Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52, proclaimed his innocence, despite an earlier confession. In addition to fatally shooting Anita Louise Richardson, 39, in Tulsa in 1994, Turrentine was convicted of murdering his sister, Avon Stevenson, 48, and Richardson's children, Tina Pennington, 22, and Martise Richardson, 13. The convictions for the children's murders were overturned by a U.S. appeals court but Turrentine received a life sentence for his sister's murder. He had believed his sister was helping Richardson date other men. After the slayings, Turrentine called police and admitted the killings, police said. He said he was under the influence of antidepressants and alcohol at the time. On Thursday, while strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, Turrentine said he was innocent. "I've always maintained I've been innocent of crimes charged," he said. "This is a violation of my 14th Amendment rights. It's not over. With that being said, Mom, Dad, I love you all. Be strong." The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ensures due process of the law and equal treatment of all citizens and was adopted to protect former slaves after the Civil War. For his final meal, Turrentine requested 10 slices of cheesecake, 10 pieces of fried chicken and fried catfish. McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - A Tulsa man was put to death Thursday evening for killing his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage that prosecutors said claimed three other lives, including the women's children. Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52, died at 6:10 p.m. in Oklahoma's death chamber, shortly after an injection of drugs stopped his heart. Less than an hour earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had denied his last-minute appeal, and the state carried out his death sentence for the June 4, 1994 shooting of Anita Richardson, 39. McALESTER - The frail elderly woman had already buried a daughter and now her son, the killer, lay on a gurney in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary saying his last words. "I love you all," Kenneth Eugene Turrentine said, trying to lift his head to see where Dorothy Vinson sat. "You all be strong." "I love you," Vinson cried back before falling into the low sobs that filled the death chamber as Turrentine was executed Thursday evening. The 52-year-old was put to death for the murder of his estranged girlfriend, Anita Richardson, 39, during a 1994 shooting rampage in Tulsa that also left her children and Turrentine's own sister dead. Vinson had asked the Pardon and Parole Board a week ago to spare her son's life, but the board refused and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Turrentine's final appeal an hour before he received a lethal mix of drugs. "I've always maintained I've been innocent of the crime charged," Turrentine said when asked if he had anything he wanted to say. He said his 14th Amendment rights to due process had been denied. Turrentine had said he'd been using alcohol and antidepressants at the time of the killings, and in previous appeals had argued the jury should have been allowed to consider convicting on a lesser offense because of diminished mental capacity. Prosecutors said Turrentine believed Richardson was seeing other men and that his sister was helping her deceive him. He shot his sister, 48-year-old Avon Stevenson, at her home before going to Richardson's home and killing her. Turrentine, who called 911 after the shootings, was convicted and sentenced to death as well for the killings of Richardson's 13-year-old son, Martise, and her 22-year-old daughter Tina Pennington. But a federal appeals court last year threw out those convictions because of a judge's error during the trial. Turrentine received a no-parole life term for his sister's slaying. Jerry Richardson, who was separated from his wife Anita at the time, said the deaths brought years of suffering. He said the pain hits when he meets young men who are the age his son, an aspiring basketball player, would have been had he lived. Richardson said he didn't agree with Turrentine's statement of innocence but said he had forgiven him. "I hope he made peace with God," Richardson said. Family members remembered Ms. Richardson as fun-loving and a joy to be around. Pennington had been born blind and mentally disabled but Richardson said he encouraged her in her dreams of becoming a teacher. Martise's aunt, Teresa Youngblood, called him a quiet and smart boy "who loved no one more than his mother." Turrentine's eyes flickered as the lethal mix of drugs began to flow. He let out five deep breaths and then was still. He was pronounced dead three minutes later at 6:10 p.m. When it was over, his mother cried, "Let me get out of here," but paused just before she left the death chamber. She placed her hand on the window that separated her from the room where her son's body lay and tearfully patted it. Turrentine was the 159th Oklahoma inmate put to death at the McAlester prison. "Clemency Denied For Oklahoma Death Row Inmate." McALESTER, Okla. (AP) _ An Oklahoma death row inmate convicted of killing his estranged girlfriend is scheduled to be executed Thursday after his request for clemency was denied by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. The board unanimously denied clemency Friday for Tulsa County killer Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52. He was sentenced to die for the 1994 killing of his estranged girlfriend, Anita Richardson, who was shot at her Tulsa home. He also received a no-parole life term for fatally shooting his sister, Avon Stevenson, in Tulsa on the same day. A federal appeals court threw out his convictions and death sentences for the shooting deaths of Richardson's children, Tina Pennington and Martise Richardson. Turrentine, who turned himself in immediately after the murders, apologized for the deaths but couldn't answer several board members' questions about the motive for his crimes. ``I've been struggling with that for years,'' he said. Turrentine said he drank and took the antidepressants in the hope that it would help him fall asleep following bouts of insomnia. Defendant was convicted in the District Court, Tulsa County, B.R. Beasley, J., of four counts of first degree murder, and was sentenced to death on three counts and to life imprisonment without possibility of parole on remaining count. Appeal was taken, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, Lumpkin, J., held that: (1) valid race-neutral reasons existed for peremptory strikes of black jurors; (2) court's removal of juror who stated that she would be absent during trial to observe Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah was permissible; (3) any error in second degree murder instructions was harmless; (4) evidence did not support instruction on voluntary intoxication, or first degree manslaughter; (5) defendant did not receive ineffective assistance of counsel; (6) alleged prosecutorial misconduct did not warrant relief; (7) evidence supported findings of death penalty aggravators of great risk of death and continuing threat for all three murders for which death penalty was imposed, and especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel murder for two of murders; and (8) death sentences was appropriate notwithstanding unsupported finding that third murder was especially heinous. Affirmed, and rehearing denied. Appellant Kenneth Eugene Turrentine was tried by jury and convicted of four (4) counts of First Degree Murder (21 O.S.1991, § 701.7), Case No. CF-94-2784, in the District Court of Tulsa County. In Counts I, II, and III, the jury found the existence of three (3) aggravating circumstances and recommended the punishment of death. In Count IV, the jury found the existence of two (2) aggravating circumstances and recommended as punishment life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The trial court sentenced accordingly. From this judgment and sentence Appellant has perfected this appeal. On June 4, 1994, Appellant killed his sister Avon Stevenson, his girlfriend, Anita Richardson, and her two children, thirteen (13) year old Martise Richardson and twenty-two (22) year old Tina Pennington. Appellant suspected Anita of seeing other men and believed his sister Avon knew about Anita's affairs. He also believed Anita and Avon were cheating him out of money. On June 3, 1994, Appellant sought to retrieve a gun he had given to an ex-wife. She initially refused but turned the loaded .22 caliber gun over to him the next morning. After retrieving the gun, Appellant went to his sister's home. Appellant confronted his sister with his beliefs and an argument ensued. Appellant's sister apparently laughed in his face and called him a "punk." In response, Appellant placed the gun to her head and fired one shot. She died at the scene. Appellant then drove to Anita Richardson's home. The two argued and Appellant placed the gun to her head and fired a shot. She died at the scene. Appellant also shot both of Anita's children in the head. After the shootings, Appellant called 911 and admitted to shooting his "ol lady," his kids and his sister. He then went outside to wait for the police to arrive. Upon their arrival, he again confessed to the killings. In his tenth assignment of error, Appellant contends the evidence was insufficient to support the "continuing threat" aggravator. To support the aggravator of continuing threat, the State must present evidence showing the defendant's behavior demonstrated a threat to society and a probability that threat would continue to exist in the future. Hain v. State, 919 P.2d 1130, 1147 (Okl.Cr.1996). A finding that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society is appropriate when the evidence establishes 1) the defendant participated in other unrelated criminal acts; 2) the nature of the crime exhibited the calloused nature of the defendant; or 3) the defendant had previously been convicted of a crime involving violence. Battenfield v. State, 816 P.2d 555, 566 (Okl.Cr.1991); cert. denied, 503 U.S. 943, 112 S.Ct. 1491, 117 L.Ed.2d 632 (1992). To prove this aggravating circumstance, this Court has held that "the State may present any relevant evidence, in conformance with the rules of evidence, ... including evidence from the crime itself, evidence of other crimes, admissions by the defendant of unadjudicated offenses or any other relevant evidence." Id. In the present case, the State presented no evidence of a prior criminal history. Therefore we look to the circumstances surrounding the murders of which Appellant was convicted. In determining the callousness of the crime, the defendant's attitude is critical to the determination of whether he poses a continuing threat to society. Hain, 919 P.2d at 1147. "A defendant who does not appreciate the gravity of taking another's life is more likely to do so again." Id. quoting Snow v. State, 876 P.2d 291, 298 (Okl.Cr.1994). Appellant's own words and actions show the callousness with which the murders in this case were committed. After shooting his sister, girlfriend and his two children, Appellant sat outside smiling and waited for the police to come. In subsequent interviews with police, he asked if the police could let the men Anita was supposedly having an affair with out of jail so he could kill them. Appellant laughed when he talked about shooting one of the men. Appellant also talked of having a shoot-out with the police. He admitted to shooting his victims but showing no remorse, stating he could have left them and the police would not have found them for several days. This evidence of Appellant's attitude and actions showed he has a propensity to violence which makes him a continuing threat to society. Accordingly, this assignment of error is denied. Turning to the mitigating evidence, Appellant presented nine (9) witnesses, including Appellant's ex-wife, her two sisters, Appellant's daughter, his mother and step-father, mental health professionals, and a co-worker. These witnesses testified that Appellant had no significant history of criminal activity; that in committing the murders he acted in response to a strong depression and loss of control; he fully cooperated with police; was contrite and remorseful; that he had made a good adjustment to life in jail and is a positive influence on other prisoners; that the murders were totally out of character for Appellant; that Appellant had always been supportive and responsive to his family; that he worked all of his life; he interceded on behalf of a sister-in-law who believed she was in the process of being assaulted as a teenager; he had been generous to others all his life; and after his parents divorce, he was looked upon by his mother and sisters as the man of the family. This evidence was summarized into thirteen (13) factors and submitted to the jury for their consideration as mitigating evidence, as well as any other circumstances the jury might find existing or mitigating. Upon our review of the record and careful weighing of the aggravating circumstances and the mitigating evidence, we find the sentence of death to be factually substantiated and appropriate in Counts I and II. As to Count III, after carefully and independently reweighing the two valid aggravating circumstances against the mitigating evidence, we find beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury in this case would have sentenced Appellant to death even if it had not considered the invalid aggravator. Accordingly, we find the death sentence in Count III to be factually substantiated and appropriate. Under the record before this Court, we cannot say the jury was influenced by passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor contrary to 21 O.S.1991 § 701.13(C), in finding that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating evidence. Accordingly, finding no error warranting modification, the sentences of death for Counts I, II and III and the sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for Count IV are hereby AFFIRMED. After carefully reviewing Petitioner's Application for post-conviction relief, we conclude (1) there exists no controverted, previously unresolved factual issues material to the legality of Petitioner's confinement; (2) Petitioner could have previously raised collaterally asserted grounds for review; (3) grounds for review which are properly presented have no merit; and (4) the current post-conviction statutes warrant no relief. 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(D)(4)(a)(1), (2) & (3). Accordingly, Petitioner's Application for Post-Conviction Relief is DENIED. Turrentine v. Mullin, 390 F.3d 1181 (10th Cir. 2004) (Habeas). Background: Following affirmance of his convictions of four counts of first degree murder and sentences of death on three of the counts and life without parole on fourth count, 965 P.2d 955, petitioner sought habeas relief. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Terry C. Kern, J., granted petition in part, but denied habeas relief. Petitioner appealed. (3) counsel was not ineffective. Affirmed in part and reversed in part. McCONNELL, Circuit Judge. Currently on death row in the State of Oklahoma, Petitioner Kenneth E. Turrentine ("Mr. Turrentine" or "Petitioner") appeals the final order of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, which denied him a writ of habeas corpus on his petition filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Mr. Turrentine was convicted in the Oklahoma courts on four counts of first degree murder. On three of those counts, he was sentenced to death; on the remaining count, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently an inmate of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary under the custody of Warden Mike Mullin. For the reasons set forth below, we reverse in part and affirm in part the decision of the district court. The facts as found by the state court are, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1), presumed correct. We recite them as adopted by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, although we present additional facts throughout this opinion as they become pertinent to our analysis. See generally Turrentine v. State of Oklahoma, 965 P.2d 955 (Okla.Crim.App.1998)"). The facts of this case are both sad and horrific. On June 4, 1994, Mr. Turrentine killed his sister Avon Stevenson, his estranged girlfriend Anita Richardson, and Ms. Richardson's two children, thirteen year old Martise Richardson ("Martise") and twenty-two year old Tina Pennington, sometimes referred to in the briefs and record as Tina Richardson ("Tina"). See Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. For three months leading up to the deadly events of that June, Mr. Turrentine and Ms. Richardson had been experiencing such problems in their relationship that Mr. Turrentine had moved out of the home they once shared. (T. Tr. 531.) Mr. Turrentine moved in with his sister Ms. Stevenson. Id. While separated from Ms. Richardson and living with his sister, Mr. Turrentine began to believe that Ms. Richardson was having an affair with two other men, and that his sister, Ms. Stevenson, knew of these affairs because she was apparently a friend and confidant of Ms. Richardson's. (T. Tr. 532); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. Whether true or not, he also came to believe that Ms. Richardson and Ms. Stevenson were cheating him out of money, to support their drug habits. (T. Tr. 532-33); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. On June 3, 1994, the day before the murders, Mr. Turrentine telephoned his ex-wife, Catherine Turrentine, and told her that he was at Ms. Richardson's house and that things were "about to come to a head." (T. Tr. 562). That same day, he asked his ex-wife to return to him a .22 caliber pistol, but she refused. (T. Tr. 561); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. He returned to make the same request the next morning, June 4, 1994, and this time his ex-wife gave Mr. Turrentine the loaded pistol. (T. Tr. 562-63); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. Later in the day on June 4, 1994, Mr. Turrentine confronted his sister about Ms. Richardson's supposed affairs, and an argument ensued. (T. Tr. 532); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. Ms. Stevenson apparently laughed in Mr. Turrentine's face during this argument and called him a "punk." (T. Tr. 532); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. In response, Mr. Turrentine placed the .22 caliber pistol to Ms. Stevenson's head and fired; she died at the scene. (T. Tr. 532); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 964. Mr. Turrentine then drove to Ms. Richardson's house, where the two began to argue. (T. Tr. 532); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. As they argued, they moved from the front to the back bedroom of the house and, after more argument and struggle, Mr. Turrentine shot Ms. Richardson in the head. She died at the scene. (Tr. 532); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 963. He subsequently shot both Martise and Tina in the head, and they died at the scene as well. Id. After this carnage, Mr. Turrentine talked to a 911 operator and declared that he had shot his "ol lady," his kids, and his sister. (State's Ex. No. 17); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 964. When officers arrived at the scene, they immediately took Mr. Turrentine into custody and advised him of his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). Mr. Turrentine waived his rights and told the officers that he had shot his sister, his estranged girlfriend, and his girlfriend's two children. (T. Tr. 531-33); see also Turrentine I, 965 P.2d at 964.> A medical examiner later confirmed that Ms. Stevenson, Ms. Richardson, Martise, and Tina had all died from gunshot wounds to the head. Mr. Turrentine was tried before a jury in Tulsa County District Court and was convicted of four counts of first degree murder for the killings of Ms. Richardson (count one), Martise (count two), Tina (count three), and Ms. Stevenson (count four). At the penalty phase of the trial, the jury found that three aggravating circumstances existed beyond a reasonable doubt as to counts one, two, and three: 1) that the murders were especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel; 2) that Mr. Turrentine knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person; and 3) that there existed a probability that Mr. Turrentine would constitute a continuing threat to society. As a result, the jury returned sentences of death for each of the first three counts. As to count four, the jury found two aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt and returned a verdict of life without the possibility of parole. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ("OCCA") affirmed all four of Mr. Turrentine's convictions and sentences. Turrentine I, 965 P.2d 955. The United States Supreme Court denied Mr. Turrentine's petition for writ of certiorari on December 14, 1998, Turrentine v. Oklahoma, 525 U.S. 1057, 119 S.Ct. 624, 142 L.Ed.2d 562 (1998), and the OCCA denied post-conviction relief on July 17, 1998. Turrentine v. State, 965 P.2d 985 (Okla.Crim.App.1998) ( "Turrentine II "). Mr. Turrentine then filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 in the District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma on August 23, 1999. App. Doc 20. The district court ruled on Mr. Turrentine's petition on January 21, 2003. The court granted the petition in part, but only as to the application of an aggravating circumstance to the charge of murder in count two. Because the district court found that striking this aggravator would not alter the punishment of death, it denied habeas relief on both the convictions and the sentences. Dist. Ct. Op. at 88. Mr. Turrentine filed a notice of appeal on January 31, 2003. The district court granted a certificate of appealability on eight grounds: 1) an improper jury instruction regarding the doctrine of transferred intent; 2) an improper instruction on second degree murder; 3) an improper instruction regarding a heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravating circumstance; 4) the sufficiency of the evidence to support a finding of the "heinous, atrocious, or cruel" aggravating circumstance; 5) the sufficiency of the evidence to support a finding of the "great risk of death to more than one person" aggravating circumstance; 6) the trial court's improper admission of victim impact evidence; 7) the trial court's refusal to allow expert opinion for purposes of mitigation; and 8) a claim that the mitigating evidence outweighed the aggravating evidence. We granted a certificate of appealability on two additional grounds: 9) alleged ineffective assistance of trial counsel; and 10) alleged ineffective assistance of appellate counsel. We consider each of these issues in turn. For the reasons set forth above, we GRANT Mr. Turrentine's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus on counts two and three, and VACATE his conviction and sentence on counts two and three accordingly. However, we DENY his Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus on count one, and AFFIRM his conviction and capital sentence on count one.

2019-04-22T01:52:36Z

http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/turrentine979.htm

Surgical management of the diabetic foot plays an integral role in the prevention and management of limb-threatening complications for people with diabetes. It should be understood at the outset that early intervention provides the best chance of surgical cure and limb salvage. The goal is to preserve a functional plantigrade foot, and to prevent major amputation. Elective surgery includes procedures that are advantageous to the patient but not urgent. For example, correction of a painful bunion or hammer toe in a stage 1 patient (with protective pain sensation, adequate perfusion and well controlled diabetes) is considered elective. Prophylactic surgery includes procedures which are necessary to prevent further compromise of the foot: for example, a patient with chronic recurrent ulceration beneath the hallux, who has a limitation of motion at the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint. The pathomechanical aetiology of this lesion, in an insensate patient, is hallux limitus or rigidus. Unless this condition is corrected the ulcer will never be completely resolved. Emergent surgery includes conditions that require immediate surgical intervention. These patients generally present to the Emergency Room/Casualty department with serious foot infections. It is important to emphasize that signs of systemic toxicity are not always present and clinical findings may be subtle. Patients may or may not be febrile and may or may not have an elevated white blood cell count; however, their diabetes is most often out of control. Depending upon the presentation, surgical treatment may include: incision and drainage of pus, exploration of wounds, debridement of necrotic soft tissue and bone, revascularization and local amputation of the foot. Podiatric care, footwear and orthoses. Prevent major amputation of the leg. Patients with diabetes often develop one or more digital contractures. Flexion contracture of the toes develops as a result of biomechanical imbalance between the long flexor and extensor tendons to the toe. The intrinsic muscles of the foot, the interossei and lumbricales, function to stabilize the toes on the weightbearing surface. Weakness of these muscles, secondary to motor neuropathy, results in the development of hammer toes and, in some cases, claw toes. A hammer toe is characterized by hyperextension of the toe at the metatarsophalangeal joint, and flexion contracture of the toe at the proximal interphalangeal joint. The resulting deformity, like a swan’s neck, results in retro-grade force on the metatarsal head, causing increased plantar pressure, metatarsalgia, callus formation and eventually ulceration. Friction and pressure caused by the shoe on a prominent proximal interphalangeal joint results in the development of a corn and, eventually, an ulcer. Pressure at the tip of the flexed toe may result in a distal corn and eventually an ulcer. Claw toes are characterized by flexion contracture at both the proximal interphalangeal joint and distal interphalangeal joint. Mallet toe is a digital deformity characterized by flexion at the distal joint. Risk of ulceration is associated with each of these three digital deformities, at the tips of the toes and over the prominent interphalangeal joints. Proximal interphalangeal joint arthroplasty is indicated for correction of rigidly contracted hammer toes with or without ulceration at the tip of the toe, or over the prominent proximal interphalangeal joint. The procedure is performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthesia and sedation, with an ankle tourniquet for haemostasis. If an ulcer or corn is present over the proximal interphalangeal joint, it is excised,using two converging semi-elliptical incisions. The incisions are carried down to the subcutaneous tissue and the ulcer is excised. The extensor tendon is exposed and transected at the level of the interphalangeal joint. The tendon is retracted proximally, exposing the head and neck of the proximal phalanx. The medial and lateral collateral ligaments are freed using scalpel with a No. 15 blade. The head of the proximal phalanx is then transected at the surgicalneck using double action bone-cutting forceps or a power saw. The bone is examined for evidence of osteomyelitis which, if present, would dictate removal of additional bone. The extensor tendon is then repaired with absorbable sutures at the level of the proximal interphalangeal joint. If there is evidence of extension of the toe at the metatarsophalangeal joint, then the extensor tendon can be lengthened or transected, followed by a dorsal transverse metatarsophalangeal capsulotomy. In the presence of infection the wound should be packed open, with a return to the operating theatre for delayed primary closure within a week. For clean wounds, the skin is closed with 5– 0 nylon simple interrupted sutures. The use of a 0.45 Kirschner wire, placed across the joint, is optional. When used to maintain the corrected position of the toe, the wire is placed in a retrograde fashion, from the proximal interphalangeal joint, out through the tip of the toe. It is then driven back into the proximal phalanx. It is wise to reserve the use of internal fixation for clean, elective cases. Dressings consist of non-adherent fine mesh gauze (petrolatum, 3% Xeroform and a dry sterile gauze bandage with the toe splinted in its corrected position. A surgical shoe is dispensed and the patient is able to ambulate as tolerated. The first postoperative dressing change is within 1 week. Sutures are removed in 10–14 days, and if a Kirschner wire was used it is removed at 3 weeks. The patient is able to return to a roomy shoe with a broad toe box after 3–6 weeks, as oedema resolves. Mallet toe correction is indicated for lesions that develop at the tip of the toe. In the presence of mallet toe deformity the tip of the toe is traumatized with every step that the patient takes. The initial lesion is a callus, which eventually progresses to a preulcerative lesion (haemorrhage within the callus) and then to a full thickness ulcer that may probe to bone. The procedure is performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthesia, with a Penrose drain applied as a tourniquet at the base of the toe. No tourniquet is used if there is a question of vascular compromise. Two semielliptical incisions are made in a transverse manner over the distal interphalangeal joint of the toe. The incisions are carried down through the skin, the extensor tendon and joint capsule, and these structures are removed. The interphalangeal joint is identified and the collateral ligaments are severed using a No15 mini-blade. The blade is kept close to bone at all times. The distal aspect of the middle phalanx is transected with a power saw or with bone-cutting forceps. It may be necessary to release the long flexor tendon, and this can be done through the same dorsal incision. The deformity is reduced and the dorsal capsule and skin are repaired in the usual fashion. In the absence of ulceration or infection, the corrected position of the toe is maintained by placing a 0.45 Kirschner wire . Limited joint mobility of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint, with decreased range of dorsiflexion, results in ele- vated plantar pressure beneath the hallux. Repetitive moderate stress on the skin is observed clinically by the formation of a callus beneath (or plantar medial to) the hallux interphalangeal joint . Haemorrhage within the callus represents a preulcerative condition that requires regular debridement and footwear modification. The natural history for hallux interphalangeal joint,lesions is for the preulcerative condition to progress to a full-thickness ulcer and eventually to amputation. Although local wound care and off-loading of the foot may result in healing of the ulcer, this outcome is short-lived. The ulcer inevitably recurs and becomes a chronic non-healing wound. Sesamoidectomy is indicated for the treatment of a discrete intractable lesion, beneath the 1st metatarsal head,that fails to heal or remain healed with a conservative approach to treatment (local wound care, total-contact casting or attempts to off-load the forefoot with orthoses and custom footwear). Sesamoidectomy is also indicated for the curative treatment of osteomyelitis of the sesamoid bone. This procedure is appropriate for the treatment of neuropathic patients with evidence of increased plantar pressure beneath the 1st metatarsal head. Weightbearing radiographs taken with a radio-opaque open circle marker placed over the ulcer will confirm the relationship between an enlarged or arthritic sesamoid bone and the plantar lesion. There may also be evidence of a plantar flexed 1st metatarsal associated with a cavus foot deformity. Excision of the tibial sesamoid, fibular sesamoid or both sesamoids may be indicated. Surgical approach to the tibial sesamoid can be either medial or plantar. A low medial longitudinal incision is centred over the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint between the dorsal and plantar cutaneous nerves to the hallux. This incision is deepened to the level of the joint capsule and the capsule is incised in the same plane. The tibial (medial) sesamoid is visualized within the joint capsule beneath the metatarsal head. The capsule is grasped with a clamp and the sesamoid is shelled out with a No. 15 scalpel blade. The fibular (lateral) sesamoid is more difficult to reach through a medial incision, and may be more accessible from a dorsal longitudinal approach, over the first webspace. This is a reasonable approach if the sesamoid is located in the intermetatarsal space. A plantar approach is indicated for excision of the ulcer, and allows for direct visualization of both sesamoid bones. The decision to close the wound primarily or to pack it open will vary with each case. Infected or contaminated wounds should be packed open, and either allowed to heal by secondary intention or brought back to the operating theatre for delayed wound closure. Dressings consist of a dry sterile compression gauze bandage with the hallux splinted in its proper alignment. The patient is instructed to rest at home, remain non-weightbearing and elevate his feet for 48 hours. If the wound was packed open, the dressing is changed on the first or second postoperative day. If possible, arrangements should be made for a visiting nurse to perform the necessary daily dressing changes. The patient is then allowed limited protected weightbearing in a walking brace. The first postoperative visit is scheduled within 1 week with weekly visits scheduled until the wound is healed. Once healed, the patient will require therapeutic shoes and insoles. Dorsiflexory metatarsal osteotomies are performed for the treatment of lesser metatarsalgia, most often for intractable plantar keratoses (IPKs), when non-surgical methods have failed. These procedures are controversial and are often plagued by postoperative complications such as transfer lesions, non-union or malunion, and floating toes. Infection and screw failure have also been reported. Caution should be exercised when considering these procedures for neuropathic individuals. Metatarsal osteotomy is not advised in the presence of infection or full-thickness ulceration beneath the metatarsal head. The Weil shortening osteotomy is a distal lesser metatarsal procedure, designed to shorten one or more of the central metatarsals (2nd, 3rd and sometimes the 4th) without elevating or depressing the metatarsal head. The head moves proximal to the existing plantar callus, and decompresses the metatarsophalangeal joint. The procedure should be reserved for cases that fail conservative treatment, and only used in cases where the affected metatarsals are comparatively long. Complications are similar to those associated with other metatarsal osteotomies. The procedure is performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthesia with an ankle tourniquet. A dorsal longitudinal incision is made over the metatarsophalangeal joint and then deepened to the joint capsule. The capsule is dissected between the extensor digitorum longus and the extensor digitorum brevis. The capsule is reflected, allowing for release of the collateral ligaments. Two small Hohmann retractors are inserted under the metatarsal neck to provide sufficient exposure to the metatarsal head. The toe is plantar flexed and the osteotomy is performed with a long, thin sagittal saw blade. The osteotomy cut begins at the distal dorsal edge of the articular cartilage and is directed proximally, oblique to the metatarsal shaft, and as parallel as possible to the sole of the foot. The distal fragment is displaced proximally, 3–5 mm, and fixed with a single self-drilling, self-tapping partially threaded 2.0 mm screw. The screw is directed from dorsal-proximal to plantar-distal. The bone peak is then resected with a rongeur and smoothed with a burr. The joint capsule is closed with 3–0 absorbable sutures and the skin is closed with 4–0 absorbable subcuticular sutures, or nylon simple interrupted sutures. For deformity of the 5th metatarsal with painful callus on the plantar or lateral aspect of the metatarsal head. Resection of the metatarsal head can be performed through a dorsal incision over the metatarsophalangeal joint, or in the presence of a deep plantar ulcer, the ulcer and the metatarsal head can both be excised through a plantar approach. This procedure is well suited for older sedentary individuals, and for patients with osteopaenia or osteomyelitis of the metatarsal head, where a transpositional osteotomy is not appropriate. Although transfer lesions (callus or ulcer) have been reported to occur beneath adjacent metatarsal heads, following metatarsal head resections, this is not a frequent problem with 5th metatarsal head resections. Fifth metatarsal head resection is performed under local anaesthesia with IV sedation. An ankle tourniquet is used for haemostasis. A 4 cm dorsal longitudinal incision is made over the 5th metatarsophalangeal joint and shaft, just lateral to the extensor digitorum longus tendon. The incision is carried down to fascia, the skin edges are retracted, and the incision is then continued through joint capsule and deep to the periosteum. The joint is visualized, collateral ligaments are cut with a Beaver mini-blade and the metatarsal is cut in an oblique manner, at the surgical neck, from distal-medial to proximal-lateral. The metatarsal head is removed, and the wound is irrigated. Gelfoam is placed in the void, and the capsule is closed with 3–0 absorbable sutures in a simple interrupted fashion. The skin is closed with 4–0 nylon sutures, in a simple interrupted and horizontal mattress fashion. Increased pressure on the plantar aspect of the forefoot has been shown to be associated with limited joint mobility and with equinus deformity of the ankle. In the presence of peripheral neuropathy, elevated pressure beneath one or more metatarsal heads can result in the development of ulceration. Ankle equinus may also contribute to the development of Charcot’s osteoarthropathy withcollapse of the mid-foot or avulsion fracture of the posterior process of the calcaneus. Armstrong and coworkers, at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio, reported on a study to determine the degree to which pressure on the plantar aspect of the forefoot is reduced following percutaneous lengthening of the Achilles tendon in high-risk subjects with diabetes. They demonstrated that peak plantar forefoot pressures were reduced by approximately 27% following percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening. These authors suggest that lengthening of the Achilles tendon, in high-risk patients with diabetes, may decrease the likelihood of ulceration and may increase the efficacy of pressure-reduction modalities such as casts or braces. In fact, this procedure facilitates the healing of recalcitrant forefoot plantar ulcers. This procedure is indicated for correction of mild to moderate gastrocnemius-soleus ankle equinus. Three hemisections of the tendon are performed, two medial and one lateral. The distance between the hemisections is determined by the overall size of the tendon and the amount of lengthening desired. An alternative procedure, attributed to Hoke, incorporates two posterior and one anterior hemisections of the Achilles tendon, and is performed in the frontal plane through a medial approach. The patient is placed in a prone position on the operating room table. Local anaesthesia is infiltrated just above the Achilles tendon on the back of the leg. A tourniquet is not required for this procedure. The surgeon stands at the end of the operating table facing the foot, which hangs over the end of the table. The plantar surface of the foot is placed against the abdomen of the surgeon and gently dorsiflexed while palpating the Achilles tendon. A skin marker is used to define the borders of the tendon, from its insertion into the calcaneus, to its proximal myotendinous junction. The proposed cuts in the tendon are drawn on the skin. These marks help the surgeon to remember the direction of the cuts. The distal cut is made 1.0–2.5 cm superior to the tendon’s insertion into the calcaneal tuberosity. A No 10 blade is introduced through the skin and tendon in a perpendicular manner, bisecting the tendon. The tendon is then lifted away from the leg, and the blade turned medially. Hemisection of the tendon is accomplished by gently working the blade against the tendon until its fibres are completely cut. When satisfactorily performed a gap can be palpated in the tendon. Avoid forcefully pushing the blade against the tendon as this may result in tenotomy, with rapid loss of resistance, followed by uncontrolled movement of the blade and subsequent laceration of the skin or the surgeon’s finger. This procedure is repeated in the opposite direction, 2.5–4.0 cm more proximally, and then again 2.5–4.0 cm more proximal to the second cut. The foot is then firmly dorsiflexed to an angle greater than 90°, generally 5° above neutral . Overcorrection should be avoided, as this may lead to rupture of the tendon or a calcaneus deformity. The stab wounds are generally so small that they do not require sutures. However,if desired, a single interrupted 5–0 nylon suture can be used. Dressings consist of non-adherent fine mesh gauze(petrolatum, 3% Xeroform), and dry sterile gauze dressing. A well-padded plaster splint is applied to immobilize the foot and ankle, and to maintain the ankle in approximately 5° of dorsiflexion. At the first dressing change, the patient is placed in either a short-leg walking cast or a walking brace for 6 weeks. Partial calcanectomy is indicated for the surgical management of large non-healing wounds located over the heel,with or without osteomyelitis. These wounds are typically chronic decubitus ulcers located on the posterior aspectof the heel, or neuropathic ulcers on the plantar surface of the heel. Regardless of the aetiology, heel ulcers are often unresponsive to conservative therapy and are frustrating to treat. Partial calcanectomy is a viable alternative to below-knee amputation for these patients, provided that they have adequate distal perfusion. The procedure eradicates infection and achieves wound closure and limb preservation. The procedure is performed under spinal anaesthesia using a thigh tourniquet for haemostasis. The patient is placed in a prone position on the operating theatre table. Two converging semi-elliptical incisions are made surrounding the ulcer. The incisions are carried deep to bone, and the ulcer is completely excised. The incision is extended proximally, to expose the posterior aspect of the calcaneus, and deepened to the fascia overlying the Achilles tendon . A No. 15 blade is used to transect thetendon at its insertion on the posterior tubercle of the heel. The tendon is dissected free, grasped with an Allis clamp and reflected out of the wound. Dissection is then directed close to bone, exposing the body of the calcaneus. Dressings consist of non-adherent fine mesh gauze (petrolatum, 3% Xeroform , placed on the suture line, a bulky gauze fluff dressing and additional padding for protection of the heel and lateral border of the foot. Dressings are held in place by gauze bandage. A well-padded plaster splint is applied to immobilize the foot and ankle. Drains are generally removed after 48 hours. Moderate bleeding from the cut cancellous bone is to be expected, especially over the first 12–24 hours, and dressings may need to be reinforced with additional absorbent material. After 7 days, a well-padded short-leg non-weightbearing cast is applied. The cast is changed at 2-week intervals for inspection of the wounds. Sutures are left in place for 3–4 weeks. Once the skin is healed, the patient is placed in a walking brace for 4 weeks and is then allowed to ambulate in a therapeutic shoe with an ankle–foot orthosis (AFO). Amputations of the foot can be divided into emergent and non-emergent procedures. Non-emergency amputations allow some flexibility in the creation of skin flaps, selection of level and wound closure. These cases generally include neuropathic feet that are structurally or functionally impaired, with satisfactory circulation and controlled infection. They are characterized by moderate to severe forefoot deformities with associated chronic non-healing wounds that are recalcitrant to conservative medical and surgical management. In some cases, the presenting deformities are the residuals of prior infection, tissue necrosis and chronic non-healing wounds. Emergent amputations include those performed for gangrene, severe soft tissue infection, osteomyelitis, peripheral vascular disease, tumours or trauma. The main consideration in determining the level of amputation in these cases is the extent of healthy tissue. When infection is the primary issue, an open or guillotine amputation may be necessary. In most cases, adequacy of blood supply to the foot ultimately determines the level at which successful amputation can be performed. Although non-invasive laboratory methods have been proposed for evaluating wound healing potential, clinical experience and judgement are most often relied upon. Preoperative physical examination should include a quantitative assessment of ankle joint dorsiflexion. Contracture of the Achilles tendon is generally more apparent prior to amputation of the forefoot, and suggests the need for tendon lengthening at the time of amputation. The procedure is performed as necessary, in the presence of equinus or excessive spasticity. In many cases equinovarus deformity is a complication of Lisfranc and Chopart amputations. A longitudinal open procedure or percutaneous approach can be utilized according to the surgeon’s preference. Measurements of TcPo2 are useful to accurately predict the presence of critical vascular disease and the success of major or minor amputations. TcPo2 levels ≥ 30 mmHg bode well for healing of a forefoot amputation, and are more accurate predictors than a palpable pedal pulse. TcPo2 levels < 30 mmHg indicate significant vascular disease and foreshadow wound healing failure and amputation. These patients require well-timed vascular surgery consultation, arteriography and revascularization.Toe pressures, measured by photoplethysmography, are helpful to predict the healing potential of primary forefoot amputations. Other preoperative criteria for wound healing include: an ankle–brachial index > 0.50, serum albumin >3.0 g/dL, serum protein > 6.0 g/dL and total lymphocyte count > 1500. Patients should be medically stable, with diabetes and infection under control. Distal amputation of the hallux, sometimes referred to as a terminal Syme’s amputation, is indicated for lesions of the distal toe or nail bed, e.g. osteomyelitis of the distal phalangeal tuft, ulceration of the nail bed or tumour. Theprocedure employs either resection of the tuft of the distal phalanx or disarticulation of the toe at the interphalangeal joint. This procedure preserves acceptable length and function of the hallux. A similar surgical approach can be modified for the lesser toes. The procedure for amputation through the hallux interphalangeal joint is performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthesia and sedation, with a Penrose drain applied as a tourniquet around the base of the great toe. A long plantar and short dorsal skin flap is fashioned. The transverse dorsal skin incision is made, proximal to the posterior nail fold, at the level of the interphalangeal joint. The incision extends from medial to lateral and is then directed distally around the end of the toe, to form a long plantar flap. The toe is disarticulated at the interphalangeal joint and all tissues are excised (nail plate, nail bed, nail matrix and distal phalanx). A long plantar flap is fashioned (trimmed to fit), and sutured without tension to the short dorsal flap with 4–0 nylon simple interrupted sutures. If the toe is infected at the time of surgery, the wound should be left open or very loosely approximated. The patient can then be brought back to the operating theatre for delayed wound closure when the infection is resolved. A ray resection consists of excision of a toe and its corresponding metatarsal. The most frequent complication of a ray resection is transfer ulceration. The overall success rate for ray amputations is low; however, there is reasonable success with resection of a central ray (2nd or 3rd), or 5th ray. Amputation of the hallux and 1st metatarsal frequently results in imbalance of the medial column of the foot with a poor functional outcome. Therefore, it is very important to preserve 1st metatarsal shaft length whenever possible. Amputation of the 5th ray alone is indicated when infection and necrosis involve the 5th toe and/or the skin over the metatarsophalangeal joint. This can develop in neuroischaemic patients from unremitting pressure, caused by a tight shoe or bandage, over the lateral aspect of the 5th metatarsal head. In neuropathic individuals, repetitive moderate stress on the skin beneath a prominent 5th metatarsal head will eventually result in callus formation, ulceration and infection. The primary objective of this procedure is to achieve adequate resection of the infected or necrotic tissues, in order to create a wound that can be closed without tension. The configuration of the skin incision is determined by the extent of the infected necrotic tissues to be excised. Whenever possible, the 5th metatarsal base should be preserved together with its muscle attachments for the peroneus brevis and tertius. This is important for the prevention of varus deformity of the foot. Varus deformity occurs when inversion of the foot is left unopposed. Following ray resection, part or all of the incision may be left open, with the patient returning to the operating theatre for delayed primary closure. Ray resections are sometimes performed as an initial incision and drainage procedure to control infection prior to a more definitive amputation. Amputations through the forefoot and mid-foot include the transmetatarsal, Lisfranc and Chopart amputations. The Lisfranc amputation is performed at the tarsometatarsal joints and the Chopart amputation is performed at the mid-tarsal joints . Mid-foot amputations frequently develop equinovarus deformity, which requires Achilles tendon lengthening or tenotomy. When preoperative criteria are met, healing occurs in > 80% of transmetatarsal and mid-foot amputations. Moderate to severe forefoot deformity. Careful preoperative preparation is necessary with drainage of infection, culture-directed antibiotics and daily wound care. The patient is placed in a supine position with the foot and lower half of the leg prepped and draped in the usual manner. Bony landmarks are identified for the 1st and 5th metatarsal heads and bases. The desired level of bone resection is determined, e.g. mid-shaft level, and then using a skin marker a line is drawn across the dorsum of the foot from mid-shaft of the 1st metatarsal to mid-shaft of the 5th metatarsal. Lines are then extended distally, along the 1st and 5th metatarsal shafts, to the bases of the hallux and 5th toe, and then curved across the plantar skin just proximal to the sulcus of the toes. This approach will create a short dorsal and long plantar flap. Starting anteromedially at the 1st metatarsal shaft, the knife is held perpendicular to the skin and an incision is made through the skin, across the dorsum of the foot, ending at the previously determined level on the 5th metatarsal shaft. The dorsal incision is deepened to expose the long extensor tendons. Vessels are identified,ligated or electrocoagulated. The incision is then carried down to bone. Prior to transection of the metatarsals, an osteotome or key elevator is directed distally away from the dorsal skin incision, to reflect the soft tissues and periosteum. The dorsal flap should not be undermined.Incisions are then carried distally toward the toes and then across the plantar aspect of the foot, developing a long, thick myocutaneous flap. The plantar flap is retracted using rake retractors. It is important to keep the dissection close to the metatarsal shafts, thereby creating a thick viable plantar flap. The plantar flap is reflected proximally to the intended level of bone resection. The metatarsal bones are then cut transversely, with a power saw, at the level of the dorsal skin flap. The cuts are angled slightly from dorsal-distal to plantar-proximal. The 1st and 5th metatarsals are bevelled medially and laterally to prevent focal points of pressure. The distal foot is grasped securely with a small bone clamp, and then removed by sharp dissection. The plantar flap is inspected, and debrided as necessary. Exposed flexor tendons should be grasped without tension and excised. Antibiotic solution is used to irrigate the wound. The plantar flap is then brought up over the resected metatarsals and approximated with the dorsal flap. If the plantar flap is too long, redundant skin should be remodelled. The flap should be carefully marked with a skin marker and excess skin removed. Accurate trimming of the skin is accomplished by placing several Allis tissue forceps on the edge of the skin to be excised. The surgical assistant holds the forceps with gentle tension, and a fresh blade is used to trim the excess skin. Placing a malleable retractor beneath the plantar flap, while it rests on the dorsum of the foot, provides a firm supporting surface to cut on. The tourniquet is deflated prior to wound closure, and bleeders are ligated or coagulated. Some oozing of blood from the transected bone marrow and from muscle is to be expected. The skin flaps are approximated without tension and secured with a few simple interrupted, subcutaneous 3–0 absorbable sutures. A drain is placed in the wound, exiting the skin on the dorsolateral aspect of the foot. Skin flaps are carefully positioned and secured with 4–0 nylon sutures in a simple interrupted fashion, or with stainless steel staples. Lisfranc and Chopart amputations are frequently complicated by the development of equinus deformity. Equinovarus deformity is associated with Lisfranc disarticulation.Amputation at the tarsometatarsal joints appears to be the most proximal level that allows for satisfactory function of the foot. For surgery to work at this level, care must be taken to preserve the base of the 5th metatarsal with its tendinous attachments, for eversion of the foot. The Achilles tendon should be lengthened, as necessary. Chopart’s mid-tarsal joint amputation has the advantage of producing less limb shortening than a Syme’s procedure because the talus and calcaneus are retained. However, complications are commonly reported with the Chopart amputation. Severe equinus deformity develops due to loss of the tibialis anterior, long extensor and peroneal tendons, with resultant failure to balance the force of the triceps surae. The resulting foot is short with a very small weightbearing surface, and is at increased risk of further breakdown. Some authors advise reattachment of the tibialis anterior to the talus to prevent equinus deformity of the hindfoot. The patient is placed in a supine position with the foot and lower half of the leg prepared and draped in the usual manner. This procedure is performed in a manner similar to the transmetatarsal amputation, with the development of a longer plantar flap and short dorsal flap. The dorsal skin incision is made just distal to the 1st metatarso-cuneiform joint and carried across the dorsum of the foot, ending just distal to the 5th metatarsal base. Occasionally it may be necessary to develop a longer dorsal flap to compensate for devitalized plantar skin. The medial and lateral incisions are carried distally along the metatarsal shafts to the necks of the metatarsals and then curved plantarly across the ball of the foot. The plantar flap is developed to the intended level of disarticulation. The 1st metatarsal base is disarticulated from the medial cuneiform. Using a power saw, and working from medial to lateral, the 2nd metatarsal is transected at the level of the 1st and 3rd cuneiforms, leaving its base intact in the intercuneiform mortise. The 3rd and 4th metatarsals are then disarticulated, followed by transection of the 5th metatarsal, just distal to its base. Although the 5th metatarsal base will leave a prominence of bone, this generally does not cause a problem. Wound closure is performed in the same manner as described above for a transmetatarsal amputation. The incision for a Chopart amputation starts medially, at the level just proximal to the navicular tuberosity and extends over the dorsum of the foot to a point midway between the 5th metatarsal base and the lateral malleolus. Medial and lateral incisions are then carried distally, over the 1st and 5th metatarsal shafts. At mid-shaft, the incision is curved down across the sole to fashion a plantar flap. The plantar flap is developed in a careful manner,using rakes for retraction, to the level of the mid-tarsal joint. The ligaments around the talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joints are divided. A suture is placed in the end of the tendon of the tibialis anterior. Soft tissue attachments are sharply dissected free from the foot, and it is disarticulated from the rearfoot. A drill hole is made in the talus for attachment of the tibialis anterior. The plantar flap is trimmed to size. Tourniquet is released and bleeders ligated or electrocoagulated. The skin flaps are then approximated, over a drain. The Achilles tendon is tenotomized. Standard dressings and splints are applied as for a transmetatarsal amputation.

2019-04-22T16:04:43Z

http://www.healioswoundsolutions.com/orthopedic-management-diabetic-foot/

America is a country that was founded by the pursuit of religious freedom. The role of faith in America can be seen on college campuses across the country. Campuses in all regions of the nation contain stunning structures dedicated to cultivating moral integrity among the nation’s young adults. This list contains some of the most historically significant and esthetically pleasing houses of worship in the United States. The Cadet Chapel, a 3.5 million dollar modern marvel, opened its doors in 1963. Since then it has become one of Colorado’s most popular tourist attractions, bringing in over half a million visitors each year. This spiritual landmark is designed to stand out. It has 17 spires that stretch over 150 ft high, which make it visible to those traveling down Interstate 25. The Cadet Chapel plays a crucial role in developing the moral integrity of Protestant cadets through spiritual devotion. Anyone who has attended the Air Force Academy has spent time in awe of the esthetics of the architecture, even if they did not worship there. This esthetic beauty makes the Cadet Chapel one of the most visited chapels in the country. The Baughman Center was completed in 2000 thanks to a generous donation of $1 million from alumnus George F. Baughman. This center, which seats 96, is a non-denominational palace of silent prayer and contemplation. It offers students a serene escape from the stresses of college life. This chapel’s architecture gives the feeling that this building grew organically from the ground. The wood for the exterior is native Florida wood that is stained to resemble surrounding plant life. It is also vertically grooved to give the appearance of individual tree trunks. The idea is that all spiritual denominations share a unifying factor in that they all preach harmony with the environment, and it shows in the design. Patten Chapel has been a cornerstone of the University of Tennessee campus since its dedication in 1919. For almost 100 years, it has served as a house of worship and home to hundreds of weddings, baptisms, and funerals for alumni. It sits over 400 people, which make it able to accommodate any occasion. All of the woodwork in the interior was handcrafted by local artisans, and carved from locally sourced wood. Everything about Patten chapel embodies the true spirit of Tennessee. It has proved it will remain a mainstay of the university’s spiritual community for years to come. Sage Chapel is steeped in American history. It was first built in 1875 and was designed by Reverend Charles Babcock, a professor in the Architecture department. Additions in 1898 and 1904 were made to add the mausoleum. Another addition in 1940 improved upon the original organ and added a loft for the choir. All of these renovations were careful to keep the same ambiance the building held in 1875. Sage Chapel contains a stained glass window monument to 3 civil rights workers who were murdered during the Freedom Summer, one of them a Cornell alumnus. The Freedom Summer played an integral role in getting thousands of African Americans in Mississippi to register to vote, and played a significant role in the Civil Rights movement. Sage Chapel is an iconic landmark for several generations of Cornell alumni. Joseph Chapel is the pride of Spring Hill College. It has served as a center of faith and community for over 100 years. At the 100 year anniversary in 2010, thousands of students, staff, and alumni reflected on the integral role St. Joseph’s played in their college experience. The hallowed halls of St. Joseph’s have seen generations of alumni get married and children of alumni baptized. It also served as a rallying point of strength after the terrorist attacks of September 11. This tragedy shows that the important role faith plays in the campus community has not changed over the last 100 years. The Agnes Flanagan Chapel is recognizable for its conical structure, which pays homage to the area’s rich connection with Native American history. It is the signature landmark of Lewis & Clark college and is the first thing that catches the eyes of visitors as they drive up to the campus. This chapel was completed in 1968 and seats 460 people. It has a massive organ that has nearly 5000 pipes and 85 ranks. The stained glass windows were done by world-famous French artist Gabriel Loire, which illustrate both Christian and Native American influence. The Agnes Flanagan Chapel captures both the beauty and history of the Northwest Passage, and plays an integral part in the overall homage to American history embodied by Lewis & Clark College. Memorial Church, known by locals as “MemChu”, is a staple of the Stanford campus. This non-denominational house of worship has been serving patrons for over 100 years since it opened its doors in 1903. Memorial Church was designed to be the centerpiece of the Stanford campus, and it does not disappoint. The interior contains five organs, which allows musicians to provide a compliment to worship unrivaled by other college churches. It is decorated with stained glass and mosaics that draw heavily from Venice. The church has survived two major earthquakes, which symbolize its role as a cornerstone of faith, morality, and leadership for the Stanford student body. It serves as an embodiment of everything that makes alumni, old and new alike, proud to call Stanford College their alma mater. This Tudor-style chapel sits upon a hill that overlooks the stunning beauty of Michigan State University. It seats 190 people and accommodates worshippers of all faiths. Everything from the façade to the stained glass windows was designed with a vintage Tudor ambiance in mind. Visitors step foot in here and feel like they are walking into an Elizabethan era chapel. The Alumni Chapel holds a special place in the heart of thousands of Alumni who have held their wedding ceremony on campus. Countless college sweethearts whose first meeting was on campus have completed the journey of their relationship where it all began. The Alumni Chapel serves as a pinnacle of pride in the hearts of Michigan State alumni. Wesleyan University Memorial Chapel seats up to 590 patrons, making it one of the larger college chapels. The architecture pays tribute to the Gothic era with its brownstone edifice and pointed tower that can be seen from most places on campus. The chapel hosts weekly multi-denominational services, as well as periodical lectures from prominent academic and spiritual scholars. Perhaps the most significant speaker ever to come to Wesleyan University was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He spoke at the Chapel on four separate occasions and received an honorary doctorate of Divinity from the University. Wesleyan University Memorial Chapel served as a place of solidarity for students and faculty who were active with Dr. King in the civil rights movement, and serves as a memorial for those whose faith guided them to stand up against moral injustice. Vassar Chapel, the largest religious structure in Poughkeepsie, was built in 1904. As Vassar’s other buildings have undergone modernizing renovations, the Chapel has been the only building that has remained virtually untouched. One step in the chapel is like time traveling through 100 years of Vassar’s rich history. The chapel prides itself on offering personalized spiritual counseling to help students develop the moral integrity necessary to succeed in life. The walls of this hallowed spiritual establishment have seen countless numbers of alumni choose Vassar chapel as the place to say their vows. It serves as a sign of lovely memories made on the campus of Vassar College. Bowdoin Chapel got its start as a Christian church. The walls on both the left and right are lined with intricate murals depicting various Christian spiritual figures. Although these murals still remain, the chapel is now non-denominational. It serves as a house of worship for students of all faiths. The most popular use of the chapel is for weddings of alumni and non-alumni alike. From May 1 to October 31, the chapel is reserved for alumni, staff, and student use. The rest of the year, anyone can make a reservation to use this beautiful facility. Bowdoin Chapel seats 200 patrons and contains an organ and grand piano, as well as a balcony area reserved for photographers and musicians. These tools help provide the excellent spiritual experience that is the pride of Bowdoin College. The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception is not only one of the oldest chapels, but also one of the oldest buildings in America still standing. The chapel first opened its doors in 1863 during the height of the Civil war. It has undergone a few reservations over its 150 years, but the main structure still remains intact. Alumni choose the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception for weddings and baptisms because the walls ooze history. It served as a place of worship for Catholics to reconcile their sins and try to heal from the horrors of the Civil war. It has helped several generations of students to get in touch with their faith and guide them through the temptations of the college experience. Abbey Church of St. John the Baptist is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1856 by five monks from the Saint Vincent Archabbey, who migrated from Pennsylvania to Minnesota. The church, with over 400 monks, has grown to the largest Benedictine monastery in the West. The current version of the church was designed in 1954 and completed in 1961. The church holds one of the top spots for largest stained glass windows in the world, with the largest containing over 430 hexagons. It also has a bell tower that holds five bells and spans over 218 ft high, making it visible from the entire campus. It was designed to fit 1500 yet give patrons the feeling of a 50 person congregation. Abbey Church of St. John the Baptist is home to St. John’s Bible, which is the first written bible by a Benedictine monk. This makes it a popular destination for those dedicated to the Order of Saint Benedict. The Stauffer chapel, located on the campus of Pepperdine University, sports breathtaking views of the Pacific ocean. The signature cross that extends to the heavens can be seen from a distance as visitors approach this lovely house of worship. The exterior of the chapel is surrounded by a serene garden that adds a peaceful ambiance. Students can often be found in the garden in silent prayer as they soak in the southern California sunshine. Many weddings for alumni and staff have been held at this piece of divine paradise. The Stauffer chapel offers a perfect blend of interior and exterior beauty that makes it one of the most popular chapels in America. The Alice Millar Chapel & Religious Center got its namesake from the famous English musician Alice Millar, who once played for Queen Victoria. The chapel is unique among its peers because it was constructed to illustrate the interwoven relationship between faith and music. The chapel contains an Aeolian-Skinner organ with a 151 ft spire and 100 ranks that perfectly accentuates the structure’s acoustics. Patrons can feel the organ’s tones overwhelm them as they worship. It also has jaw dropping floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows on both the left and right walls. Directly behind the podium is the largest and most intricate of the windows, serving as a centerpiece to the soothing beauty of the Alice Millar Chapel & Religious Center. The tale of All Saints’ Chapel is one of perseverance. The original chapel, which was named St. Augustine’s, began construction in 1860. The construction; however, was halted by the civil war. The war destroyed much of the buildings on campus, but faith and dedication led to its completion in 1868. The current version of the chapel began construction in 1904 but faced delays of its own when the bank of Winchester failed in 1907. These financial obstacles led to makeshift wooden floor and ceiling to make the chapel usable. It wasn’t until 1959 when the All Saints’ Chapel was finally completed as designed. It stands 61 ft high with a tower that spans 134 ft in the air. Its location at the geographic center of campus symbolizes the role of All Saints’ Chapel as the heart and soul of the South. The Annie Pfeiffer chapel is the oldest building of the Florida Southern College Architectural District, also known as Child of the Sun. This is a group of nine buildings all designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, with the Annie Pfeiffer chapel as the first one to be completed in 1941. It has a simple yet elegant design that pays tribute to traditional while incorporating a modern flair. The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel is on the list of the national register of historic places and was named as a national landmark in 2012. These prestigious awards speak for themselves and more than justify this chapel’s place among the top American architectural beauties. The Battell Chapel is a structure that is intertwined with American history. It was first constructed in 1874 as a monument to those who lost their lives in the Civil war. It was commissioned by Joseph Battell and designed by Russel Sturgis Jr, who was heavily inspired by the Victorian-era Gothic cathedrals. The Battel Chapel also contains an apse that was added in 1947 as a memorial to veterans who lost their lives in World War II. These dedications make this chapel a favorite among students and alumni who had lost loved ones in the service. Anyone who has attended this Ivy League institution has surely spent time worshipping at the Battel Chapel. It has been an iconic part of the Yale campus for 140 years and shall continue for years to come. Duke Chapel is an ecumenical Christian church that sits on the highest ridge in the center of the Duke University campus. Constructed in 1935, its pointed arches embody the traditional Collegiate Gothic style. This chapel seats over 1800 people and is over 210 ft high, which makes it the tallest building in Durham. This architectural gem can be seen from almost anywhere on campus. One of the marvels of Duke Chapel is its dedication to the role of music in spiritual worship. It is home to a 50-bell carillon and three pipe organs, one with 6,000 pipes and one with 5,000 pipes. The interior is complete with 77 stained glass windows that range in size from over 20 ft to just over 14 inches. The Julia Thompson Smith Chapel encapsulates the small-town hospitality for which the South is known. The chapel only fits 110 people, which gives patrons a feeling of worshipping among family. It is a Christian chapel; however, it does contain a specific room dedicated to non-denominational worship. The crown jewel of the Julia Thompson Smith Chapel is the Brombaugh Opus 31d organ, which is one of only six in the world. This priceless gem makes the chapel a significant location for music enthusiasts. The exterior of the chapel is accented by a serene garden designed for prayer and meditation. Students can often be found here soaking up the Georgia warmth while decompressing from the pressures of college life. The Hampton University Memorial Chapel is one of the six national landmarks on the Hampton University campus. It has a 150 ft tower and illuminated clock that lights up the sky above campus. The chapel, designed by J.C Cady, pays homage to African American and Native American history with hand-carved wooden faces throughout the chapel. The pews, made of yellow pine, were carved by trade school students during the original construction, which took place in 1886. Hampton University Memorial Chapel has served as a place of communal worship for students of all faiths over its storied 130-year history. The Margaret Brown Herrick Memorial Chapel was commissioned in 1964 by John Pierce Herrick and dedicated in memory of his wife. The chapel is right in the middle of all the action on campus, as it is situated near the library and classroom buildings. Although the college got its start as a Christian establishment, this chapel currently serves members of all faiths. The interior layout is in traditional cruciform structure and was designed to make up to 500 patrons feel as if they are enjoying a small intimate sermon. The rich acoustics make every seat in the house experience the soothing vibrations of the church’s organ. The Margaret Brown Herrick Memorial Chapel is a cornerstone of the moral integrity Occidental College wishes to cultivate in their students. This 2.3 million dollar chapel was designed in 1921 by Ralph Adams Cram, who was the forefather of the Collegiate Gothic style found in chapels on campuses across America. The architecture was influenced heavily by the Elizabethan era cathedrals in England. At a capacity of 2000 patrons, this chapel was the second biggest chapel on a college campus at the time of its construction. The windows are all intricate stained glass, with the four main windows facing each of the cardinal directions. They depict beautiful scenes from the Christian mythos that compliment the award-winning stonework. In 2002, the chapel underwent a 10 million dollar renovation that solidified its place on the list of best chapels on college campuses in America. The Thompson Memorial Chapel was built in 1904 in memory of the American banker Frederick Ferris Thompson. For over 110 years, this chapel was served as a common ground for members of all faiths to get in touch with the divine. It serves as a centerpiece in the moral development of virtually every Williams College student. Many alumni of Williams College feel such a connection with their alma mater that they want to consummate their vows on campus. The Thompson Memorial Chapel has seen dozens of college sweethearts begin their life together, which is a testament to the important place the chapel has in the hearts of current students and alumni alike. Paul’s Chapel, located on New York City’s famous Broadway, is the oldest church in Manhattan. It was built in 1766 by Andrew Gautier with the blessing of Queen Anne of Great Britain. The fact that it has existed longer than America has been a country shows just how integrated this place of worship is in American history. The four columns in front of the entrance illustrate the Greco-Roman influence drawn upon by architect Thomas Mcbean. It is meant to be a replica of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, which was constructed in 335 B.C. Paul’s chapel has withstood the test of time. It survived the great fire of 1776 that burned a quarter of the city, which is a testament to the symbol of the strength one’s faith can be when overcoming adversity. The University of Rochester Interfaith Chapel is a symbol of the University of Rochester’s spiritual diversity. At the time of its construction in 1970, it was one of the first interfaith chapels on an American college campus. Since then it has served as a house of worship for people of all faiths. The Interfaith Chapel plays a vital role in the cohesive campus community at the University of Rochester. By accommodating all faiths, it serves as a center for cultural and spiritual diffusion. It breaks down the barriers created by organized religion and instead unifies patrons through the pursuit of the divine. The Naval Academy Chapel, which was declared a national historic landmark in 1961, has been a foundational part of cultivating the high moral integrity that makes a cadet a cut above the rest. The chapel was completed in 1904 and designed by Ernest Flagg. It has a domed roof that looks stunning both inside and out, and can sit close to 2500 patrons. The Chapel is also home to a 268 rank organ that is controlled by a 522-drawknob console, one of the largest in the world. It is also home to the crypt of John Paul Jones, who was the first naval soldier in the Revolutionary war. The first version of St. Francis Xavier Church was completed in 1840, and the current version moved to the campus in 1879. This church has been serving the Catholics of St. Louis for over 170 years, which has made it a vital part of the spiritual lives of generations of St. Louis University students. This Gothic revival was modeled after St. Colman’s Cathedral in Ireland and exhibits all of the traditional Gothic styles. While it certainly carries anesthetic beauty, the real significance of this church is the role it plays in the community. It is known around the area for its lively sermons, as well as weekly sermons and other efforts to help the area’s poor and homeless. This house of worship truly embodies the selflessness preached by Jesus himself and is a big reason why it is the pride of the St. Louis University student body. The St. Thomas of Villanova chapel has roots in Augustinian tradition. The original version of the church was founded in the 1840’s by the founding members of the American branch of the church of St. Augustine. The church we see today got its beginnings in 1887 after 4 years of construction. Architect Edwin F. Durang captured the beauty of medieval French cathedrals with the twin towers that flank the cross extending from the center of the roof. Each tower is 63 ft high with a white cross that extends even higher. This design makes St. Thomas of Villanova chapel stand out as a centerpiece of the picturesque beauty of the Villanova University campus. The Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica is responsible for establishing the presence of the Order of Saint Benedict in America. It first opened its doors in 1846, when it was founded by archabbot Boniface Wimmer. Since then it has grown from the first American Benedictine monastery to the largest in the West. It draws thousands of worshippers from the surrounding area looking for the spiritual enlightenment offered by the Order. The Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica is not just an architectural beauty. It serves as a pillar for the community, offering the area’s abused children a sanctuary of safety and spiritual healing. Efforts such as these are what makes this spiritual establishment such a big part in the character of the Saint Vincent student. The pinnacle of any religious university is its house of worship. Perkins chapel is the centerpiece of Southern Methodist University, serving students since it opened its doors in 1951. The four white columns show the Greco-roman influence that is characteristic of the Georgian style. It was modeled after the church houses found throughout colonial New England. The Perkins Chapel doesn’t have the grandiose exterior as some of the bigger chapels on other campuses; however, the size is a testament to the tight-knit community of Southern Methodist University. Students use the Perkins Chapel to cultivate their spirituality as a tool for leadership development. A strong spiritual community gives students the atmosphere needed to develop their moral integrity and go out into the world as an ideological Sheppard ready to change the world. The mosaic dome of the Immaculata shows the Spanish influence on its design. Dedicated in 1959, the red Cordova tile roof can be seen by virtually all students as they travel to campus. The highest point of the church is the 300 pound cross that sits upon the bell tower. The topmost point measures at a staggering 167 ft. The dome of the Immaculata is home to a 8500 pound and 10 ft high statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, which perfectly encapsulates the vision behind the establishment. The final touch on the exterior is the solid bronze door. The interior of the church matches the beauty of the exterior, which is why the Immaculata is among the most beautiful churches in the country. The Old St. Joseph Church sits on land that was home to a chapel established in 1676, a chapel that served some of the first settlers of the areas. The current version of the church got its start in 1870 as a place of worship for French-Canadian traders. In 1892, it became home of the statue of St.Joesph. It held this honor until 1969 when the church underwent renovations. In 1925 years of Norbertine, migration led to the establishment of the Norbertine Foundation in De Pere. Old St. Joseph church became the first official Norbertine abbey church in the United States. Since then it has remained a pillar of faith for the students of St. Norbert College. As its name suggests, this chapel was commissioned by John D. Rockefeller in 1924 and completed in 1928. It was designed to be the center of the campus both structurally and spiritually. The chapel is massive. It takes up almost an entire city block and can sit over 1700 people. It is home to the second largest carillon in the world, which was donated by Rockefeller as a tribute to his mother. It was constructed without the use of structural steel. This construction strategy gives the church its old-world ambiance. That motif is accentuated with the stunning woodcarvings that flank the organ and balcony. This stunning piece of architecture smack in the middle of campus symbolizes how faith plays a central role in achieving the American Dream. Joseph chapel was founded by the Sisters of Charity, a religious order founded by Elizabeth Seton. Dedicated in 1896, this chapel has served a crucial role in the moral development of the Seton Hill student body for over a century. St Joseph Chapel is an embodiment of faith-based artistry. It contains 18 stained glass windows, which includes a stained glass section of ceiling and two 16 foot windows. These masterpieces are accentuated by the hand-carved pews and beautifully sculpted marble altars. This pinnacle of perfection has a rich history and a tight community that justify its designation as the heart of Seton Hill. The Heinz Chapel, dedicated in 1938, was commissioned by H.J Heinz in honor of his mother. The building encapsulates the integral role faith played in the success of this captain of industry. It is a non-denominational house of worship that fosters interfaith diffusion and cooperation. The architecture is heavily influenced by the neo-Gothic style popularized during the 20th century. It has high ceilings and an extensive use of glass for the 23 windows, which span over 4,000 square feet. These artistic masterpieces were designed by Charles J. Connick and draw influence from medieval artistry. The chapel also has a 73 ft tall transept window, which is among the tallest in the world. The Memorial Chapel at the University of Maryland is a dedication to the men and women who have lost their lives during a war. It was dedicated in 1952 and has served as a crucial part of the campus community ever since. In the spring of 2007 a grant was awarded to the chapel to construct a sacred garden. This garden was designed to give students an esthetically pleasing outdoor space for prayer and reflection. This chapel hosts sermons from all disciplines found on campus, which shows its dedication to remaining a hub of the diverse student community. The Knowles Chapel was dedicated in memory of Francis Bangs Knowles, one of the founding visionaries of what would become Rollins College. The chapel, dedicated in 1932, sits right in the middle of campus. The chapel is a true mark of beauty both inside and out. It was designed by Ralph Adams Cram, who also designed the chapel on the Notre dame campus. The interior is decorated with beautiful stained glass windows that depict several of the prominent characters in the Christian mythos. The crown jewel is the intricately designed circular window, which embodies the thematic relationship between faith and wisdom. The San Francisco Theological Seminary was one of the first graduate school dedicated to theological studies. It offers students the tools and training necessary to lead others in their pursuit of the Divine. Montgomery Chapel is where these students of God connect with their creator. Being a theological seminary, the role of the chapel goes way beyond the role of the traditional college campus. It is the central nexus for not only spiritual worship, but social connections. Students routinely meet at the chapel to discuss theological philosophies and strength their bonds through shared spiritual experience. The Firestone-Baar Chapel was designed by Eero Saarinen, the same man who designed the famous St. Louis arch. This architectural beauty has been declared a historic building by the city of Columbia, and for good reason. It has served as the common ground that unites the spiritual diversity of Stephens College under one house of worship. Alumni love to celebrate life’s great monuments, like weddings and baptisms, at this wonderful chapel. It holds a special place in the hearts of those who turned to faith to guide them through the trials and tribulations of college life. The Kirkpatrick Chapel was the brain-child of architect Janeway Hardenbergh, who went on to design famous buildings such as the New York Plaza hotel, the Astoria hotel, and the Waldorf hotel. It is no surprise that Hardenbergh was hired for those projects, as the Kirkpatrick chapel is a true architectural masterpiece. The Victorian Gothic style features stained glass windows that embody true artistry. Several of the windows can even be dated to the 19th century. The Chapel was home to the library until 1904, which highlights the importance of reading in faith. Many rare religious texts can be found sitting on this library’s shelves. Benjamin Brown Graham Chapel has played host to over 800 of the most prominent figures in politics, religion, academics, and the arts. It serves as both a spiritual and cultural nexus for the students of Washington University. The chapel was dedicated in 1909 to honor Benjamin Brown Graham, a business guru who was highly active in his church. One of the most beautiful pieces in the chapel is the stained glass window that depicts the temple of King Solomon. The chapel serves as a symbol to the role that faith plays in the success of those who have the courage to revolutionize industries. Marsh Chapel is a historic establishment that significantly contributed to the civil rights movement. Howard Thurman, one of the first African American Deans in America, served as Dean of the chapel from 1953 to 1965. He played a key role in the spiritual education of Martin Luther King Jr. Marsh Chapel is also home to the infamous “Good Friday Experiment”, a 1962 experiment designed to see the role the drug psilocybin plays in inducing mystical experiences. The mundane everyday experiences at Marsh Chapel are no less important. Students flock to the chapel to express their spirituality and bond with their peers as they cultivate a strong moral compass. Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart is the cornerstone of the Catholic community at the nation’s oldest traditionally Catholic university. Dedicated in 1893, the design encapsulates the essence of 19th century tranquility. It doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of other campus chapels, but that doesn’t diminish its significance in the slightest. Dahlgren Chapel is responsible for guiding students on the Catholic faith by teaching them to live by the ways of Jesus. It plays a big role in fostering the sense of community that resonates through the campus of Georgetown. In 1839 the man who would become the first archbishop of New York bought the land upon which Old St. John’s was built. Construction on this Gothic revival was completed 1845, and it has served the area’s Catholics ever since. The bell in the bell tower is affectionately known as ” Old Edgar Allan”, as it is said that the bell influenced one of Poe’s poems. A few of the windows were donated by the King of France, which highlights the significance of its construction. Old St. Johns has been declared a city landmark along with four other buildings on the Fordham campus. Greene Chapel is one of the gems of Hendrix College’s beautiful campus. The chapel represents the Arkansas spirit of compassion, community, and hospitality. The beams of the ceiling are designed to represent a ship. This symbolizes Greene Chapel’s role as a vehicle for patrons to board and travel down the path towards the Divine. It is booked throughout the year for weddings, many of which take advantage of the facilities’ stunning gazebo. This chapel is a great representation of the strength of southern spirit. This historic chapel was built in 1878 by Colorado governor John Evans. It was built in memory of his daughter Josephine, who died tragically 10 years prior. This original chapel was broken down and reconstructed on the University of Denver campus in 1960. Since then it has played a big role in developing leadership and cooperation skills in students. This building is on the national registry of historical landmarks for being the pillar of faith in this community for over 130 years. This piece of history experiences frequent visits from religious historians and spiritual seekers alike. The War Memorial Chapel was constructed as a tribute to the alumni of Virginia Tech who lost their lives in combat. It is a popular place for funerals of alumni who have retired from the service. The War Memorial chapel is home to several events throughout the year. In addition to masses, there are events that showcase music, theater, and the arts. It also serves as a gathering place for students to come and exchange their philosophies in a welcoming environment. The non-denominational nature fosters a true sense of harmony throughout the campus. Rudolph Tuskegee Chapel was designed by Robert R. Taylor, who was the first African-American graduate of MIT. It was also completed entirely by student labor, which makes it a symbol of the strong community that defines students of Tuskegee University. The present version of the chapel was completed in 1969 and is unique in that it has no right angles. This unorthodox style has made the chapel a case study of the University’s architecture department. Famous spiritual figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr, have graced the chapel’s podium, which solidifies the chapel’s role in American history. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame is one of the most recognizable churches in North America. The current structure was finished in 1888, but it was preceded by the first church that was established in 1840 by Father Edward Sorin, the founder of the university. This Neo-Gothic church is an architectural wonder. The bell tower spans 218 ft, which makes the church the largest university chapel in America. The church also has an awe-inspiring mural that took Vatican painter Luigi Gregori 17 years to complete. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart received Basilica status in 1992 in a ceremony conducted by Pope John Paul II. This status accounts for over 50,000 Catholic pilgrims each year.

2019-04-21T10:22:14Z

https://www.theologydegrees.org/features/amazing-campus-chapels-churches/

2) You plan to take all your classes online: Under the Post-9/11 rules, at least one undergraduate class per term must be taken in a “brick-and-mortar” setting (aka fully on campus) in order to receive the full housing allowance. Taking all online or a combination between online and hybrid classes significantly reduces the housing allowance for Post-9/11 students. For example, let’s say you are living in zip code 93950 (Pacific Grove, CA), are 100% Post-9/11 eligible and are taking a full time load with at least one traditional, residential class. Your housing allowance would be $1920 a month. If, however, you take a full load of online only or online/hybrid classes, your housing would be only $714.50 a month. If you use the MGIB in this situation, you would receive $1662, regardless of whether you are taking online or residential classes. Of course, if you use the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you also get tuition and fees paid for and a book stipend so you’ll need to do the math to determine which scenario is more beneficial for you personally. Which brings me to my next scenario. 4) You plan on attending school only part time: In order to receive any housing allowance from the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you must be attending at more than 50% “rate of pursuit.” That’s a VA term that basically means you have to go more than half time (for general undergraduate credits on a semester term that works out to 7 credits or more per term). Most undergraduate classes are only 3 credits each. Therefore, you generally have to take 3 classes to get any pay under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Under the MGIB, however, you only have to attend half time to get any housing. So, if you plan on only taking two classes at a time, and they are each 3 credits, you would get a prorated stipend under MGIB but no housing at all under Post-9/11. 5) You didn’t serve long enough on active duty to qualify for Post-9/11 at the 100% rate: To fully qualify for MGIB, you must have served 36 months or more (not counting basic and AIT/tech school, as any time DoD paid for you to train does not count as far as VA is concerned). If you leave before the 36 month mark, you may have the option to pay the rest of the money into the MGIB and come out with, for example, two years of full MGIB benefits. If, however, you leave active duty before hitting that same 36 month mark for Post-9/11, you will be rated at less than 100%. Let’s say you served 11 months. That puts you at a 50% rating for Post-9/11 (the full percentage scale can be found on the VA’s GI Bill webpage). Using the example of the 93950 housing stipend from earlier, you would get $960 a month if you were going full time on campus, plus $500 a year for books, and half of your tuition and fees paid for. Again, it comes down to doing the numbers and seeing which benefits you more. 6) You served long enough to qualify for both MGIB and Post-9/11: If you served more than 36 months (not counting basic and AIT/tech school, as listed above) and you paid into the MGIB, you may qualify for both benefits. Under federal regulation, you can use a combination of VA education benefits, up to 48 months total (with one exception, which pertains to dependents and will be discussed later this week). If you qualify for and use all 36 months of your MGIB, you can get an additional year of Post-9/11 at whatever percentage you qualify. So, for example, if you served 48 months, you could get full MGIB for 36 months, and then 12 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill at approximately the 60% rate. One thing to be careful of if you choose this route – you need to be sure that you use every last day of your MGIB before switching over to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. If you switch over before you have exhausted your MGIB benefit, you only get as many days of Post-9/11 benefit as you had left of MGIB. Even if you have one day of MGIB left, you would only get one day of Post-9/11, instead of 12 months. Have I confused you yet? As with everything else government related, there are tiny print rules and weird loopholes that can greatly impact your benefits so doing your homework to make sure you are maximizing the benefits you earned is important. If you need more guidance than I provided here, feel free to write a comment or drop me an e-mail and I will try to answer. Also, I recommend exploring the VA website and/or contacting the call center. You can also try calling the college/university you are thinking of attending directly and ask to speak to the School Certifying Official. Hello, what a great site. You’ve helped so many people. You must sleep well. I also have what I perceive to be an odd situation. I am a disabled vet receiving Ch31 assistance. Tuition and books are paid for by VOC Rehab. I read that I could apply for Financial aid. I filled out the FASFA and it looks like I was awarded a a Pell grant as well as student loan option but havn’t claimed either at this point. I also notice that my tuition hasn’t been paid for the semester. Okay, that’s the preamble. I have 2 specific questions. 1. Was I okay to file for financial aid? 2. Will the school use my pell grant and bill CH 31 for the difference? Your financial aid advisor is wrong. Some scholarships and need grants that stipulate they must be used for tuition and fees have to be applied to your account to reduce how much VA pays-but only if they specifically require they be used in that manner. PELL Grant is a specific kind of federal financial aid (title IV) that is excluded from those rules. Go see your SCO and ask him/him to verify that your 1905 has been submitted and that the amount (which should be printed on it) covers all of your tuition and fee costs for the semester (it should). Ask for a copy of the 1905 and print a copy of your current costs for the semester, so that you have a record that they offset each other in case the school or VA screws up. Then go back and claim your PELL grant. If you are still nervous about it, put the PELL money in a savings account until VA actually pays the school. Also, I will find the place in the VA reg that you can quote in case your SCO is as clueless as your financial aid advisor is, so you can prove to them that you are allowed to get PELL and voc rehab payments at the same time without any offset. I used to be an SCO and had to explain this to financial aid advisors numerous times. I appreciate your thoughtful article. I had originally intended to transfer my Post 9/11 GI Bill to my daughter. However, an opportunity came up to participate in the Army Green to Gold, non Scholarship program. If I use 36 months of my Montgomery GI bill to pay for my own education, can I transfer the remaining 12 months of Post 9/11 benefits to my daughter? Thanks for the great article. I read that if you deny MGIB in the beginning that it is irrevocable. Could you possibly enlist and pay the $100 a month to keep the MGIB option open and then choose only the Post 9/11 which would then give you your $1200 back? I ask as a future soldier enlisting with a degree who would like to go to grad school at some point. It is irrevocable. You can do as you propose and pay the $100/month for 12 months and then elect the Post-9/11 at a future time, either while you are on AD or after you leave service. However, you only get the $1200 back if you use every last day of the Post-9/11. Keep in mind that while serving you may also have access to tuition assistance, which can be used to pay for graduate school. There are some drawbacks to it-it doesn’t cover full tuition usually, and doesn’t cover books, but it can be used. There are also programs, such as AFIT, which could allow you to obtain a master’s degree while on active duty with DoD paying all of the expenses, though this usually comes with an additional service commitment. I mention these just so you can be sure you know all of your options. Though not directly a GI Bill question, my situation is a little different than most. I’ve already surpassed 17 years of service and at the current grade of E-6, making a 4 year additional commitment impossible, as E-6’s are bound to 20 years of service due to high year of tenure. Would I be eligible to transfer benefits to any or all of my children? I’m also having serious trouble with fully understanding the Texas Hazelwood Act. I’m nearly certain that a former coworker’s daughter was able to utilize that without her dad initially entering the service in the state, but via reenlistment. If that’s legal, what are the stipulations with that? I.e. Would the children need to have been born AFTER reenlistment? The reason I ask is, I have 4 children: the 2 boys were born while I was stationed in Germany, and the two girls were born in Texas. I reenlisted in the state of Texas on 31 March 2015. Both were born after I reenlisted. It would be great if the girls could go to state school for free! Please advise. Thanks! Once you apply, be sure you get an actual approval letter – keep a copy, as your dependents will need a copy of it when they start school (when they are ready to use the benefit, they will also need to apply for the benefit themselves). Also, keep in mind that you must give at least one day to each of your dependents if you want them to be able to use the benefit after you leave the service. You can always change the amounts each dependent gets after you leave service but you cannot add a dependent after you leave the service (except, as a new law allows, one of your dependents passes away). I don’t know all of the ins and outs of the Hazlewood Act. However, here is a link to the eligibility details for the benefit – http://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:e5eed575-5d29-4d54-8351-6b1f0be770ff/TVC-ED-3%20Hazlewood%20Eligibility%20Requirements.pdf There is contact information at the bottom – I recommended calling or sending them an e-mail directly, as they will know all of the nuances of the law better than I will. Came across your great info. I apologize you may have talk about this in the long thread of questions so many of us ask. I am currently using my MGIB. It pays a little over $1000 for my graduate program. My issue is my classes are $2565. A lot I know. I am in a specialized program (Military Psychology). I am struggling with whether or not I should apply for the Post 9/11. I have till Oct 18 until my MGIB runs out. I am a 100% disabled vet, so I am not sure quite yet if there are other avenues to help with the $1565 remaining within my state. Any thoughts would be great. Thank you. I would recommend that you not apply for Post-9/11 just yet. If you apply now, Post-9/11 will run out the same day as your MGIB. You should wait until after your MGIB runs out and then you can get an additional 12 months of Post-9/11. Thank you for the informative article. Could you help me with a few questions? I’ve heard that as an officer in the Air Force, it greatly benefits you to have a Masters degree for promotion purposes. How would you suggest getting said Masters while still on AD, and would you suggest MGIB or Post 9/11? Is there a way to study full time while still on AD? 1) If you want to extend your service commitment, you could use TA. You will extend your ADSC for two years from the end of the last class you use TA to pay for (check with the education office to make sure that hasn’t changed recently). If you have an ADSC, you may be able to serve those two years concurrently. 2) What your objective is in completing the Master’s. It is-or was when I was on AD-recommended for promotion to Major. Are you planning to stay long enough to get promoted? Also, what is your plan once you get out? Is a master’s degree required for that occupation? If so, completing it on AD then helps with promotion potential and sets you up for post-mil employment. Also, the options aren’t mutually exclusive-you can use GI Bill benefits on AD, though the benefits are significantly reduced, and then you get your degree on AD and don’t incur additional service commitment. And, yes, there are some options to get a master’s full time while on AD, such as at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, CA (which is beautiful). Your local education office should have more info on this option and any other available options. I used both TA for a master’s on AD and Post-9/11 for a second one after I separated. The plusses to doing it on AD, in addition to civilian careerfield prep, are full-time pay, health insurance, and the flexibility that a number of institutions offer AD members. The disadvantages are optempo (I got deployed the first day of my first master’s classes), trying to work and carry a school load, the ADSC, and that you might not be 100% sure what you want to do after the military. Ultimately, both are good options and I am always in favor of education, but it really comes down to what you are looking for. Hope this helps and am happy to discuss further if you would like. Thanks for the info Captain! I’m in the process of signing up for college and first and foremost, I called the veterans office at the school and was asking them for help on what I should do. I’m eligible for both ch. 30 and 33 but was told I couldn’t use both I had to choose between one and give up the other. I’m from TX and recruited out of Tx but I’m currently living in OH, so I also asked about the Hazelwood act and the guy told me he’d never heard of it and that I wouldn’t be able to use it there. So I guess my question is what the hell am I supposed to do and how do I know my best option to choose because at this point I have absolutely no idea what I need to use. I plan on going to school full time for nursing so I know it’s going to be very expensive and I just want to be on the right track and not get slammed w a bunch of loans that I’ll need to pay back in the end. Your help is greatly appreciated!. You seem to know your stuff really good! So, there is a lot more information I would need before I could recommend which benefit is better for you. Most likely it will be Post-9/11, but I can’t say that 100% yet. I will go over some of the things to consider below and am happy to set up a phone call if you find it confusing or would like to discuss it further. Before we get started, though, the Hazelwood Act is specific to Texas. It is a state-based initiative, funded by Texas, which is why you can’t use it in Ohio. However, you may be eligible for federal financial aid, such as PELL grants which is money that does not have to be paid back and which you can use in addition to your GI Bill benefits. Even if your GI Bill benefits end up covering all of your tuition costs, I still recommend applying for PELL grant every year–if you qualify, you can always put the money in a savings account to use when you have exhausted your GI Bill benefits. You would need to complete your FAFSA to see what you qualify for and you can do that online or your school’s financial aid department can assist you. So, the first question is: do you qualify for in state tuition? As a result of the Choice Act, each state had to come up with rules under which veterans using VA education benefits would qualify for in-state tuition, even if they didn’t meet the traditional state residency rules. I am not sure how long you have been in Ohio, so you should check your residency status with the school and, if needed, complete any paperwork that would allow them to waive the residency requirements for you if necessary. Second: how long is your training? If you switch directly over to Post-9/11, you get 36 months of education benefits. That can potentially be enough to get all four years of a degree paid for. However, if you have to take remedial classes, such as college prep math, or you have extra semesters for internships or clinicals, or something along those lines, it might take longer than that. If it is going to take you more semesters to get your degree than Post-9/11 can cover, then you may want to consider starting with MGIB, especially if you qualify for PELL grant. If you use MGIB first, then you can potentially use 36 months of MGIB and then qualify for an additional 12 months of Post-9/11. You would need to make sure that you have enough service to qualify for both. Meaning, you’ll need enough years in service to fully meet the MGIB qualifications and then additional years of service to meet the Post-9/11 qualification. You might also want to check with how the school measures your clinicals and how that might impact your benefits. Generally, those are measured in actual hours, rather than credit hours, and VA measures those differently when determining amount of benefits you qualify for during a specific semester. Do you qualify for Post-9/11 at the 100% rate or less than 100%, as that can change which benefit makes more sense for you. I recommend you meet with an academic advisor and have them print you a “degree run” or whatever they call it there. This should be a list of the courses you need to take to complete your nursing degree. It should also take into account any credit for military training or previous classes that you have taken at other colleges, so you can see which classes you have already earned credit for. You should then ask the advisor which classes require prerequisites. These are not always listed on a degree run or degree program list, but they can delay how many semesters it takes to actually complete your degree. The basic classes for nursing often include prereqs, particularly around your science classes. You want to make sure you have a good picture of how many semesters it will take to get your degree. Then talk to financial aid about how much PELL grant you qualify for and admissions to make sure you qualify for the in-state rate. And then you should be able to accurately compare the MGIB and Post-9/11 and determine which is going to be the better fit for you. I know it can be confusing, so I am happy to talk you through it if that is easier. Just let me know and we can schedule a time. I also wanted to ask how do one receive the money for school or whether it be a housing allowance… do day pay you the bah through dfas? How about the MGIB, do they send the money through DFAS too and does it show on your les.. but i assume he wont have an les anymore since he is retired by then. DFAS only disburses Department of Defense funds.If your husband will receive retirement pay, then DFAS will pay his retirement and he will receive an LES for his retirement pay. VA will pay his GI Bill payments from the Treasury via direct deposit into his bank account (he will have to provide that information when he applies for GI Bill benefits). And then, if he uses Post-9/11, the VA will pay the school the tuition and fees directly. He can track the GI Bill payments on eBenefits. 1. We were thinking of him going to school overseas, how much GI Bill will he be getting if he goes full time? 2. Why is it important to use up all of the MGIB before switching over to Post 9/11 GI Bill? 3. And during the switch over, does it automatically switch over? 4. Lets say he goes full time student in a private school in the Philippines but it only cost around $3,000 for the whole year to attend.. is that all he is going to get or he is still going to get the $1668 per month no matter what and be able to pocket the rest? Congratulations to your husband on his coming retirement! Here are the answers to your questions. Please let me know if I can answer anything else for you. 1) How much he will get will depend on which GI Bill he uses. MGIB currently pays $1789 a month for full time training (this amount changes Oct of each year). Post-9/11 currently pays $1368 a month in BAH for full time attendance at a foreign school (unless that school is in a US territory). 2) He can choose to use all 36 months of his MGIB and then switch over to Post-9/11 for another 12 months (if he qualifies for both). Or he can give up his MGIB and get 36 months of Post-9/11. If he uses some, but not all, of his MGIB and then decides to switch to Post-9/11, he only gets as many months of Post-9/11 as he had left of MGIB. So, for example, if he uses 4 months of MGIB and then decides to switch to Post-9/11, he is only going to get 32 months of Post-9/11. 3) It does not automatically switch over. In order to switch over, he would need to reapply through VONAPP and select Post-9/11. 4) If he uses MGIB, then he would get $1789 for each full month paid to him and he would pay his tuition, books, etc, out of that and then could “pocket” the rest. If he uses Post-9/11 and the tuition and fees for the year are only $3000, then VA would pay the $3000 to the school and then would pay him the $1368 a month for each month of schooling, plus up to $1000 per school year in books. He can then “pocket” the $1368 a month and the book money. 2) Keep in mind that there are often pay delays when someone starts using their education benefits, and this is even more likely to occur in an overseas situation, so he should plan accordingly. I hope this helps get you and your husband started. Please let me know if I can answer anything else for you. I am in a very complicated situation right now. I entered the service in jan 2012 and still active. This summer i won green to gold non scholarship program. Ok here is the bad news. In 2013 i applied for montgamery gi bill because education center counselors told me i can switch it to post 9/11 anytime. Now l am going to 2 years masters program in Hawaii and definately needed post 9/11 gi bill because montgamery gi bill wont even cover my tuition(everything is expensive in hawaii). I filled out application at vonapp and a week ago i received a letter from va saying they denied my request to switch my gi bills. The reason is l need more time in service. But l’m getting seperated from active duty due to going to green 2 gold program. So my only hope is to try to switch again after getting my dd214. Have l tried to confirm it with education counselors here, yes, unfortunately they are not sure. Otherwise l guess l have to work full time to pay rest of my tuition, housing and other expenses while being full time masters student and doing some rotc classes. Is there anyone who has or had a similar situation like me? Does it make a difference to switch after l get my dd214? Thanks. I am getting seperated in Aug17, 2016 and start my program around Aug 24, 2016. So, first let me explain that you wouldn’t be “converting” your MGIB to Post-9/11, you would be “electing” Post-9/11 “in lieu of” MGIB. That’s important because the two programs have different eligibility criteria. Post-9/11 requires at least 90 days of active duty time for the basic qualification. This excludes time spent in basic and AIT (until you hit the two year mark and the VA can start counting that) and any time required to pay back ROTC or other education obligations. However, based on what you are telling me, time on AD shouldn’t be the issue and you should qualify for Post-9/11 at least a partial percentage rate. Would you be willing to scan and e-mail me the letter you got from VA so I can take a look at the actual wording? Also, since you got the non-scholarship version of green to gold, you should be eligible to join the Guard or Reserve during your time in school through the Simultaneous Membership Program, which should make you eligible for E-5 pay during that time. You may also, through them, be eligible for Tuition Assistance, which could offset some of the cost of tuition and fees. Have you talked to the education office about that option? There may also be school specific financial aid you could qualify for, such as graduate teaching assistant tuition waivers. Have you checked your school’s financial aid page or talked to a financial aid representative at your school to see what they might offer? Thank you so much for the quick reply. Where can l find your email address? So that l can send you scanned copy of the va letter. I didn’t receive a copy of your VA letter. If you decided not to send it, that’s totally your call. Just wanted to let you know I didn’t receive it in case you did send it and were awaiting a response. This is one of the best breakdowns of this sometimes confusing decision , so I thank you for your thorough responses below! I read through most of them in hopes of getting an answer but I got a quick question, hopefully you can help! 1. If I go guard or reserve, would I still be able to receive the BAH of the post 9/11 GI Bill? I have received a few “I’m pretty sure’s” from people but no definitive answer. 2. I am considering the chaplain candidate program which will enable me to finish my mdiv while being in the reserves and obtaining reserve benefits, just wanted to clarify the BAH portion. 3. Pertaining to the BAH, I know you will only receive it while you are in school, so if I do not take summer classes, I will not receive it. But I had another question without being convoluted (I’m good at that :/). I read somewhere that stated as long as there is no more than a 50 day gap between classes you will continue to receive bah with no gap, assuming one takes summer school, is that true? So if I was in school every semester would I get all 12 months of the bah even with a few weeks lapse between classes? Ah, RUMINT – still wreaking havoc, I see. Glad you trusted your intel instincts and went looking for the real thing. One important note: while I don’t personally care for those “awesome Veteran beards” (ick), I promise the information below is provided without bias. 1) The issue of whether you receive BAH (technically VA refers to it as MHA – monthly housing allowance) really comes down to the old “double-dipping” concept. You can’t receive DoD BAH and VA MHA at the same time. So, yes, as long as you are Guard or Reserve but not activated, you can receive Post-9/11 MHA. 2) I am not familiar with the chaplain program, so I don’t know if that will put any kinks in the BAH/MHA situation. Again, it comes down to Uncle Sam not being willing to pay for your housing twice. 3) First time I’ve heard the 50 day thing, but I think that’s a garbled version of the MHA grandfathering policy and the interval (or break) pay issue. VA did away with what they call “interval pay” in 2011, meaning they will not pay for breaks between terms. So, unless you are enrolled in summer classes, you aren’t getting paid in the summer. While you are generally paid for breaks within terms, such as Spring Break, that last 7 days or less (I say generally only because it has been published in the past, but I can’t find the exact language to quote you in the current VA documents), VA pays by the day in all other cases. For example, if your last class of fall term ends Dec 13th and your first class of spring term doesn’t start until Jan 5th, you aren’t getting paid for Dec 14th-Jan 4th. I am AD with over 20 years of service and on the fence on whether to stay or go. I really do not want get out with a degree and I don’t want to use TA with the two year obligation as an Officer. So I am interested in using one of the bills I am eligible for both. Which bill would be better for AD Officers who does not want to payback the use of TA? BTW, all classes will be taken online. Both MGIB and Post-9/11 are significantly reduced for AD members. The primary considerations boil down to: money for books and the length of the degree program. MGIB – Ordinarily, MGIB currently pays $1,789 per one full month of full time training. (Full time for undergrad is generally 12 credit hours; for master’s programs, full time is determined by the school.) However, Active Duty members using MGIB will only receive reimbursement for the actual cost of tuition and fees. I hope this helps inform your decision. Please let me know if I can answer any further questions for you. Thank you for the excellent information and responding to questions. So I am AD, have served 7 years, and am planning to get all the way out of the military in 1 year. I have the MGIB and am trying to see if I want to switch. The main reason I would have switched to the Post-9/11 was to transfer eligibility to my son but I am not going to do 4 more years so that is a no go. I am about to enter an online Master’s Program. I am going to use TA but should I also use my MGIB? I’ll get the stipend even while active duty correct? Also, should I just stay with my MGIB even after I get out and use all 36 months of it, then potentially 12 extra months of Post-9/11? Where do you find information on how much money you will get with the MGIB depending on the school, online or not, and how much credits you have to be taking? Thanks again! Now that I’ve given you advice you didn’t ask for, let me get to the advice you did ask for! I would recommend you use neither MGIB or Post-9/11 at the moment and save them both for after you leave Active Duty and here’s why: both benefits are significantly reduced when you are on Active Duty and even more so if you are using TA. MGIB – Ordinarily, MGIB currently pays $1,789 per one full month of full time training. (Full time for undergrad is generally 12 credit hours; for master’s programs, full time is determined by the school.) However, Active Duty members using MGIB will only receive reimbursement for the actual cost of tuition and fees. And Active Duty members are prohibited from collecting MGIB for the same classes that are being paid for by TA. Therefore, in your situation, you must choose either TA or MGIB, unless they are not paying for the same classes. So, if you take four classes and TA pays for two, you can use MGIB to pay for the other two, but you are only going to get reimbursed for the actual cost of the two classes MGIB is paying for. Post-9/11 – Post-9/11 usually pays in-state tuition and fees (or up to a maximum of $21,084.89 per academic year for private schools – this number will go up slightly in August), plus BAH and up to $1,000 in books per academic year (approximately $41 per credit hour). However, if you are Active Duty, you don’t get the BAH, since you are already receiving BAH from DoD. And if you are Active Duty using TA, then Post-9/11 only pays the tuition and fees that your TA doesn’t cover, up to the yearly cap. So, if your tuition and fees are $450 per credit hour and you take six credits, for a total of $2,700, your TA, which caps out at $250 per credit hour, will pay $1,500 of that and your Post-9/11 will pay the other $1,200. And then you would also get about $245 for books. In this scenario, Post-9/11 would be better. However, depending on how long your master’s program is or if you plan on pursuing an additional certification or PhD, you might want to wait and keep all of your MGIB and Post-9/11 and use them once you are off of active duty. If you want me to run the numbers to help you decide whether MGIB or Post-9/11 would be better once you get off of Active Duty, please let me know. In order to be totally accurate, though, I would need to know your school, or at least your tuition and fee costs for a semester, and what your long term academic goals are. I hope this has helped answer some of your questions. Please let me know if you have any further questions; I am happy to answer anything that I can. Thank you for your blog. I recently got offered an Active Duty Green to Gold Scholarship. I will stay on active duty – receiving my base pay, bah, and bas – for 4 semesters while I attend college and finish my bachelor’s degree. I will take ROTC and commission as an Officer when I graduate in 2 years. Onto my GI Bill question. I qualify for both CH 30 and CH 33. I also received a full pell grant. I am puzzled which GI Bill I should take. Being Active Duty, I was told Post 9/11 will pay tuition/fees directly to my school and a book stipend to me. Where as the MGIB will pay me exactly what tuition/fees cost divided monthly over the semesters. I have had some say there is money to be made using the MGIB and others say there is not, Post 9/11 is the way to go. For some background – Tuition and fees at my university is roughly $6,300 a year. And I will have to buy books. I am fortunate to have received such a great scholarship and have options to pay for my school, I am just looking for the best option to possibly benefit my wallet a little as I am losing $450/month special duty pay taking the scholarship. Congrats on the Green to Gold Scholarship! So, my recommendation is to take neither and, instead, save Ch 30 and Ch 33 for any future education goals you have. Instead, I would look at your school or the state the school is located in to see if they have additional funds you would be eligible for. Most schools and states have additional funds specifically for military/veterans. If you tell me school or state, I’d be happy to see what I can find for you. That said, here are how the numbers roll out for each GI Bill, so you have all the details you need to make your own decision. One caveat – these numbers are going to assume that you qualify for both MGIB and Post-9/11 at the 100%. If you don’t, then the amounts will be different. You can find out what you qualify for by applying for both benefits on VONAPP. Post-9/11 – Post-9/11 will pay tuition and fees to the school, which should then also free up PELL grant. Plus, Post-9/11 pays approximately $40 per credit hour, up to $500 a semester, for books. Keep in mind that VA doesn’t pay upfront, which means you will need to find out if the school will waive your tuition and fee payments at the beginning of the term, so you can pay them later. Otherwise, you will have to use PELL to pay upfront and cover any difference, and then be reimbursed later. Based on money alone, Post-9/11 is slightly better. However, as I said, I would consider your long term education goals before you choose either one. If you choose MGIB and are only going to school for two years, that will leave you two years of MGIB, plus an additional year of Post-9/11 for any future education goals. If you choose Post-9/11, you give up MGIB and will end this degree with only 1 year of Post-9/11 available for any future education goals. Or, to transfer to any dependents – which may or may not be a consideration at the moment, but may be in the future. I hope this helps make things clearer. Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions and good luck! Thanks for the article. I haven’t found too much on hybrid classes, so I just wanted to make sure I’m understanding what you’re saying here. I’m registered for 2 hybrid classes and 2 normal classes (brick and mortar) next semester. If I’m understanding you correctly, I should receive the full BAH? Yes, as long as you have at least one regular “brick and mortar” class, you should receive the full BAH (assuming all your classes are required for your degree, that you qualify at the 100% rate, etc.). The issues come in when students want to rely on the hybrid class as their “brick and mortar” class and take the rest of their classes online–generally, the hybrid class doesn’t meet enough hours in the classroom to actually count as a B&M class, so those students end up getting the reduced BAH rate. Thank you for this blog. It is very helpful with my decision in which benefit to use. I do qualify for both MGIB Chapter 30 (which I am using now) and Post 9/11. So just to make sure I get this correct: after I exhaust my 36 months of MGIB, then I can switch over to Post 9/11. Will I get the full benefits for the 9/11? And it’s only for another year right? Also, I am not able to go to school full time. Currently my status is “3/4 time” student. Does this affect me in any way? I want to maximize my benefits, and I’m not sure if I am. Please advise. I am glad you found the blog helpful! If you are eligible for Post-9/11 and you exhaust every day of your MGIB, you are eligible for an additional 12 months of Post-9/11 (you’ll need to go into VONAPP and apply for it, but don’t do that until after you have used all your MGIB). Whether you will qualify for Post-9/11 at the 100% rating will depend on your time in service. VA will make that determination once you submit your application. If you are attending school at 3/4 time, under MGIB your stipend will prorated to the 3/4 time rate ($1,341.75/month). Once you switch to Post-9/11, if you qualify at the 100% rate and attend 3/4 time, you will get roughly 3/4 (it gets rounded, so it could be slightly higher) of the E-5 with dependents BAH rate for your school’s zip code and still 100% of the tuition and fees up to the max for the year and up to $1,000 a year for books. If you qualify at less than the 100% rate, then all of those benefits get prorated first by your qualifying percentage and then by your rate of attendance (3/4). I know it can be confusing, so please e-mail me if you want to talk specifics to your school. Just go to the contact page (link found at the top of the page) and you can send an e-mail that way. Glad I found your post. I was just accepted by my three years master degree program but Im confusing which benefit should I use. Im currently in active duty for 18months and I know that will give me 60% of 9/11 Gi Bill benefit. Lets say if I initiate my 9/11 Gi Bill at the this moment (which is 60%). Would the rate raise along with my year of service? for instance: I receive 60% or the benefit at the 18months mark now, then the benefit will automatically increase to 100%while I complete my 36months of service? If not, does it means that I should better use my MGIB first then use my 9/11 Gi Bill to continue my program? 1) If you have only been on active duty for 18 months, then you need to subtract your training (basic or AIT or intelligence officer training, as examples) from your months, in order to determine your percentage eligibility. So, let’s say you’ve served 18 months on active duty, but the first six of those were in “basic or skill training,” then you actually only get to count 12 months towards Post-9/11. You have to hit the 24 month-on-active-duty mark for those to no longer be subtracted from your eligibility determination. 3) I can’t answer with 100% certainty your question about the Post-9/11 increasing, as VA and DoD will have to decide that. I can say that most likely, you will have to reapply at the end of every semester (or every time you hit a new percentage increase mark) in order for VA and DoD to reevaluate your percentage eligibility. I did have a couple of Guard and Reserve students who did something similar – they initially applied after some active service, then deployed again, and reapplied after earning that extra active duty time and their percentage was increased accordingly. Whether that works while you are actively using the benefit should be a yes, but I can’t guarantee it. 4) If you are planning on serving while completing your 3 three master’s program, you may consider tuition assistance, possibly at the same time as collecting MGIB. TA on active duty usually comes with an additional service commitment (generally two years from the end of the last class the military pays for), but it might be worth considering, at least until you earn the full MGIB and/or Post-9/11 benefit. 5) Keep in mind, if you use MGIB first, you must use every last day of your 36 months before you switch over to Post-9/11 in order to receive the full 12 months of Post-9/11. Otherwise, you only get as many days of Post-9/11 as you have left of MGIB. I hope this has helped and please let me know if I didn’t explain something well enough, or if my answers have raised more questions. Best of luck with your studies! My question is that do you think that it would be smart for me to use my MGIB for 4 semester to finish my undergraduate then transfer the other 4 semester to the post 9/11 GI Bill to get the tuition for PA school paid for and receive the bah and book stipend? Also, do you think it would be beneficial for me to go ahead and use pay money into the “buy up program for the amount of time I plan to use the Montgomery GI Bill. Just to receive the extra $150 a month for the 4 semesters. There are a number of unanswered questions that make this a little difficult to answer. Instead, let me make a few comments and pose a few questions for you to consider that might make this decision a little easier. First, you can’t do 2 years/4 semesters of MGIB and then get 2 years/4 semesters of post-9/11. Either you forfeit your MGIB (or another benefit – I recommend reading my post on education benefits for Guard and Reserve and think about how the Ch 1606 benefit plays into this) and get 36 months of post-9/11–which, if used correctly, can get you through most, if not all, of your undergraduate degree OR you exhaust every day of your 36 month MGIB entitlement and then get an additional 12 months of Post-9/11 entitlement. If you use ANY of your MGIB and then switch to Post-9/11, you only get as many days of Post-9/11 as you had remaining of MGIB. So, if you use 24 months of MGIB and then switch, you will only have 12 more months of Post-9/11, for a total of 36 months of benefits. – Tuition: How much does the Florida school charge per credit hour? Will TA cover the entire cost? TA covers UP TO 100% of the TA cost, but often only covers about 80% of the cost of any one class, up to a limit of $4,500 per person, per fiscal year (according to the FLNG website). If TA doesn’t pay all of the tuition costs, do you have another way to pay them? Coming off of active duty, you may not immediately qualify for federal financial aid (see my post “Beyond VA Education Benefits” for details on how you might be able to get around that), which means you would have to use some of your money from MGIB to cover the difference, plus cover the cost of books, living expenses, etc. So, let’s say you go MGIB and you pick a school that charges $100 per credit hour and you plan to attend full time. That’s 12 credit hours per term at $100 a credit hour–$1200 a term, $2400 for a normal two-term school year. That puts you under the $4,500 tuition assistance limit for Guard. So, assuming the Guard picks up the entire tuition check, that leaves you $1789 (the current, full-time MGIB rate) a month to cover the cost of books ($300-$500 a term), housing, and/or whatever other expenses you have. If you use MGIB and choose to go to a school that charges $500 per credit hour, however, you’re looking at $6,000 a term, $12,000 a year. In that case, you max out your TA at the $4,500 point and, without financial aid or a scholarship, you have to cover the other $7,500 plus books and housing. If you are getting $1789 a month and school runs roughly 4 months in a semester, that’s just over $14,000 you’re getting from MGIB over the course of two semesters. If you pay your tuition out of that, you’re left with about $800 a month for books, fees, housing, and other costs. Note: These numbers do NOT include the extra $150 a month you would get if you did the Buy Up. – Buy Up: Assuming you decide to use MGIB, you have to decide whether the Buy Up is worth it. You’re looking at paying in $600, in order to get an extra $150 a month. If you use all 36 months of MGIB, that’s about $5,400 worth of additional monthly payments you’re getting. In that case, the Buy Up is worth it. Even if you use only 12 months of MGIB, that’s still $1800 in extra money. However, if you pay the $600 and then decide NOT to use MGIB and switch entirely to Post-9/11, you forfeit that $600. Of course, there are other things to consider, such as: are you going to take all online classes–in which case your BAH rate for Post-9/11 drops significantly and you would have to redo the calculations; how long will it take you to complete PA school, how much does that cost, and does financial aid cover all or part of the tuition costs or can you find a scholarship that would? If you want to discuss this in more detail, or you have any questions about anything I wrote here, I’d be happy to talk to you about it. Hope this helps! There are a couple corrections I wanted to make. The air national guard in florida does not provide TA, Instead they give guard members a full tuition waiver with no cap to public nor private universities. In my case I would be going to University of South Florida in Tampa. BAH would be 1650 if i used the Post 9/11 gi bill. I have about 2 years of school remaining to finish my undergrad degree so i wouldn’t be using the full 36 months of my MGIB. If I used the MGIB for a total of 4 semesters or less to finish up my degree I would recieve $1,939 including the “buy-up” also working part time as a pharmacy tech i say i can get $300 a month for that easy and also my guard check about $250 a month which would give me roughly 2400 a month to pay for food and bills. With tuition covered by the guard tuition waver i will pay for fees and books out of my pocket each semester. But I could also use fasfa and scholarships and grants to help curve those costs so no big deal. not to mention savings. Would give me 1650 for bah and also up to 1000 for book costs. Also the fees would be covered. Plus $250 for guard and $300 for part time work. Total is most likely more if include the fees and books i would have to pay with the MGIB. But, at the same time i would be wasting the tuition money because my tuition is already paid for by the florida guard. that is why i keep considering using the MGIB for a few semesters first then converting it over. post 9/11 has a cap of about 21,000 a year to pay for tuition and fees and i really want to use that when i attend PA school. PA school varies in length from 24-34 months depending on the school. PA school varies in price of course but lets say per year PA school is 15000. I would have it covered if i went to a school whose length is only 2 years if i have two years or 4 semesters worth of benefits left plus a housing stipend and a book stipend. So if i used the mGIB for 4 semesters or less then converted it to the post 9/11 when i graduate from Undergrad. Then I could use the maximum benefit from the post 9/11 to pay for PA school. which would in turn leave me to no school debt except for maybe a little from cost of living during pa school just because i probably can’t pay all my bills with Bah return. By the time i apply to PA school i don’t plan on being in the guard so my tuition would not be covered for grad school. plus i don’t think the guard covers PA school anyways lol. But please tell me your thoughts about the whole process what i may be missing or what could be done better. Also i plan to have a good little nest egg of about 20,000 in savings just for emergencies. new Car will be paid off as well after this deployment. So i was confused when i used my mgib. I thought it was housing allowance and i used it for rent and bills and never paid anything to the school. Can i get in trouble for this and if so what happens? Thanks. That depends. Did you have another method, such as PELL grant, to pay for your tuition and fees? If you had another way to pay the school, then you can use MGIB for anything else that you need to attend school, including rent and bills. However, if you did not have another way to pay the school, then, yes, you are in a little bit of trouble as you likely have a large outstanding bill with the college that needs to be paid. I recommend you contact the school and make sure you don’t owe them anything, as that could affect your credit down the road. I’m thinking of doing an electrical apprenticeship after my contract is up, and it looks like the Montgomery GI Bill would be a better choice for benefits. Any input on this? In addition to this, I plan to join the guard right after. It is a bit difficult to determine which would be more beneficial, based on the information you provided here. I would contact the school and ask to speak to the school certifying official and ask: how many credit hours are required to be full time and how many you can expect to have per term/semester or however they measure their blocks of instruction. This should help you determine whether you will be able to earn Post-9/11 housing allowance during the program or not. I would also ask whether the program qualifies for federal financial aid, as that can help you determine whether you might be able to get your tuition paid through PELL grant, possibly, rather than relying on Post-9/11 or paying it out of your MGIB stipend. I hope this information is helpful and feel free to e-mail again if you have further questions. Good luck! Hi I hope you can answer my question. I was just in basic training and had to make the decision, I wasn’t really informed about all the choices and it seemed as though the MTI was pushing us to not opt out of the MGIB, like I was going to do. I wanted to use the post 911 because my husband did and it makes the most sense to me. Anyway I just went along with it and ended up buying into the MGIB. Since I’m out of basic training and I can actually do some research I am beginning to wonder why anyone would use the MGIB. Does this mean that I can’t use the post 911 like I wanted to? I know it says that I have to use the MGIB completely first before switching to the post 911. I signed for 4 years and plan on getting out afterward. Will I be eligible to use the full 48 months, with only 4 years in, or would I only be able to use the MGIB? This is pretty confusing to me. Hooray for your MTI! By encouraging you to pay into MGIB, he gave you something important: options. 1) If you elect MGIB, you can always change your mind. You do not HAVE to use MGIB before you use Post-9/11. If you prefer to use Post-9/11, you can give up MGIB in favor of Post-9/11. If you do this, you get only 36 months of the Post-9/11. (However, if you use every single day of your Post-9/11, Uncle Sam will then refund the $1200 you paid into MGIB.) If you choose, however, to use MGIB and you also have enough qualifying service for Post-9/11, you can get 36 months of MGIB and then an additional 12 months of Post-9/11. 2) You can make the decision to give up MGIB at any point, including after you leave the service. I recommend you wait until after you do leave active duty to make this decision, because there are some instances – such as if you join the Guard or Reserves – when you may earn eligibility for a third VA education benefit, and you want to know that before you start giving things up, as it changes your options. One thing to know about giving up MGIB that I mention in my post but always like to reiterate: if you are going to give up MGIB for Post-9/11, you should do so before you use ANY of your MGIB. Otherwise, if you switch after you have started using MGIB, you will only receive as many days of Post-9/11 as you had remaining on your MGIB, rather than the full 36 months. 3) Basic eligibility for MGIB and Post-9/11 is 3 years of active duty time, generally not counting training time (such as basic), though there’s more fine print about this. For MGIB, you also have to pay in that full $1200. Though there are a lot of caveats, in general, if you serve your four and pay that money, you should be qualified for both and then you just have to decide which to use. I know this can be confusing, so please feel free to e-mail me with additional questions, or we can even set up a time to talk, if that’s easier. Best of luck in your post-basic life. I’m glad I came across this blog! I am hoping you can answer my question. I have been in contact with other VA officials who are unable to help me. — Is it true that I have to use up my MGIB benefits before I can access my post 9/11 G.I. Bill? If so, am I able to just forfeit the three months that I have left of MGIB so I can use the full benefit of my P911GIB? — Can I enroll for a separate class (any class) using the MGIB now prior to starting this program in three weeks and will this suffice as using it? — Am I able to apply for a waiver? Is there any way around this so that my tuition can be fully paid. I am under a time crunch as I am to commit by the 18th and start class on the 26th of January. This program is only offered once a year and I would hate to miss an opportunity over a technicality. If none of this works, do you know of any scholarship programs that can fill in the gap for an Afghan combat disabled Vet (80% unemployability). The VA reps at UC Davis were no help (quoted off a VA website). Unfortunately, what you were told is correct. In order to get the additional 12 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill, you must first exhaust every single day of your MGIB. If you transfer over to Post-9/11 before exhausting your MGIB, you will only qualify for three months of Post-9/11 (the same amount as the MGIB entitlement you have remaining). And there is no way to simply forfeit your MGIB time in order to go directly to Post-9/11, nor do you have time to exhaust your MGIB on other classes before starting the program. – To start the program under MGIB and switch to Post-9/11 once you have exhausted Post-9/11. This may not be a bad option if you (and the program) are eligible for federal financial aid, such as PELL grant, which does not need to be paid back. I would recommend you fill out your FAFSA (https://fafsa.ed.gov/) as well as make an appointment with the school’s financial aid office and see what information they may be able to provide you on supplemental funding sources. – Look into Vocational Rehabilitation. Because you have an 80% rating, you may qualify for this. You can apply through ebenefits. Getting it turned around in 3 weeks time will be tight, assuming you are approved, but it might be worth a shot. If you were approved for voc rehab, they pay full tuition and fees, as well as books, exam fees, and other costs. Also, if you get accepted into voc rehab and have Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility, you can choose to elect the Post-9/11 housing rate while you are in the program. Just a note: you would need to demonstrate that there is a job market for this qualification and that this position would not aggravate your disabilities, so you might want to gather that information before meeting with a voc rehab counselor. – Talk to the school about delaying entry until next year without losing your slot. This is not an ideal solution, I realize. However, if you truly cannot afford to pursue the degree without your Post-9/11 GI Bill, then postponing the class would give you time to exhaust your MGIB before starting the class and/or get the voc rehab process completed. Additionally, it would give you extra time to look into PELL grant and/or apply for some of these scholarships (http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/scholarships/outside/agricultural.html), which might be applicable to the program. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any other financial aid that would be available on such short notice. I’ve served for 41 months, and getting out. Can I use the my MGIB and also get the 60%? 2. When can I switch from from MGIB to Post 9/11? 3. Let’s say my home of record is Massachusetts, but I want to attend the University of Kentucky, what BAH am I getting, MA or KY? 2) Use ALL 36 months of your MGIB (every last day) and then elect an additional year of Post-9/11 at the prorated rate. If you start using MGIB and then choose to switch to Post-9/11, you will only receive as many days of Post-9/11 as you have remaining of your MGIB. You may switch from MGIB to Post-9/11 at any time. However, based on the above, I recommend you either do it AFTER exhausting your MGIB or before you use ANY MGIB. In regards to BAH, that is always based on the zip code of the school you are attending. I hope this has answered your questions. Please let me know if I can answer anything else for you. Sarah, I appreciate your reply. It explains nearly everything I wanted to know. One thing I’m still stock at is SWITCHING between the post 9/11 and the MGIB. If I understood you well, If one wants to use both benefits, MGIB/Post 9/11, the MGIB should be the first to use right? Reason why I want to use the post 9/11 first is that, I’m not sure if I will get a job immediately after I get out, so the E-5 BAH will be a good starting point for 36 months, and, it also covers all educational needs, like books, pays all tuition and the BAH.. But MGIB gives you certain amount per year, and that’s it. So, after the 36 months of post 9/11, what other choice(s) I have to complete my B.S? If you only qualify for MGIB and Post-9/11, you have no option but to use the MGIB first. If you elect to use Post-9/11 first, you lose MGIB. The only way you may be able to use Post-9/11 first is if you also qualify for another VA education benefit. For example, if you switch from active duty to reserves and become eligible for Ch 1606. You can then give up 1606 in order to elect Post-9/11 and then you can use Post-9/11 or MGIB. A couple of things I want to clarify about Post-9/11: It pays all of the in-state tuition rate for required classes for your chosen degree up to an annual cap. If you are charged out-of-state fees or take a non-required class or exceed your cap, then you are responsible for covering the rest of the charges. Also, the book stipend is capped at $1000 per academic year (Aug-Jul). Most importantly, if you only qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 60% rate, then all of the benefits related to Post-9/11 – tuition, books, housing – are pro-rated to 60%. For example, instead of the $1000 book stipend, which veterans who qualify at the 100% rate would get, you would only get up to $600 an academic year. You would have to do the math to determine whether the Post-9/11 is still the better deal over the MGIB. Good afternoon. I just wanted to say thank you so much for this detailed comparison between the two. I am a spouse, and my husband I are currently taking the TGPS course. We are unsure of when we will be separating from the military, so we are trying to obtain as much information as we can. Your website has definitely been the most helpful. I’ll make sure to reference this page to other servicemembers. Thank you for taking the time to leave such positive feedback. And I am glad I could help make the transition to civilian life easier for you and your husband. My husband is currently serving in the Navy and qualifies for both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill. We were wondering if there would be a way we could utilize both bills in order to put both of us through college? If you are talking a full, four-year undergraduate program for each of you, then no, unfortunately. If, for example, you already have an AA degree or he can earn his AA using tuition assistance and won’t need all his Post-9/11, then he could transfer some of that to you in order for you both to be complete your degrees. However, if he decides to do that, then he has to give up him Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) in order to elect Post-9/11 and he will lose the MGIB benefit and he will also incur an additional service commitment. Since he is still on active duty, I would recommend he look into tuition assistance and for you to look into MyCAA and see if those programs can provide you with education benefits. If you have some time before he leaves active duty, I would also look into scholarships for veterans and military spouses, including those at whatever accredited college is closest to you at the moment, and CLEP testing – which would allow you or your husband to test out of certain classes. If you know which college you both want to attend, I would also have your husband apply for admission and ask them to evaluate his Joint Services Transcript, to see which of his military credits might transfer, which should also help you determine exactly how many credits he would need to complete his degree. I hope this helps give you some options. If you have more questions, or want to talk about the specific programs or schools you are considering, please send me a note from the contact page and we can always e-mail or talk and see if we can come up with some more ideas. Everyone retiring should be aware that they must designated Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to go to dependents no later than 4 years prior to your anticipated retirement date. Also, simply filling out the transfer online may not be sufficient – each service may require documentation (I am Navy, so it was a Page 13 entry) prior to the transfer or it will be rejected. In my case, I did not go back and check until two years prior to retirement, when I discovered that the Navy form had not been completed and my transfer had not occurred. I will still have the Montgomery GI bill benefit, but my kids could use the money more than me, so I am regretting this mistake as I will now have to get creative as to how I utilize and get what I can out of this benefit. Bottom line: read and heed all directives, follow up to ensure everything has been properly submitted and make paper and/or electronic (.pdf) copies of all documents. Thousands of dollars of your benefits are at stake! Thank you for your comment. You are correct for the most part – the 4 year rule does not apply to those who are not, by regulation, able to extend that long (for example, those have been passed over for promotion and cannot extend beyond their approved retirement date). For the most part, though, it is important for servicemembers to understand that the transfer of eligibility part of Post-9/11 is, generally speaking, a recruiting and retention tool. As with most education benefits connected to your military service, there is usually a carrot and a stick, and that stick is usually an additional service commitment. Additionally, as you mentioned, it is not enough to simply put in the application. This applies to all military and VA education benefits (or any other benefits, for that matter). Trust but verify and do the homework. There are individuals out there to help veterans but, ultimately, it is up to the veteran to take the initiative to learn what they qualify for and then make sure that they get that. I am interested that you say you still have the Montgomery GI Bill, and not the Post-9/11 – if the transfer didn’t go through, you should still have Post-9/11 for yourself. If that isn’t what you’ve been told, please let me know and I’d be happy to discuss that with you offline. Great job on the article, it is very helpful. I am a reservist but I was active for a two and a half. I am planning on going to school full time, I am debating weather I should use Chapter 1607 (I was deployed) or the Post 911. I live in Dallas, TX my ZIP code is 75211. Thank you in advance. Sara help! (side note- this is prob one of the best posts i have seen on the differences in benefits available to service members) better than the VA site, thats for sure…. i qualify as you stated under #6 i served AD from 95-08 got out for 30 days came back in to the reserves on a 1 year contract and accepted an AGR position in 08 since 08 i have been on AD. Still am. 1. as an AGR i am eligible for Reserve TA, i am assuming i can apply for TA and the MGIB together. is this correct? 2. just to clarify- if i can’t use the Reserve TA and do not qualify for financial aid, taking the MGIB would ONLY give me the monthly payment correct? and then if i needed to i could apply for “top-up” to pay for tuition? in this specific case, it would give me less money monthly in my pocket as opposed to taking the election and going post 9-11? 3. referes to your first point. No one seems to be able to tell me if i am eligible for the reserve Gibill since i haven’t fully executed a 6 year reserve contract. although i am on an “indef” now and AGR. The only reason i care is this is the benefit i would give up. How can i figure this out? hopefully this all makes sense. Thank you in advanced for any light you can shed on this situation. Well, that is some question! I will attempt to answer it all here. If I can’t, I will also e-mail you and we can continue the discussion offline. 1) Actually, DoD policy prohibits servicemembers from receiving MGIB for the same classes for which they are receiving federal TA. You can apply one or the other to a specific class UNLESS you use top-up, in which case the VA would pay the difference above what TA covers. HOWEVER, AGR personnel are not authorized to use top-up. DoD’s rules, however, apply to FEDERAL TA – Guard members may be eligible for state TA – here in Florida it is called EDD (Education Dollars for Duty), which does not fall under the same rules. Contact your unit education officer to determine if state TA is available and, if so, if you are eligible for it. 2) MGIB does pay the monthly stipend directly to you and you would have to pay your tuition and fees out of that money. Most likely, Post-9/11 would be a better financial choice, since it would cover the tuition and fees, up to the limit, as well as housing and a book stipend. However, if you were taking classes online, for example, MGIB might be the better choice – hard to say for sure without looking at how you plan to take your classes, how many of them you plan to take in a semester, the housing allowance for your area, etc. Also, I suggest filling out the FAFSA, even if you think you won’t qualify for financial aid, since it is often required in order to qualify for school-based aid, need grants, or scholarships. 3) To qualify for MGIB-SR, also called Chapter 1606, generally requires “a 6-year obligation” and to be in good standing with your unit. Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about how AGR works to know if you’ve met that requirement. My recommendation would be to either contact your unit education officer, since they are usually responsible for providing this type of information to VA for verification of eligibility, (I would also ask them about your eligibility for REAP/Ch 1607) or simply go onto ebenefits and apply for it and see what VA says. I hope this has clarified some of your questions, or at least given you a place to start to find answers. If there is anything else I can answer for you, please let me know. I had a question regarding #6 in your list. I was just recently medically retired and have been using my MGIB for the past several months. I made the decision not to switch to the post 9/11 until I had a firm grasp on both the benefits. I’m just trying to understand #6 a little more clearly. I served for 10 years, so if I am understanding you correctly, I can keep my MGIB, exhaust every day of it, and still obtain 12 months of the post 9/11 at the 60% rate? I just wanted to ask that question directly. The short answer is: yes. You can use all 36 months of your MGIB and then switch to Post-9/11 for another 12 months, as long as you have enough service for both (I’d have to look at your DD-214 to be able to tell you for sure, but it sounds like you do have enough service). However, it wouldn’t necessarily be 60% of Post-9/11 that you qualify for. That would depend on how many months of service you have. If you were in for 10 years and if all of it was post-9/11 time, you may even qualify for 12 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill at 100%. If you were medically retired, I also suggest you look into voc rehab. If you get approved for voc rehab, you could get up to 48 months of that (minus however many months you have used of MGIB) and, if you qualify for Post-9/11, you could get the Post-9/11 housing allowance rate during that time. If you are interested in pursuing that route, check out my post on Vocational Rehabilitation and be sure to talk to your voc rehab specialist about how the MGIB impacts your housing and don’t apply for (VA calls it “electing”) Post-9/11 until after you get approved for voc rehab. I know that’s a lot so, if you’re still confused, pop me an e-mail and we can always talk it over further. Good information on your article with Post 9/11 GI Bill vs Montgomery GI Bill. Heres my question, can i use my Montgomery GI bill, then shortly after use my full 36 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill? Unfortunately, no. You can use a max of 48 months total of veterans education benefits. If you want to use Montgomery GI Bill and Post-9/11, and those are the only two options you have (meaning, you aren’t in the Guard or Reserves or you don’t qualify for Vocational Rehabilitation), then you either have to use ALL, every last day, of your Montgomery GI Bill and then you can receive another 12 months of Post-9/11. Or, you give up Montgomery GI Bill and elect 36 months of Post-9/11 and then you are out of benefits. If you choose to use both and you switch over to Post-9/11 before you have used every last day of Montgomery, you will ONLY received as many days of Post-9/11 as you had left of Montgomery – so this part is very important. If this is confusing or if you aren’t sure if you are eligible for other benefits, please e-mail me and I’ll be happy to explain more. Makes sense, completely understand. Thanks for the information!!

2019-04-20T04:18:57Z

http://www.afterthedd214.com/post-911-vs-mgib/

In this column, you will learn simple but powerful tips on how to develop an abundant mindset from a wide range of experts. Clicking on the expert names below will take you to their individual blurb on cultivating an abundant mindset. When I took my first Ashtanga yoga class I was overwhelmed and lost for most of the practice. One of the things I enjoy about regular Vinyasa yoga is that, after years of struggling, I can now flow through the poses with ease. I’ve learned things that make me feel like I have moved from beginner to intermediate, and I enjoy this feeling. And yet with this new class, I was right back at square one, sweating, groaning, stumbling and feeling weak and incapable. For months after I didn’t go back, but there was something about this, about the potential I saw in myself, that pushed me to want to try again. This practice had reopened something in me I had not embraced in years. It was a feeling of being open and caring more about what I was experiencing than how I looked. It was a feeling that I had stepped back into a mode of receiving, of welcoming in new things. When it comes to having an abundant mindset, one of the core tenets is a willingness to embrace new and unknown things. This practice of learning new poses and finding, with patience and persistence, I could get into some of them, awakened something dormant yet powerful in me. It was as if my body was saying, look, you can bend this way and do this and you did not think you would ever be able to. There are so many things available to you that you block because of your own limiting beliefs. In many ways, the Ashtanga yoga poses felt like metaphors for my goals in life. There are things I want, places I want to expand into, but to get there, I’m going to have get uncomfortable. I’m going to have to bend and reach and extend in ways I never did before. And I’m going to have to fall, fail and try and try again. The things we desire in life, such as a bigger business, a promotion or just more abundance in general, will require us to step into new and unknown spaces. It may be that we need to connect with new people, think about things in a new way, or that we will need to do things in a bigger way, a way that might even sound a bit scary right now. As we grow into the areas that carry us forward, we will inevitably experience a learning curve. We will make mistakes, stumble and struggle to align with a sense of mastery in what is our own personal next level up. This feeling that we are once again beginners in some way can oftentimes make us want to retreat and shrink back to what we know. For example, we may see ourselves on stage speaking. Suddenly, a paid speaking gig falls right into our hands! But when we get up there, it’s all so new and unfamiliar that we jumble our thoughts and hear our voice crack with nervousness. We may then feel we have failed, and this feeling might convince us it’s just not safe in this new arena. We decide to stay where we are, playing with what makes us feel confident and capable, but at the same time, stagnant and constricted. If you are struggling to break through your own current bubble and keep falling away from the threshold, take heart. Pushing past a comfort zone takes courage. It also generally takes more than one attempt, so don’t feel you’re doing it wrong if things don’t instantly fall into place. One thing I’ve learned from my new yoga practice is that we can become masters of pushing through our comfort zones. By embracing this mindset through something unrelated to our careers or passions, we take the pressure off. When I stepped off the yoga mat in my Ashtanga classes, I did not immediately realize what it had done for me. But then I would hit challenges in my work sphere that would normally slow me way down, if not stop me altogether. But something was now different in me. I knew I could get past these obstacles. I would pause and visualize myself trying to bend into a pose over and over. I would picture myself listening to the teacher, and attempting once more to move the right way. This would motivate me, and I would then look for books, podcasts or anything I felt inspired to seek out that would help me in my professional life. In essence, I could no longer tell myself the lie that there are certain things I just can’t achieve. I could no longer convince myself that there are things I will never reach. Mistakes and missteps no longer stop me, because as with falling off the yoga mat, I know I can always pick myself up and try again. If you decide to play with a new sport, skill or hobby as a means to open up to change and growth, keep at it for at least a month. It takes time to reprogram the brain, but once you do, you will find you are a master of learning and growth. This mastery will become a solid foundation, and it will safely support your biggest and wildest dreams of abundance and success. Most self-help articles, books, and advice I've read encourage me to stop comparing myself to others. "To compare is to despair," they say. And because I've experienced the pain of looking at other people's successful careers, marriages, possessions, and more, and felt like I was failing in comparison, I've tried in earnest to follow that advice. But recently, I realized that comparison itself isn't actually a problem at all. In fact, it can be a powerful tool for personal growth! If we are perceptive, aware people, we're naturally going to notice those around us and take note of how they are different from us. Social comparison is a hardwired into our brains. It’s called “self-other mergence” and it takes place in the frontal cortex. We aren't likely to stop. But it's that next step that often happens after the noticing that’s problematic: the feeling less than. She's got more money than I do. He has more followers on social media than I do. She's thinner. He's happier. And I'm falling short. Instead of feeling envious of others or bad about myself because I don't possess whatever it is I'm noticing that someone else has, I consider it research. The more I notice what the people around me do, be, and have, the clearer I become about what I want to do, be, and have. Sometimes I have an initial hit of envy and then realize, actually, I don't really want that. Or maybe I notice my envy and then realize that means I've identified something I want. That's great! That means I have goals to work toward, dreams to pursue, passions to follow. What a gift! I love having goals! I thrive when I'm striving ever forward, and this, again, is a perspective shift. I could lament that I don't have everything I want, or I don't have what he or she has, but I'd rather have passionate pursuits than already possess everything I'll ever want in my life. That would be boring. Comparison can give us clues to what we like, what we want, and how to get it. And when we see what others have, we know what's possible for ourselves. "It's good to have a role model." "I'm grateful for what I have/who I am/where I am." We all want to live with an abundance mindset – living life to the fullest, optimistically seeing all the possibilities life has to offer, taking full advantage of opportunities and adventures that come our way, gratefully recognizing all the beauty and blessings in our life, and inspired to chase our dreams. However, this attitude isn’t always easy to maintain. Strong negative emotions like anxiety, fear, and depression can make us see the world in a limited way. We may develop a scarcity mindset, focusing on what we lack, our failures, and unfulfilled dreams. No one wants that! What can help us to cultivate an abundance mindset? Use writing as a tool. Since I’ve kept a journal since the age of 12 and am a writer by profession, maybe I’m biased. All the same, I’m a firm believer in keeping a journal. How can writing your thoughts and feelings help you achieve an abundance mindset? When you write, things come to light that, for some reason, don’t when you talk or think about them. You’ll remember what you want out of life, open up your mind to all the possibilities, and set priorities. Journals are a safe place to think big. Outline your ideas, goals, and dreams without fear of any judgement. Don’t limit yourself with self-imposed barriers. Write down small steps you can take to achieve those cherished dreams and get started. Have an abundance mindset. Instead of worrying about failing or what could go wrong, remember anything is possible! Make a list of all of the wonderful opportunities that may arise if you move forward and conquer your fears and self-doubts. Take just five minutes each day and write down what’s beautiful in life and you’ll find the benefits reach far into other aspects of your life. This simple task will help you appreciate life’s many gifts, acknowledge your blessings, and notice the ordinary moments that make a day special. You will develop a grateful attitude and focus on what you have instead of what you want. If you prefer, use a gratitude journal. Paper journals or apps are available to encourage you to make a small list of things you can be thankful for each day. Use your senses and include simple pleasures such as the beauty of a sunset, the laugh of a child, the sound of a bird singing, a hug from a loved one, or the smells after a rainstorm. This is a great way to help you develop the sustainable habit of being thankful and cultivate an abundance mindset. A person with a scarcity mindset dwells on negative self-limiting thoughts and adopts a victim mentality. What can you do to avoid this type of attitude? This may seem counterproductive, but if you express your negative emotions such as anger, sadness, pain, or fear in writing, you’ll release the intensity of those feelings. By doing so, you’ll open the way for more positive thoughts. You’ll search for solutions and consider possibilities you can’t envision when your head is clouded with hopelessness, frustration, and self-pity. Problems and failures will become opportunities to learn and grow. When you record significant lessons you’ve learned in life, you’ll gain a deeper understanding, insight, and wisdom to help you make better choices. Journaling can help you avoid repeating mistakes which leads to increased self-esteem, personal growth and, yes, an abundance mindset. You’ll get to know who and what makes you happy and what situations and people to avoid. Seeing the difference will help you live an abundant life, creating memorable moments you’ll cherish forever. If you write about your personal triumphs, you’ll have the confidence to get out of your comfort zone and discover new paths you may have never considered. Instead of fearing change, you will embrace it as a way to bring more excitement and adventure to your life. On the flip side, when a seemingly impossible situation arises, you’ll be reminded that you have resolved and overcome previous dilemmas in the past and can do so again. As a result, you’ll find motivation and strength from earlier successes to prevail again. So, for all the reasons I’ve outlined above, start a journal. The beauty of life is that you can change and adapt an abundance mindset. Use writing to help you do so. Life is short, so live large and embrace all the endless possibilities life has to offer. Having an abundance mindset is not only about creating material wealth. It is much more than that. It is how you see yourself, your life and your goals. How grateful and self-aware you are and how prepared you are to continue going in the direction you chose despite failures and obstacles along the way. - Do you react or respond to situations that are out of your control? Are you open to new experiences and learning, or do you believe that you know everything and thereby limit your learning and growth? - Do you embrace or fear change? How welcoming are you to new possibilities and do you ever think of creating opportunities when there are none? - Do you have a clear vision of your future or is it easy for you to return to your past? You are the creator of your own reality. What you focus on, you create. When you are absent-minded and tense, you cannot be present in the moment you are in. Only when you become aware of your thoughts can you make a conscious effort to think differently and focus on abundance instead of scarcity. And once you master your mind and see things from a whole new perspective, everything else you want to create will follow. But you can actually change this by focusing your mental energy on the positive. Find clarity in the situation you are in and break it down into simple steps that will lead you to a solution. Pause. Take a moment to think and reflect. Trust your instinct and creativity and always believe that you have a choice. You are not a victim or a product of your circumstances. Your life is in your own hands and you decide which way you’ll go. When you feel emotionally drained and frustrated your judgment overpowers your mind and does not allow you to think clearly. This leads to anger and impatience that can influence every aspect of your life leaving you powerless and defeated. But when you focus on the positive and look at the whole picture, you become more engaged and confident, which helps you move forward. You move away from all the unhealthy and unnecessary negativity around you, and start accomplishing more than you ever thought possible. You realize that the life you have always wanted to live can be yours. Always remember that your current situation is not your permanent destination and that you have the power to change it. Wherever you are in life right now and however you feel, know that you are one decision away from a completely different life. A life that you deserve. Change is inevitable, embrace it and become part of it. Focus on what you have to gain, not what you have to give up. Focus on what you want and what makes you happy. Focus on you. Avoiding time wasters isn’t so much about not running into them but rather learn how lovingly kick them away from our lives. Yes, instinctively, our gut tells us which people are “bad” for us. But we fail to honor our guts. Case-in-point? Everytime we go “I knew that person was bad/wrong”. That isn’t hindsight, it’s our brain rationalizing it all away so we keep the time wasters in our lives. Pro tip: You can take care of your gut by taking probiotics. I like the ones from Doterra because they adapt to your body’s constitution and are absorbed by your system. Let’s talk now about why we keep the time wasters. It stems from a scarcity mindset— that no one will like you, that you won’t find anyone else better, that people will think worse of you. We hoard the time-wasters. But having fifty pairs of ugly shoes in your wardrobe you never wear doesn’t make increase your possibilities. It merely makes you miserable and feel cluttered. Because you have no space to expand and let the awesomeness in. Therefore, this scarcity mindset opposes abundance. So everytime you keep the time-wasters in your life, you are saying no to abundance. Top tips to banish time-wasters. 1. Figure out why you’re keeping them there. I once read this illuminating snippet of wisdom— when your heart says no and your mouth says yes, you get sick. Amen to that. Often, learning to say no stems from picking up the right skills. Saying no doesn’t hurt someone else, as long as your intention is good. You can say no firmly, kindly and lovingly. Such as “Right now I am unable to commit to this because I don’t think we’re a good fit, and I hope you find someone better”. Or, “I simply do not have sufficient time to devote my resources to this right now”. This way, too, you do not hurt yourself by saying yes to the wrong people. 3. Establish your boundaries and stick to them. People are often confused by the difference between standards and boundaries. Put simply, standards are the things we say “Hell YES!!” to , and boundaries what we say “Hell NO!” to. Most of us aren’t aware of the things we simply do not accept, and when confronted with them, feel bad for even feeling like we can’t accept them anyway. Please do not judge yourself for having these boundaries and standards— there are people out there (those with narcissistic personality disorder, for instance) who live to trample on your boundaries. It’s good to know what you want. This way, you become a magnet for what you want. Besides skills, our busy minds can be our worst enemies. We judge ourselves all the time, replay situations and conversations for the umpteenth time, or catastrophise ‘what-ifs’ in the most dramatic fashion. Of course we feel powerless to avoid the time-wasters! Know that quietening your mind is easy. Simply feel your feet on the ground, or put your hands on your heart and sacral centre, feeling them as you breathe. The more you slow your body down, the more you can slow your mind down. Want more practice? Remember, abundance is all about practice. It’s about believing it intellectually and emotionally, infusing it into every cell of your being. The only way to do it is to go deep and understand your resistances, your stories and everything else that hold you back. Especially during those times when you feel unworthy and want to sabotage yourself. Abundance, essentially, is about #DoingIsBelieving. The more you cultivate your Abundance muscle, the stronger it grows, and the prouder you’ll become of it. Does the news feel depressing to you? That might be because it can be. In fact, news tends to focus on deaths, war and violence, events that can be draining to watch and hear about. As a result of the disproportionate focus on negative events in the media, we can start to become negative and saddened and have an imbalanced view of the world. In fact, several studies have demonstrated the deleterious effects that excessive media consumption can have on one’s mental wellbeing. One study demonstrates that teens who are exposed to large amounts of media can be exponentially more at risk for developing depression. Other studies have explored how thinness depicting and promoting media appears to be associated with an increase in eating disorder symptomatology. Excessive media consumption and time spent on the television and online has been associated with a low-activity lifestyle, sleep disturbances and decreased creativity. It is a passive way of obtaining information that can result in our feeling helpless and inactive. Further, it can feel mindless, the opposite of being mindfully and actively present in the moment. Instead, consider limiting media consumption just enough so that you can allow yourself to stay informed of local and worldwide events. One way to do this is to commit to only allowing yourself a certain amount of time each day watching the news. You may be surprised by how much time can open up once you decide to make this change! When making a plan on how best to use that time, consider what is important to you and structure your time and goals accordingly. In the era of virtual connections, Facebook friendships have become commonplace. Studies have shown that these friendships cannot replace friendships that are cultivated by in-person time spent together; in fact, excessive time spent watching television and online often results in people feeling socially isolated. Consider instead focusing on nurturing your relationships by spending time together in person, creating new memories, and having discussions that can be rewarding and stimulating. If you’d still like to focus on world events and the news, consider sharing what you may have learned about current events with your friends so that you can have an active discussion that is balanced. Understand that excessive watching of the news may have cultivated a negative outlook on the world and on humanity. The reality is that life and humanity have negative and positive aspects to them. You can obtain this balanced outlook through engaging in more activities that bring you joy and help you feel positive. Look into activities and causes that are important to you; getting involved can remind you of how much of an impact you can have on your community. For example, consider getting involved in the campaign of a local political candidate who has a similar set of beliefs and concerns. Other ideas are volunteering with local childrens’ hospitals, hospice groups or animal shelters. The possibilities are endless and can bring you back to a more positive place. Consider using your newfound time in a mindful way. Instead of passively watching the news, consider engaging in activities that require your full attention and active participation. Stimulate and challenge yourself through participating in activities that require your problem-solving skills and creativity. News and the media play an important role in keeping people informed about local and international events. However, due to their tendency to focus on negative news, excessively watching it can result in our feeling helpless, negative and imbalanced. Paradoxically, it can leave us feeling simultaneously exhausted and agitated. The first step toward cultivated a positive, abundance mindset is to limit your exposure to the media and instead focus on being mindfully present in your own life. No matter how hard you work and how much potential of earning money you have, if you do not have an abundance mindset you will very likely not be rich or have a lot of money. If you have limiting beliefs about how much money you can “possibly” make, you will not earn more than that particular income which you believe that you can earn, no matter how smart, hard working and good in money management you are. If you have negative associations about the money (like for example that money is dirty or that rich people are not honest or that money corrupts people… ) you will unconsciously sabotage your self from having a lot of money as deep within you would never want to become corrupt, dishonest person (to match your belief system). If you have a scarcity mindset about the money, you will never have “enough” money or a lot of money, as the scarcity about money always reflects your deep subconscious belief of money lacking in your life. Make sure that you associate the money with opportunities to grow, charity work, contribution and making the world a better place to live, having more freedom in life, having more quality time that you can spend with your beloved ones, being able to buy a lot of gifts and support many people around you. More you give, more you can receive! When we are giving to others, we always feel abundant as we would not be bale to help or give to somebody else if we do not have at the first place. Also, by giving aways money and other material goods we unconsciously detach ourselves from the money. It is only when we are not attached to money that we can have it in large amount as it will help us to overcome the “scarcity mindset”. Make sure that you give donations, money and other material things on a regular basis. Get rid of old things or things you do not use (more valuable things, the better). Giving will always create the energetic and physical space in your life for receiving more. Whenever you spend the money, bless it and be grateful that you could afford whatever you bought rather than regretting over the money you spent (big NO-NO if you want to cultivate an abundance mindset). Whenever you feel that scarcity thoughts about the money are coming up, tell to yourself that there is always more where that came from and that you will earn or get that money again. Carry more cash in your wallet, surround yourself with images and symbols of luxury lifestyle, create a “rich version of you” vision board, dress and behave like that rich person you want to become. It’s never about having the money: it’s about the lifestyle! To cultivate an abundance mindset its important to interrupt habitual lack thinking. One of the best ways to to this is through practicing appreciation. Appreciation allows you to shift your focus away from what you don’t have and to focus your energy and attention on what you do have in the present moment. Since we draw into our lives what we focus on, to be abundant, it’s necessary to acknowledge and feel the abundance in your life now. As you deliberately notice what you love about what you already have, you align yourself with Source Energy. When you are in a state of appreciation you are in a high vibration that is a match to abundance. Appreciation is the absence of doubt, fear and anything that feels bad and is the presence of everything that feels good. It is a releasing of resistance to your good and an allowing of the higher flow of abundance into your life. Your own resistance is the only thing that keeps you apart from what you desire and practicing appreciation puts you in the mode of receiving. As you practice appreciation you will begin to notice that more and more things show up for you to appreciate. When you go through your day looking for things to appreciate, you begin to create a momentum. So, how do you practice appreciation? 1. Look around you and notice something in your environment that you feel good about. 2. Hold your attention on this thing and consider how wonderful it is. How is it useful, beautiful, or otherwise pleasing to you? You may even think “What do I love about you?” to get the energy flowing. The longer you focus on it the more your positive feelings will increase. 3. Notice your increased feeling of appreciation, and appreciate that. 4. Once you notice your feeling of appreciation has increased, look for something else to appreciate and repeat the process. 5. At first, it’s good to set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day for this practice. After a few days of deliberately practicing appreciation, you’ll find that you begin to do it automatically for a few seconds here and there because it feels so good. Then you will have created an abundance mindset! Choose things that are easy for you to appreciate—this is supposed to be fun and its about practicing a higher vibration. You’re not trying to fix things you don’t like. When you notice something or someone that you don’t feel good about, shift your attention to something that you do feel good about. You can write this down in a journal, making lists of the positive aspects of the things and people in your life that you appreciate. You can also do this in your head anywhere you happen to be. I often practice appreciation when I’m in my car driving. I may notice the clear, brilliant blue sky and sunshine that makes me feel good, or the way the traffic is moving smoothly, or the color of the trees and flowers in bloom. I appreciate my car for working so well and being so easy to drive. I appreciate the postal worker in my small town who is always so cheerful. I appreciate the bird song outside my window that is so delightfully musical. As you go through each day, finding things to appreciate and focusing on all the wonderful qualities you enjoy, you are training your mindset into a high, positive and receptive vibration. What you are living right now is the product of what you were thinking two or three months ago. Be patient and enjoy the process of appreciation and you will begin to see your outer world change into more abundance. The qualities to create an abundant mindset in life are ones we all can develop. For some, it may come naturally, but for most people, they have to make a conscientious effort to create gratitude-based thought patterns so they eventually become habit in even their subconscious mind. If you are someone who struggles to find abundance in life on a daily basis, know that our darkest hours end when we shed the light of abundance on our emotional garden. When we remember and see what’s most important, we grow in happiness and mindset. The habits of thinking abundantly come through practicing and embracing the rituals and routines that build up our level of gratitude. No, we may not have that beautiful new convertible like our neighbor, but, yes, we do have a reliable vehicle to take us where we need to go. An abundant mindset is innately aware that the grass may seem greener on the other side, but the green grass below us matters, as well. At the root of all abundance is the practice of remembering that by us being present in the moment we can harness an abundant mindset. 1. Remember how life’s best gifts often come in little packages. There’s no need to think something “earth-jarringly big” has to happen in order to have something to be grateful for. In a simple smile, there is great joy to be found. Remember these smiles and special little treasures can create a powerful visual of the abundance you are living in, and surrounded by. 2. Take time for reflection and meditation. Imagine it is the end of a rather arduous day. You sit down and are finally able to breathe in and relax. It’s time to shift that exhausted mindset into thought patterns that tap into what you have to be grateful for. Something did happen to remind you of the abundance your life holds, even if you didn’t acknowledge it at the time. Maybe you walked into the break room and your favorite chocolate, gooey donut was the only one left on the platter. When you dropped your keys in the parking lot, they landed by a lucky penny. You got a n ice email from your college buddy, saying they were just thinking of a great experience you two had together. If you cannot find something positive in your day to reflect on take advantage of those memories that warm your heart and remind you of how much you have to be grateful for. An attitude of gratitude is all about remembering the good times when you are facing a storm of bad times. We are all going to travel through valleys where we experience disappointments or things do not work out as we have planned. However, on the top of that valley you house your thoughts of abundance, shining down on you and giving you the right mindset to solve your problems and move on. Every tough situation doesn’t have to be our end-all if we can recall what we’re grateful for. In order to begin reaping the benefits of an abundant mindset we must live in a world of thank you, thank you, thank you! Don’t let anything hold you back from recognizing all you have to be thankful for. Gain the confidence to know that regardless of what storm you are in, you are the captain of your ship and guiding yourself to abundance. You can will it, and you will feel it. Yes, this takes practice, but it is authentic and becomes second nature when you are committed to being the master gardener of your abundance garden. When I first became interested in personal growth, I started exploring the beliefs and stories I was telling myself. In the process, I noticed many of them were rooted in fear, negativity and scarcity. It took me a while to learn that to cultivate more of an abundance mindset, I had to first be aware of which current beliefs and stories were serving me and which weren’t. Self-Reflection has been my most valuable tool for personal growth and is something I continue to rely on to stay grounded, connected to myself, and hopeful about the future. When I first started exploring personal growth, I wasn’t sure what self-reflection really meant in practical terms: how do youdo self-reflection and what does it actually look like? I believe the answers to these questions are personal to each individual. As someone who is on the more introverted end of the spectrum, I find writing helpful for processing my thoughts and feelings. Getting thoughts, feelings and beliefs rooted in scarcity out of my head and onto paper helps me see them in a more objective light. This distance helps me unpack them further and ask myself: How do I want to feel about this issue? What would an abundance mindset look like here? Then I can practice rewriting the story I’m telling myself to become one that is more constructive. We are more connected than ever. While this comes with many benefits, it also comes with a shadow side. Used against ourselves, our hyperconnected world becomes a series of tools that feed comparison, fear of missing out, and other elements associated with a scarcity mindset. When standing in a queue, waiting to meet a friend, or otherwise left with a few minutes to myself, my first temptation is to reach for my phone. I want more: more information, more photos, more insights into people’s lives, more stimulation. But in this quest for more, I often ignore the truth: I have enough already. Learning (or, in the digital age, re-learning) to spend time with myself has been a valuable exercise in reconnecting with what I have in the present, rather than focusing on what I might be missing out on.

2019-04-21T06:27:00Z

https://learnevolveandthrive.com/how-to-cultivate-an-abundant-mindset/

As one of the mobile phone companies in consumers electronics industry, Shenzhen Forous Electronics Co.,Ltd is one of Forous Groups Subsidiaries located in the Kindom of World Electronics Center, Shenzhen since in 2009. With the fast demands and needs of consumers electronics and the prompt path in fashion, we are committed to supplying customers with the top best cheapest chinese brands mobile phones from manufactuering to after-sale services. Therefore, we have a group of top engineers for mobile phones research and development in technology for learning more to slove questions for customers and buyers;also there is a team of excellent production managers who is always in charge of the best-quality and 100% original guarantted for customers demands; Most importantly, we are a strong group of experts both in sales and management, we know and understand customers demands, satisfy with their needs and desires and get them what they want, finally our customers earn both big profits and worldwide reputations! We produces all the range of chinese smart mobile phones with free cases and accessories and discounts on holidays or shopping days!In our mobile phones shops stores you can buy huawei mobile phones, zte mobile phones, xiaomi mobile phones, oppo mobile phones, vivo mobile phones, one plus one mobile phones, coolpad mobile phones, lenovo mobile phones, homtom mobile phones, meizu mobile phones, and mobile phones accessories for your purchase in bulk with best discout cheapest prices. Recently, the “mobile Internet infrastructure services and regional economic development forum” and the country’s first mobile application demonstration city starting ceremony was held in Wuzhen. At the meeting, Tongxiang city government and the “mobile” domain name registration bureau held a “mobile phone city” signing ceremony, Wuzhen became the first “mobile phone city”. Mobile city refers to the mobile phone as the medium, by virtue of advanced means of communication, collection, analysis of various types of mobile information, the use of Internet services to build a face, including environmental protection, public safety and other aspects of mobile application platform. “Mobile City” from the basic mobile Internet services and regional economic development cut into the enterprise structures covering a variety of mobile applications platform and a unified access portal; and from the outset for urban services tailored to demand-oriented. Mobile phone machine interconnection, real fire or virtual fire? How to make cars more intelligent, is the current car companies are concerned about one of the core issues. The car as the user in the car the most accessible to the intelligent hardware, has been criticized for poor use of experience and let the Internet companies see the opportunity to cut into the car networking market. In the past in 2015, the international Internet giant Apple, Google and domestic Baidu, music, as have released their own car phone Internet program. These companies have said that in the automotive networking platform to build more areas to attract more developers to join in the production of smart cars for the App. Internet giant this approach seems to be the car into the construction of its interconnected ecosystem, we can see is very optimistic about the future of car machine mobile Internet. But there are also views that these programs study its roots, only in the car machine to achieve some of the functions of smart phones, and not too many technical content. Car companies and Internet companies to launch such a product is just a marketing gimmick. Both arguments are justified. Then, the car machine mobile Internet program in the end is a real fire or virtual fire it? Recently, Apple and Google announced their respective mobile phone car program CarPlay and Android Auto in 2016 compatible models. Among them, the earlier release of CarPlay compatible models has been close to 100 models, later released An-droid Auto compatible models will reach 40 this year. Obviously, these two world-class technology giants competition is spreading to the car networking areas. It is expected that by the end of 2016, we will be widely seen around the world equipped with the two mobile phone car program car. Compared to foreign Internet giants of the big moves, the domestic Internet companies have also launched mobile phone car Internet program, and began a successful “landing” production models. In early 2015, Baidu car network released mobile phone car program CarLife. This form of App to achieve the car machine mobile Internet program compatible with both Google Android and Apple IOS two systems, and integration of Baidu maps, Internet radio and other applications. According to Baidu car network official website shows that there are already Kia K5, BYD Song, Hyundai new way to win these three production models compatible Baidu CarLife mobile phone car machine interconnection program. At the Guangzhou auto show in 2015, Beiqi new energy release new car EU260, this new energy vehicles equipped with music as the car mobile phone interconnection system ecolink, to achieve the two-way mobile phone and car control, and integrated WeChat function. In addition, Tencent, Alibaba two major Internet companies themselves or through its subsidiaries, also launched a mobile phone car program. Internet companies are “Happy Valley enclosure”, for market development opportunities. However, in the market behind a hustle and bustle, the value of mobile phone car machine where exactly? This wave will be like the car after the market in 2015 on-site service, as a “virtual fire” it? Experience innovation consulting firm faceui experience director Zhu Jiaming told reporters that the basis of mobile phones and car machines can be interconnected, is the car machine to the current smart phone good interactive experience extended to the car machine. With the popularity of smart phones in the world, the use of smart phones has become a habit of daily life users. However, due to security risks, smart phones in the daily life of the car scene is actually missing. Internet companies is to see this, hoping to use their accumulated experience in the mobile Internet technology and user experience to gain more users, and ultimately cut into the driving scene of the consumer, in the auto insurance, travel services, automotive electronics and other fields to tap more Multi-value. The idea of ​​car prices is even more simple. Poor experience of the original car machine has become a cliché topic, and car prices is the core competitiveness of vehicle design and manufacturing of the four major processes. Car smart products such software research and development, market research, user experience, as well as cloud computing data such as large technical requirements is relatively high, not the strength of car prices. Therefore, with the Internet company, has become a good choice for automotive companies. For consumers, a driving process can safely enjoy the use of smart phones as a general good experience models, the same full of attractions. Therefore, this is the car enterprises to enhance their bargaining power of a dimension. Mobile phone car Internet program for Internet companies, car prices, consumers have a high value. It seems that this technology has a real “fire” up the potential. Mobile phone market has become one of the biggest consumption hot spots in China, China has become the world’s first mobile phone, mobile phone manufacturers in addition to the development of new functions, ergonomics Of the study efforts, but also long ago began to focus on personalized service. But the diversity of consumer demand for personalized, with the cost of mobile phone manufacturers is contradictory. The future mobile phone MEMS light module will be done in real-time shooting projection to another interface, allowing users to directly experience the effect of the screen. Powerful voice recording and smiley shooting feature allows users to be caught in the smile by the lens, eliminating the need to take a shot with the self-timer shot of trouble. The whole Pu Q1 phone has done more powerful than the phone now voice recording, smiley shooting and projection capabilities, quality has been done 1080p. The latest production of MEMS laser projector mobile phone + conference room + game room + entertainment room + home theater + exhibition hall. The laser projection phone will MEMS micro-laser projection technology advantages and Andrews mobile phone system perfectly combined, carrying a number of Quan Pu’s patented technology and invention achievements, a new generation of fashion trendy projection phone. Three primary color foot scanning, making the screen more clear, no LED projection of the broken cell and black screen of death. In the projection process does not hurt the eyes of the strong light reflection, did not see the phone screen when the damage to vision. After the phone does not have the projection function are embarrassed to say is a high-end machine, and mobile phone projection will be the standard for future mobile phones. Machine size is only 148 × 70 × 11mm. Mobile phone has a pixel high, low power consumption, powerful, simple structure, wide color range, the machine uses the best display, resolution up to 1080P, the color reduction of 95%, compared with other products, color Reducing the degree of similar products more than 25%, making the phone a higher resolution, the picture clearer. At the same time the phone is also a camera phone, front camera up to 500 million pixels, after the home is 13 million pixels. Projection part, using the world’s most advanced MEMS micro-laser technology (Quanpu independent patent). Resolution: 1920 * 720, Projection size: 200 inches (depending on the environment); Projection size ratio: 16: 9; Laser imaging, no focus; Projected file format: Office (Ppt, pdf, Word, Excel), video (mp4, 3gp, mov, mkv, avi, flv, mpeg), pictures (jpg, bmp, gif, png). The whole MEMS photoelectric projection technology of high efficiency, small size, long life, high reliability, a wide range of image color, contrast ratio, high resolution, without focusing, has a very wide range of applications. This year, the United States increased the crackdown on Chinese technology companies, which makes people very angry! In March, ZTE was the US Department of Commerce to implement export restrictions on the grounds that the alleged violation of US export control policies on Iran. In June, the US Department of Commerce issued a subpoena to Huawei asking Huawei to submit all information about exporting or re-exporting US technology to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria, and to deliver products shipped to these countries in the past five years . The face of the United States against Huawei ZTE’s shameless attack, China is very angry, the consequences are very serious! The so-called: not to indecent assault, China is the etiquette of the state, decided to give the United States a super-luxury gift! Recently, the Beijing Intellectual Property Office ruled that Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus two mobile phone design, infringement of Shenzhen Bai Li’s patent, and ordered Apple to stop selling the alleged infringing products! But after the patent invalid and the first instance verdict, Apple want to comeback can be described as difficult. Because the Beijing Intellectual Property Court made such a bold penalty before, certainly taking into account the possible consequences, it is impossible for Apple to comeback opportunities. The ban on Apple mobile phones in Beijing is really happy ah. Han Wudi: Kou can go, I can go. Guilty of my Han, though far will punish! I believe the ban on Apple, will give Apple a heavy blow. In the Chinese market, Apple or Samsung will follow the footsteps, or even withdraw from the Chinese market! Domestic intellectual property rights mobile phone is about to let the world with admiration, the whole Pu phone with their own patents, with people’s hope to lead the future of mobile phones. This is the pride of the people, this is the whole people’s mission. You often find that some people’s mobile phone shell scarred, in addition to the normal storage, the main fall, beat or shaking play caused by vibration will make the connector loose, and even components desoldering, wiring loosening, it can not directly On the hard seat of the moving vehicle. Brutal treatment not only hurt the appearance of mobile phones, but also damage the phone internal circuit boards. For the phone to add a transparent plastic protective cover (wholesale 1 yuan / month), does not affect the appearance, but also has a strong protective effect, and even a year or two of mobile phones, still the same as the new machine. If you are not afraid of old-fashioned, better with the holster, it is tantamount to an extra coat for the phone, one can reduce the wear of mobile phone casing, the second is a fall or water when the phone can reduce the damage suffered. Of course, this does not mean that the phone will be added after the fire does not invade the water, the use and placement still need to be careful when carefully to avoid mobile phone by internal injuries. It is best not to hang on the phone any mobile phone decoration rope and other decorations, decorations on the hard objects will damage the fuselage. The safest way is to use the phone every time when the phone into a soft protective bag to prevent the body received damage. Everyone to carry mobile phones are not the same, but some methods are likely to greatly increase the chance of damage to the phone. For example, nowadays it is customary to put the phone on the pants (behind) the pocket, if not careful to sit down when the pressure, or mobile phone is squeezed and dropped to the ground, will cause cell phone damage. In addition, as thin and light mobile phone, some people used to put in his chest pocket, do not know when bending accidentally, the phone will fall on the ground. As the shell and the special nature of the screen material, shall not use irritating chemicals, detergents or strong cleaning agents to clean the phone, otherwise the effect is just the opposite. Electronic circuit to prevent the deposition of dust, usually do not easily open the shell to clean. If the conductive soft rubber layer under the keyboard to break in time, otherwise the water and dust easily along the crack into the machine. Inadvertently into the water after (such as falling in the basin, turn the cup on the table or beer bottles, etc.), use the “cold” dry hair to slow down the degree of moisture corrosion board, do not use too hot hair dryer , So as not to heat too much deformation of the printed circuit board damage to the phone. Once the phone should be immediately removed the battery water, must not immediately understand the status of the phone to boot. Remove the battery after not to deal with their own, should immediately repair, so that professionals do disassemble water treatment, such as fall into the corrosive liquid or corrosive liquid but also with ultrasonic cleaning, drying, before the next maintenance treatment. Such as mobile phones can still be used after the water, should be sent to professionals to deal with, so as not to cause corrosion of the circuit board can not be repaired. Found that mobile phones or SIM dirty, people tend to use paper towels, clean soft cloth to wipe, however, these cleaners themselves there is a certain amount of static electricity. Especially in the winter, the phenomenon of static electricity is particularly serious, must use anti-static cloth to clean, greedy convenience of the consequences will be to repair and become troublesome. The screen of the mobile phone is more profitable than the LCD monitor of the computer, and the screen size is small, the chance of appearing flaw is also small. However, for technical reasons in production, in rare cases, some small dots of other colors may appear on the display, which also make the display appear brighter or darker, which is the dead pixel of the liquid crystal Phenomenon, the existence of the production, does not mean that the failure has occurred, we do not have to worry too much, however, often wrestling phone will affect the inside of the switch circuit, may cause the liquid crystal dead pixels if gradually spread. For the dual-screen mobile phone, the damage to the front, but will directly hurt the external screen, cut a cigarette cellophane, with the phone almost the size of the external screen, drop a drop of pure water in the paper above the screen clean, slowly Of the paste and then squeeze the blisters, and other water after the dry, to ensure that is not easy to lose, it seems more than the original protection paper clearer. Some of the more responsible products will have a special rubber protective cover, while others do not, this part if the contact with some metal after the phone signal has a great impact, we must always keep the charging port clean. If you are not strong, it is certainly caused by the thumb nails, frequent play games more easily dampened keys, or do not stay too long nail friends. My phone almost no signs of wear and tear, Oh, the quality is also very good! Keep the phone away from the magnet. Phone speaker itself is magnetic, so do not let the phone often contact the place where many iron powder, so as not to phone speaker sound hole inhaled too much iron powder, and attached to the horn film, resulting in mobile phone handset voice becomes smaller, or even hear. Mobile phone, after all, is composed of electronic components, electronic movement in the circuit will be fever, especially the LCD screen, but also adds heat. As long as the PC server does not turn off the phone as long as there is no strong technical gold content of the product, the internal will be slowly eroded by heat, mobile phones have chronic diseases, temporary moment no problem. If the quality of the product in general, spend a year or so, you will slowly find a crash, the operation failure and so on. Do not put the phone in a hot place, many users work in Office locations, the phone will be placed in direct sunlight at the glass wall behind the sun, and some on the radiator, the stove, the fire. Cell phone itself is not good heat dissipation, high temperature will shorten the life of electronic equipment, damage to the battery and make some plastic deformation or melting. Do not put the phone in a cold place, when the phone becomes hot (to reach its normal ambient temperature), because the hot and cold changes in the problem, the phone may be the formation of moisture inside, it will be Damage to electronic circuit boards. Similarly, when you walk in the cool room on the hot street, do not immediately take out the phone, it should be allowed to gradually adapt to changes in the surrounding environment. Cell phones have slits or holes, when it is easy to encounter water vapor infiltration, and other electrical appliances, mobile phones are afraid of damp! Containing inorganic precipitation, moisture and liquid will corrode electronic circuits, but also in the boot state will cause a short circuit, see here, you dare to use the phone in the rain or in the bathroom? Avoid the phone on the outlet air-conditioning, because the moisture condensation in the phone will invisible corrosion board. Water vapor on the erosion of the circuit board, with the lengthening of the more serious, may feel nothing at the beginning of the impact, but until the failure phenomenon occurs, I am afraid it was too late. Mobile phone damp, immediately cut off the power, remove the battery and mobile phone at room temperature. Remember, do not take the phone in the sun exposure, light energy will destroy its shell material. Do not use or store the phone in a dusty and dirty place, or the moving parts of the phone may be damaged. After all, not all mobile phones have three defenses, even if the three anti-dust is also a slight, shock, water features, too dirty environment, the three anti-not achieve any effect. Many people have the habit of playing with small things, remove the battery charge, often itchy hand to flex SIM, which will destroy the data stored on the card. Similarly, do not put the SIM card below the temperature of -20 degrees or higher than 85 degrees, its temperature defense is not much stronger than the phone. As with other data contacts, the metal contacts on the SIM card are important to protect it from dust contamination and cleaning, to delay its oxidation, to prevent the occurrence of a SIM card failure, a sudden network outage during use, or The screen shows chaos and so on. In general, its life of up to 4 years or more, unless you frequently replace the phone, otherwise, the number of normal plug will rarely hurt it. Some mobile phone card design problems, improper insertion is likely to cause metal contact scratches, as far as possible do not use those SIM card bit too tight cell phone. Many people are too superstitious mobile phone and SIM card password, in fact, for professional mobile phone repair people, crack them as a piece of cake. Nowadays, many people are accustomed to using the PDA function of the mobile phone, put the personal information, address, telephone, even bank account number, credit card password into the virtual database, so that if the phone is stolen, people can easily see the information inside, Do not you tell someone to steal your stuff? Perhaps you have tried, after a long charge, the phone itself shows the battery power is full, but the actual use of time is much shorter than the nominal value, or even a day with the battery on the power out. In the past, only second-hand mobile phones are easy to encounter such problems, but recently even just to buy the phone soon, but also from time to time. The main reason is now the cell phone comes with poor quality of the battery, especially those non-original battery, such as mobile phone to send two batteries, often only one is original, the other is likely to be certified without the product of the mobile phone manufacturers. Non-original battery actual capacity often can not reach the nominal value, and aging faster, although lithium has no memory effect, but the battery has residual power when charging or charging time is too long cause overcharge, battery use Time and life will still be greatly reduced, the battery capacity will gradually reduce until the final scrapped. If you do not want to frequent replacement of new batteries, usually we should pay more attention to Oh. Many of my friends like 24-hour online does not shut down in order to respond to other people’s calls at any time. In fact, the real need for a long time not many people stand, you can not always answer the phone when it is sleeping. In order to achieve the best battery full state, the proposed shutdown charge, the battery will not charge side edge, naturally reduce its wear and tear. The best way is to use their own shutdown state and then recharging, at least until the prompt low power signal to charge, otherwise every time there are one or two cells in the battery charge, the battery damage is greater. Battery life is calculated by the charge and discharge cycles, the smaller the number of charging the more to maximize battery life. Block charge does not take up the phone use time, you want to stand for how long, and always have a battery backup, naturally allows us to safely use the phone battery power. No matter what kind of battery, it is not appropriate to charge the phone immediately after use, it is best to just recharge the battery just slightly placed for a while, the reason for doing so is the completion of charging the battery closed circuit voltage may be Rated voltage to be high, if immediately into the phone, the phone will affect the internal circuit components. Therefore, it is best to wait until the rechargeable battery self-discharge to the rated voltage when used again. Of course, do not fully charged rechargeable battery for a long time on the cradle on the shelves do not have to, even disconnect the charging power, the battery’s energy will be fully charged on the seat charge, the rechargeable battery itself is not good. If the phone intends to long-term idle, remove the battery, suspend the chemical reaction, can reduce its power consumption. If the battery is not used for some time, it should be completely discharged and placed in a dry, cool place, it is best not to fully charged, the first release of some power to save. Re-use, at least several times the charge / discharge cycle to fully activate the electronic process in order to play the original function of the battery. Therefore, after recharging, into the phone can not be used immediately, do not think that the battery is broken, and so on for some time, let the internal chemical reaction is fully carried out, you can display and boot the normal. As the general battery electrode contacts are exposed, it should be avoided and the key will be conductive metal objects such as exposure or exposure to moisture, high temperature environment, so as to avoid the phenomenon of short-circuit. I usually do not plug in the car before the charger is inserted, because the car’s circuit devices, after all, better than electrical products, especially in the car just started the moment, the current will be a peak, the sudden current and lightning as , Is likely to follow the circuit back to the electrical products, causing damage to internal parts. It is recommended to open the car on the road, then use the charger will be more appropriate. Some batteries due to design problems, will have a higher charge temperature, overheating will burn. This will virtually affect the phone’s circuit board, especially the open machine to charge, the impact is more serious. Therefore, try not to place the phone at high temperatures. To avoid the battery temperature above 60 ℃ or below -20 ℃ environment, the temperature is too low will make the battery internal reaction is not normal, resulting in unrecoverable performance continues to decline, the temperature will shorten the use of time and life. Batteries used in extreme temperatures, high or low temperature can greatly affect the battery performance, need to be charged regularly, do not think that the battery is damaged, to the normal temperature, it can continue to work. Even if you buy a high-quality battery, but also use the correct charging method, still find the phone standby time and talk time is shorter, this is why? Do not worry, this is not the physical problem of the battery or the phone itself, but rather the local network provider. When the distance from the location of the transmitter station when the phone may not receive the signal and constantly search the network, which consumes a lot of power, if you are sure that the poor reception area, and no nearby network base stations, Well. Some places will cause artificial signal shielding, such as: high-rise, the subway, if there is no special base stations, ordinary wireless signal can not penetrate so many walls, the signal will naturally worse. In addition, the color LCD screen is also a large power consumption, although they look very beautiful, but those animated standby picture, 3D menu interface, will make your battery run out faster, acceptable, as far as possible lower Screen brightness, and do not always turn on its backlight, can fully save energy and extend the battery life. Measured proved that the headset than the phone above the small speakers power, if you want to extend the call and standby time as much as possible, or use headphones. Mobile phone and computer connection, it should be noted that the connection time, can not put the phone long-term and computer Unicom, should avoid repeated switch machine, when the file transfer must consider and choose their own to pass the file, the best time to complete the operation , Preferably in the case of mobile phone shutdown and computer connection! Because the common COM data cable, not plug and play interface, interface voltage, may cause impact on the phone, of course, USB interface, do not have to worry about. On the other hand, do not arbitrarily disconnect the connection during transmission, can also lead to incomplete data transmission, it is possible in the phone can not be deleted, only a comprehensive cleaning media library. Conclusion: In today’s highly competitive mobile phone market, manufacturers are trying to get a cup of soup is really not easy. The market is not lack of excellent products, like Xiao Bian introduced several mobile phones today are very good, to Yan value of the color value, performance to performance, all features rich, the price is not high, you have no reason not to start it ? Sperm Bank of London launched a commonly known as “Order Dad” application, so that women in need can be selected on mobile devices as the selection of goods like the sperm donors. Users can set the conditions for the desired sperm donor, including hair, eyeball, skin color, height, weight, educational level, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, in the application of the “London Sperm Donors” application , Religious beliefs, etc., and then from tens of thousands of donors to sift out the right candidates. Upon receipt of the payment of £ 950, the sperm bank will send the ordered sperm to the clinic where the fertility service is provided to the user. Instead of filtering, the user can browse and pick the right person. This application is currently available in Google and Apple App Store can be downloaded, in line with the British in vitro fertilization regulators artificial insemination and Embryology Authority requirements. About half of the UK’s in vitro fertilization clinics support this application, including private clinics and clinics affiliated with the UK’s National Health Service. If the user can not find the ideal sperm donor, you can set the reminder function, someone donated to meet the conditions of the sperm to be reminded. “London sperm bank donors” application interface and many shopping applications similar to the “new goods” section, a “shopping basket” function. Unlike buying ordinary goods, sperm “buyers” do not know the “seller” specific identity. As long as there is a mobile phone, do not put, move your fingers, you can make money? Now, the market a variety of money-making APP after another, and some allow users to do APP trial members, pulled up rankings and downloads; some to be a survey, forward the article to the circle of friends, earn a few dollars each time. Seemingly moving fingers can earn a pocket, the time can be a monthly income of a few hundred wealthy, it would be “falling out of the pie”? Reporters survey found that in fact these APP to make money is not formal, and some simply can not be audited by the application store, there is a security risk. Busy half a day to earn less money, but also betrayed the privacy, “cell phone part-time” worth the candle. “In fact, download and experience all kinds of APP.” Ms Cheng opened a so-called “earn money artifact” in the list to receive a task, according to “task steps”, copy the keyword “shopping”, open the phone application store, paste Keyword and search to find a corresponding shopping APP and download, then open the shopping APP, let it run for 3 minutes, this trial APP task is completed, Ms. Cheng 1.5 yuan trial fee, and then she This shopping APP will be deleted immediately. Such as the number of profitable class APP number, in addition to “money coffee”, “trial guest soldier” and other demo, review applications for rewards, and fill in questionnaires to see ads. Such as “earn points,” said the use of free time to answer the questionnaires, daily check-in will be able to earn rewards, convert Q coins, cash, cell phone bills and other prizes; In addition, “forwarders”, “Tang earned” income. Mobile fingers can make money, “make money APP” appeal is not small, such as “money coffee” claims have accumulated 17.76 million users cash withdrawal. Really have this kind of “lying to make money”, do not need any “principal” of a good thing? Reporters on the phone to download several demo classes to make money APP, found to install up with the usual download APP is very different. Need to scan the two-dimensional code to download APP to the phone, to open the APP, the phone will jump out of an “untrustworthy enterprise-class developers,” the message suggesting that this APP “iPhone has not yet trusted” must be Manual trust, that is, specifically to the phone settings, click on “trust” before they can use. Validation found that several similar APP need to manually trust. In addition, most of the tasks of the reward is not so good to take. For example, there is a trial of financial APP tasks, need to register, enter the name and mobile phone number, select “whether there is a loan experience”, but also wait for financial customer service calls; even some need to try the APP real-name authentication and tie card . “In addition to gender, age, education and other information, and some even family income, car situation, auto insurance and other information have to fill in order to successfully get the reward, this is not disguised to earn user information?” Xiao Zhao worry about the public, “Did not make money, but leaked their personal information. “In order to get a little small profit, but may disclose their information, do not know what the information will be used.” Telecom experts, Flying Elephant CEO Ligang Gang said, showing “untrustworthy enterprise-class developers” Indicating that these APP did not go through the application store audit, there are some problems are not allowed to shelves. Miss Zhou in Beijing, a 4A company inauguration, busy work and frequent overtime work so that she did not have much leisure time, not to mention shopping, not even time to visit the supermarket. To save time, Miss Chow choose online shopping, 11:30 to open the phone to order, do not need to rush to be able to eat at 12 o’clock on the cut side and plum meat. Miss Zhou likes the afternoon tea time, every time she will come up with mobile phones, waffles and cake to buy, and colleagues enjoy the happy afternoon tea time. 5:30 in the evening, she put down the work, plan their own rich dinner, she would like to pot chicken soup, so they landed to buy fresh country hot pot chicken, so she can get home, do not spend time visiting the supermarket can easily do rice. The day to buy fresh dishes, so she was satisfied. And Miss Zhou, many first-tier cities in white-collar workers today’s life is so convenient. In the past, these urban office workers generally only once a week visiting the supermarket, the average consumption of several hundred dollars each time, most of the food purchased to help collectors. But now, low prices, convenient shopping so that they buy more and more frequently. The report shows that Beijing and the East China region through the APP users more than the average per person per month to buy products up to 20.7 per week to buy milk up to 3.2 times to buy vegetables up to 2.5 times to buy fruit up to 4.0 times to buy bread up to 1.3 times fresh Of the ingredients to make them more at ease. In addition, through the purchase of fuel cell phones, daily necessities, the average monthly consumption is 626.3 yuan, accounting for Beijing residents spend nearly a quarter of an average. First-tier cities for the quality of life and lifestyle consumers have a delicate pursuit of quality of life while focusing on the pursuit of health. But Beijing and East China’s consumer spending habits there are some differences. Beijing area users prefer the most popular local brands, the number of frequent purchase of milk, the majority of people, accounting for about 30%, the pursuit of quality of life at the same time pay attention to economic benefits, more popular in a healthy economic life. While the East China consumers tend to be more diverse purchase needs, taking into account the types of food shopping, daily necessities, alcohol, etc., both pay attention to nutritional balance, and the pursuit of life to enjoy, biased in favor of diversified lifestyles and spending habits. In addition, through the access to the report there is an interesting new discovery, mobile phone shopping not only save time, but also improve the user to buy fresh fruit frequency. Daily diet and more healthy, full has entered a “fresh light food” a new era. The average person spending 175 yuan, of which the cost of buying fruits and vegetables accounted for 80 yuan, grain and oil fast food is only 28 yuan. Just the pursuit of health is not enough, to enjoy life, economic benefits correct. The report pointed out that many users are used to buy while shopping side, 10 (buy snacks) late 9 (buy dinner), to see the favorite products to buy immediately, abandon the restrictions on space to enjoy shopping pleasure. Even the Internet overtime employees can do the work of two families do not delay. Report to Baidu Building, Tencent, music as an example, the data show that about 15 o’clock overtime groups will form a purchase peak, mainly in beverages, to supplement the overtime energy. And 8 pm to 10 pm there will be a small peak, the logistics of goods will be sent to family overtime, as supper supplements. Not only nutrition and health, and save time, coupled with the cost savings back and forth, online shopping really allows consumers to get the most tangible benefits. 2016 during the Spring Festival wine, beverages and milk and other drinks become the main force of online shopping products, accounting for 55%, and now more than a month after the Spring Festival is over, but did not mean that the supermarket supermarket heat loss. All the people into the replenishment of commodities concentrated period. Rice grain and oil and wash products accounted for 32% of all commodities. After the consumer network to buy the TOP20 single product required price is only 143.5 yuan. In summary, the reason why online shopping for all types of people like the important reason is that the structure of online shopping more and more reasonable, more and more complete varieties, more and more thoughtful service. High, medium and low-grade goods, can be purchased through the network. Different needs of consumers can also meet the needs through online shopping, and the price is much cheaper than the store. Not only that, Internet finance to consumers convenient service, but also from another level to change the Chinese people’s consumption and ideas. It is the start of consumption, stimulating economic growth, economic growth rate of recovery and acceleration will lead to employment, employment, and further stimulate the improvement of consumption, the formation of consumption and economic benign interaction. In addition, the electric business brand is also actively explore the search for new consumer hot spots. “Festival” and other activities continue to stimulate more businesses to create new methods of consumption, new tools and new platform, so that more and more powerful source of consumption, so as to better play the role of consumption on the economy. Consumers become more competitive in the business savvy, more willing to choose safe and quality-assured products. “Mobile phone disease” popular, have to rule! Please listen to questions: What are you most inseparable from life? Phone! This answer should not be low, especially since the smart phone mass production since eight years ago, this gadget has become the fastest-selling electronic devices ever. According to incomplete statistics, about half of adults today have mobile phones. To 2020 the proportion will reach 80%. Mobile phones in people’s lives in all aspects, according to the survey, the United States an average of more than an hour a day to see the phone; the most can not leave the electronic equipment, the vast majority of young people in the UK that is mobile phones rather than television, computer or game. In developed countries, 80% of smart phone owners get up within 15 minutes to view text messages, news or other services, and even 10% of adults admit when making love with a cell phone. The development of technology is often a “double-edged sword” for mankind: convenience and progress; risk and harm. “Mobile phone disease” What kind of disease? How much is really “sick”? The United States neuroscientist Michael Murchinich believes that the human brain is due to technological development and “large-scale reset”, “addiction”, “mobile phone addiction” to a certain extent, is the medical sense of the “disease” People attach great importance to these diseases on human intelligence have a serious impact. – Inseparable from the “addiction.” This is the “mobile phone disease” in the early stages, there is no mobile phone is quite uncomfortable, uneasy. Often someone to come up with mobile phone view, and then back into the pocket, and then reflex-like again, out of fear of missing any real-time information. – Auditory hallucination. This is an advanced stage of the disease, involving neurological function, as people often mistakenly believe that the phone rang or shook. – Vertigo phone. On the one hand is the technical causes, some mobile phone operating system upgrade, the holder felt dizzy, dazzling or even disgusting, which is the pursuit of visual effects and the use of new technologies lead to; more vertigo is staring at the phone screen for a long time. – Hand travel addiction. It is the most dangerous and most destructive. The convenience of smart phones so that more children indulge in the virtual world in the game, difficult to extricate themselves. – Suspicious search disease. This is the health of the suspicious variety, that is, as long as the body there is a slight pain or small spots, can not wait to search on the phone, self-diagnosis, which often lead to unnecessary mental anxiety. – phone “depression.” In the phone too often use the social platform formed by interpersonal relationships seem like a duck, often counterproductive. The kind of virtual social interaction often leads to the actual social feelings of Guadan and boring. People increasingly frequent use of mobile phones, because of the convenience of functional upgrading. It is very necessary to distinguish between “common mobile phone” and “mobile phone disease”, which has become an important research topic. University of London psychologist Thomas Plummerch’s team of British adults to use mobile phones to track research found that those “mobile phone disease” in patients with the possibility of antisocial behavior is nearly 4 times the other people, and the The negative impact of virtual social interaction on the true human social remains to be seen. There is also a situation that people noticed but did not attract enough attention, that is, young people “mobile phone disease”, which even including infants and young children. A recent study by a UK research team found that teens aged 12 to 15 spend an average of more than an hour of extra-curricular cell phone usage every day, and that this is taking longer as phones become more intelligent and less expensive. Many health problems, including adolescents’ obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, inattention, declining math and reading scores, and insomnia and autism, are associated with frequent use of mobile phones by children. On the one hand because of the lack of time on the phone and exercise, and some other problems may be caused by long-term use of mobile phones caused by hormones and their effects change. A number of studies also warned: there are parents around the world in the use of mobile phones in children generally “negative parenting”, on the one hand the performance of the parents themselves can not do without cell phones, unbearable; the other hand, the children too frequently use the phone Laissez-faire. Research institutes warn that the increasing frequency of use of mobile phones may adversely affect teenagers as well as the brain. Let us think about the real sense of the smart phones on the planet is the year 2007 thing. At that time, Apple CEO Steve Jobs waving a group of obsessed fruit powder rectangular piece of stuff. “It will change everything,” Jobs promised. He is not an exaggeration. Eight years, the earth has been deeply felt smart phones on our lives, work changes – the good side so that we excited and happy, such as the bad side of the “mobile phone disease”, like modern technology, “marijuana”, we need Deep province. So, since there are laboratory cases, these tests and why not people believe it? Because our mobile Smart Mobile Phones drop in daily life with the laboratory test is very different, the video, especially in the official video of the drop test is often a bit misleading, because we see the content, often Is someone else wants us to see, this result is not objective enough, of course, partial general can not completely blame the manufacturers, after all, a manufacturer of mobile Smart Mobile Phoness is to sell, of course, not to prove that their mobile Smart Mobile Phoness have more Anti-fall. And even the kind of geek video, we see the video publisher is really intentions to test, which is not too much water, but that conclusion may not be very representative, because it has to fall on Occasionally, the angle of each cell Smart Mobile Phones has a different intensity. In particular, the official laboratory of the kind of video, the ball does not say drop, the back of the curved glass will spread to the impact of the box, and this weight falls on the Smart Mobile Phones screen is very few opportunities . In order to achieve the absolute level, the machine will be calculated by simulation of a 1.5-meter height dive down the acceleration of the mobile Smart Mobile Phones, in order to achieve the absolute level, the machine will be simulated by the simulation of the height of the mobile Smart Mobile Phones diving down the acceleration of 1.5 meters, To achieve a short distance of 1.5 m level of free fall. Absolute level of mobile Smart Mobile Phones shoot in the absolute level of marble floor, the force will be evenly distributed, the screen hand is not very easy to break, the same test, on the other Smart Mobile Phones, may not have too much problem. And then come back to thin to think about it, we use the Smart Mobile Phones in the process, if you do not accidentally drop the Smart Mobile Phones, generally do not appear the absolute level of decline, and the ground is not more than level, imagine, even if the Smart Mobile Phones can maintain the level , The ground has a variety of stones and the like obstacles, then the role of force in the stone corner of a very small area, the probability of broken screen naturally greatly increased. But the smart Smart Mobile Phones is not as fragile as the egg, in this era of the screen becoming bigger and bigger, many manufacturers in order to enhance the mobile Smart Mobile Phones’s drop resistance, or a certain targeted design. For example, in general, 2.5D glass screen Smart Mobile Phones, the front panel will have a different approach, such as some mobile Smart Mobile Phoness will increase the high box, some mobile Smart Mobile Phoness will reduce the curvature of 2.5D glass. In addition, many mobile Smart Mobile Phones will be a certain degree of curvature on the back of the design, which are basically in order to enhance the overall impact of the glass. There are many seem to affect the aesthetic design, in fact, manufacturers may be reduced in order to reduce the risk of mobile Smart Mobile Phones screen compromise. Of course, there is no absolute, even if the mobile Smart Mobile Phones manufacturers to make a series of efforts to design the Smart Mobile Phones, but the accident is inevitable, so have broken-screen insurance, in fact, in the face of fierce competition, mobile Smart Mobile Phones manufacturers is more The pursuit of a larger screen, screen accounting, better feel, more beautiful appearance, has not put the anti-fall to see the weight. The introduction of a series of broken-screen risk, but also send a signal, and perhaps the future warranty of man-made damage within a certain number of times will be warranty. Mobile Smart Mobile Phones in the current term is almost FMCG, the replacement speed is amazing, no need to care too much, if it is really distressed mobile Smart Mobile Phones, then a silicone case may be able to solve all problems. So, Ann, it is just a Smart Mobile Phones. Internet giant of this practice seems to be the car into the construction of its interconnected ecosystem, we can see is very optimistic about the future of car machine mobile Internet. But there are also views that these programs study its roots, only in the car machine to achieve some of the functions of smart phones, and not too many technical content. Car companies and Internet companies to launch such a product is just a marketing gimmick. Psychiatric sleep disorders clinic attending physician, psychologist Luyuan Park said, “to him to help improve sleep “However, eating the drug for two months, the trabecular sleep state has not been improved. The hospital on the use of equipment to the trabecular check. “Unexpectedly, he should have symptoms of brain atrophy, you know, this disease is the older of the elderly will have.” Luyuan Yuan said. “This lack of restraint to play with mobile phones, coupled with the most in the evening should allow the brain to rest when it is caused by an important reason for his brain atrophy.” Luyuan said.

2019-04-25T19:40:59Z

http://www.tmobilephonesforsale.com/

CRU has posted up an undated webpage on data availability here , responding to the various recent FOI requests for station data and confidentiality agreements. Here they “list the agreements that we still hold”. I’m preparing a post on this extraordinary document and am posting this thread as a placeholder for now. Obviously this is a pretty pathetic combination of excuses and whining. Both CRU and the Met Office should be cringing with embarrassment. Obviously there will be more shoes to drop. But let me reiterate one of my own baseline positions (and one which I do not wish to argue about with readers.) Regardless of how pitiful CRU’s management of data and contracts turns out to be, it is not my position that this is an excuse for delaying climate policy until the original data is found and documented. Neither do I think that any exigencies of the big picture excuse negligence in the small picture. Since the 1980s, we have merged the data we have received into existing series or begun new ones, so it is impossible to say if all stations within a particular country or if all of an individual record should be freely available. Data storage availability in the 1980s meant that we were not able to keep the multiple sources for some sites, only the station series after adjustment for homogeneity issues. We, therefore, do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data. I was around in the 1980s and the 1970s. People used filing cabinets back then. You’d have alphabetically arranged files by customer. If you got paper from Andorra or Zambia, you’d put the data in the Andorra or Zambia file. If a decision were made on the handling of an account, you’d put a memo in the file. How is it possible that they don’t have ANY documentation on the construction of their data? This is getting worse and worse. Below we list the agreements that we still hold. We know that there were others, but cannot locate them, possibly as we’ve moved offices several times during the 1980s. Nobody would take it seriously. Nobody would believe that they were that incompetent. I wonder what would happen if Lonnie Thompson moved offices. Would he lose all his unarchived ice core data? Much climate data are now additionally available through the internet from NMSs, but these are often difficult to use as data series often refer to national numbering systems, which must be related back to WMO Station Identifiers. Poor babies. Imagine having to do a concordance of CRU numbers to national numbers to enable downloading from NMSs. That would be so boring. After all, they’re climate scientists. Things to do, people to see. When’s the next IPCC authors’ workshop? a number of NMSs make homogenized data … available in delayed mode over the internet. Some that provide both raw and homogenized versions, generally do not link the two sets of data together. Y’mean, that someone somewhere would actually have to inquire as to how to do the links. Hey, Phil, I’ve got an idea. If they won’t tell you, send them an FOI. Or better yet, we’ll save you some trouble. Make a list of all the NMSs that are troubling you and we’ll send FOIs for you. Just have your people contact our people. And as to why they haven’t documented the source of their data. It’s not their fault – that’s impossible. The reason why they didn’t document anything is that they “never had sufficient resources”. We are not in a position to supply data for a particular country not covered by the example agreements referred to earlier, as we have never had sufficient resources to keep track of the exact source of each individual monthly value. This entry was written by Stephen McIntyre, posted on Aug 11, 2009 at 1:40 PM, filed under CRU, FOIA and tagged foi, foi-cru, foi-crutem. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed. I have had a reply to my FoI request to the Met Office for a copy of the agreement with Phil Jones which prevents the Met Office disclosing the temperature data that Jones has passed on to them. You requested: A copy of the agreement/letter with Dr Jones in which he makes these restrictions on redistribution of the data. In order for the Met Office to do a thorough review for you, it will be necessary to extend the time to respond to you, as records cover a 30 year period. We will respond to you by 10 September 2009 or sooner if possible. Two months to locate a single agreement? I’m speechless. It might be in a huge government warehouse somewhere, inside of a wooden box just next to the one which holds the Ark of the Covenant. Possibly they are afraid to open the lid early and thus risk having the demons fly out both ahead of schedule and without prior written authorization. Wow, even if they use offsite data storage facilties this is long time. Bishop, based on their request for another 30 days to answer your request, they had no direct knowledge of whether there was an actual confidentiality agreement or not, when they used this as an excuse. We’ve run into problems with the Met Office just making thing up before – John Mitchell’s supposed destruction of his emails; John Mitchell supposedly acting in a “personal capacity” as IPCC Review Editor. There doesn’t seem to be any downside for them if they mis-speak. Re: Steve McIntyre (#24), I bet David Palmer is cursing MET right now. He can’t be having fun with this. I doubt it. Let’s suppose that they can’t find a confidentiality agreement – probably because there never was one. They will blame us for asking – rather than looking into the mirror and challenging whoever said that there was a confidentiality agreement. Re: Steve McIntyre (#28), Ah . . . probably true. Perhaps I should have said if I were David Palmer, I’d be cursing MET. It looks like Palmer held CRU’s feet to the flame on the “confidentiality agreements” and wouldn’t protect them any further. 3. a copy of the section of the confidentiality agreement that “prevents further transmission to non-academics”. I am requesting this information for the purposes of academic research. Your request for information received on 27 July 2009 has now been considered. . Pursuant to your rights under section 1(1)(a) of Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be informed whether information is held, this letter is to formally advise you that we do not hold the requested information. CRU has responded to one of my 3 requests. It now has a webpage that lists all of the confidentiality agreements they hold. Reading through that page, it appears that the only confidentiality agreement they currently hold is for BAHRAIN. CRU Data Availability basically says “No, you’re not going to get raw data, and in some cases we have destroyed it”. Additional agreements are unwritten and relate to partnerships we’ve made with scientists around the world and visitors to the CRU over this period. In some of the examples given, it can be clearly seen that our requests for data from NMSs have always stated that we would not make the data available to third parties. The inability of some agencies to release climate data held is not uncommon in climate science. These data are not ours to provide without the full permission of the relevant NMSs, organizations and scientists. We point enquirers to the GHCN web site. Data storage availability in the 1980s meant that we were not able to keep the multiple sources for some sites, only the station series after adjustment for homogeneity issues. We, therefore, do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data. Since the Bahrain agreement is with the airport authority/manager, my guess would be that the Bahrain data is solely from the airport there, and thus perhaps freely available from other sources. Re: Charlie (#171), received my reply today. Same as the reply you received. Re: Charlie (#171), Same reply as Charlie and Bob Koss. He starts out saying “all written agreements”. Should I infer there remain undisclosed verbal agreements they would feel compelled to honor? Additional agreements are unwritten and relate to partnerships we’ve made with scientists around the world and visitors to the CRU over this period. I got my reply today too. Your request for information received on 25 July 2009 has now been considered. . Pursuant to your rights under section 1(1)(a) of Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be informed whether information is held, this letter is to formally advise you that we do not hold the requested information for the requested countries save that relating to Gibraltar. So, who holds the details of the relevant agreements with Egypt, Greece, Cuba, and Greenland. Concerned polar bears want to know. The way I read this is that they no longer have the raw data. It was the raw data that had the “confidentiality agreement” against it, not the “value added” data. Can this “value added data” have the same confidentiality agreement against it? Does the agreement state that the raw is not to be released, or can it include the post-processing of the data? If processed data can be lumped in with the agreement, how could ANY scientist release anything about this data without violating the agreement? Also, if they consider the value-added data they hold to be “quality controlled”, how can they check the quality against data they no longer have? I got my answer today as well. This is absolutely priceless. Rather than keep the raw data, from which the “quality controlled and homogenized” data could be produced at a moment’s notice, they have thrown away the raw data. The fact that these good folks have the balls to style themselves as “scientists” defies belief. 2) Other than the British agreement, only three other countries are on the list, Norway, Bahrain and Spain. cualquier publicacibn o trabajo en que se use. This means “The person signing below swears to use the requested information for purposes specified in this request, and to cite the origin of the data in whatever publication or work in which it is used”. Nothing about third parties at all. The purpose specified is “Public”, as opposed to “Private”. Now, I don’t think that “we might have made a confidentiality agreement sometime with somebody from somewhere, but we don’t know who or when” is adequate to shield data from an FOI request … but then, I’m not an FOI lawyer. I’d welcome comments on this. If the FOI allows this as a response, it is useless. Any lawyers want to chime in on this? I previously formally requested you to release the CRUTEM station data, under FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – INFORMATION REQUEST (FOI_07-04). You said at the time you could not do it because of confidentiality agreements. I formally requested copies of the relevant confidentiality agreements (see below). Since the early 1980s, some NMSs, other organizations and individual scientists have given or sold us (see Hulme, 1994, for a summary of European data collection efforts) additional data for inclusion in the gridded datasets, often on the understanding that the data are only used for academic purposes with the full permission of the NMSs, organizations and scientists and the original station data are not passed onto third parties. Below we list the agreements that we still hold. We know that there were others, but cannot locate them, possibly as we’ve moved offices several times during the 1980s. Some date back at least 20 years. Additional agreements are unwritten and relate to partnerships we’ve made with scientists around the world and visitors to the CRU over this period. In some of the examples given, it can be clearly seen that our requests for data from NMSs have always stated that we would not make the data available to third parties. We included such statements as standard from the 1980s, as that is what many NMSs requested. Call me crazy, but I don’t think that “we think we might have made a confidentiality agreement sometime with somebody from somewhere, but we don’t know who or where or when” is an adequate excuse to shield data from an FOI request. In some of the examples given, it can be clearly seen that our requests for data from NMSs have always stated that we would not make the data available to third parties. is not true. You only show one single request for data, and that is not even for a foreign country but for British Territories. It is a long way from one request for British data, which was not made to an NMS, to “our requests for data from NMSs have always stated”. You have not given one single example of a request to an NMS upon which to base your statement. Science depends on replicability. You are promoting your dataset as a suitable basis for making billion-dollar decisions on what we should do on regarding the “global warming” supposedly shown by your dataset. But under your secrecy policy, your results cannot be replicated. 2. Retract the dataset as being unreplicable anecdotal evidence only. I hereby formally appeal your decision not to supply the CRUTEM station data as requested in my FOI_07-04. “My dog ate the confidentiality agreements” doesn’t cut it in the scientific world, where billions of dollars hang on your data. If you can’t show your figures, you should be ashamed to publish them under the guise of scientific data. PS – The agreement with Spain does not support your argument, it says nothing about confidentiality or passing the information on to third parties. In fact, the Spanish agreement specifically says that you want it for “Public” use, as opposed to “Private” use, so you are breaking the agreement by not releasing the data. All written agreements that we possess in relation to any data received from any country or geographic area are now all available via the Climate Research Unit website at: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/availability/. This page also has information regarding the compilations, processing and handling of any data received. The manner in which the station data was collected, the changes in national boundaries and entities, and the nature of the processing of the data by the CRU have all evolved & changed over the time of collection of the data. The agreements relate to the stations, which have stayed the same over the years, despite changes to national boundaries. The webpage cited is new to me and I’m not sure if the information there is new or not. I’ve been offline today so I haven’t had a chance to look at anything there but there is a page called agreements which I assume is relevant. c) the UK Met Office – there is a document from Mike Hulme requesting British overseas territory data, in which he undertakes not to pass info on to third parties. There is also another document which mprobably a red herring. It looks to be a printout of a website page rather than a formal agreement. It does say that UK Met Office data is commercially valuable and should only be used under the terms agreed. d) one non-headed document, which appears to be Spain. My spanish is poor but I can see nothing that looks like a non-disclosure clause although there is something which seems to say data should only be used for the agreed purposes which may amount to the same thing. Strangely though I can see nothing where the purposes are defined. And now I see you’ve been discussing it on a different thread for two hours! Re: the agreement with Bahrain. Based on the wording of the UKMO memo, it seems clear to me that the disclosure agreements do not prevent the individual NERC Data Centres (of which CRU is one) from releasing the information for scientific/academic purposes. Paragraph 1 states that the NERCs have the authority to release the information to specific individuals for a pre-defined purpose. It is also clear that the computer code used to convert the raw data into a temperature index is not covered by whatever agreements exist with other countries/institutions. As they provided this memo in defense of the non-release of information, I have submitted an additional FOI request for the data and, in keeping with the requirements listed in the UKMO memo, I have stated the scope of the project. 1. All original station temperature data used to produce the CRU gridded land temperature data set. 2. The code used to convert the original station temperature data series into the gridded land temperature set, to include all homogenization adjustments, adjustments to remove non-climatic influences, and any other adjustment to the original station time series. Text format of the code in the native language is acceptable. 5. Analysis of the effect of using satellite-derived covariance information to interpolate between land stations. #5 is especially because Phil Jones issued the “incorporate satellite data” challenge, and if the data can be released for that purpose, then it should be able to be released to other parties attempting to accomplish the same thing. My read of the information presented at the data availability link is that this particular FOI request fulfills the requirements to release the data (though I would not be permitted to distribute it further). To deny this request, they would have to find something more substantial than what they’ve provided to this point. It is to be expected that ‘bona fide academic research’ using the data will eventually result in scientific publications in the open literature. ‘The Data Centres will request details of such publications in due course, and if they do not arise UKMO may seek further evidence that this was at least the intention at the outset of the research. I don’t think blog posts will meet their requirements, so be aware they expect you to sincerely plan to write and publish a research level article using the data in order to qualify for data access. The irony is strong with this one. Steve: Yup. CRU climate scientists have never worried too much about logic. Let’s see: they provide 4 documents from 1993-94 pertaining to CRU and a copy of the present webpage setting out the form of agreements between the Met Office and NERC. The statement above refers to CRU “requests for data from NMSs”. There are only two request documents, one of which is to the Met Office and not to a NMS. The only document demonstrating the form of their requests is the application to Spain, which asks only that Spain be cited. The other two documents are replies from NMSs of Norway and Babrain. But these do not show the language of the original request. As has been mentioned, the webpage referred to does not provide any confidentiality agreements for the countries I requested. To tell Steve that they can’t provide the data because of pre-existing confidentiality agreements, but then to be incapable of providing them is surely indefensible? I await Steves post with eager anticipation – looks like we have them by the short and curlies! I hereby make a EIR/FOI request for a copy of any digital version of the CRUTEM station data involving the following countries: Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Hong Kong. Wow! All these excuses! Why didn’t Dr. Phil explain these “problems” when he was originally asked for the data? I requested ARUBA, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, ASCENSION ISLAND. Your request for information received on 24 July 2009 has now been considered. . Its a bit odd that they would phrase it as an affirmative fact: “we do not hold the information” as opposed to saying something like, “we’ve searched our records and can’t find documents that meet your request”. One can only concluded that they know for a fact that they do not have NDAs with these jurisdictions. I received the same response today – the five I requested were Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and Thailand. Here you can find the Klimadata Web Services and information in english. That’s particularly useful in that Norway is almost the only example of a “confidentiality agreement” that CRU could come up. Oh, what a web we weave, when we seek to retrieve. BTW I haven’t got an answer to my request yet. ACORES, ALBANIA, ANDAMAN AND LA, ANTARCTICA, ANTILLES. For anyone wishing to press CRU please remember station data are obviously “environmental information” exempt from disclosure under the FOIA as is any information about administrative measures, like confidentiality agreements, in connection with it. You should immediately request an Environmental Information Regulations 2004 r.11 reconsideration if you are not satisfied with what CRU say. This has a 40 working day time limit whereas FOIA has none. EIR has a presumption of disclosure and no absolute exception for confidentiality agreements. Even if disclosure could be shown to be actionable, which is vanishingly unlikely, a public interest test must be made having regard to the public interest and the ICO is unlikely to maintain nondisclosure. I think a Court would give CRU short shrift if they press this issue. Unfortunately as Jones and Mann have shown it is possible to spin this process out for years. 4. a complete copy of all applicable confidentiality agreements. Your request for information received on 25 July 2009 has now been considered. Data from Spain (Tmax, Tmin, Tmean, Precipitation, etc) for the station network is freely available for the period 1971-2000. I could not find available in the web page the 1961-1990 data requested by CRU to the spanish MET.Office. I do not think the data can be subject to any confidentiality agreement other than not to be used for commercial purposes. We are not in a position to supply data for a particular country not covered by the example agreements referred to earlier, as we have never had sufficient resources to keep track of the exact source of each individual monthly value. Since the 1980s, we have merged the data we have received into existing series or begun new ones, so it is impossible to say if all stations within a particular country or if all of an individual record should be freely available. Data storage availability in the 1980s meant that we were not able to keep the multiple sources for some sites, only the station series after adjustment for homogeneity issues. We, therefore, do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data. To repeat: We, therefore, do not hold the original data but only the value-added (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data. In other words, while the dog ate some of the contractual agreements with the sources for the data, more importantly and embarrassedly the dog also devoured the original data. Given that information is it not totally futile to ever expect to see the original data at least from CRU? Is it not also futile to ever expect CRU to go back to the original data and expect them to attempt to improve on any of their adjustment techniques? One could laboriously attempt a CRU reconstruction of original data from GISS data or going back to the data originators as Steve M has attempted. Meanwhile, as a scientist, one could accept CRU on good faith or say, to hell with your sloppiness, and move onto to other data sources where, at least, the originals are available. Re: Kenneth Fritsch (#44), I don’t buy it. They have the original data. It might not all be in one, compact package like the value-added data, but they physically possess it. It will take much more than this statement to convince me otherwise. They have the original data. It might not all be in one, compact package like the value-added data, but they physically possess it. It will take much more than this statement to convince me otherwise. Admitting that you have lost your original data for a temperature data base with the prestige of CRU has to be damn near fatal for future use by climate scientists – assumming those scientists care about the apparent sloppiness revealed and what their use of sloppy data would imply about their own work. My question would be why make such a damaging admission if it were not true. Maybe after years of being without the original data they finally had a Bernie Madoff moment. I would like to know whether the “value” can be subtracted from the “value added” data. If the adjustments are systematic, they might be reversible, meaning the original RAW might to a degree be approximated. That would be if the original methods, constants and rationales were properly published or available. One would have to assume that the corrected/adjusted data is “correct” and would thus leave no traces of its former unique problems. Of course, if a record was kept of the exact correction made on the original data and the record of the original data were then lost than your suggestion would work – and no doubt applied by CRU and thereby avoiding their fatal admission. Whilst I agree the actual no. of bytes of info. would have been relatively small; how were they receiving the data in those days? File transfer? Physical media? Written copies for data entry? Transcription by phone? What machine would they have used to perform the “value add” operations? If this were an individual’s PC it is quite possible the raw data never got onto a mainframe for a run and maybe never found its way into an archive and back up system. If they only had physical originals it would not be a big surprise if these went the same way as the confidentiality agreements? More of the dog’s missing dinner perhaps? Re: curious (#46), Perhaps, but the qualifier they add “not able to keep the multiple sources for some sites” would imply that for others, they did keep them. In any case, this would not prevent them from providing whatever original data they actually possess. Additionally, the advancement of the explanation that data storage availability in the 1980s is the reason means this condition can only apply to a very small subset of the data. And if they actually also lost the handwritten data sheets (along with all of the supposed confidence agreements, then they are truly more incompetent than I had imagined. Why don’t you re-read my chronology of CRU versions. Anything from the 1980s was delivered up to DOE and is available at CDIAC. So even if they made agreements in the 1980s that they can’t find, they broke the agreements and published the data, and can’t now selectively rely on their broken agreements. When do you think it would be appropriate to “out” this sorry lot in a “peer reviewed” publication? snip – please do not over-editorialize. Re: curious (#48), My take on this is that they do not have all of the original data (but they have the vast, vast majority of it) and are using semantics to avoid handing out anything. 6. The MET Office was apparently so convinced that Jones had the raw data that they even provided a FAQ describing how to request this data from Jones. In short, the statement that CRU (not the MET Office) does not have the original data is a recent development that has appeared out of left field. Therefore, I question the veracity of their claim. Once that was done and results obtained, it would be clear the scope of privacy agreements, if any. An entity which didn’t wish to maintain such an agreement could simply not reply while those who came late to the party might or might not have a chance to have their data from public view. Doubtless, at one point, they might have said that it was “too much work” to write to the NMSs in question and seek permission. But they’ve shown that they can handle 50 or so FOI requests. So it shouldn’t be that hard for them to send 50 emails to 50 NMSs. Or 200 NMSs. In fact I would suggest that are required to. In Annex G of their procedures there are guidelines for contracting with third parties and they have requirements to advise third parties of the potential conflict between confidentiality and FOIA. If they continue to receive data from a third party and have no records of the contractual basis of that transfer then it would appear they have an obligation to clarify matters. I find the simple direct approach works often enough that it is worth trying. I just left a message at the online contact form at the Bahrain CAA website. I am trying to replicate and verify the gridded global temperature series HADCRU3 issued by the Climate Research Unit of East Anglia University and the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office. The CRU declines to release the raw station data needed to replicate and verify this important and highly influential scientific dataset used in the many IPCC climate change reports and in other scientific work. I am trying to contact someone that can rescind this confidentiality agreement, thereby allowing this important scientific product to have an effective peer review. Would it be possible for the 1994 agreement be modified such that CRU can allow others to access the raw station data as part of an exercise to replicate, audit, verify and peer review the process used to generate the HADCRU3 gridded dataset? I greatly appreciate it if you could arrange to remove this impediment to the open and transparent scientific validation of a very important global climate metric. Would it be possible for the 1993 agreement be modified such that CRU can allow others to access the raw station data as part of an exercise to replicate, audit, verify and peer review the process used to generate the HADCRU3 gridded dataset? Since Bahrain and Norway were the only NMS’s with even a pseudo-agreement, that covers all their bases. probably want to advise them that CRU have likely violated the agreement ( assuming one existed )by posting the data. The public journal at DNMI seems to contain no reference to your request yet. og senest innen 5 virkedager. possible, and within five work days at the latest. Now, it’s been more than five work days, so I’m expecting a reply very soon. If not, I’ll write back to them. A key argument made by the CRU is that agreements not to further pass on the data to 3rd parties is part of the normal, accepted way of doing business in the climate science / national met office world, and that even though the CRU has very few copies of such agreements, that virtually all data has been acquired under such understanding, either implicit or explicit. This of course, ignores the long standing scientific tradition of making published work transparent and reproducible. 1) individually getting each (potential) source of historical station data to waive any confidentiality or restrictions on the use of the data for scientific research, such as Steve McIntyre’s proposed replication of the HADCRU3 gridded data. 2) getting enough public and scientific community and political pressure applied to this issue that the assumptions of what is normal are changed to accomodate the use of the raw station data for scientific purposes such as SM has proposed. Seeking and acquiring such approval for scientific use by a few dozen countries would, in my opinion, go a long ways towards convincing the Met and CRU that they should produce what data they have not yet discarded. Steve: I haven’t proposed personally replicating HadCRU calculations. I don’t have the time or interest to carry out the examination of sites and metadata that would be required in the sort of study that I think needs to be done. Nor for that matter do I think that climate policy should be delayed while this sort of thing is done. But equally I don’t think that any exigencies of the big picture excuse negligence in the small picture. Absolutely. I urge people to write to NMSs directly. It’s well worth reading WMO REsolution 40 mentioned by Jones. Or better yet, we’ll save you some trouble. Make a list of all the NMSs that are troubling you and we’ll send FOIs for you. Just have your people contact our people. I read that on your update and seriously laughed out loud. Awesomeness. And we’d do it, too. Hell, we’ll probably do it regardless . . . Charlie’s already boarded that train. I’ve added some first comments in the thread. It’s hard to know where to begin – this is a very embarrassing document. I have been reading this website for over a year now. It seems to me that the only court that the obfuscators must respect would be that of the law. How do we prosecute this? How do we shine a light into these dark corners? Are there any readers who share the desire for truth and objectivity who have been called to the bar in the UK and have the passion and resources to help? Congrats Steve. These documents sound like a confession under duress. Wish someone would teach them how to use an html stylesheet – this plain vanilla html is so 1990s. What if it’s nonsensical climate policy? I’m not sure that this statement I quoted even makes any sense. You brought it (climate policy) up, BTW. Steve: I also asked readers not to discuss this position – we’ve done so in the past. Any “bad” policy is “bad” not because the dog ate CRU’s homework but for other reasons. If the only thing that stands against a policy is CRU mismanagement, then the policy is probably OK. And I don’t wish to debate this with you or discuss it on this thread. Re: Andrew (#61), For the record, that wasn’t me. We hope in the future that we may be able to provide these data, jointly with the UK Met Office Hadley Centre, subject to obtaining consent for making them available from the rights holders. They’ve had many years to work on obtaining these “rights”. I wonder what concrete steps they’ve taken over the years towards removing any perceived encumbrances? 🙂 Have they ever notified the WMO or IPCC of problems with encumbered data? Eh, yes, I would. During my master’s degree in physics – already over 10 years ago – I worked for an IT company that worked for many mid-sized companies. I was amazed how poorly data archiving was. And on just about everything. From pay-checks, taxes, financials, their inventory, customers, etc. And if backups were made, they were rarely even checked on if the backups actually contained what was the intention. We should realise, that untill the Hockystick debacle nobody cared or thought about data availability or checking. We are talking about 25+ years of nobody checking anyones data in climate science. People trusted eachother (and possible – except for honest errors – could as the topic wasn’t politics then). So it makes more than sense to me, the data was lost, or only pro-processed data is available. Never assume wrong intent, when plain stupidity or even more common sloppyness can be blamed. Steve: Please don’t misinterpret my comment. In this case, I am definitely not imputing anything other than incompetence. The incompetence here apparently reaches beyond a lack of care with the data versions, but to the paper trail. As to your statement that prior to the Hockey Stick debacle, nobody “cared or thought” about data availability or checking. Maybe that was true in climate science, but it was definitely not true in the stock market. Such things are routine. I was dumbfounded at the attitudes in climate science and remain amazed. Re: Armin (#63), The only problem with this position is that, until just now, they had the data. Excuses about limited storage capacity in the 1980s were not present in 2002, when according to Jones himself a complete set of the underlying data was being prepared for posting. So unless they have a time machine and whisked themselves back to the 80’s to pull an Enron on themselves, incompetence is not the answer. Ryan, I think that what Jones contemplated archiving (and did archive in Feb 2003) was the “value added” station data – not the “original” data. Of course, the “confidentiality agreements” didn’t seem to present a problem. Funny how they only became a problem for Climate Audit readers and Warwick Hughes. Sheesh, this is the government we’re talking about. The stock market (theoretically) has watchdogs making them be disciplined. Who watches the watchers? For the government, no one but themselves usually. I ‘ve been associated my whole career with government agencies, including R&D facilities. I would have been surprised if they were able to give you what you asked for, not that they say they can’t. What do you call a data product where at least part of the source material cannot be identified back to the source? It’s not a trick question. I’d really like to know. It is very odd that an organization in the climate monitoring business should lose its climate data during a move. It is understandable that something could be misplaced in an office move but the thing that is the core of what an organization does is generally not the thing that is misplaced. And something else seems “fishy”, too. Haven’t there been others who have claimed to have used their raw data since then? It is quite possible I am mistaken but I was under the impression that other academics had access to that data since then and only the ones who wanted to “find something wrong with it” had been denied. They apparently didn’t lose their payroll records, or accounts receivable, or their Rolodexes. That an organization whose primary function is to provide analysis of such data should lose it puts them in a double-bind. They are either being deceptive or are unbelievably incompetent. There is no good way out of this for them. This is absurd, incompetent, and unscientific. I’ve been involved in data management since the early ‘60s. For source data storage and retention, there was original hard copy, microfilm, initial punched cards, mag. tape and printouts of interim files. Failure to store, index, and assure recoverability of such data (and related legal restrictions) is an admission of incompetence. The assurance of data integrity is incumbent on every scientific endeavor. Without retrievable (and reperformable) base data, calculated conclusions are worthless. CRU, with their several above responses, is declaring their findings/output to be scientifically unreliable. If work cannot be replicated, how can it be considered science? I cannot get my mind around that one. I’m baffled that anyone takes work like CRU’s seriously. What joker came up with the expression “value added” to describe CRU’s data? The fundamental purpose of this exercise must surely be to recover the earliest, least-adjusted records; and then to study the subsequent adjustments for logic, error, assumption etc. Two years ago I was told that CRU no longer held data I sought. This raises an intrigue as to whether in a legalistic way, CRU has assigned guardianship to another body which needs to be identified then FOI’d. See Kenneth Fritsch at #44. There are hints that a mass of data in early form exists. I tend to agree with Ryan O at #45 & #52 and Steve at #51. I wrote to our NMS a week or more ago, asking if we had an agreement of the type mentioned, but have had no response so far. Also, I have posted the copyright statements that now accompany public release of Australian data. I have not succeeded in finding copyright statement versions operating in the early 1990s. There are several graphs posted in recent weeks where Australian temp data are shown from various sources. So far, no systematics have emerged from the subsets I have examined, though it seems that the “most” original 1993 BOM set often plots higher than some others such as KNMI. It is not uncommon for a year to have a spread of 1 deg C from various current public sources. Presumably, Tmax and Tmin variation can be greater again. The 1993 BOM set is already homogenised to a degree that I have not examined. It is a lengthy job, station metadata sheets one-by-one for 1,000 or more stations. Having noted this, it is possible that the gaining of the CRU original data might be a hollow victory for future research, but a severe lesson for the conduct of climate science. The reason is that any “original” set that might be extracted from GB would have to be examined, piece by piece, to see what adjustments had already been made, if any, by the donating parties. In an overall glum view, if serious science is to be done on the instrumental temperature records, it really needs to be restarted from the ground up, with original data from NMS or country sources including metadata. We have learned a great deal (thank you Steve) about how the job should be done properly. In the meantime, I have refused to use CRU-Hadley data for any purpose other than to show inconsistency and uncertainty. I do not bother to read papers that use it as a base. Unfortunately, given the Australian provenance of a good deal of SH information and its prior poorly-understood homogenisation, many other countries will be in a similar position. I cannot recommend any global surface instrumental data set as being adequate for correlation/causation studies in climate science. I’m not surprised that they didn’t keep the original data back in the 1970’s and 80’s. In their view, I imagine the raw data had no value. The “good” data was that which had been processed. You have to remember just how expensive data storage was back then. All you have to do is look back to the Y2K problem to understand just how far programmers would go to minimize the data stored. Was it shortsighted to not keep the raw data? Absolutely! But seriously who could have predicted the current importance of temperature records from obscure location around the globe from 40 years ago??? Anyway, I don’t consider the raw data to be “lost” but rather a business decision was made that it was unimportant to retain it. I’m not surprised that they didn’t keep the original data back in the 1970’s and 80’s. In their view, I imagine the raw data had no value. The “good” data was that which had been processed. The original data is the heart of the data base and without it how would or could CRU justify the value added part – or ever go back for a Version 2 as USHCN did. GISS rules. I’m not surprised that they didn’t keep the original data back in the 1970’s and 80’s. In their view, I imagine the raw data had no value. The “good” data was that which had been processed. You have to remember just how expensive data storage was back then. In the 70s and 80s, on line memory was expensive. Off line memory was very cheap. The data could have been placed on t 9-trackape and kept in storage, If someone wanted access to the data, they would send a message to the computer center and ask for the tape to be mounted. In my experience, this took only a few minutes. There would be nothing unusual about this. Any university would have the facilities to do this. Pictures of computer centers of that era commonly have racks of 9-track tapes shown in them. One tape would have sufficient storage for all temperature data both raw and processed. The problem wasn’t data storage, Bill, but rather the very limited amount of core memory available (RAM) for volatile processing. With a memory space today measured in gigabytes I would have no problem programming a huge, multi-demensional array and retaining and processing it in memory. As recently as the 80’s we were too often restricted to 32 – 64 Kilobytes of RAM: far too little to hold a data array and the instructions to process it. Intermediate structures had to be written back to “temporary” files and then read back in as needed. Even in those days the biggest time constraint to processing was I/O, and jobs running in seconds today took hours back then. Yeah, we economized on dates back then, but it was due to processing time and memory constraints rather than the cost of storage. There is no good excuse for losing scientific data. * That implies both that they know that they lost data for some sites (which ones?) but not others (which ones?). * Have they tried to contact the relevant agencies (when?) so they can complete their database for modern analysis? * Why haven’t they been trying to reanalyze their old data, when GISS and NOAA seem to often reanalyze and adjust their data? * What policy decisions, studies or research are the basis for their decision to not reanalyze data? * What are their quality control procedures to ensure that their data is valid or useful? ** This Met Office page mentions ISO 9001 standards, but the page only refers to data they gather from UK locations. * Have they already studied their data and decided that it is not valid or not useful, or not worth maintaining? * How much to they spend to maintain this data? * What are they doing with the data maintenance funds? There is NO confidentiality agreement with Bahrain, if the posted document is all they have. As James Goneaux [#18], above, noted, Jones and Hulme didn’t sign anything. More than that, however, it’s clear Jones and Hulme asked for data and it was freely given by the Bahraini agent. The agent didn’t withhold production of the data until he received a written or oral promise of confidentiality. ‘Please’ does not create a condition of use. There is also NO confidentiality agreement with Spain. As Willis notes, above [#13], at the location for date and signature [FECHA Y FIRMA], the boilerplate requires data provided to be used for purposes specified and to be cited in all publications. Has this been done ? Please note that there is NO SIGNATURE at the signature line [FECHA Y FIRMA]. No signature generally = no agreement. Willis kinda gets it wrong about “public purpose,” however. Hulme describes himself as a member of the public [Empresa: Publica]. So, we have in black and white that Hulme merely stated he wanted the data; he never stated that he intended to use it for any particular purpose. The Spanish gave him the data without any restrictions. Even IF he had signed the request, there would be nothing to bind him to. He’s free to use it however he wishes. There may be SOME confidentiality requirements tied to Norwegian data, but given the age of the data – I doubt it. Bjorne Aune provided both “a report and a disk” to Hulme in 1993. Confidentiality requirements were only attached to the then-unpublished data found on the disk. The disk and the following precipitation data [to be sent later by Aune – J.E.] are sent to you without charge. The condition is that you do not use them commercially or give them to a third party. DNMI wanted to protect gathered, but unpublished data back in 1993. It is arguably reasonable for a Norwegian public institution to control the use of their data for a short period of time, until publication. The purpose to which DNMI attached confidentiality requirements has long passed. It’s been sixteen years. They’ve had their period of exclusive use to feather their own curricula vitae. They don’t care about confidentiality, anymore. Stronger still, there’s no signature by Hulme – agreeing to the proposed condition. He likely isn’t bound to the terms of the agreement. There are NO confidentiality agreements based upon oral promises. One could always raise the question of authority to enter into these agreements, but before getting there, anybody who attempted to enforce one of these agreements would have to deal with the Statute of Frauds , which generally requires certain agreements to be in writing [and signed by the bound party] in order to be enforceable. Among the agreements covered by the Statute of Frauds are agreements which, by their nature, cannot be completed within a year. An agreement to be a sole supplier or retailer of goods for sixteen years cannot be completed within a year, so it is covered by the Statute of Frauds . The agreement must be in writing or it’s unenforceable. This will likely be true for confidentiality agreements in the UK. Short ones [11 months] may be oral, long ones [> 1 year] must be written and signed by the party bound [Jones / Hulme]. Any oral agreements were legally void or have long-since expired. Jim, note that there’s a bit of a disconnect between the paraphrase of the regulation and the regulation itself. Interpretation of the exemptions is at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/opengov/eir/guidance/full-guidance/pdf/guidance-7.pdf. Is the phrase “did not supply it in circumstances such that or any other public authority is entitled apart from these Regulations to disclose it” equivalent to being governed by a confidentiality agreement? I wonder if there are any cases on this clause. Did you notice the case that was linked in footnote #13, at the bottom of page 18 of the the guidelines for interpretation you linked to ? The case involves “environmentally information” provided to the government within the terms of a confidential contract to build and operate a toll road, pursuant to a publicly-granted monopoly. A couple of environmentalists decided they wanted to know the terms under which this preferential deal was made and requested data, then litigated when it was denied. At the very end of the case, the court looked at the analogue of 12(5)(f), but in a very confusing way. The old numbering for EIR 12(5)(f) was, apparently, 4(3)(c). In BNRR, the government received and used information to come to a determination, but it NEVER subsequently disclosed that information to a member of the public. This may be important as you allude to in your #88. If any consideration is paid for data, it fails the analogue of 12(5)(f)(i), and so no exception applies. Since MEL was negotiating details within the framework of a presumed “best endeavors” clause [after they already won the bid for the government contract], the information it gave the government was not voluntarily “supplied” within the meaning of the regulation, and was, therefore, not excepted from disclosure. An important factual distinction was that the parties who provided information, and were colluding with the government to prevent disclosure, actually owned the information they were attempting to protect. Can the same be said for EVERY person who supplied information to Jones / Hulme ? So, assuming that 12(5)(f) applies to the information you’re looking for, a court might look at the inherent likeliness that a private party would withhold consent. Consent seems less likely withheld for 30 year-old weather data than for private accounting statements. I think another argument can be made that information was provided for consideration, or likely provided for consideration, or pursuant to a pre-existing agreement, or that it cannot be shown that information wasn’t provided for consideration or pursuant to an agreement. Any of these circumstances would cause a legal obligation to arise, and 12(5)(f)(i) would not be met. No exception would arise. Consideration could include money, as the Norwegians suggest. Consideration could also include a promise to provide a future benefit, like being named as a coauthor on a paper published in a prestigious journal. A promise to use one’s data and credit its provenance might also be consideration, where it’s reasonable to expect that being named as an important data source might bring prestige and continued third-party funding. Promises wouldn’t necessarily have to be reciprocal. It’s possible for one party to fully perform [i.e. – deliver the information] in expectation that Jones or Hulme would fulfill promises in the future. If I steal/convert information, I don’t magically acquire rights to direct how it may be used. Unlike in the BNRR case, I think there may be genuine issues of ownership present. The regulation doesn’t explicitly state so, but a “person” under 12(5)(f) must be an owner of the information, in order to withhold personal consent. Assuming that there are agreements to keep publicly-funded information confidential, can Jones show that the parties who gave him the data had the legal right to withhold consent to distribute the information ? An interesting question to me is whether foreign “public authorities” remain “public authorities” or become “persons” [for the purposes of 12(5)(f)] when they give information to UK “public authorities” under EIR. But the EIR seems to be a departure from normal UK law, like FOIA. The interpretational guidelines note that the purpose of EIR is to implement the Aarhus treaty. [See, e.g., interpretational guideline 4.12.] I think that there is a reasonable argument that a Finnish meteorological agency doesn’t count as a “person” for the purpose of 12(5)(f). An agent of a foreign “public authority” would, likewise, not be a “person” for this exception, as they aren’t providing information that belongs to themselves, personally. Phil Jones may, in fact, have a legitimate moral duty to prevent disclosure of borrowed data, based upon his prior oral commitments to the agents of foreign public authorities. Dr. Jones’ gentleman’s agreements are NOT binding on the UK, however. His personal failings, if any, don’t keep the UK from being “entitled” to disclose data in their possession. Even if an estoppel operates as between the Secretary of State and MEL that cannot bind third parties exercising their fight to seek environmental information under the Regulations. But merely because there has been a common mistaken assumption it does not follow that there must be an estoppel: it must be unjust or unfair for one of the parties to resile from the convention, and the estoppel will apply “only for the period of time and to the extent required by the equity which the estoppel has raised”: see Bingham LJ (as he then was) at p. 352 of The Vistafjord. The public inquiry was held in 1994 – 1995. It is now 1998 and the Secretary of State has decided that the BNRR shall be built by MEL. Even after this lapse of time it might still be unconscionable for the Secretary of State to decide, of his own motion and for some purpose of his own, to release details of the Agreement. But it does not follow that it would be unconscionable for him to disclose those details pursuant to a request made to him under the Regulations . So, after the data has been used and three years have passed, Jones’ gentleman’s agreements may bind him, but it doesn’t follow that the data necessarily can’t be supplied pursuant to a request for publicly-held information. Jones would only be bound if somebody stood up and said. “Hey, that’s my information !” It sounds like he doesn’t even remember his promises, if any. Re: jim edwards (#79), Your argument regarding the statute of frauds isn’t quite water-tight. In most jurisdictions, the statute of frauds is now regarded with disfavor, which, under the currently popular judicial philosophy (which I call by the inflamatory title, “the imperial judiciary”) means it is construed narrowly–bizzarrely so. In most jurisdictions, the statute of frauds is read to apply only to agreements that cannot possibly be executed in less than a year. This means that an oral agreement can remain ienforceable, theoretically indefinately, as long as it is possible for it to end sooner. In this specific case, for example, if the agreement were to maintain the data in confidence until the source published something with it, that agreement would not fall under the statue of frauds in most jurisdictions, since the publication could possibly happen in less than a year. None of this should be read to contradict your larger conclusion. To the contrary, I agree; I see no evidence of any confidentiality agreement applicable to the present issue, namely public disclosure of the HADCRU raw data. The admission that confidentiality agreements have been lost means that the confidentiality excuse can’t be used to deny documents under FOI. All a person has to do is appeal one’s denial and state that you question the existence of any agreements legally limiting the proliferation of the data. The denying agency would have to present the agreements at appeal. It’s up to them to prove that you don’t deserve the data. No agreements = no proof. No proof = reversed denial. Ok, so what was the data which was unearthed by the mole? Steve reported that he wasn’t told the material was not public at one time. And since he wasn’t told to destroy it, it should now be available for examination. So is it part or all of the HADCRUT original data or not? If not, what was the big deal in the first place? If it is original data, does that contradict what CRU now says? Steve: The “mole”, who appears to have been Phil Jones himself, placed station data online in Feb 2003 (versions from 1996 and 1990 were online as well.) This was the data which, in 2009, was supposed to be subject to “confidentiality agreements”. Up to July 27, 2009, CRU had simply disregarded the supposed agreements. Is there such a person as an Auditor General there that can be asked to examine their methods? Below we list the agreements that we still hold. We know that there were others, but cannot locate them, possibly as we’ve moved offices several times during the 1980s.Nobody would take it seriously. Nobody would believe that they were that incompetent. I wonder what would happen if Lonnie Thompson moved offices. Would he lose all his unarchived ice core data? Not quite the same thing. Losing agreements should a lot more difficult than losing data, because agreements should be kept at the attorney’s office. This is doubly incompetent. Granted all the harrumphing about the loss of data, or the missing confidentiality agreements, but it does make me think of the recent news that the original film of the first moon walk has been lost by NASA. As reported recently in the news, the degrated television video is what we all remember from seeing it over the years. The actual high quality film was put away years ago, and probably thrown out. If it doesn’t occur to anyone at NASA to save the original film of the first humans walking on the freakin’ moon, I can well imagine a British climate agency losing track of sets of temperature data from around the world. A UK citizen must be able to bowl over the limited and now documented evidential basis for refusing to supply the data based on UK law if Jim Edwards is correct. Even if it necessitated seeking a release from one or more suppliers or simply excluding those countries. If there are “no other circumstances that entitle the public authority to disclose it”, then CRU could not have disclosed the data to Peter Webster. So obviously they were circumstances that entitled the public authority to disclose the data. They also disclosed the data to the Met Office. They also sent a version to me in 2002. While I admire everybody’s persistence in going through channels, in my business (newspaper reporter), if I get the stall and runaround like this, I go to the top. Not sure who the top would be here. Minister of Defence? The minister is an MP, right? So he has a top, too. Several, starting with his constituency committee, I believe it is called. You’re proved that going through channels, although amusing, is not productive. I’m surprised there has, as yet, been no refusal on cost grounds. Steve: As I’ve said over and over, I do not share that opinion. This is now getting close to an end game. The prosaic truth is far from a Robert Ludlum novel, simply: “we run such a sloppy house that we don’t even know what we have or have not lost”. Isn’t the term “non-academics” really just a proxy for “commercial”? No. Forbidding non-academic access restricts it to whatever “academic” means. Forbidding commercial access would still allow access by anyone else — cryptologists looking for secret messages which might have been inserted in data streams, artists needing museum selection information, trainspotters looking for rolling stock in good condition, nonprofit global regatta founders. No, the rumor was that NASA had found the lost lunar walk footage. They haven’t, they’re merely restoring TV footage. NASA found records that the original video (the only one stored on a data tape rather than video tape) was recycled for other data. There were two test tapes, which due to being an equipment test were outside the normal record handling, whose status is still unknown. I do sincerely hope that the end game is approaching here. If the UK’s most “prestigious/authoritative” climate organisation cannot/will not find the requested data and agreements then they are either terminally incompetent, or not to be trusted. Surely even the BBC could get that? In my experience in the nuclear industry, all data before electronic storage was kept on duplicate microfilm or microfiche, the copies being stored in separate locations (e.g. one copy down a salt mine, the other in an on-site store). No rocket science needed – easy and relatively cheap. In 1974 the Australian Government became less than amused by the antics of its intelligence and security sectors and set up a Royal Commission. My mate George was Secretary and did most of the writing for the Judge. I was reading some of the report today and was struck by the parallels. Here are the words from 1975-6. The records are preserved in their entirety to this day. Of course it could be done properly. 1. In the course of my inquiry, the Commission has accumulated some twenty shelf-metres of records. They comprise submissions by individuals and organizations; tapes and transcripts of hearings, and records of less formal ‘conversations’; exhibits tendered at hearings; submissions, documentary evidence literature, and briefings, provided by intelligence and security agencies and government departments, and by overseas agencies; correspondence and subject files; report drafts and working papers; and lists, registers and indexes. 2. The question arises as to what will become of this material after my inquiry concludes. It is rendered both more difficult and more vital, by the facts that the great majority of items are highly classified, and that I have made directions … that some material not be published. 4. Even so, the sensitivity of much of the records copels me to make some recommendations for the future. What is done is, of course, a matter for government. (a) The continuing security of the records against improper use. (b) The continuing availability of the records for proper use. They have the raw data, but don’t want you to have it. You’re getting the bigtime runaround. This raw data must be of very high value if it’s worth ruining the very reputation of the institute entrusted to keep it. I suppose the possibility exists that the CRU is really completely in shambles, as they say. If so, then it should never be used by or cited in any credible scientific works. It just happens that Nick Herbert, the Shadow Environment Secretary, is my MP. Funnily enough, while reading the Daily Telegraph this morning, the idea of writing an email to him crossed my mind. I think I’ll compose an email in the near future but wait until Parliament comes back from its well-deserved holiday. Quite likely Nick will be away on holiday during the coming weeks – probably in a country with a significantly warmer climate. They have lost the original data? Those guys are not serious! The CRU temperature record might as well be a series of random number. It should not be used by anyone anymore. Wasn’t someone else using random numbers too (allegedly…)? Or might as well have been, according to some very useful local detective work. If I am the gatekeeper for some historical data, and a most unfortunate set of circumstances leads to the most unfortunate loss of the original data…..then could I reasonably make and/or justify any adjustments to the historical (lost) part of the record after the losss of said data? With all the problems in the U.S. data sets, you had to know the world-wide data had many issues as well. Lack of computer space? Please. Even 20,000 stations daily data for 30 years would still fit on a flash drive or an old 9-track tape. I ran simulations in 1980 that generated that much output. Who holds the original data logs etc. for the majority of the planet, i.e. the oceans? Hopefully it is safe somewhere. I am not sure, but I believe that Hadley SST data is used in other global data sets. Should there be a traceability issue with this data then it will be inherited by such other datasets. Also does the IPCC have any standards regarding the traceability of data products used in the construction of its reports? Steve BTW, I am having real problems posting comments via IE8 (Typing not appearing on the screen for up to a minute. This missive comes to you courtesy of Opera 9.26. Hadley SST is run by a different operation. ICOADS is the raw material for gridded SST and there is voluminous material online and there seems to be concerted effort to preserve the metadata and information attached to the measurements, not just the number. The SST people seem to have inherited maritime traditions of care with logbooks etc. Many logbooks from vessels have been preserved for decades. CRU’s reckless lack of stewardship with land data entrusted to them is totally at odds with the UK maritime tradition of stewardship of maritime data. If they simply tag new data for a station onto old data, which is what it sounds like they are saying, and that the old data is not the raw but their processed data, then any corrections made by a country to past data for homogeneity or scribal errors etc, will never make it into the CRU database. Re: Craig Loehle (#112), This is why I believe they have at least a portion of the original data. While they may not maintain a duplicate of the GHCN database the idea that they have no original data for stations outside GHCN does not, in my opinion, pass the common sense test. first time poster, long-time reader. As a government employee in the states, I would expect to be “terminated” were I to react in this fashion. It is this type of behavior which makes citizens distrustful of all government employees. “Who’s” hiding “what” and “why” – disgusting. The loss of the original raw data means the original and subsequent science cannot now be verified. Human error or a human convenience? No ready answer, but we can take it that CRU now suffers from a lack of credibility. Just think of all those papers, journals, books, scientific news-pieces and editorials which referenced CRU value-added data that now have a large ? beside them. That realy is good news regarding SST data archiving, they have saved two thirds of the planet. I have to say that just uncovering the loss of the original land data alone, has probably made all your efforts worthwhile. Ignoring the politics and the amusement that can be had over this, how can this be fixed? Whatever your point of view and beliefs on climatic change, reliance on the integrity and traceabilily of the temperature record is likely to be a paramount concern. It seems that they have gone to a lot of effort to produce a very important data product and have let the foundations and perhaps several of the lower floors wash away. Leaving a “Castle in The Sky”. It is a tradegy. Hopefully someone somewhere has got enough of the original data to at least start to unpick this mess. Hopefully the CRU have made the original data available at sometime to someone and they have kept portions of it. Question to anyone: Are other data sets, e.g. GISS reliant on CRU value added land temperatures for any regions/countries, or do they hold all the original data to which they add value? Otherwise I fear that the MET/CRU may be the only data repository for ex-Britih Empire countries prior to independence. Or rather they should have been but neglected to be so. No joke, I feel sick about this. Not a good day for the UK. Does this exercise really matter? Can we expect the specific data gathering, collation, error checking, and adjustment process to affect the temperature record in a significant way, or are we just chasing ghosts. To educate myself on the variations between the various temperature products, I googled “giss vs hadcru3 temperatures”. Interestingly, the 1st result was a Climate Audit post, the 2nd result was Lucia’s Blackboard, and the 3rd was Watts Up With That. The Climate Audit Feb 2007 post, HadCRU3 versus GISS showed the difference between the HADCRU3 grid and the USHCN-2000 gridded product across the lower 48 USA. An difference in annual temps of about -0.35C in the 1930’s to +0.28C recently. So it appears that the DIFFERENCE in adjustments between USHCN-2000 and HADCRU3 is on the same order as the observed change in temperature. We already know from other posts that the total adjustments made by NOAA to the US surface station record are about the same size as the long term changes in temperature, but the above result showing that the differences in adjustment made by two sets of scientists also approach the magnitude of observed warming was somewhat surprising. The bottom line is that it tells me that this exercise in attempting to replicate HADCRU3 is worth the effort. It matters for even bigger reasons (for the AGW climate scientists even more than the public). The public has been told that they must defer to the expertise of climate scientists who supposedly have reached a consensus. Any information which casts light on the quality of the science practiced by the “experts” gives the public guidance on whether to acquiesce to the experts’ judgment. Over the last few years the curtain has been drawn back quite a bit. The sloppiness of so much of what passes for “science” in the climate area has been truly astonishing. The public really deserves to see everything behind the curtain. Note, for their own good and the public’s, I think it is imperative that those scientists whose scientific practices are top quality be as transparent as possible. The revelations of sloppy science by so many of their contemporaries threatens to reach a tipping point (if it hasn’t already) which will cause the public to lose confidence in all of them. That would be very unfortunate for the public and disastrous for the quality scientists. “So it appears that the DIFFERENCE in adjustments between USHCN-2000 and HADCRU3 is on the same order as the observed change in temperature. I agree. I think at the risk of being snipped for editorialising, that what Charlie has posted needs to be repeated. Because of various ‘issues’ (e.g. TOBS, UHI, satellite orbital decay, bucket adjustements etc etc) with all FOUR anomaly indices which result in the need to apply various adjustments to the raw data, the adjustments that are made to the ‘raw’ data whether it be ground stations or satellite or radiosonde balloon data etc are of the same magnitude as the claimed warming trend (claimed by some to be unprecedented in the last 1000 years!) in mean global surface temperature over the 20th century! Given the levels of uncertainty/variability in these measurements this means that we CANNOT be certain to any significant level of confidence that the claimed warming is nothing more than an artefact of the adjustments made to the raw data. This IMO is the main conclusion that can be reached from the auditing work that Steve has carried out so far on his blog. This IMO is the main reason why Steve’s request for raw data and details on how the data is adjusted are resisted/opposed by the ‘gatekeepers’. Since this THE key piece of evidence on which the IPCC claims that man (due to his continued use of fossil fuels) is having an appreciable effect on the earth’s climate, then it is clear that their claim is manifestly unsupportable. In reality because of the ‘issues’ with how we measure the earth’s temperature in the past and present continue the exist then the bottom line is we wil most likely never know to any significant level of confidence whether or not man has had or ever will have an appreciable effect on earth’s climate! Now given even if we could delude ourselves that we are are having an apprciable effect on our climate, the claimed warming trend is so small as it is (its most definitely not unprecedented and is NOT signifacantly greater than recent climatic warming anomalies like the RWP and MWP which were clearly beneficial to man) then why on earth are we introducing legislation to control the level of our emissions of a trace gas (vital to the continued existence of all life on this plant) into our atmosphere? Whithout attempting to justify the QA/QC (or lack thereof) in this data there is a point which can help explain the obfuscatory nature of *some* of the correspondence. Consultants routinely insist on a “no reliance by third parties” clause when releasing information or reports to their customers. The intent of the clause is to prevent, particularly in certain large North American countries, torts by persons who relied on the information without understanding the context. Say, in a feasibility study, for example. Let’s say I prepare a report for a junior exploration firm discussing what their mine might look like and what it might cost. I neglect to add the clause. They post excerpts fromt the report in their quarterly statements. Shares go up. Nothing is there. Shares go down. Consulting firm gets sued out of existance. The clause also ensures that data that is subject to change and revision is refreshed from the source each time. QA/QC can take effect. Potential customers are required to contact the consultant, develop a relationship, and maybe provide the consultant with more work. Now – lawers being who they are – this type of language gets more and more complex and people in the company who don’t understand WHY the clause is there pedantically insist on it’s inclusion on anything and everything without regards to its relevance. It can make it look like the consultant won’t stand behind their report. All sorts of terrible things (like losing a customer – worst possible) can happen. In this case it appears that the clause is being retroactively added to documents and data. Older data sets (pre-80’s) probably didn’t have any such thing as this issue did not exist in its current form then. The folks who reply to FOI requests would seem to be the exact type of staffers who would *assume* that such a “no release to third party” clause would apply to everything. Perhaps a useful FOI request is to inquire for a copy of the CRU current policy regarding the “no release to third party” clause, the standard text of the clause, and when it was first applied consistently as a policy. This would be comical if it were not for the fact that databases like CRU are used to formulate Government policy. I was told that the cruwlda2.zip data already has a correction for the UHI (presumably 0.05 C/century). By implication, so does newcrustnsall.dat.Z and later versions of the data. Thus, if anyone asks for raw data, they are asking for a data set that is NOT cruwlda2.zip or newcrustnsall.dat.Z. The earlier data may not have been retained, as they say, after the UHI correction. Therefore, they can truthfully deny all FOI requests for the raw data. It is rather tricky way for them to respond. The FOI request perhaps needs to be more specific, asking for the updated version of newcrustnsall.dat.Z and information on the known differences between this data and the raw data. After what point in all this do the FOI requests end and the Lawyers are brought in? Does this mean only those supporting global warming can get the data? As a community, I think we tend to be too judgemental. People here are jumping to the conclusion that it was incompetance. I prefer to remain less judgemental and rather assume that many Climate Scientists are simply unfamilliar with many of the methods used in other branches of science. Climate science is a bit insular after all. In that spirit, I’ve begun work of a new article that I intend to submit to the Journal Science: ‘Novel Method of Climate Data Retension and Extraction Through the Use of “Filing Cabinets”‘. Just think about what the lost raw data means to CRU. They can never modify their adjustments. Ever. If they determine at some point they want to use a different inhomogeneity calculation or adjust UHI differently, they simply can’t. Of course they can modify their adjustments. Who’s going to stop them from making whatever adjustment they want? OT (but interesting) response to #85 regarding NASA losing the original video of the original manned lunar landing. It was lost for 40yrs but they found it. The response I received confirms no agreements are on file for France, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Ukraine. I have often used the analogy of national Consumer Price Indexes to illustrate the ridiculous situation of the “Global Temperature” data. Each country has large professional staffs at their Stat agencies working on the monthly CPI using international protocols, using transparent methods, with independent academics looking over their shoulders weighing the various aggregation methodologies (e.g. Paasche, Laspeyres, Fisher, Tornqvist etc index number formulae), and with historical archiving rules that allow backward revisions periodically if needed. It’s by no means perfect, but it’s a far cry from the f**king gong show we’re seeing here. The reason CPI data, GDP data, etc. are handled professionally is that a range of policies (such as money supply control, pension indexing, intergovernmental transfers) etc depend on the numbers; also some labour contracts include CPI-based escalator clauses. In other words the numbers matter. By contrast the Global Temperature numbers are coming from a bunch of disorganized academics chipping away at it periodically in their spare time. GISS numbers are handled (on Gavin’s admission) by a single half-time staffer, and the CRU says they’re stumped trying to find their original files back into the 70s and 80s, as well as the agreements under which they obtained the data and which to this day they invoke to prevent independent scrutiny. I take Steve’s point that these issues are not sufficient to change one’s views on any particular policy which could be shown on other grounds to be desirable or otherwise. And this is not the thread (or the site) to debate policy. But bear in mind that the G8 Summit recently issued an undertaking to prevent the Global Temperature from going up by 2C compared to pre-industrial times, and the Copenhagen Agreement will probably contain similar language. That ‘2C’ number refers, in all likelihood, to a few digits that Phil Jones publishes in his spare time using data from files he has lost, etc. etc. If that kind of quality control is good enough for the purposes of G8 agreements and international protocols, then let’s not waste so much money running national statistical agencies to produce numbers that are used for such trivialities as central bank policy, national pensions and labour contracts. We’ll just ask some professors to cobble together a monthly number in their spare time, we’ll let them do historical revisions any time they want without notice or external scrutiny, and we’ll promise them that nobody will ever check their work. And if the CRU staff want to plead that we are being too harsh on them because they “did the best they could” with such limited means and minuscule staffs, etc, fine. I’ll be the first to join in such a defence: the minute they put a big red disclaimer on their data products saying “Warning: These numbers are offered on an as-is basis and should not be used for any important public purposes.” But they can’t have it both ways, claiming their data products are good enough for policy purposes, while also claiming they cannot be expected to meet the quality expectations that apply to the other data series we use for policy purposes. As in to develop policy? or to implement policy (whatever it is)? or, Something Must Be Done!? I can almost pity the poor folk at CRU – they must feel like they’re under siege by a swarm of auditors (but then, they could have deferred on the super-duper computer until they had their house in order). Even given the unbelievable sloppiness at CRU, I’m a little bothered by Steve’s harsh, heavy-handed sarcasm. The power of CA has always been its cooly analytical approach, leavened by the occasional zinger. I hope this thread is just a holiday. Thanks for the heads up. I was expecting something tomorrow and keeping it as a little surprise. I guess we can now add another debating point when discussing with the Other Side. It used to be “we have good non-proxy data from at least 1850”. This will now be, what, 1990 or so? Isn’t 2C the margin of error on tree ring proxies? In view of the wholesale “adjustments” made by those of the Hansen persuasion to data of various origins, though perhaps especially of data originating in the USA, I have to wonder what sort of effect the CRU manipulations, if any, or indeed misplacements, might have on our knowledge of large scale climate effects. It seems to be accepted quite widely that climatology is at best an approximate science in which opinion and methods of working can have a large influence on the outcome of a learned paper. It is easy to think of an example! However, I hazard that the loss/modification of original information on the scale that might have happened at CRU is unlikely to have such profound and global political effects as the methods adopted in MBH98 and ’99 have had. Perhaps the CRU data is still adequately wide-ranging and reliable enough for the general purpose of the goals of open-minded investigators to remain largely unaffected. If so we should be thankful for that. I recognise however, that this cannot be fully checked unless the original information surfaces somewhere. Nevertheless I fear that over-tenacious pursuit of some missing information may be counter-productive in the long run. Ha ha , they have been pulling your legs. This isn’t real, it’s an episode of “The Men from the Ministry”. From my reading of this it seems like CRU have lost some, but not all, raw data and that some, but not all, of the raw data they have may be covered by a confidentiality agreement. It therefore seems sensible to request that they publish such raw data as exists and is not subject to a confidentiality agreement and to document such raw data that is known to be lost and to list the information about such data that exists but is under a confidentiality agreement. > but only the value-added (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data. covered by a confidentiality agreement. Just wanted to say congratulations all who sent in their FOI requests. Do you think the University Admin that has to deal with this will be pleased with the way Phil Jones has behaved over the years? My guess is no and that they will demand greater rigour in the future. This will eventually be beneficial for climate science. Reporting In: I Received the standard notice (Ref. FOI_09-104) from David Palmer for QATAR, REUNION, ROMANIA, SAO-TOME-AND, TAIWAN. Had a private sector company said, “oh gee, we seem to have lost our ERP data, but we’re quite sure our earnings are properly stated”, there would be hell to pay. The government would impose huge fines and there would be calls for the execs to do jail time. But for some reason we hold the public sector to a lower standard. Maybe HADley has LOSTly the original data, but they haven’t, surely, lost the algorithms for adjustment and normalisation, HADTHEYly? In addition to requesting info about confidentiality agreements, I had requested info about person or organizations to whom CRU had supplied data in the last 5 years. The response came back today. My questions in italics. CRU response in blockquote. 1. Please supply a list of persons and/or organizations to whom the CRUTEM data set has been provided to in the last 5 years. If personal privacy concerns prevent you from identifying which specific persons have been provided such data, then it would be sufficient to simply supply the organizational affilliation of those persons. For example, it has come to my attention that most likely this data set has been provided to Peter Webster of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA. If you are unable to confirm that such data has been sent to Peter Webster, then it would meet my needs if you were to simply list Georgia Institute of Technology as the recipient. The entire CRUTEM data set has not been sent to anyone, or any organisation within the last 5 years. A subset of that data was provided to Georgia Tech University in January 2009. 2. Please supply a copy of any agreements between your organization and the recipients or the institutional recipients of such data that impose any conditions of confidentiality, or which prohibit further transmission of such CRUTEM data sets, or which prohibit the public posting of such data sets on the internet. Whilst the University does possess internal guidelines regarding contracting generally, the making of research agreements regarding the conduct of funded research, and financial regulations governing any agreements with financial implications, there are no specific internal regulations or rules regarding the transfer of data to persons outside our organisation, nor any in relation specifically to the confidentiality of CRUTEM data records. He apparently misunderstood my question #2, which was for any agreements between CRU and the recipients (such as Peter Webster) of data from CRU. He answered with info about agreements between CRU and the raw station data providers. I will request clarification. I poorly phrased my question #1, as it could easily be construed to inquire only about persons/organizations to whom the entire dataset has been supplied. In any future FOI or EIR requests like this I will of course include, .. or portion thereof ….. I’ve been considering holidaying in Kent, as I note from my guidebook that there is plentiful good wine to be had, on account of its numerous vineyards. However, I am also concerned that it is apparently also a reknowned malarious region, with many locals stricken with the ‘ague’. Of course my guidebook from the 1700s may be a little out of date, and the clemency of the weather may have shifted in the meantime. I would be grateful of some more recent information. The dog ate their homework again. Microfiche or punch cards were used back in the60’s, 70′ and 80’s for data storage. More than likely the data is stored on microfiche. Why throw out data that someone was paid to collect? Sorry for the delay: I have been on holiday. I received the standard reply from CRU for Zimbabwe, Zaire, Angola, South Africa and Botswana. Thank you very kindly for this information, it is very helpful. However, I had asked for something different. I am interested in acquiring the original raw temperature station data held by CRU, and used by them to create the HadCRUT dataset. This is very likely different from the current digitized dataset you reference below. The CRU say that they cannot release the data which they received from you because of a supposed confidentiality agreement with Norway. What I would like is for you to verify that they can in fact release such station data. The Met Office does not hold this information because no written agreement exists. The Met Office received data from Professor Jones on the proviso that it would not be released to any other source. This proviso is based upon a verbal arrangement and a practice which has been adhered to since the early 1980s. We understand from Professor Jones that such an arrangement is necessary because the various organisations contributing to the work of the Climatic Research Unit have imposed restrictions upon the use and disclosure of their specific data. Please see the Climatic Research Unit’s website at http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/availability/ for further information in this regard. We are corresponding with the Climatic Research Unit to determine whether it can make further data available subject to obtaining all necessary permissions from the rights holders. I see in their response they used “verbal arrangement” rather than “verbal agreement”. Is there a legal distinction? Eirik, thank you very kindly for the quick reply. I will forward your information to the relevant parties at CRU. I wish that all of the world’s meteorological groups, in particular CRU, were as open and responsive as your organization. You have my profound admiration. So, we can cross Norway off the list of countries with agreements with the CRU … but that was the only (unsigned) agreement that they’ve been able to dig up.

2019-04-22T08:07:11Z

https://climateaudit.org/2009/08/11/cru-responds/

Terms – & Conditions AFFILIATE AGREEMENT: This Agreement is made between Ridersedge.ca and you, the Affiliate, and sets out the terms and conditions under which Ridersedge.ca shall allow you to establish a link to the Affiliate Program websites and act as an Affiliate in relation to the Merchants (as defined below). This is a Legal Agreement between you, the Affiliate, and Ridersedge.ca. By registering to become an affiliate of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these terms and you agree to be bound by them. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms, please do not register for the program and you will not then have the opportunity to become a member of the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program. 1. How the Terms in this Agreement Should Be Defined “Affiliate Website” means the site operated by the Affiliate, notified to Ridersedge.ca and linked to the Ridersedge.ca Website in accordance with the terms of this Agreement via the Link; “Affiliate’s Resources” means that part of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program website accessible by the Affiliate upon approval given by Ridersedge.ca pursuant to clause 3; “Advertising Tools” means the Banners and Merchant Information which Ridersedge.ca identifies on the Affiliate’s Resources of the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website are to be used for the Promotion Activities such material to be used in accordance with the Use Policy; “Banners” means banner and/or pop up adverts promoting the Merchants on the Affiliate Website; “Chargeback” means a payment dispute initiated by the cardholder with their credit card issuing bank. The amount of the disputed transaction is withdrawn from the merchant’s bank account. For this agreement the term Chargeback also refers to a refund obtained by the customer within 7 days due to the Distant Selling Regulations. “Commencement Date” means the date the Affiliate is approved by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program as an Affiliate in accordance with clause 3; “Commission” means the commission payable to the Affiliate in accordance with clause 7 on Transactions completed as a direct result of visits to the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Websites via the Link, at the rates set out on Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website; “Commission Levels” means the level at which Commission will be payable to the Affiliate by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program from time to time the initial level being provided to the Affiliate prior to the conclusion of this Agreement; “Confidential Information” means any and all information acquired by either party about the other party’s business and/or given by one party to the other party and/or generated by either party from the other party’s Confidential Information; “DPA” means Data Protection Act 1998; “Force Majeure” means any occurrence which hinders, delays or prevents a party performing any of its obligations under this Agreement and which is beyond the control of, and without the fault or negligence of such party and which by the exercise of reasonable diligence it is unable to prevent or provide against, including but not limited to war, act of God , fires, strikes, lock-outs, insurrection or riots, embargoes, unavailability of raw materials, wrecks or delays in transportation, requirements or regulations of any governmental authority; “Intellectual Property Rights” means all intellectual and industrial property rights including know how, registered trademarks and service marks, registered designs, patents, applications for and rights to apply for any of the foregoing, unregistered design rights, unregistered trademarks and service marks, rights to prevent passing off or unfair competition and copyright, database rights, domain names and any other rights in any invention, discovery, process, database, computer program or software, method or information in each case in the United Kingdom and all other countries in the world and together with all renewals and extensions;” “Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Brand” means the name, trademarks, logos and/or other means of branding used by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program in respect of the Merchants from time to time including but not limited to the name “Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program” ; “Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website” means such websites owned and operated by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program which are offered as within Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s affiliate program; “Liability” means actions, awards, costs, claims, damages, losses (including without limitation any direct or indirect consequential losses), demands, expenses, fines, loss of profits, loss of reputation, judgments, penalties and proceedings and any other losses and/or liabilities; “Licensed Rights” means such of the Ridersedge.ca Brand as is offered on Ridersedge.ca Website for the Affiliate to use under the terms of this Agreement, the Ingredient Trade Marks and the Intellectual Property Rights in the Advertising Material; “Link” means a hypertext link created between the Affiliate Website and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website subject to the terms of this Agreement being a unique hypertext link which identifies the Affiliate and is made available to the Affiliate by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program upon the grant of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s approval under clause 3; “Personal Data” means data relating to a living individual who can be identified from the data or from information which is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of either party. “Merchants” means those products/services supplied by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program and listed on the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Products page as may be varied by agreement between the parties from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement; “Product Information” means information in relation to the Merchants which Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program has identified and made downloadable to the Affiliate on the Affiliate’s Resource Page of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website to be used by the Affiliate for the Promotion Activities from time to time in writing; “Promotion Activities” means the activation of the Link between the Affiliate Website and the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website and/or the use of Banners and/or Advertising Material on the Affiliate Website by the Affiliate and any other activity authorised in writing by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program from time to time to promote the Products and/or to drive web traffic from the Affiliate Website to the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website via the Link. “Transaction” means a sale of a Merchant from the Ridersedge.ca Website to a customer arising as a direct result of such customer visiting the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website via the Link from the Affiliate Website; “Use Policy” means the policy for the establishment of the Link and the use of the Licensed Rights to be notified to the Affiliate from time-to-time an example of which is set out in Schedule 2 to this Agreement. 2. How this Agreement Should Be Interpreted 2.1 Reference to any gender shall include all genders. Words indicating a person shall include bodies of persons whether corporate or incorporate. 2.2 Reference to any statute or statutory provision includes a reference to the same as from time to time amended, extended, re-enacted or consolidated and all subordinate legislation made pursuant to it and including any other similar legislation in any other jurisdiction provided that either party’s liability is not increased and/or its rights under this Agreement materially altered by such amendment, extension, re-enactment or consolidation. 2.3 Any reference in this Agreement to a Clause or Schedule is to a clause or schedule of this Agreement and any reference to a paragraph is to the paragraph of the Schedule in which the reference is made unless otherwise stated. 2.4 The headings of this Agreement shall not affect its construction or interpretation. 3. Becoming a Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Affiliate 3.1 You may apply to be an Affiliate by agreeing to these terms by completing the online form. 3.2 On application the Affiliate must supply to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program the following information: 3.2.1 The Affiliate’s full name and date of birth and Company name (if relevant) 3.2.2 The Affiliate’s full valid postal address and telephone number; 3.2.3 The Affiliate’s valid email address; If and when the Affiliate is accepted into the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Affiliate Program it is the Affiliate’s sole responsibility to ensure that Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program is kept informed of any changes to the information provided by the Affiliate at all times during this Agreement. 3.3 Approval and acceptance of an Affiliate is at the sole discretion of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program reserves the right to refuse applications. The Affiliate hereby consents to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program using the Affiliate’s details and Personal Details for the purposes of carrying out any checks that it considers to be necessary to confirm the identity of the Affiliate, its suitability for (and the suitability of the Affiliate Website) for the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program and any other matter which is connected to the Affiliate’s application and, where subsequently accepted by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program, is connected to its activities and role as a Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Affiliate. 3.4 By submitting the application form to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program the Affiliate agrees to the terms of this Agreement. Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall consider the Affiliate’s application. The Affiliate at time of registration will choose and register with Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program the Affiliate’s login and password which will enable the Affiliate to gain access to that resource area of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website that is dedicated to the Affiliate (defined as “the Affiliate’s Resource Area”). On the Affiliate’s registration and access to the Resource Area the Affiliate will be invited to read the Commission Levels set out therein. The Affiliate must notify Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program immediately after registration if it does not agree to the Commission Levels specified otherwise the Affiliate will be deemed to have accepted the terms of this Agreement including the Commission Levels and the Agreement shall be binding upon the Affiliate and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program. 3.5 The Affiliate hereby warrants that they have all rights, permissions and competencies to enter into this Agreement. 4. The Permission We Allow You 4.1 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program grants the Affiliate a non-exclusive non-transferable, royalty free license to use the Licensed Rights and the Link and to promote itself under and by reference to the designation “Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Affiliate” subject to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Use Policy, for the sole purpose of carrying out the Promotion Activities in relation to the Merchants via the Affiliate Website. 5. The Things You Must Do 5.1 Any and all proposed marketing activities, materials, literature and/or website content comprising, using or referring to the Licensed Rights must be approved in writing by an authorised representative of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program prior to its use. The Affiliate shall notify Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program of any changes to the circumstances giving rise to such approval. 5.2 All data supplied via the Link either to or from the Affiliate and/or the Affiliate Website and all Intellectual Property Rights in the same, and any and all goodwill generated by the Affiliate’s use of the Licensed Rights shall accrue to and belong to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program. 5.3 The link which Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program will provide for the Affiliate from the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website when approved by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program identifies the linked site as the Affiliate Website. It is the Affiliate’s sole responsibility to ensure that this unique link is used and maintained as otherwise Commission that might have been earned by the Affiliate may not be tracked, recorded and/or paid. Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program is not liable for any Commission lost, or unearned or unpaid resulting from the failure to use or maintain the unique link. 5.4 The Affiliate must update the content of the Affiliate Website as and when the Advertising Material and/or Use Policy is updated to maintain consistency and accuracy between the Affiliate Website and the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website. All maintenance and updating of the Affiliate Website is the sole responsibility of the Affiliate. 5.5 The Affiliate agrees that Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program are entitled to monitor the Affiliate Website to make sure the Link to the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website and/or the Affiliate Website and/or the Affiliate’s participation in the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program are appropriate. If in the sole discretion of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program, Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program considers the Link and/or the Affiliate Website or the Affiliate’s participation in the program is not appropriate Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may either notify the Affiliate of the changes it requires the Affiliate to make or terminate this Agreement in accordance with clause 8. 5.6 The Affiliate undertakes to comply with all requirements under the DPA or similar or subsequently relating to any Personal Data which is processed, collected, maintained, deleted or transferred to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program or any third party by the Affiliate concerning customers, potential customers or any other aspect of the Affiliate’s role and obligations under this Agreement. 6. The Things You Must Not Do 6.1 The Affiliate undertakes not to use any of the content of any websites owned and/or operated by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program without Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s prior written consent and the Affiliate shall not frame any pages or parts of any pages of the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website or any other website nor will the Affiliate create the impression that the Affiliate Website is Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s Website or any part of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s Website. 6.2 The Affiliate warrants and represents to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program that: 6.2.1 The Promotion Activities and the Affiliate Website shall not contain or use: 6.2.1.1 any content which is and/or any links to any website which contains, libellous, defamatory, obscene, abusive, illegal content or content which is, invasive of any privacy and/or publicity rights, infringing of any third party Intellectual Property Rights, criminal, in violation of any law or which is in the opinion of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program otherwise objectionable; 6.2.1.2 any information or claims about the Products other than the Product Information; 6.2.1.3 any material that would mislead or cause confusion about the Products or the relationship between the Affiliate and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program; 6.2.1.4 any domain name comprising any Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Product name, trade mark or similar either in whole or in part unless specifically approved and authorised in writing by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program. 6.2.1.5 any activities which involve generating or utilising traffic sources from any form of Spyware, Adware, or Parasiteware applications or involve the use of the practice known as cookie stuffing or similar or which in effect cause a Transaction to result from any illegitimate or unauthorised means. For the avoidance of doubt Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program considers and the Affiliate agrees that the use of any such unauthorised means is a fundamental breach of the terms of this agreement incapable of remedy and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement in accordance with clause 8.3.1. 6.3 The Affiliate shall not and shall not authorise any third party to use the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Brand and/or the Merchant names or any similar names or misspelling of such names including in any written copy of adverts or as domain names or as keywords or key phrases on any pay-per-click search engines or as a meta-tag unless and to the extent expressly permitted by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program. This includes using the trademark in the destination URL or advert copy; 6.4 The Affiliate shall not engage in or facilitate any Promotion Activities which would constitute unsolicited emailing or advertising (even if this complies with any law relating to unsolicited e-mails or adverts) or use any technology which has any virus including but not limited to any Trojan horse, worm, logic bomb, time bomb, back door, trap door, keys or other harmful components and the Affiliate shall not use Personal Data for the purposes of Promotion Activities or any activity that would fail to comply with the DPA and/or all relevant data protection legislation in any relevant jurisdiction; 6.5 The Affiliate shall not promote the Merchants by using any incentives, discounts or bonuses or use of any newsgroup, message boards, chat rooms, instant messaging guest books, public forums, electronic newsletters or other web-based means except as approved in the Use Policy; 6.6 In accordance with clause 6.1.2.5 above the Affiliate shall not create or attempt to create a Transaction by any other means than that permitted in this Agreement or the Use Policy. The Affiliate shall not attempt to use any device, program, code or other technology which is intended to create a Transaction which is not in good faith. All Transactions shall be made by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program and subject to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s terms of sale. 6.7 The Affiliate agrees not to make any representations and/or give any warranties and/or guarantees relating to the Products and/or their efficacy other than those given by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program in respect of the Products from time to time and/or as otherwise approved by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program in writing. 6.8 The Affiliate agrees not to encourage or facilitate any dishonest or illegitimate practice amongst its customers including but not limited to the claiming of refunds for Products of a satisfactory quality (resulting in a satisfactory product being obtained by a customer for free) which has as its objective an increase in the number of Transactions and accordingly the value of Commission the Affiliate earns. 6.9 The Affiliate agrees not to ping Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s or Merchant servers or undertake any activity that may be considered “cookie stuffing”. 6.10 The Affiliate agrees not to purchase Products under its own name or any other by its Link or otherwise with the purpose of re-sale of the Merchants direct to its customers unless specifically approved and authorised in writing by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program. The Affiliate agrees not to undertake any activity which would amount to the re-sale of the Products. If the Affiliate purchases Products then any affiliate commission will be revoked, as will all bonuses due. 7. The Earnings You Can Make 7.1 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall pay the Commission in relation to all validated Transactions at the Commission Levels specified in the Affiliate’s Resource Area and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program reserves the right and Affiliate agrees that Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall be entitled to vary such Commission Levels in accordance with clause 7.2 at any time. 7.2 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall vary the Commission Levels at any time under this Agreement to reflect increases in the costs of applicable materials, labour, other overheads, fluctuations in taxes and duties currency and exchange rates and any other relevant and applicable costs suffered by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program from time to time. 7.3 Payment of the Commission shall be made twice each calendar month subject to the Affiliate having duly accrued the agreed minimum payout in Commission and shall amount to the total Commission for the previous month less all taxes which Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may be required in law to withhold or deduct and/or any other deductions permitted pursuant to this Agreement. Any amounts under the agreed minimum payout threshold shall be rolled on to the next payment period. Payment will commence the month after the agreed minimum payout is reached. Example: Join date, 1st of January, between the 1st of January and the 15th of January $234 in commission was earned. This will be paid on the last working day in February. Subsequent periods are paid in arrears. Payout are due to be sent out on the 15th and the last working day of each month. 7.4 Payment of Commission is subject to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program having been paid by the Merchant for the Sale or any relevant third party processor in relation to the relevant Transaction. 7.5 If following a Transaction any form of Chargeback is made to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program by or on behalf of any customer, third party processor, credit card company or banking institution no Commission is payable in relation to such Transaction and if Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program has already paid the Affiliate Commission on such Transaction Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may deduct an amount equal to such Commission from the next payment of Commission due to the Affiliate or where no further Commission is due, Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall raise an invoice for such amount and this shall be paid by the Affiliate to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program within 30 days of the invoice date. 7.6 No Commission shall be payable to the Affiliate for any customers or transactions secured otherwise than in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and /or for any customers or transactions which are not genuine or which involve use of fraudulent means including but not limited to any of those methods set out at clause 6 above and if Commission has been paid to the Affiliate before Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program becomes aware of circumstances giving rise to this clause, the provisions of clause 7.5 shall apply to enable Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s recovery of all Commission paid to the Affiliate for customers or transactions referred to in this clause. 7.7 No Commission shall be payable to the Affiliate for any customers or transactions which occur by visits made to the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website by a link which is not the Link and/or by visits made to the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website otherwise than via the Link even if those customers have followed the Link previously unless they followed the Link within the requisite number of months prior to the transaction as notified to the Affiliate on Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website [Affiliate's Resource Area]. 7.8 Reissuing Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program payments that were lost due to Affiliate are subject to extra charges. No payments shall be reissued to Affiliate if payment is claimed after 6 months from date it was issued. 7.9 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program can withhold Commission if they believe the Affiliate may be creating transactions which are not genuine or involved in fraudulent means including but not limited to those methods set out at clause 6 above. 7.10 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program will enforce the right to deduct any unclaimed affiliate commissions should they become inactive, an inactive affiliate is somebody who has not generated a single validated Transaction within a twelve month period and who has a balance of less than the agreed minimum payout. 8. How This Agreement Will End 8.1 This Agreement shall commence on the Commencement Date and shall continue unless and until the Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Agreement. 8.2 Both Parties may terminate this Agreement [on 14 days] notice to the other Party. 8.3 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may immediately terminate this Agreement by written notice if the Affiliate: 8.3.1 breaches the terms of this Agreement (and if remediable the breach has not been remedied within 14 days of receiving notice requiring it to be remedied). For the purposes of this Agreement any use of the Licensed Rights other than in accordance with this Agreement any breach of clause 5 and any breach of clause 6.2.1 shall be breaches which are not capable of remedy and shall entitle Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program to terminate this Agreement with immediate effect; 8.3.2 breaches any one or more terms of this Agreement; 8.3.3 ceases or threatens to cease to carry on business; and/or 8.3.4 is declared or becomes insolvent or bankrupt, has a moratorium declared in respect of any of its indebtedness, enters into administration, receivership, administrative receivership or liquidation or threatens to do any of these things, takes or suffers any similar action in any jurisdiction or any step is taken (including, without limitation, the making of an application or the giving of any notice) by it or by any other person in respect of any of these circumstances. 8.4 Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall de-activate the Link and the Affiliate will immediately: 8.4.1 cease carrying out all Promotion Activities; 8.4.2 cease to describe itself or promote itself under or by reference to the designation “Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Affiliate” and/or as an Affiliate of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program; 8.4.3 cease use of the Licensed Rights and Advertising Materials; 8.4.4 remove all Advertising Material and all material referring to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program, the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Brand, the Licensed Rights and/or the Products from the Affiliate Website; 8.4.5 deliver up to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program or if Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program prefers, permanently erase or destroy as appropriate, all promotional materials and all tangible or other records or storage systems, documents, material, and/or other media including source codes containing or which comprises information all or part of which relates to the Intellectual Property Rights of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program which may be in the Affiliates’ possession, power or control. 8.5 When this Agreement ends any Commission due to the Affiliate at the time of termination will be paid at the end of the month following termination subject to any set-off, counterclaim or deduction Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may have and any amount due to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program from the Affiliate shall be paid within 30 days of termination of this Agreement. 8.6 Termination of this Agreement shall not affect any rights of the parties accrued up to the date of termination and clauses 6.1, 6.3, 7.4, 7.58.4, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 shall survive expiry or termination of this Agreement. 9. Without Prejudice 9.1 Without prejudice to any other right or remedy Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may have, the Affiliate agrees to indemnify and keep indemnified Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program against any and all Liabilities and increased administration and professional and legal costs on a full indemnity basis suffered by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program (without set-off, counterclaim and/or reduction) and arising out of or in connection with: 9.1.1 any unauthorised use and/or infringement of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s Intellectual Property Rights; 9.1.2 any breach of this Agreement, any tortious act and/or omission and/or any breach of statutory duty by the Affiliate; 9.1.3 any unauthorised Promotion Activities and all the activities of the Affiliate; 9.1.4 any use of the Link and/or the Licensed Rights other than in accordance with the Use Policy; and 9.1.5 any representation made other than in accordance with the Product Information provided to the Affiliate in the Affiliate’s Resource Area; whether or not such losses were foreseeable or foreseen at the date of this Agreement. 9.2 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall have no Liability to the Affiliate for any: 9.2.1 loss of profits and/or damage to goodwill; 9.2.2 pure economic and/or other similar losses; 9.2.3 special damages; 9.2.4 aggravated, punitive and/or exemplary damages; 9.2.5 aggravated, punitive and/or exemplary damages; 9.2.6 loss and/or corruption of data; and/or 9.2.7 business interruption, loss of business, loss of contracts, loss of opportunity and/or production. 9.3 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s total Liability to the Affiliate in connection with this Agreement shall not exceed in any 12 month period the Commission paid by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program to the Affiliate under this Agreement in the same 12 month period. For the purpose of this clause the relevant 12 month period means the 12 months immediately prior to the first act/omission giving rise to the Liability. 9.4 Each of the limitations and/or exclusions in this Agreement shall be deemed to be repeated and apply as a separate provision for each of: except the clause above placing financial caps on Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program’s Liability which shall be deemed to apply once only to cover all of the said types of Liability. 9.4.1 Liability in contract (including fundamental breach); 9.4.2 Liability in tort (including negligence); 9.4.3 Liability for breach of statutory duty; and 9.4.4 Liability for breach of common law and/or under any other legal business; 9.5 Nothing in this Agreement shall exclude or limit the Liability of either party for death or personal injury due to its negligence, Liability for its fraud and/or any other Liability which it is not permitted to exclude or limit as a matter of law. 9.6 Each party acknowledges that, in entering into this Agreement, it does not do so in reliance on any representation, warranty or other provision except as expressly provided in this Agreement. 9.7 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program makes no express or implied representations or warranties regarding the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website or its availability or functionality and all implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for purpose are expressly disclaimed and excluded. The Affiliate accepts that the operation of the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website may not be error free or uninterrupted and Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program are not liable for the consequences of any interruptions or errors in the performance or content of the Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program Website. 10. Assignment 10.1 This Agreement is personal to the Affiliate and the Affiliate shall not assign, sub-contract, delegate, transfer, mortgage charge (other than by floating charge), place in trust or dispose of any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program except to the extent expressly permitted in this Agreement. 10.2 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program shall have the right to assign, sub-contract, delegate, transfer, and place in trust or dispose of any of its rights and/or obligations under this Agreement. 11. Your Relationship with Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program 11.1 Nothing in this Agreement is intended or will be construed as constituting a partnership, agency, employment or joint venture relationship between the parties. All activities by the parties under this Agreement will be performed by them as independent contractors. 11.2 No third party shall have the right to enforce any terms of this Agreement between the parties. Any rights of a third party to enforce the terms of this Agreement between the parties may be varied and/or extinguished as agreed between the parties without the need for the consent of any such third party. 12. General 12.1 This Agreement including the Schedules the Use Policy and any revisions of the Use Policy together with the Commission Levels and any variations to the Commission Levels as contained within the Affiliate’s Resource Area constitute the whole agreement between the parties and supersede any prior written or oral agreement between them and is not affected by any other promise, representation, warranty, usage, custom or course of dealing. 12.2 No waiver by either party of any breach of this Agreement shall be considered as a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same provision or any other provision. 12.3 Each party shall from time to time, at the other party’s request and cost, do all such acts and execute all such documents and/or deeds that may be reasonably necessary in order to give effect to the provisions and this Agreement. 12.4 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may vary the terms of this Agreement at any time on providing the Affiliate with 14 days’ prior notice. No purported variation of this Agreement by the Affiliate shall take effect unless made in writing, referring to this Agreement and signed by an authorised representative of each party. 12.5 If any part of this Agreement is held to be void and/or unenforceable that part shall be struck out and the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The parties agree that in the event of any such deletion they shall negotiate in good faith in order to agree the terms of an enforceable obligation or term which achieves or is closest to achieving the commercial aim of the deleted part. The failure of the parties to agree such a replacement provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining part of this Agreement. 12.6 Each party shall be responsible for paying its own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the negotiation, preparation and execution of this Agreement. 12.7 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program may set off against any sums payable by Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program to the Affiliate any amounts due to Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program from the Affiliate whether under this Agreement or otherwise. 12.8 Neither Party shall be liable for loss, damage, detention, delay or failure to deliver and/or perform all or any part of its obligations (other than payment) under this Agreement as a result of a Force Majeure Event. 12.9 A Party affected by a Force Majeure Event shall inform the other Party as soon as practicable of the occurrence of the Force Majeure Event giving full details in writing of its expected effect and duration. A Party affected shall take all reasonable efforts to resume performance of its obligations as soon as practicable and in the meantime to mitigate the effects of any such event or to find a solution by which this Agreement may be performed. If and to the extent the Force Majeure Event continues and the party affected will have an extension of time for performance which is reasonable. As regards such delay or stoppage: 12.9.1 any costs arising from the delay or stoppage will be borne by the Party incurring those costs; and 12.9.2 either Party may, if the delay or stoppage continues for more than 6 months, terminate this Agreement with immediate effect on giving written notice to the other and neither party will be liable to the other for such termination. 12.10 Ridersedge.ca Affiliate Program undertakes to process the Affiliate’s Personal Data in accordance with the principles of the DPA. 13. Law and Jurisdiction 13.1 THIS AGREEMENT IS GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ENGLISH LAW THE PARTIES SUBMIT TO THE NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE ENGLISH COURTS.

2019-04-19T14:46:56Z

https://www.ridersedge.ca/idevaffiliate/signup.php

A residency training program that prepares physicians in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with alcohol, drug, or other substance-related disorders, and of individuals with the dual diagnosis of substance-related and other psychiatric disorders. Requires prior completion of a program in psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the unique physical, psychological, and social characteristics of adolescents and their healthcare problems and needs. Requires prior completion of a program in family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the health care of operating crews, support personnel, and passengers of air and space vehicles. Includes instruction in special conditions of physical and psychological stress, emergency medical procedures, adaptive systems and artificial environments. One of three general certificates in the area of preventive medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the delivery of skilled medical care to patients suffering from allergic, asthmatic and immunologic diseases. Requires completion of a prior program in internal medicine or pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the application of anesthesia for general and specialized surgery and obstetrics, critical patient care and the care of pain problems. Includes instruction in surgical procedures, current monitoring procedures, fluid therapy, pain management, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures outside the operating room, and operating room safety. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians for the maintenance of an adequate blood supply, blood donor and patient-recipient safety, and appropriate blood utilization. Includes directing the preparation and safe use of specially prepared blood components, including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma constituents, and marrow or stem cells for transplantation. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to specialize in diseases of the heart and blood vessels and to manage complex cardiac conditions such as heart attacks and life-threatening, abnormal heartbeat rhythms. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the use and interpretation of chemical analyses, chemical diagnoses and management, and the supervision of chemical pathology laboratories. Includes instruction in basic and applied analytical chemical pathology; instrumentation data processing and chemical laboratory management. Requires prior completion of a program in medical pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to accurately diagnose abuse, consult with community agencies on child safety, provide expertise in courts of law, treat consequences of abuse and neglect, direct child abuse and neglect prevention programs and participate on multidisciplinary investigative teams, and manage child abuse cases. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of developmental, behavioral, emotional, and mental disorders of childhood and adolescence. Requires prior completion of a program in psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of neurologic disorders of the neonatal period, infancy, early childhood, and adolescence. Requires training in neurology with additional training in child neurology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to perform and interpret biochemical analyses relevant to the diagnosis and management of human genetic diseases, and to serve as a consultant regarding laboratory diagnosis of a broad range of inherited disorders. One of four general certificates in the area of medical genetics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program, within the subspecialty of cardiovascular disease, which prepares physicians in intricate technical procedures to evaluate heart rhythms and determine appropriate treatment. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to provide laboratory diagnostic and clinical interpretive services dealing with chromosomes associated with inherited disorders and cancer. One of four general certificates in the area of medical genetics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to provide comprehensive diagnostic, management, and counseling services for individuals and families at risk for clinical disorders with a genetic basis. One of four general certificates in the area of medical genetics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to perform and interpret molecular analyses relevant to the diagnosis and management of human genetic diseases, and to serve as a consultant regarding laboratory diagnosis of a broad range of inherited disorders. One of four general certificates in the area of medical genetics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous system disorders using a combination of clinical evaluation and electrophysiologic testing such as electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and nerve conduction studies (NCS). Requires prior completion of a program in neurology, child neurology, or psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the surgical care of patients with anorectal and colonic diseases. Also includes instruction in diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy. Requires prior completion of a program in general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the operative treatment of structural abnormalities involving the heart and major blood vessels, including defects resulting from congenital malformations as well as defects acquired in infants and children; includes care of patients from the fetus to the adult. Requires prior completion of a program in thoracic surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the management of care for patients with acutely life-threatening conditions which may include multiple organ failure. Includes instruction in the management of critical care units, emergency procedures and post-discharge care of former critical care patients. Requires prior completion of a program in anesthesiology, internal medicine, or obstetrics and gynecology. Note: critical care anesthesiology is no longer a medical subspecialty, but anesthesiologists may complete a subspecialty in critical care medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares individuals to study, prevent, and manage human diseases manifested in cells. Includes instruction in laboratory procedures, laboratory management, quality assurance, screening, specimen collection, cytopreparation, cytometric and image analysis, and related immunological and molecular techniques. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the delivery of specialized care to patients with diseases of the skin, hair, nails and mucous membranes. Includes instruction in dermatologic surgical procedures, cutaneous allergies, sexually transmitted diseases, and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the clinical and microscopic diagnosis and analysis of skin diseases and disorders. Includes instruction in laboratory administration and the supervision and training of support personnel. Requires prior completion of a program in dermatology or pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to assist in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of developmental difficulties and problematic behaviors in children, and in the family dysfunctions that compromise children's development; and to foster understanding and promotion of optimal development of children and families through research, education, clinical care, and advocacy efforts. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnostic applications of x-rays, gamma rays from sealed sources, ultrasonic radiation, and magnetic resonance; and in the use of equipment associated with their production and use, including radiation safety. One of the three subspecialties available to residents in radiologic physics who must select one or more subspecialty areas. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to utilize x-ray, ionizing radiation, radionuclides, ultrasound, electromagnetic radiation, and image-guided intervention to diagnose and treat disease. One of two general certificates in the area of radiology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the methods, procedures, and techniques of providing and managing immediate health care services. Includes instruction in the initial recognition, stabilization, evaluation and care of the acutely ill or injured patient; patient follow-up and referral; management of prehospital care; training and supervision of emergency medical personnel; emergency department management; medicolegal and ethical issues; and disaster planning. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to specialize in disorders of the internal (endocrine) glands such as the thyroid and adrenal glands, and to deal with disorders such as diabetes, metabolic and nutritional disorders, obesity, pituitary diseases, and menstrual and sexual problems. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the provisions of regular and long-term care to individuals and family members. Includes instruction in comprehensive care and specialist referral, basic surgery, emergency medical procedures, and diagnostic imaging and practice management. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the performance of medical autopsies, the analysis of human remains and crime scenes, and the legal follow-up and responsibilities of public pathologists. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to evaluate individuals involved with the legal system and provide specialized treatment to those incarcerated in jails, prisons, and forensic psychiatry hospitals; and who focus on the interrelationships between psychiatry and civil, criminal, and administrative law. Requires prior completion of a program in psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with digestive and other gastrointestinal disorders. Includes instruction in surgical procedures, cancer of the digestive system, nutrition and malnutrition, and counseling the behavioral adjustment of patients with chronic problems. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the care and treatment of diseases and disorders via invasive procedures and the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of physical disorders. Includes instruction in clinical and operative skills, pre-operative and post-operative care, trauma management and endoscopic techniques. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the care and management of elderly patients in acute, ambulatory, community and long-term care settings, and the treatment of diseases and conditions associated with the aging process. Includes instruction in ethical and legal issues, behavioral aspects of illness, socioeconomic factors in care and rehabilitation therapies. Requires prior completion of a program in family medicine or internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in the elderly, and to improve the psychiatric care of the elderly both in health and in disease. Requires prior completion of a program in psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians for consultation and comprehensive management of patients with gynecologic cancer, including those diagnostic and therapeutic procedures necessary for the total care of the patient with gynecologic cancer and resulting complications. Requires prior completion of a program in obstetrics and gynecology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the laboratory and analytical procedures for studying all facets of hematologic and coagulation disorders. Includes instruction in the management of hematology laboratories. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the mechanisms and therapy of diseases of the blood, bone marrow, spleen, and lymph, including patient management, diagnostic tests, biopsies and other procedures. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine or pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to prevent and relieve the suffering experienced by patients with life-limiting illnesses and to maximize quality of life while addressing the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of both patient and family throughout the course of the disease, including through the dying process and subsequent family grieving. Requires prior completion of a program in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, child neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, radiation oncology, or general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, treatment and laboratory management of immunologic diseases. Includes instruction in diagnostic surgical pathology, management of organ transplantation and immunotherapy. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the natural history, prevention and treatment of major infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases, and the long-term management of patients. Includes instruction in epidemiology, identification and specimen collection techniques, and quality assurance and cost containment. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the provision of general medical services to adult patients with a wide range of non-surgical clinical problems. Includes instruction in behavioral aspects of diseases, patient and family counseling and practice management. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program, within the subspecialty of cardiology, which trains physicians in the use of specialized imaging and other diagnostic techniques to evaluate blood flow and pressure in the coronary arteries and chambers of the heart, and in the use of technical procedures and medications to treat abnormalities that impair the function of the cardiovascular system. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the principles and practices of applied medical research and related techniques, equipment, data systems and research design. Includes instruction in the management of medical laboratories in research and health care facilities. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to care for, or provide consultation on, patients with complications of pregnancy, based on advanced knowledge of the obstetrical, medical, and surgical complications of pregnancy, and their effect on both the mother and the fetus, and expertise in the most current diagnostic and treatment modalities used in the care of patients with complicated pregnancies. Requires prior completion of a program in obstetrics and gynecology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and medical management of individuals with inborn errors of metabolism, including the provision of direct care and consultative care for individuals of all ages. Requires prior completion of a program in medical genetics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the isolation and identification of microbial agents that cause infectious disease, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the therapeutic and diagnostic applications of radionuclides (except those used in sealed sources for therapeutic purposes); and in the use of equipment associated with their production and use, including radiation safety. One of the three subspecialties available to residents in radiologic physics who must select one or more subspecialty areas. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer and other benign and malignant tumors; this includes deciding on and administering therapy for these malignancies, as well as consulting with surgeons and radiotherapists on other treatments for cancer. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. Any general-certificate medical residency program not listed above. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. Any subspecialty-certificate medical residency program not listed above. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians who specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment, and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to drugs and chemicals, as well as exposures to biological and radiological agents. Important areas include acute drug poisoning; adverse drug events; drug abuse, addiction and withdrawal; chemicals and hazardous materials; terrorism preparedness; venomous bites and stings; and environmental and workplace exposures. Requires prior completion of a program in emergency medicine, pediatrics, or preventive medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to make or confirm diagnoses of Mendelian genetic disorders, disorders of human development, infectious diseases and malignancies, and to assess the natural history of those disorders, using the principles, theory, and technologies of molecular biology and molecular genetics. Requires prior completion of a program in medical genetics or pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal neoplasm, and the application of cancer therapy regimes. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the physiology of the normal neonate, the patho-physiology of the sick infant, and the diagnosis and management of problems of the newborn infant, including consulting with obstetricians to plan for the care of women with high-risk pregnancies. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the pathogenesis, natural history and management of congenital and acquired diseases of the kidney and urinary tract and renal diseases associated with systemic disorders. Includes instruction in organ transplantation and dialysis therapy. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to treat children having developmental delays or learning disorders, including those associated with visual and hearing impairment, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, autism, and other chronic neurologic conditions. Requires prior completion of a program in neurology, child neurology, or pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, critical care, and rehabilitation of disorders of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, using operative and non-operative means; the evaluation and treatment of pathological processes that modify the function or activity of the nervous system; and the management of pain. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of disease or impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles and autonomic nervous system, as well as the blood vessels that relate to these structures. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of disorders of nerve, muscle, or neuromuscular junction, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, peripheral neuropathies, various muscular dystrophies, congenital and acquired myopathies, inflammatory myopathies, and neuromuscular transmission disorders. Requires prior completion of a program in neurology, child neurology, or physical medicine and rehabilitation. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the laboratory analysis of nerve tissues and the clinical diagnosis of neurological and neuromuscular diseases. Includes instruction in nerve biopsies and necropsies. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares diagnostic radiologists in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and head and neck in adults and children. Requires prior completion of a program in diagnostic radiology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to treat diseases of the ear and temporal bone, including disorders of hearing and balance. Requires prior completion of a program in otolaryngology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to use the tracer principle, most often with radiopharmaceuticals, to evaluate molecular, metabolic, physiologic and pathologic conditions of the body for the purposes of diagnosis, therapy and research. Includes instruction in tracer kinetics, the biologic effects of radiation exposure, the fundamentals of the physical sciences, and the principles and operation of radiation detection and imaging systems. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the imaging by external detection of radionuclides and/or biodistribution by external detection of radionuclides for diagnosis of disease. Requires prior partial completion of a program in diagnostic radiology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases of women, especially those affecting the reproductive system, and the comprehensive care and treatment of women before, during and after childbirth. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the maintenance of the health of workers, the ability to perform work, the arrangements of work, and the physical and chemical environments of the workplace. Includes instruction in data collection and management and the administration and regulation of occupational medical services. One of three general certificates in the area of preventive medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, prevention treatment of ophthalmic diseases and disorders, and ocular pathology procedures. Includes instruction in eye surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to prevent and manage athletic injuries and to provide appropriate care for all structures of the musculoskeletal system directly affected by participation in sporting activity. Requires prior completion of a program in orthopedic surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares individuals for the study, prevention and treatment of spinal column disease, disorders, and injuries by medical, physical and surgical methods. Includes instruction in pathogenesis and diagnosis of clinical disorders of the spine; non-operative treatment modalities; invasive modalities; basic sciences related to the musculoskeletal system; spinal degeneration; spinal neurologic function; pre- and post-operative management; and patient evaluation. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the investigation, preservation, and restoration of the form and function of the extremities, spine and associated structures by medical, surgical and physical methods. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A program that prepares individuals for the independent professional practice of osteopathic medicine, involving a combination of medical principles and procedures and osteopathic principles of holistic medicine and the relationship of the musculoskeletal system to general health. Includes instruction in the basic medical sciences, preventive medicine, family and community medicine, medical informatics, disease systems, organ and physiologic systems, osteopathic principles and practice, osteopathic manipulative treatment, musculoskeletal and skin systems, clinical specialty rotations, medical ethics, and professional standards and practice management. A residency training program that prepares physicians to diagnose and provide medical and/or surgical therapy or prevention of diseases, allergies, neoplasms, deformities, disorders, and injuries of the ears, nose, sinuses, throat, respiratory and upper alimentary systems, face, jaws, and the other head and neck systems. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of the entire range of painful disorders, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chronic, and/or cancer pain in both hospital and ambulatory settings. Requires prior completion of a program in anesthesiology, neurology, child neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, or psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the clinical laboratory analysis and diagnosis of disease and anatomic abnormalities. Includes instruction in performing general autopsies, forensic medicine, laboratory management and quality control. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of diseases and disorders of the cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems of infants, children and adolescents. Includes instruction in related public health and community medicine issues. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in advanced life support for children, from the term or near-term neonate to the adolescent. This includes critical care management of life-threatening organ system failure in both medical and surgical patients, and support of vital physiological functions. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the treatment of specific skin disease categories, with emphasis on those diseases which predominate in infants, children, and adolescents. Requires prior completion of a program in dermatology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to manage emergencies in infants and children. Requires prior completion of a program in emergency medicine or pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of endocrine diseases and the regulation of hormone balance in childhood and adolescence. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive systems of infants, children, and adolescents; includes treatment of conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice, and performance of complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using lighted scopes to see internal organs. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of hematologic disorders and malignant diseases, including blood and bone marrow function, in infancy, childhood and adolescence. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases in children; and to effect a better outcome for pediatric infections with complicated courses, underlying diseases that predispose to unusual or severe infections, unclear diagnoses, uncommon diseases, and complex or investigational treatments. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of infants, children and adolescents with renal and genito-urinary problems, hypertension and disorders of body fluid physiology. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical treatment, and management of musculoskeletal diseases, abnormalities and trauma in infants, children and adolescents. Requires prior completion of a program in orthopedic surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to diagnose, treat and manage disorders of infants and children that include congenital and acquired conditions involving the aerodigestive tract, nose and paranasal sinuses, the ear, and other areas of the head and neck; this includes special skills in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of childhood disorders of voice, speech, language, and hearing. Requires prior completion of a program in otolaryngology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the laboratory diagnosis of diseases that occur during fetal growth, infancy, and child development, based on knowledge of general pathology, normal growth and development, and pediatric medicine. Requires prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the prevention and treatment of all respiratory diseases affecting infants, children, and young adults, based on knowledge of the growth and development of the lung, assessment of respiratory function in infants and children, and experience in a variety of invasive and noninvasive diagnostic techniques. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in all forms of diagnostic imaging as it pertains to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the newborn, infant, child, and adolescent. Requires prior completion of a program in diagnostic radiology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to use an interdisciplinary approach to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage congenital and childhood-onset physical impairments in children and young adults, including related medical, physical, functional, psychosocial, and vocational limitations or conditions. Requires prior completion of a program in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to diagnose and treat diseases of joints, muscle, bones, and tendons in children and young adults, including arthritis, back pain, muscle strains, common athletic injuries, and collagen diseases. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, evaluation and surgical treatment of diseases, disorders and trauma in infants and children. Requires prior completion of a program in general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians with special knowledge, skill, and expertise required of pediatric gastroenterologists to care for children and young adults prior to and following hepatic transplantation. Requires prior completion of a program in pediatrics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares individuals in the study, prevention, and management of congenital, childhood-acquired, and overlapping adolescent anomalies of the genitourinary tract, including problems, diseases, tumors, and traumas. Requires prior completion of a program in urology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, etiology, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of neuromusculo-skeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary and other system disorders common to patients of both sexes and all ages. Includes instruction in physical examinations, design and prescription of rehabilitation strategies and the supervision of rehabilitation teams. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares individuals to diagnose, evaluate, and treat patients with limited physical, psychological, social, and vocational functions as a consequence of diseases, injuries, impairments, and/ or disabilities. Includes instruction in pathogenesis of systems disorders; psychiatric examination; therapeutic exercises and physical modalities; prosthetics, orthotics and other durable rehabilitative equipment; gait analysis; diagnostic and therapeutic injections; electrodiagnostic analysis; and rehabilitation management. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the repair, replacement and reconstruction of defects of form and function of the integument and its underlying musculoskeletal system, with emphasis on the craniofacial structures, the oropharynx, the hand, the breast and the external genitalia. Includes instruction in aesthetic as well as reconstructive surgery. Requires prior completion of a program in general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in plastic and reconstructive procedures within the head, face, neck, and associated structures, including cutaneous head and neck oncology and reconstruction, management of maxillofacial trauma, soft tissue repair, and neural surgery. Requires prior completion of a program in otolaryngology or plastic surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, behavioral and neurological disorders. Includes instruction in psychotherapy, family counseling, referral, clinical diagnosis, and practice management. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders and symptoms in complex medically ill patients. This includes treatment of patients with acute or chronic medical, neurological, obstetrical, or surgical illness in which psychiatric illness is affecting their medical care and/or quality of life, and patients who have a psychiatric disorder that is the direct consequence of a primary medical condition, a somatoform disorder, or psychological factors affecting a general medical condition. Requires prior completion of a program in psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to promote health, prevent disease, and manage the health of communities and defined populations; combines population-based public health skills with knowledge of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention-oriented clinical practice in a wide variety of settings. One of three general certificates in the area of preventive medicine. Note: this medical specialty merges the previous subspecialties of preventive medicine and public health medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in pulmonary physiology and the treatment of lung diseases, pulmonary malignancies, related vascular diseases, respiratory disorders, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and pulmonary pathology. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the use of ionizing radiation to treat patients with cancer and other diseases. Includes instruction in treatment planning, instrument design and operation, radiation physics and radiobiology. One of two general certificates in the area of radiology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the use of radionuclides in the study of body fluids, excreta, or tissues quantified outside the body. Includes instruction in laboratory management and safety, quality control, instrumentation, isotope storage and in vitro analyses. Require prior completion of a program in pathology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in that branch of physics which includes the physical aspects of radiation therapy, radiologic diagnosis, and/or nuclear medicine. Radiologic physicists must specialize in at least one of the three subspecialty areas: therapeutic radiological physics, diagnostic radiological physics, and/or medical nuclear physics. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to manage complex problems relating to reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Requires prior completion of a program in obstetrics and gynecology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with acute and chronic rheumatic diseases, diffuse connective tissue diseases, systemic and metabolic diseases and infections and complications following surgery. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the diagnosis and management of clinical conditions that occur during sleep, that disturb sleep, or that are affected by disturbances in the wake-sleep cycle; in the analysis and interpretation of comprehensive polysomnography; and in management of a sleep laboratory. Requires prior completion of a program in family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, child neurology, otolaryngology, pediatrics, or psychiatry. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to address the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of traumatic spinal cord injury and non-traumatic etiologies of spinal cord dysfunction, including related medical, physical, psychological, and vocational disabilities and complications. Requires prior completion of a program in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the pathology and biomechanics of athletic injuries and the effects of injury on the athlete, including both physical and psychological manifestations. Includes instruction in acute and chronic patient supervision, therapy and rehabilitation, and diagnostic procedures. Requires prior completion of a program in emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, or physical medicine and rehabilitation. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the investigation, preservation and restoration by medical, surgical or physical methods of all structures of the upper extremity which directly affect the form and function of the limb, wrist and hand. Requires prior completion of a program in orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery or general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares surgeons in the diagnosis, treatment, and support of critically ill and injured patients, particularly trauma victims and patients with multiple organ dysfunction. Requires prior completion of a program in general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to deal with the physical aspects of the therapeutic applications of x-rays, gamma rays, electron, and other charged particle beams, neutrons, and radiations from sealed radionuclide sources; and with the equipment associated with their production and use, including radiation safety. One of the three subspecialties available to residents in radiologic physics who must select one or more subspecialty areas. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the evaluation and surgical treatment of pulmonary, esophageal, mediastinal, chest wall, diaphragmatic and cardiovascular disorders. Includes instruction in bronchoscopy and esophagoscope. Requires prior completion of a program in general surgery. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians with special knowledge and the skill required of a gastroenterologist to care for patients prior to and following hepatic transplantation that spans all phases of liver transplantation. Requires prior completion of a program in internal medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to treat decompression illness and diving accident cases; to use hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment for conditions such as carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene, non-healing wounds, tissue damage from radiation and burns, and bone infections; to serve as consultant in all aspects of hyperbaric chamber operations; and to assess risks and apply appropriate standards to prevent disease and disability in divers and other persons working in altered atmospheric conditions. Requires prior completion of a program in emergency medicine or preventive medicine. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians to manage congenital and acquired conditions of the genitourinary system and contiguous structures including the adrenal gland, including conditions extending from the fetus to the elderly and which may be benign or malignant. This specialist is skilled in medical and open surgical therapy of these conditions, as well as endoscopic, percutaneous, and other minimally invasive methods. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares diagnostic radiologists with additional training in image-guided therapies, using fluoroscopy, digital radiography, computed tomography, sonography, and magnetic resonance imaging, to guide small devices inserted into the body through very small openings. These therapies include angioplasty, stent placement, thrombolysis, embolization, biliary and genitourinary drainages, and abscess drainages. Requires prior completion of a program in diagnostic radiology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the evaluation, prevention, treatment, and recovery from vascular diseases of the nervous system resulting from a large number of causes, such as ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, spinal cord ischemia, and spinal cord hemorrhage. Requires prior completion of a program in neurology or child neurology. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting. A residency training program that prepares physicians in the surgical treatment of diseases and disorders of the arterial, venous and lymphatic circulatory systems and of the heart and thoracic aorta. This CIP code is not valid for IPEDS reporting.

2019-04-25T02:17:15Z

https://www.edeps.org/UnitOfAnalysis.aspx?UA=6011A&pn=0&st=DE

If you insert your iPhone's headset into your iPhone, and then plug an iPhone to USB connector into the bottom connector, the phone has a very useful set of behaviors. Regular audio such as music or podcasts will go out the bottom connector—which in my case ends up coming out my car's speakers—while phone conversations will go through the headsets. Also, the click button on the microphone works to pause (single click), answer (single click), hang up (single click) and skip to next track (double click). Therefore, when I get into the car for my commute home, I plug my headset into the phone, put the right—microphone—ear bud into my ear, and then plug the phone into my car's stereo system. The order this is done is important. Then, as I'm driving around, if someone calls me, I can answer the phone, hang up, and skip tracks all without looking. Be warned, might be illegal in your locality. Last week, my co-worker Gerald came to my cube saying his PowerMac G5 was consistently locking up after starting up and bringing up Entourage. He had come to me as I am the Mac programmer on staff, and therefore considered to know all things Macintosh. I went down to his cube to find the G5 unresponsive to mouse clicks; locked up just has he had said. Very odd. After a few seconds of futzing around I realized that the machine did respond to right clicks. And a few seconds later, Gerald mentioned in passing that every time he restarted, the optical drive ejected. I immediately knew what the problem was. Can you solve this mystery? Answer below. The left mouse button of his Logitech mouse was stuck in the clicked state. Thus the machine was non-responsive to mouse clicks, and as everyone should know, holding down the mouse button while restarting will eject the optical drive of a Mac. I went and got a Mighty Mouse, plugged it in and the machine worked perfectly. My MythTV records over the air broadcasts as .mpg (MPEG) files of several gigabytes each. My preferred mode of viewing them these days is to open up a SMB share on the MythTV box, copy the file over to my MacBook while I'm working and then view it later. Amongst the many annoying things about this process—inefficient SMB transfers, avoiding having Time Machine back up the show, OS X not letting me watch a partially transferred file—a small one is that Quicktime owns the .mpg extension, when it'd be nice if VLC did. But every time I would open a Get Info window on a .mpg file the whole Finder would lockup, apparently generating the preview. And then I'd relaunch the Finder after a minute or so. So I never was able to click the Change All... button. Turns out that the Finder will eventually, after several minutes, give up with creating a preview, and you can change the Open With application to VLC and then click the Change All... button. So be patient. As a father of young children, I have some advice for my fellow software engineers in similar boats who want time for their side projects. At some point, if you are lucky, your children will be sleeping from their bedtime of say 9:00 PM to maybe 7:00 AM depending on their natural needs. My advice is to work within this framework when it comes to your own sleep schedule. Every day, come home from work, play with your children till their bedtime, fall asleep as they do and wake up naturally. For me, falling asleep at 9:00 PM will mean waking up in a quiet, empty house at 4:30 AM with 2½ hours of time to work on my software projects and catch up on my TV watching before the children awake. I will spend the rest of the day fully rested, and at my peak performance. Compare with the alternative strategy of staying up after the babies' bedtime which if I "get on a roll" might keep me up till 12:30 AM, with no margin for error. What if the babies wake up at 6:00 AM as they sometimes do? I'll spend the rest of the day under a sleep debt: low performing and grumpy. Also, my recommended strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt. If you do this and wake up later than expected the first few days, you had an accumulated sleep debt you needed to pay off before reaching peak efficiency. The big extravagance at the house this year is replacing the cheapest looking vinyl shower you ever saw with a very nice tile and glass block version. A friend of my wife's built it over the course of a month; it's beautiful. The babies have been learning the joys of showers over baths, and I've been spending much of my time pondering development problems from the built in granite seat. Unfortunately, it's started leaking and in tracking down the leak, I've realized how broadly applicable the skills we pick up debugging software can be applied to the physical world. After a lengthy bout of baby cleaning, my wife noticed a wet spot growing from the hallway wall shared by the new shower. She reported the bug to me as a high priority. The bug only manifested itself after a shower. And a shower of the babies. If the copper pipes inside the shower were leaking, then using the shower would be irrelevant; it would leak regardless of use. The only exception to this would be a leak in the pipe from the valve to the shower head. So no need to rip out the walls to get to the water pipes. Working on the assumption that if the shower was leaking, it was doing so near the wet spot, and most likely at the most complicated part of the shower: the granite seat. So, I took my morning shower with the spray pointed away from the seat. Result: No wet spot. Conclusion, the seat was not properly sealed. There was a seam through which water could get through and into the outside world. This meshed well with the initial bug report, as the babies would tend to stand on the seat and have the spray directed at them there for long periods. Someone suggested that perhaps the flow was overwhelming the drain and a path to the outside was being reached from the bottom. This seems unlikely as the flow into the drain should be the same or less when the spray was pointed towards the seat. And 15 minutes of water directed directly at the drain disproved it. Have to reseal all the joints, and re-grout the tile beneath the seat till we find the bad seam. One thing you want in C++ compilers is consistency with other C++ compilers. Especially if you are doing cross-platform development work. I want the VS C++ compiler to interpret what I tell it to do exactly the same way that gcc interprets it. That way, I don't have to special case my compilations, and I don't create a bunch of platform specific bugs in my platform neutral code. And usually, the two compilers do agree. that x will not equal 1.4 as most people (and the gcc compiler) would think, but rather it will equal 1.0. Why? Because it sees 0, interprets it as an integer and decides that if both halves of the : have to have the same type, then that type will be integer. The fact that this is in the middle of an assignment to double means nothing. I'm not even saying that Visual Studio is wrong. It's different from gcc which leads to platform specific bugs, and it's unexpected so the unaware coder will type in the unwanted form and not know something could possibly go wrong. This is one of those blog posts where the author has two data points and has to write an entire entry about those points. Here is the data: My iPhone app to help HDHomerun users align their antennas, Signal GH, went 5 days without a sale. This despite getting a favorable mention on a well known podcast on Friday. So I temporarily started giving it away to boost exposure and reviews. A day later, I had 205 downloads from the U.S.. At least I'm breaking even. I believe a large number of these downloads are pointless, as you have to have an HDHomerun to do anything at all with Signal GH. There are people who troll the back pages of the utilities section of the App Store, downloading everything free. I just hope these people don't write reviews. The company I work for is interested in Microsoft's .NET framework; I am not. But, I was scrounging for free content on iTunes the other day and came across the .NET Rocks podcast, and out of idle curiosity downloaded a few episodes. They are well done, and put together by friendly people with an unflagging enthusiasm for Microsoft technologies. And they make me very happy to spend much—unfortunately not all—of my time working on Macs and iPhones. Apparently, the target audience is comprised of developers putting together custom business applications; the kind of vertical apps corporate America (and apparently Dubai) consume by the megalines of code. Not the general purpose, high degree of finish, large user base applications I've spent much of my career writing, but database frontends and the like. It's the Bizarro world out there, where right justifying labels is considered a major advance in GUI development. Host: So let me ask the question a different way: the next version, whatever it's called; should Apple be scared? Rob Tiffany: Yeah, yeah, we're working on some secret sauce out there. Host: Not too secret anymore! I will congratulate the hosts for not being blind to WinCE's current flaws: they gave Rob a hard time about how the phone app on their phone was glacially slow; I'm just amazed they think it will get better. That old saying about a second marriage being the triumph of hope over experience.. And the episode on complying with the corporate governance rules of the Sarbanes Oxley law... If I had to do that sort of thing, I'd seriously consider going to work at Home Depot. How does one show up at work every day doing that sort of thing? And that's the thing. I'm nearly always happy either going into work—assuming I won't be spending the whole day fixing OLE bugs on the PC—or pulling out my MacBook and add a refinement to an iPhone app. Life is sweet. I get to work in an application framework which was designed right from the start; light weight and powerfully elegant. I'm not one of a hundred cogs living in a condo in Dubai; I'm a sole practitioner, or an unblended part of a small team. I write software people don't have to be paid to use. I don't have to wait for the secret sauce which never comes. I am a Cocoa programmer, and for that I am thankful. Developing for the iPhone and iPod Touch is nice: limited hardware differences leads to reliability. If it works on my iPhone running the 2.1 OS, it should run well on your iPhone. They are pretty much the same. Homogeneity is good when it comes to testing for program errors. So your iPhone is the same as mine, but your network is not. I submitted a new version of Remote Remote GH for OS X Touch to Apple a week ago. It had been gradually gestating and stabilizing has I had time to improve it. The last several weeks, it had been quite stable, and had never been much of a crasher to begin with. Thursday night, Apple notified me that the new version was available for distribution on the App Store; Friday morning RRgh crashed on me on launch. Wha? An early updater experiencing (what I assume is) the same problem figured out my e-mail address and let me know that I wasn't the only one. So, I had to quickly remove RRgh from distribution pending a 1.1.1 release, as I have no wish to get a deluge of negative reviews from whatever small fraction of the populace would be affected by this. Which means, there is no RRgh currently available for download, as I don't have the option to revert to the 1.0 binary. If you are one of the people who downloaded 1.1, I hope it isn't crashing on you, but I've submitted an updated binary which should be out within the week. As I occasionally let on, my day job is the care and feeding of an ancient, semi-well known, Carbon application (and worse its Win32 doppleganger, and worse still its Win32 doppleganger's OLE interface). One "perk" is the occasional confrontation with the living dead. The dead in question is how we print. We print using a very old and elaborate system of QuickDraw calls spiked with embedded Postscript. This creates very nice output. On Postscript printers. From PowerPC Macs. For Intel Macs, not so good. Why? Because there is no embedded Postscript in Quickdraw printing support for Intel Macs. It didn't make the cut of creaky technologies Apple bothered porting over during the Intel transition. So, yes, text and polygons look OK, if imprecisely positioned, and that's most of our output; but anything splined based is bad as there are no splines in QuickDraw only very big polygons. So, users of ancient Carbon applications: check out the printing on your shiny new Intel box. I think we've all seen the stories about some guy in New Zealand making $6K a day for a Choplifter clone, or another fellow making $250K in two months reimagining Tetris. What you don't hear about are the flops. And I have a flop on my hands. My application to monitor over the air digital television signal quality, Signal GH has sold 10 copies. I had had no illusions that it would be a big seller; the target market is small at the intersection of iPhone owners and HDHomerun users; I just assumed there were a few thousand such people and they would all want my app. Unlike a lot of apps getting shoveled onto the App Store, Signal is competently coded; performs a useful service, launches quickly, doesn't leak, doesn't crash, and has only a smattering of bugs. Maybe prospective buyers would like to know this, but I have had no reviews so far. Part of the problem was that Apple mistakenly lists its release date as the day I submitted it to them for testing, instead of the day they actually released it to the public, so I got no time on the front page of the Utilities page. And part is probably too high a price point, maybe $5 is just too much even for niche market apps. Again, I'm flying in the dark here because I've gotten zero feedback. I also don't know where HDHomerun users hang out. The forums on Silicon Dust seem fairly low volume. Maybe if the HDHomerun were buggier, people would be filling their forums but dang it if the HDHomerun isn't the most reliable gadget on my network. And, I don't want to make commercial announcements on public forums anyway; nobody likes that sort of thing. I'm not a marketing wiz, I am a fairly good Mac coder. Oh well, I only wasted a couple weeks of spare coding time. I've learned my lessons about targeting larger markets. I learned a thing or two about iPhone development, and hopefully my next post on the subject will be "How I Did Get Rich Via My iPhone App." Needing a license compatible implementation of UPnP I could use to locate MythTV frontends, I made the mistake of using the C++ version of CyberGarage's library. This was a mistake as the C++ version (1.7) is old and filled with bugs and leaks. The proper version to use is the C version (2.2) which is much less buggy and even comes with an Objective C wrapper class. If you are writing an iPhone app and need to locate a UPnP device, this is probably the way to go. Oh, and one thing to consider is that if you look through the code, you will see that the library avoids opening up connections with network interfaces that have the IFF_LOOPBACK flag set—for obvious reasons. You might want to also avoid network interfaces with the IFF_POINTOPOINT flag set, as that is as like as not the cell network radio, and you probably don't want to make UPnP inquiries over the cell network. [Update: Looks like TCM Port Mapper might be the preferred library, but I haven't tried it. Earlier in the year, I posted a blog entry about how Apple, obviously, must be getting ready to release a new version of iTunes based upon the Cocoa framework, and not the Carbon framework. While I still believe this to be true, iTunes 8 is not that product. A quick look through the application's bundle shows all the signs of a product still deeply welded to Carbon. There are a few .nib files in the bundle, but all the ones I looked at were Carbon. Localized strings are still kept in a resource (.rsrc) file! What in the world. In fact, there are no obvious signs of any Cocoa use at all. As someone who's day job involves maintaining a Carbon app that "should" be transitioned to Cocoa, I can sympathize. But it is concerning as Apple wastes development time adding features like Genius to a straight Carbon application. Anybody writing new features will know that their work will have a shelf life of about 9 months; and will have to be reimplemented—at least the GUI parts—in Cocoa. And the sooner a Cocoa iTunes comes out, the faster it will become a mature, bug-free product. iPhone development has re-energized my love of programming. My day job requires me to do too much Win32 coding, and that is soul deadening for a Cocoa programmer. The combination of corporate priorities, and the fact I can add features much more quickly and with fewer bugs in Cocoa, leads me to spend a huge fraction of my time in Visual Studio, when I'd rather be in XCode. It's been draining. I released InCDius 2 back in 2002, and it never got out of beta, although beta 16 was quite stable, and I apparently have a number of loyal (yet put upon) users. It is just an Audio CD database, not a personal media database like the well regarded Delicious Library. It was fast, and pretty darn stable, although a few users have had database corruption issues—please back up to XML people. I knew for years that I should release a new version, but could never quite muster the energy. It embarrassed me having this old, non-Intel application, gradually getting less stable with each OS release application; and I was considering my options for killing it entirely. But my Remote Remote GH for iPhone application makes heavy use of the SQLite database, so I felt confident I could transition InCDius away from the Berkeley DB database. This transition had been the most daunting of the reasons keeping me from releasing an update. My first impulse was to refactor the whole application using Core Data, but that would not have added anything but development time; the GUI was wired up quite well; the application was already scriptable. All I needed was a new database backend, and Apple ships OS X 10.5 with SQLite 3 right in /usr/lib. By choosing SQLite, I was no longer responsible for compiling and upgrading my database library; I can rely on it being there and just working. I tried using the QuickLite SQLite wrapper, but it was not capable for the task, as it creates a large number of objects maintaining its internal cache, to the point of locking up my Mac. No, I had to call the SQLite C API directly. As long as I minimize random access into the database, I get good results. I also wanted this to be a release that could live on its own for a very long time; who knows how long I'll go without finding the time to update it. I wanted code which would last a very long time. This meant not only transitioning to Intel, but compiling for Intel 64-bit, and removing every deprecated API or framework message I could root out. I decided to make the minimum OS X version 10.5 (Leopard), and to transition the codebase to Objective C 2.0, although it isn't quite all there yet. I'll have to work on the garbage collection, but I am using both Objective C 2.0 fast enumeration loops and properties where appropriate. Forward thinking means removing the past, so out went a few features tied to old APIs. I had been allowing users to import information from Classic Mac OS's CD Player preference file, but that involved using old school Resource Manager calls. Anybody ever going to use this feature again? No. Then out it goes, along with the Resource Manager. I had 2 separate ways to play Audio CD tracks. One used QuickTime; one used Core Audio. Kept the Core Audio. NSTableView has a new (to me) way to deal with selections with NSIndexSets, and deprecated the messages I had had been using. Goodbye old messages. My own Objective C objects were filled with ints, unsigned ints, longs, and even the occasional unsigned. Hello NSInteger, NSUInteger and 64 bit computing. I had been using a custom version of NSTableView to draw blue stripes. Goodbye custom class, hello check box in Interface Builder and grey stripes. Obviously, I had been using .nib files for building my GUI. Time to upgrade everything to .xib files. A user sent me his database (as a .zip archive of XML files) of 15,000 individual disks. Wow, and I had been thinking InCDius was zippy fast and ready for release. Massive performance tuning and the decision to load the database at runtime instead of upon the first search. Much simpler and reliable, and lets the user do something else while everything gets ready. Take time to remove all the warning messages. You will save yourself a huge amount of hassle in programming, but especially in Cocoa programming if you eliminate all the compile warnings. You want to know right away if the compiler doesn't know if NSView responds to "releese". Do not let warnings build up. Fix them. Fix them all. A Google Tech Talk by Linus Torvalds inspired me to change the unique identifier key I had been using to lookup disks in the database; he uses SHA1 hashes to avoid corruption in Git, and it seemed to me that a SHA1 hash of the Audio CD's Table of Contents would be as close as I could get to being unique; although there will be rare instances when 2 CDs cannot both be in the database. So after all this, what do I have? A fast, reliable(?), clean, focused little application, which I can send out into the world; spend the next few months fixing the occasional bug and adding the occasional feature, and which people can use for a good long while. I submitted my second iPhone application to the App Store this morning. Signal GH is a utility to monitor the signal quality of over the air television for American and Canadian users of the HDHomerun. I'm charging $4.99 for it, which seems a fair price given what a small market I'm targeting: the intersection of iPhone and OTA HDHomerun users. Anybody who's set a retail price knows how hard it is. And I'm sure there will be a lot of people giving me one star and claiming it should be free, or one star and claiming they didn't understand you needed an HDHomerun. Sorry guys, gotta send my son to day care, the requirements are right in the first sentence of the blurb. The Silicon Dust engineers did a great job with their libHDHomerun API, anybody wanting to put out a C API should check it out for its use of the language, platform ambivalence, and object like characteristics. Of course, they then released it under LGPL, making me wait the last couple weeks for them to modify the license. But they did, and I promptly submitted. Now just step back and let the pennies roll in. As I spend 4 hours a week driving my car to and from work, I need my podcasts to keep me sane. Before I bought an iPhone 3G last month, I had a very reliable cigarette lighter to FireWire cable hooked up to a tiny dock which I would plug into my reliable iPod Mini. Apple, to save space, removed Firewire charging on the iPhone 3G thus forcing users to go with the inferior USB style charging. In a quest to replace my previous setup, I found out the hard way how inferior USB charging is. To replace my original micro dock, I purchased an Apple Component AV Cable. This gave me a USB connector for charging and 2 RCA cables to plug into the convenient RCA ports I had previously installed in my Civic. And to think I was mocked for using RCA instead of a mini jack. Of course, this left me with 3 useless component video connectors, but they were easily bundled up. Now I needed a cigarette to USB adapter, so off to Amazon. I thought the Mace Group USB Charger looked compact. And was soon happily zipping back and forth between work and home before discovering something: it wasn't actually charging my battery. In the meantime, I had purchased another copy for my wife's car, and the iPhone did not even recognize that has being connected. So back they went to Amazon. That seemed to go alright for a couple days until I left the iPhone displaying a GPS map for half an hour. What's that smell? The smell of the PowerJolt overheating. OK, might need something more heavy duty. My, this Black & Decker Power to Go cup holder charger looks the part. Turns out it only delivers 350mA to the USB port. The iPhone won't even notice you are trying to charge it. Well it didn't overheat, but it failed my listening to music with the GPS running test, couldn't quite keep up. Finally, going back to another Griffin PowerJolt from Best Buy, this one larger and with a 2 Amp fuse. Here we have a winner. [Correction: During a longer test, the iPhone's battery did not build charge while playing audio and displaying the GPS map, but the PowerJolt kept cool and was nearly able to keep up.] Driving around while listening to music and with the GPS on, it was actually able to top off my battery. And this model has the new, don't start smoldering feature. It turns out that what any given USB port will deliver in terms of power varies widely: one charger might deliver 5 times as much current as another. I would recommend finding a charger with the highest available maximum amperage, something around 2A like the more recent PowerJolts, and avoiding dual port chargers unless they can guarantee a high current to both ports. I've written a "toy app" for OS X Touch, a version of my Remote Remote GH for MythTV application which acts as a remote control over the wireless network to control a MythTV. It's a toy in the sense I am mainly using it to learn the iPhone SDK, and not to earn money, or even a large user base. I don't expect it will find a large following, I was just learning the ways of the iPhone. Coding for the iPhone is different. Not so much in the GUI classes or the tools, but in the outlook it requires of the engineer. I was working in a resource starved environment; one in which I needed to take care not to run out of memory, not to use network unless needed, and not to spend a lot of time launching or quitting. An environment, where I had to justify every button on the remote control as space worthy. I leaned heavily on Apple's performance tools, much more than I would on a Mac. And, I refactored constantly. Every time I learned something new, I would change my code to work better and better fit the SDK way. I also needed to use SQLite extensively, and felt compelled to adapt the QuickLite framework to both Objective-C 2.0 and the iPhone. If Tito Ciuro reads this, please send me an e-mail. It's harder than it looks coming up with simple, thematically consistent, iconic graphics. Thanks to my wife for telling me try again after my original app icon design mashed together a picture of a widescreen TV with a remote drawn in perspective. I went with a simple rendering of navigation buttons, which I liked so much I made the buttons part of the actual GUI. So, I am testing a little iPhone app to control MythTV, and I decide I should upgrade to the current bleeding edge build. Which is bad enough, as I had Qt 3.3 installed on my Linux box and the bleeding edge is Qt 4 based; requiring figuring out what my PATH, QTDIR, QTMAKE, variables are required, and then ending up with an upgraded database making it hard to go back. And then finding out the the remote control interface is pretty severely broken in a couple places, which I either had to fix or cut back on the features of the app. And then finding out that the mythweb is pretty broken, and that live TV is not improved. Etc. Bad enough, and then I had to upgrade the Mac frontend to match the new version of the MythTV protocol. As if it it never occurred to the guys at MythTV.org that standards should be flexible enough not to require constant changes. Ever notice that on top of every well formed XML file it says <?xml version="1.0" and that people have gotten along pretty well without changing the definition every 3.5 weeks. After a couple of hours of trying to get the frontend to compile on my MacBook, which has XCode 3.1, and an older version of Qt futzing things up I decided that the build scripts really didn't like llvm, and installed XCode 3.0 on the Mac Mini in the basement. Then it was a couple hours of fixing a few errors in the Mac specific code, and realizing the main configure file had to be made executable. Then after it finally compiled, it was figuring out why I couldn't turn off pinging the database server (bad mysql.txt permissions), then why the frontend quit right away with the only clue being in the Console: "MythTV requires an updated schema". So the database schema had changed in the last 3 days, causing the frontend to quit without any warning. Classy. And the playback is absolutely horrible on the Mini for some reason involving TOSLink passthrough or problems with linking in a library—I'm not sure. I really ought to buy another Mini, one which I can run as 100% OS X, and use EyeTV. You should not be creating any PICT files, but longtime Mac users might have a large number of .pict or .pct files lying around, and some (all?) of the tools Apple provides to open such files and convert them to PDF do a horrid job of it. This applies only to vectored PICTs, as bitmapped PICTS will look bad regardless. You will notice that it looks a little archaic with it's lack of anti-aliasing, but that's what people had in the day. I copied and pasted this image into TextEdit.app, saved the document as RTFD and then used the "View Contents" item in the Finder contextual menu to get to an actual old fashioned .pict file. This is how hard it is these days to generate a PICT file. Just to see how not to do this, open the .pict file in OS X Preview.app, zoom in a bit, and you will see that however Preview is rendering PICTs it is doing a pretty poor job of it. I'm guessing it is using QuickTime import to create a bitmapped version. The basic problem here is that Apple provides an API for rendering a PICT into a Quartz context (and thus into PDF) which preserves the vectored nature of the original and some applications do not use it. If you use this API, your onscreen representation of PICT files will be as good as they can be, and you will be able to export them to comparatively nice PDF files. This does not mean they will look as good as PDFs which had been created from the ground up as such; PICTs lack of support for transparency, Bezier curves, fractional coordinate systems and rotated text make that impossible. But it will look a lot nicer. Also check out the little bump in the arrow heads, probably a glitch that went unnoticed in the non-antialiased original caused by drawing the shaft too long and not quite on center. Otherwise, the new antialiased version looks much nicer. And you can even select and copy the (non-rotated) text right here in the browser. It's not unusual, but unfortunate that Apple is inconsistent in using its own API. Preview.app obviously does not, nor does the PICT CoverFlow plugin, but TextEdit.app appears to, resulting in the oddity of a PICT in a CoverFlowed RTFd document looking much better than the CoverFlow of the PICT file itself. Regardless, I recommend that anybody with a large collection of vectored PICTs make PDF copies of them as there may come a version of Mac OS X which will not have any support for PICTs at all. For instance, I doubt you can view PICTs on an iPhone. Warning: see my other posts about how PDFs do not contain the extra data which allows the originating application to recreate the original document. So keep the originals around too. [Update: here is the source for a simple automator plugin I threw together to make the conversion. Think Class Library, MacApp, PowerPlant. What do these frameworks have in common? They are all on my resume and they are all dead. Qt, Cocoa, AWT(?), Swing, MFC(?), .NET. What do these frameworks have in common? They are not dead, yet. The question mark indicates a framework in the zombie state of not being improved upon, but being used by too many people to be considered dead. And, I am glad that frameworks die. I would rather not live in a world where 23 years later, MacApp was the best we could do. It was a pain to work with and I'm much happier with Cocoa or even Qt. People learned what was wrong with the old frameworks and made better ones. (If only this were true of MFC.) And, baring asteroid collision, people will come up with new frameworks in the future. And that is the rub. Frameworks get you 2 ways. 1) they usually lock you into writing all your code in a particular language. If the next great application framework uses Python, and all your work is in C++, you're going to be awfully busy. 2) You drink the Kool-Aid, and use Framework classes everywhere. If you are a Qt user, half your methods take QStrings, and when the time comes when you want to switch from Qt to Cocoa, you will be re-factoring for weeks. The language lockin is tough. I've known for years that C++ is not really a great application language; it may be a decent OS level language, but it is too fragile, too demanding, too static, and too complicated for making reliable desktop applications. But what else are you going to use for cross-platform apps? Maybe .NET will kill C++ as a cross-platform language. I don't know; it'll be a while. Hopefully, an appropriate cross-platform language will rise up to take its place. Which is part of my point, 10 years from now, we will not be using the same language on the same framework to do development. Something better will arise. Getting back to the point of this entry, you want your code to last longer than any one framework. It's a matter of amortization. The longer your code lasts doing useful work, the higher the payoff for writing it. Over the 16 years I've been programming Macs, I've used 5 frameworks, and 3 of them are dead. I am not predicting the imminent death of Cocoa or Qt, far from it, but die they will, and I should have a backup plan. And here is the other rub, my backup plan 'til now has been to write cross-platform, pure C++ code using a lot of STL and boost, and try to keep the platform specific code from creeping into the general purpose code. But I just said, perhaps prematurely and wistfully, that C++ itself might fall out of favor with framework developers, which both makes cross-platform development more difficult without a Lingua Franca, and negates the hedge against your framework dying. So I don't have a long term solution, but in the meantime do what has been good advice. Keep your use of frameworks limited to a thin GUI layer on top. Abstract the interfaces between your code and the framework. Abstract, abstract, abstract. To the extent practical, do not propagate framework classes into the meat of your codebase. If people had done this in the past, they could have skipped from MacApp to PowerPlant to Qt with a song in their heart instead of the crushing pain it was for most folks. Do not get locked in without a very good reason. And know when it is time to scrap your live's work and move to a new language. I am ankle deep in Postscript code at my day job, so as a refresher I took an afternoon and hand encoded a business card for my wife, who is starting a side business arranging academic tours of China (for the Peking University Department of Philosophy and Religion). Obviously, most people would be better served creating a card in InDesign, or other vectored drawing editor, but this was a learning experience. Here it is with the contact info scrubbed. Postscript is not a friendly language, but it was simple enough creating a .ps file in my text editor—BBEdit—and just dragging and dropping the icon from the editor's title bar onto the OS X Preview application. Preview has the convenient feature of auto-magically converting Postscript files to PDF. Of course, compilation errors result in a cryptic failure dialog, but these were enough development tools for an afternoon's project. If I were to do this on a more regular basis, I'd compile a simple app which provided a message callback to the CGPSConverterCreate routine. Consider how much easier it would be to create this file in Quartz, and how much better the output would look. Font handling is hard in Postscript, even if you don't have to embed descriptions of your fonts. Thus my use of standard Postscript fonts Times and Helvetica. Kerning is not automatic in Postscript. Yes, you can use kshow to manually set the spacing between pairs of characters. No, I'm not going to do that. Thus, the odd spacing between letters. If this file had included characters from non-Roman languages, complications would arise as Postscript only allows 256 characters per font encoding, potentially requiring multiple font definitions per face. None of the free Unicode support in Core Text/Quartz. I might have used a little transparency, but there's no such thing in Postscript. The fact of the matter is that Apple has done a lot of heavy lifting for us either via proprietary extensions to PDF, or taking the extra effort of providing optimized support for font embedding. An afternoon spent trying to keep track of an unruly parameter stack was enough for me to appreciate how much power Quartz gives us, and how easy it is to call upon. I was watching a recent episode of Anthony Bourdain's: No Reservations on the Travel Channel this morning, and came up with an idea for an application. Bourdain described the process in which orders are conveyed through a restaurant: customer tells waiter, waiter writes on order slip, waiter goes to waiter station and inputs order into terminal, order gets directed to the appropriate kitchen personnel. I was struck by how the input terminal involved bringing up a diagram of the appropriate table, and inputting the order for each chair around the circle. This seemed something easily transferable to an iPod Touch style interface. I'm imagining a situation where the customer tells the waiter, the waiter touches on the table in a map of the restaurant, touches on the seat, is given a series of menu choices corresponding to things on the menu, touches complete, and the order is sent directly to the kitchen. Maybe the customer orders shrimp and the kitchen just ran out of shrimp, the software would show an alert. In this scenario, the waiter only has to enter the data once, there is less chance of transcription errors, the restaurant does not have to set aside valuable floor space for the waiter station, and status information is more current. Presumably, the people best positioned to make such software is whoever makes the current restaurant terminals, but some enterprising types could get into the business right now while the going is good, by providing an entire Mac/iPod based solution which incorporated the whole system: data entry, accounting, kitchen display screens, etc. If anyone uses this idea, cash is always an appropriate gift. It would be nice if Apple were to come up with an industrial version of the iPod Touch that was not worth stealing as a media player for specialized situations like this. You still see tables filling full page ads in computer magazines, a column of checks for the product being advertised, a column of blanks under the competitors. This was the game of the big company, the Microsofts of the world; organizations with large enough staffs to code solutions to any need or perceived need of any customer big or small. Every customer needs 10% of Microsoft Office, but every customer needs a different 10%. Smaller, more nimble companies have made better pure word processors, but they have all been relegated to niche markets, as the vast majority of customers know that somewhere in Office are the exact features they need, plus a bunch of features they might need someday for free. It's just a matter of finding them. And in a world of full keyboards, contextual menus, 24" monitors, gigabytes of RAM, terabytes of storage, multi-cores, and fast CPUs, there's always somewhere to tuck a feature. and imagine that each icon was twice as big to accomodate the stubby adult forefinger. Imagine making even this small subset of functionality accessible somehow while still showing content. I've a good imagination, but it fails me here. Apps must be relaunched every time you move back from another app. There are gestures, but really, how many unique gestures can you expect a person to master: pinch, shake...? No, what we will get are mini-apps. Apps a single competent programmer will bang out and polish in 3 months or less. The functionality which makes up Office could be broken up into scores of such mini-apps: a mini-table creator, a mini-slide presenter,a separate mini-slide editor, a database client, a little drawing app. In fact, even these small apps will probably be too big, and will be streamlined for more specific task oriented, specialized purposes: a blog post word processor, a series of charting modules which each do one type of chart, a specialized Keynote which only has the tools needed to create presentations following a single corporations style—imagine all those exactly the same style presentations you see at Apple events. That would be doable on an app which could only show 5 toolbar icons at once, and which relied upon gestures, animation, templates and transparency to maximize what the user can see and do. And, lots of apps to help with one's location based social networking, whatever that is. In the iPhone ecosystem, bloatware is non-adaptive. The big have no feature advantage over the small. The experienced Cocoa programmer does have an advantage, however. I have been reading through the Apple example code, and it is made up of delightful exercises in object oriented minimalism. Actual, full blown apps written in this style will be incredibly light weight for the functionality delivered, with zippy launch times, and responsive interfaces. This seems to be how one masters a framework, and it is especially true of Cocoa, by learning how to do the most with the least code, which is again, the anti-thesis of the bloatware mentality, which seems to only care about churning as much code out as possible. If anybody's starting up a business based around iPhone development, and need a chief engineer, I'm sure you can find my e-mail address. Well the momentous day came, and the iPhone SDK is in our hands. I wish I were not so incredibly busy at my day job, or I would take a couple weeks off and learn the ins and outs. But, I've decided I should start small and port a little application I wrote, Remote Remote GH for MythTV, which I'm afraid I have not been properly maintaining, but has the advantage that it would be much more useful on an iPhone than on a laptop, and it only uses Cocoa and various Core Foundation routines. I'm going to go through the exercise here of paring the interface down to size and making it more in touch with the Touch's way of doing things. Then sometime in the next couple months, I'll take the time to actually do it. Let's look at the original and see how we can get it down to 320x460 and 480x300 (which are about the available sizes once you discount the "status bar" region of the display). Not only do you have a smallish screen, there is inconvenient text entry, and any widget on screen should be at least 44x44 pixels to deal with the stubby fingers of adult humans. On the plus side, there is multi-touch and 3D movement via the accelerometer. Disconnect/Connect Button This should probably be done away with entirely, and the app should try to keep a connection up when visible. Scrolling Status Console This was a area devoted to telling the user what has happened. This can be condensed into a 2 line status widget at the bottom of each screen. Recorded Programs Table This can be moved to its own panel, and condensed, with perhaps a sub-panel which the user can navigate to with more complete information for each recorded program. Big Scrub Bar I like the idea of making very long scrub bars to allow for fine control over where in a program the user can jump. This is a good candidate for a control which is always along the long axis regardless of the orientation of the device, and will only be visible in play back mode panels. As I said, I have very little time on hand, but I was able to make a first step of compiling my network protocol classes, which compiled after a mere 5 code changes—removing #include "Cocoa/Cocoa.h", and replacing call to Carbon's NewPtr(...)/DisposePtr(...) with malloc(...)/free(...). Then it was just a copy/paste job to make a stripped down version of my original application delegate, which just stuffed replies from the server into a simple UILabel in my main window. Amazingly, this worked on the second try, with a connection forming with the server, followed by periodic requests for status. If anything, the networking code is more solid than in the desktop application. I'll update this later, as I start to build the GUI, and figure out how best to minimize my power usage (keeping the Wi-Fi unit off for extended periods). I refer you to this posting on the product forum for the CoreAVC player application. An application which claims to have extremely efficient H.264 decoding. Here is the company representative explaining why the Edit menu always comes first , instead of the File menu as Jobs intended it. Now, I would very much like to see better efficiency in H.264 playback, especially on the 1.6 GHz Core Duo Mac Mini on my wife's desk. That would be a good thing. But here is a cross-platform application whose creators can't be bothered to put together a simple Cocoa shell application for their player, and believe me this would not be a lot of work for a semi-competent Mac guy to throw together. Instead, they've ported their skinning engine—which I'm sure they are quite proud of. The engine is extremely flexible, except in the sense that you can't put together a skin which doesn't make their programmers look clueless. Let's see. How much time to put together a nice Cocoa application to host your player: X. How much time to port, and debug a "flexible" skinning engine: maybe 4X. So, precious development time which could be spent elsewhere is instead spent on skinning: a misfeature given to the world by WinAmp, and repeated by seemingly every other media player intent on letting skinless iTunes eat their lunch. You want to know a big reason WinAmp, or MusicMatch (which I worked for) or whatever, couldn't keep up with Apple's iTune team? A big reason was skins, if you are spending 30% of your development time maintaining skins and the skins engine, and you start rejecting new features because they don't fit into the design of the engine, or because you have to add new artwork to 10 separate skins, and you have your best minds trying to figure out an abstract design for docking arbitrary subwindows, and your testing staff spends all day long looking at every permutation of new feature and skin, then it's going to be like you are fighting Apple with your arm tied to your leg, and your leg is bolted to the floor. And for what? A feature that the vast majority of your user base is at most going to flip through once and forget exists. BTW, CorePlayer, at the moment, is virtually useless on the Mac, as it lacks AC3 passthrough. You know an actual feature involving playing media. Maybe, if they hadn't spent all that time on their skinning engine, they'd have a product Mac users, like me, would like to buy. I direct your attention to the very explicitly obsoleted documentation for the QuickDraw routine PicComment. With a call to PicComment, an application would insert whatever arbitrary data it liked into a PICT. It could then put the PICT on the system clipboard. The user could paste it into their favorite word processor. Days, weeks, femtoseconds later, the user could copy the same image back into the clipboard, and paste it back into the original application. Without a PicComment, there was little the originating application could do, just treat the image as an uneditable graphic, floating lifelessly inside a document. With a PicComment, the application could retrieve enough information to recreate the original selection from which it came; perfectly without loss of quality. Users built up ad hoc workflows around the knowledge they didn't have to save original image documents, but could copy and paste images back from their word processor if they wished to revise. Extend the keys available to CGPDFContextCreate and other similar PDF creating APIs to include private vendor data. Presumably, you could provide a dictionary under a kCGPDFContextVendorPrivateData key, with a kCGPDFContextVendorID (like "com.genhelp.mygreatapp") and an XML fragment—or other convenient format—needed to recreate the original. Encourage application developers to preserve original PDF data whether received via file insertion, pasting or dragging. This would include Apple's own applications such as Preview and Text Edit. Often, applications will thoughtlessly re-render an image into PDF even when the source was PDF to begin with, heedlessly throwing away the original's auxiliary data. Add similar functionality to the TIFF flavor favored by image editing software. Presumably, the host application wouldn't even need to save the whole original, just the contents of the vendor dictionary. And users can leave the world where a copy/paste is a one way trip. For months, I've wanted to know whether Microsoft Office 2008 supported copying and pasting PDF data from the OS X clipboard. I couldn't find out, and it's not like I didn't ask. Two days ago, Office 2008 appeared on my chair, and the answer is yes. Backing up a moment. When you copy content in one application and paste it in another, you are using a system service to transfer the data be it via the old style Carbon Clipboard manager, the Cocoa NSPasteboard class, or the newish Pasteboard framework available to the non-Objective C crowd. The two applications must agree on the format of the data exchanged, so typically only widespread standards are used. For text, as I've outlined before the RTF format is preferred. For bitmap images, a good choice is lossless TIFF. Vectored images, however, were a quandary. Vectored images are pictures composed of individual drawing operations such as MoveTo, LineTo, AddToPath, FillPath, etc.. Because they are not limited in resolution like a bitmap, they look good on screen and tend to print out with lovely crisp lines. They also tend to be smaller than bitmap files. Every application on Classic Mac OS used a convenient format called PICT which is basically a recording of the QuickDraw operations needed to generate the onscreen display. PICT is a primitive format, something more in tune with the computers of 1984 than 2008. Off the top of my head, it lacks fractional coordinates, paths, Bezier curves, gradient fills, pagination, is limited to QuickDraw fonts, has limited (to rotating text) coordinate matrix manipulations, poor support in Cocoa applications and its ugly. The only two good things I can say about it is it does allow for high quality printing via embedded PostScript, and you can squirrel away your own data in it in case the same PICT gets copied and pasted back into your application. When OS X arrived, legacy Carbon applications kept on generating their PICT clipboards for both bitmap and vectored material even though the superior PDF format was available and universally used by newer Cocoa applications. QuickDraw became obsolete and onscreen drawing is most often done with Quartz calls, and yet applications still maintain ways to generate PICT clipboards at great expense of maintenance and design. Why? Because Microsoft Office didn't support PDF, and if you want to sell business applications on the Mac, you have to share data with Office, and that content had better print nicely from within Office. I know from personal experience the aggravation of maintaining the portion of an application which renders content into QuickDraw PICTs; ugly, cludgy QuickDraw PICTs when I could be easily generating PDF clipboards; beautiful lightweight, lithe, PDF files. TextEdit has a bug where it doesn't re-render embedded PDFs when it zooms. Presumably, OS X could provide a service where it would extract embedded PostScript from PICTs (if available), and generate a pleasing PDF pasteboard, but it doesn't and I doubt that Apple wants to encourage developers to keep on using PICT. And notice how svelte the PDF (21,056 bytes) is compared to the PICT (409,198 bytes). Rendering a gradient fill in QuickDraw is not pretty. The PICT version bloats by 97K while the PDF gets a mere 4K. Not that size matters any more with RAM and hard prices the way they are. Look at that beautiful shadow detail! Try to do that in a PICT! Draw something in Sketch copy paste, yep, there it is, a PDF pasted into Word. Yay again. But what does this all mean? It means that once Office 2008 sees widespread adoption, the rest of the Mac content creation software industry can rip out every last QuickDraw call in their application. It means we can build 64-bit versions of our applications. It means we had best start putting PDF on our own clipboards. It means Cocoa apps can generate content and with no extra effort have it look great inside Office apps. It means there will be a new, higher minimum quality for interchanged content. It means we can forget everything we ever knew about Classic Mac programming. Pretending 1GB equals 1000 MB. This is in the category of things that happen to everyone, but which should me remarked upon. Modern RAM capacities are amazing. My first computer, a Mac Plus, purchased new from the University of North Dakota's bookstore, had .001 GB of RAM installed, which I upgraded first to .0025 GB, and then to its maximum .004 GB, at a cost, as I recall of about $150,000/GB. I just purchased, at $15/GB (shipping included) a 2GB module for my MacBook, bringing it up to 3GB—and requiring me to dispose of an inconvenient 1GB module. So this means that my computer of today has 3000× the RAM of my 1988 computer, while the price per unit has dropped by 9,999/10,000ths of what it once was. Imagine if cars were improving at the same rate. Drive capacities have gone through a similar transition, from the .0008 GB floppy in my Plus to the 200 GB drive in my MacBook. The scary thing is the idea that over the next 20 years from now, RAM might increase in typical capacity by another 3000 times, and what will we be doing with it?

2019-04-20T08:11:56Z

https://www.sprinkleofcocoa.com/2008/

And that means just about all of them! Wind came sweeping in, unsheathed from its scabbard of rain, but the skipper of the yawl TJUTELA was confident that this weather was not going to be a beast he couldn’t handle, even though the sea had started to build up. Side by side at his feet in the wheelhouse sat his crew, Ulf and Gurth, ready for anything Sea might think of testing them with, and this time out it might be plenty. They were still some distance offshore from Shalisa Creek Bay, but he felt sure he could make it in before the worst fury of the weather caught them. With storm jib and reefed main set, he held TJUTELA’s wheel firmly on course and lifted her through the threatening waters toward the Gap, intent on getting all the speed he could without endangering his vessel, heading for the shelter of the bay and his peaceful barge retreat, where he planned to tie up in the lee of it, the three of them would get aboard, start a cheerful fire going in the big fireplace, he’d play the flute a bit up in the bright little spire room, do some dreaming about LEGER DE MAIN’s future direction and... . Boat and barge vanished along with the wild passage in the grey seas of the man’s imagination as the ordinary demands of another day landed on his desk from a well-aimed toss and slid to a halt in front of him. His manager from the marine hardware store on the boatyard premises ashore always got to the mail first, which kept that inquisitive person well acquainted with what went on at head-office-on-the-water just by glancing at envelopes. The old oak desk which staunchly received the offering without a quiver was adorned with a vase of tulips and hyacinths, glowing in bright colours, and the flowers spread their fragrance triumphantly around the room, with no competition of noxious odours from the ashtray. That large, opalescent, shining clean abalone shell, instead of cradling a half finished, intensely glowing cigar, now held a meek collection of pushpins with plastic heads of various colours, and a paperclip necklace. Only one beaten-up topsider rested on the desktop this morning. David’s right leg was stretched out beneath the desk, encased in a white cast from above the knee down, its accompanying ankle and foot hugged firmly by the unyielding cover, out of which five toes had been allowed to poke, panting for breath. Accordingly, the leg of his faded jeans had the outside seam slit, to accommodate the entrance of all that bulk, and four big safety pins, carefully placed by Edith Godwin, held the length of it together. A pair of aluminum crutches leaned against the desk, constantly threatening to take a nap on the floor as Tide, ungentle today, rocked the little floating office. Ulf and Gurth, keeping cautious eyes on those dangerous weapons, had moved away from their usual places on either side of David’s chair and had chosen to lounge by the slightly open door, through which a quick exit could be made in case any other disaster—such as David losing his balance and falling in their direction—might occur, as it had before. Apart from the frantic scrambling they had to do to avoid acquiring crutches themselves at such a time, and the resounding thump as Friend David hit the floor, the loud exclamations which arose from the action just about had them putting their paws over their ears. It wasn’t in Dog Speak, but they knew it was—very bad. From time to time David took his letter opener, inserted it through a gap in his renovated jeans and slid its long, thin blade around the top of the cast, in an attempt to dislodge the itch which had taken up residence there. David picked up the envelopes, tapped them into a pile and spread them carefully fanwise, shielding them with his fingers as though he’d just been dealt a hand of poker. Here a desperate and uncharacteristic thought went through his mind. <Maybe he could just give me a loan for the amount—legally—and then maybe I could just—not pay it—and he could write most of it off as bad debt, which would help both of us... . <Nah!—He’ll just look at me and make those big eyes of his and say—‘Of course I can do this for you David—but—you perhaps do not want to walk this path. It is not a good one, and I believe we will find a much better direction with a little thought’. Light shone from the desk lamp and patted the man’s head comfortingly, crowning him with a misplaced halo as he stared at the envelopes. <What should I say to Harry? There are times when I wish I hadn’t met Harry at all. He’s a disturbance to my carefully balanced peace of mind right now. You win some and you lose some and mostly, if you’re smart, you win—which means I haven’t been too smart lately. <My tight economy’s forced me into compromises and deals which I have to make now, and I don’t want to—and then there are times of wishing things were different, which tends to upset my equilibrium. Seeing Harry operate almost always tips the scales. He doesn’t seem to need compromises. <Running into him was like running into someone from another planet. A kinder, less vicious place, he must have come from. He doesn’t fit into this world of ruthless commerce. The gods love Harry and protect him from the evils of his fellow man. Sell him a lemon and for sure he’ll come up with a beautiful big jug of lemonade, and then distribute it free to all his friends. That means anyone fortunate enough to be within reaching distance at the time. <He’s way overweight, and his capacity for beer when he’s in the mood puts kegs to shame, and for those who worry about appearances, well—like me, Harry doesn’t—but even the most uncharitable critics who put him down as a stupid s.o.b. can’t help ending up giving him a grudging acceptance. He’s so totally unaware of criticism that it never gets through to him. He just laughs and makes a joke out of an intended rebuff. It’s impossible to insult him—bounces off like he’s made of bullet-proof glass and gets deflected back to the sender. <Besides, who are these people to criticise Harry anyway? Sooner or later everyone becomes somebody else’s idea of the perfect fool—I sure wear that one right about now. Harry just seems to get stuck with that label more than anyone else around, and not necessarily because he is. <It’s jealousy, that’s what. Everyone uses him as a foil for jokes, but Harry thinks the whole world is as innocent of nastiness as he is. He’d give anyone the shirt off his back if he thought they needed it. The fact that it’s greasy and torn and just about not fit for wiping a floor with can’t take away from the honest generosity of the man. David had done a bit of grouching himself the first time he’d met Harry. He’d just walked along the float to his sailboat with a duffle bag over his right shoulder and a diving jacket and related gear precariously balanced in his left arm and was about to put the load on board his boat when someone had backed away from the old motor-sailer moored behind the TJUTELA and almost dumped him into the saltchuck, gear and all. He got a handful of dirty grease. He wiped. The outstretched arm stayed stolidly, solidly unwavering, like a well-seated horizontal post. David noted that Harry’s hands had skin on them as rough as the bark of a Douglas fir and of about the same colour and, after David had retrieved his own startled knuckles from the handshake, he thought maybe Harry might well be able to pick up a piece of iron rod and bend it into a right angle as casually as if he played with a willow switch, although the round contours of the man gave no hint of that strength to anyone from just looking at him. David thought Harry’s appearance was more that of a jolly pumpkin a week after hallowe’en—ready to melt down into a soft heap. “You fixing up that boat for someone?” he asked with sudden hope, and curious to know who, if anyone, had been so misled and unknowing as to have actually paid money for that barely floating old casualty of the sea which hung grimly to its disintegrating lines through storm and calm, its bowsprit punching TJUTELA’s stern with evil intent every time he wasn’t around to check on it. “Yeah,” replied Harry, “Me,” and came up with the most delighted smile of proud ownership David had seen for some time, including one from an acquaintance who had recently launched a beautiful, newly built fifty-footer, the HAPPY OURS. David wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this frank admission of excess stupidity. He’d been secretly hoping the old thing would roll over at her berth, take the deep six, and subsequently be hauled off as an unsalvageable hulk. She had a permanent catheter sectioned into her with a pump attached, and every time a bit of wind came up she hung on to the TJUTELA’s taffrail with the grip of a drowning, hysterical non-swimmer, forcing David to put out a couple of big fenders over the stern to push her off in self-defence, which violated his sense of the aesthetic. The dreary military green which covered her entire exterior didn’t do much for his sensitivities either. It seemed a shame to him really, because with a little hull work the old boat astern looked as though it probably would have been sound, at least below the waterline, had it been cared for earlier. He didn’t like to see boats of whatever claim to beauty, or lack of it, deteriorate into dissolving rot piles—and especially not in the water around his boat. It made for a sad sight and a problem for anyone else with a wooden hull in the vicinity, which was almost everybody. The smile got visibly brighter as David, under the pretence of picking up his duffle bag again, knelt down and scrubbed his hand on the boards at his feet to remove the remnants of grease still determinedly clinging to his fingers. “You know this boat I guess?” came the question before David, rearranging the gear in his arms as he stood up, could implement his next move. Yes indeed. He certainly did. She had arrived in the area about four years previously off a flatdeck after it had trucked her across the entire breadth of the country and deposited her at a wharf, in this city with its feet in the sea. She’d been put there by a shrewd, aggressive, ostensibly moneyed but hopelessly in debt Euro free-wheeler, who had weaselled and cheated his way to spectacularly mortgaged wealth in any which way he could with amazing rapidity. His ideas of acquiring more of the bottom line material became ever more questionable as he rolled along. He operated as a loner, figuring secrets were best kept by one. His contacts with businessmen of the same ilk were brief and abrupt and he never enquired later where ‘Fred’ had disappeared to if that latest of his associates happened to ‘leave town’. Having pushed himself into the halls of elegance, his opinion of himself rose to the height of what others there thought was ignorant grandiosity, at which point he bought himself a boat which had been owned by someone worth more than himself in every way, hoping the past history of it would give him an aura of belonging. It didn’t, mainly because it had been the property of a lord of that country who had been well liked and, apart from that, it had been rejected by this newcomer’s now called peers as not worthy of note in the yachting scene any longer—too outdated. This didn’t come across to him though, so it didn’t bother his ego one bit. He owned a boat which had belonged to a lord and that was good enough for him. He then proceeded to buy himself a title of dubious authenticity to match, from someone of like credentials, and did his best to behave like the worst of the titled ever had. This pose, however, required money and lots of it, so he cast about in his mind as to how this deficiency could be met. Having heard of the smuggling going on around a certain Pacific Coast, he decided a little of that might be just the thing to solve the problem. At the decaying old club he had graced with his presence and membership fee he then fed his new friends the story that he was going off on a sailing holiday in different waters to exercise his recently acquired athletic interest—about which he knew nothing. They were delighted with the prospect of getting rid of him for awhile, and mutters were heard out of his earshot to the effect that if he thought people could tell a man by the company he kept, they didn’t want him to keep theirs—so a few ‘pigs got up and slowly walked away’, shaking his dirt from their feet. He didn’t notice, being much too occupied with his half-hatched scheme as he decided that shipping his boat over would lend credence to his tale, and be cheaper than buying one over there, since he didn’t have the wherewithal to do that and he had no connections across the water with which to hoodwink anybody into giving him credit. Also, that might start strangers into prying around his business background, which he was trying to keep out of sight. He’d forgotten to tell his boat of these plans though. She knew nothing at all about this proposed kind of shady operation, so she was somewhat surprised when her fine old bronze name boards, which she had owned since she’d been christened as LADY LILY, were removed, and new ones of wood were put in place on her aging hull which read SWASHBUCKLER, in large, countersunk, flourishing gold letters, embellished with crossed cutlasses at either end of the name, which said more about her skipper than herself. Rather blatant, and definitely not refined, she thought. Her pampered existence before she’d fallen into difficult circumstances had not prepared her for this, especially since time and tide had left her in no very good shape, and the new boards seemed to be all which the latest owner was going to do in the way of preparation, but she was brave and game and quite willing to try out a different ocean, even though there had never been any freebooters in her family of owners—at least not that anyone spoke of out loud. She considered her sails, figuring they’d hold out a bit longer if they weren’t used too roughly. The rest of her gear would have to do the best it could. She could only try. She needn’t have worried. Having been a power-boater in the past, the new hand on the helm had no intentions of raising sail on her because she was a motor-sailer, and he was going to motor. He held firm in the notion that motoring was the only safe way to go, and that it would get a boat anywhere in any weather—which premise may or may not have been true, depending quite a lot on the motor’s condescension to run and the boat’s ability to handle rough water. He paid no attention to the sails bundled in their bags. He figured on raising nothing more than Cain and his drinking elbow on the boat unless there was a flat calm and the safety of a well protected harbour close by. Then, though, he’d be able to get all that flapping cloth up, impress everyone with the size of her fore-and-aft rig as he glided in, motoring, and afterwards he could pack all that weighty stuff safely away again while everybody watching ‘ooohed’ and ’aaahed’. After all, it was going to be a holiday excursion too. He intended to enjoy himself. However, their first sally in the Americas, pursuing jettisoned cargo, had been quite an adventure. The Pacific had refused to behave like a river estuary, and they’d found themselves in a fresh west coast gale, shipping a little water, while the swashbuckling skipper went into a panic and put out a ‘mayday’ with a piece of technology he was unfamiliar with, after the boat’s neglected and unserviced diesel had packed it in when it ran out of fuel, and he’d run her aground on a mudbank because he had no idea of how to claw off a lee shore where he shouldn’t have been in the first place in such bad weather, and having even fewer notions of what to do with sails—which the Coast Guard were rude enough to suggest he use until they got there—before he hit bottom. “Roger mayday. All stations, all stations, all stations, Shalisa Creek Coast Guard, Shalisa Creek Coast Guard, Shalisa Creek Coast Guard—Seelonce distress... (and so forth). “Yeah yeah your highness. Sounds like he’s saying ‘disaster’, and maybe he is. Doesn’t know how to use the radio—Your boat name and coordinates please, Nom de bateau s’il vous plait, et... . A snorting sound came across the air waves. The distressed skipper heard an aside which sounded something like—’that tells us a lot’. He was glad they’d at least understood that. “Really impressed with himself—Please give us a description of your boat—milord! The grounding hadn’t damaged the boat too much, mud being a kindly material for leaning hulls on, and both the Coast Guard and high tide had arrived at pretty much the same time, which got her off safely and just about by her own efforts, but it had shaken up her owner to the enth degree. Smart enough, though, to have stayed in harbour when rough waters and weather were causing trouble off a lee shore for a foolish boater. Having got her back to her berth at the end of a towline, and with a strong young Coastguardsman manning the pump, resolutely trying to control himself from responding to the verbal abuse he was getting, this hero quickly decided that playing at privateering maybe wasn’t feasible around these waters anyway. He’d think up some other financial scam. Obviously, it appeared to him, they were all fools here and would be easily gulled. He removed the name boards from the boat’s bow, to be hung over his mantel when he got back home, along with her original bronze ones, for backing up the tales he’d tell about his sailing adventures with his two fine yachts—and then he had her put up for sale right smart like, all shipshape and sailor fashion—if no one looked too close—and she actually sold, fast. Her next owner had been a doctor who had detested that profession for all the years he’d practised it. He had wished deeply in his heart that he’d been brave enough to run away to sea instead of continuing grimly on his chosen path, looking down the throats of hypochondriacs, paying wife and child maintenance, fending off would be seconds in the spouse department, and malpractice suits from relatives whose ninety years plus old grandparents he hadn’t been able to keep alive any longer in spite of all his skills, and who figured if he hadn’t been so determined to make money on old folks with his trade they’d have come into their inheritance a lot sooner, so he was going to pay for their wasted time. Unfortunately, his courage was as weak as his personality, which finally brought him to the purchase of a boat he might really have travelled in at a time when that reality was beyond his reach. His idea of sailing was to lounge aboard his boat where she was berthed, smoke his pipe while he listened to the water lap at her hull, which was in the process of undergoing repairs, and tell her all about his fine dreams of sailing to Hawaii—that old Hawaii—where they would be greeted by beautiful Polynesian people in outrigger canoes throwing flower garlands to them and singing songs starting with ‘alooooooooooooohaaaaaaa’, and she would sit with her spars and rigging black against flaming sunsets in a warm and safe blue lagoon. They would lead an idyllic existence in a south seas paradise, far away from cold and complaints and greediness—and he would never look at another diseased person for the rest of his happy life. This prospectus of a fine future was certainly more to his boat’s liking, as were her new name boards, all of shiny bronze once more, proclaiming that she was now HIBISCUS. Being named after beautiful flowers pleased her gentle, well-bred heart, since her first name had been of the flora family, and the lady who had been her namesake had also been kind and gentle. They looked forward to Hawaii together but they never got there. He died just after her hull had been put into reasonable condition, so his boat had been auctioned off with his estate—by his grandchildren—minus her fine new name boards which some ruthless robber had stolen for his own use, and then she got pushed from berth to berth, bought and sold and repossessed, as various brokers did their damnedest to get a commission out of her while neglecting to keep their investment worth investing in. She became downright ragged and weather worn as the years and owners went by, and her beautiful lines were not seen by prospective purchasers because they saw first the curls of cheap, badly applied paint peeling from her hull and cabin. Her new country did nothing at all for her welfare or looks. The climate was often unkind and rough, as were some of her owners. Green moss got aboard and, finding the premises just right for their squatter’s habits, invited hordes of relatives to join them, where they gathered anywhere and everywhere, proliferating happily. Once settled in, they showed no desire to leave, and they had to be occasionally dispossessed by more rough treatment to her decks and rigging. She longed for someone to claim her and give her the love and attention she’d once had. Instead, she became an article of trade in the hands of ruthless money-makers. The latest in that list of fortune seekers happened to belong to the sailing club David operated. In fact, he’d been its first member. The association between the two men had come about because at that time, while both David and his business were beginning to develop nicely, he wanted to buy a boat which Jack Smarten was selling. David, knowing boats but not knowing the yacht broker pushing it, thought the go-getter agent was genuinely interested in beautiful old wooden vessels. It was under just such a guise that Jack had managed to insert the expensive yawl into the proceedings to begin with. The salesman had been visited with the good fortune of getting his hands on the boat one evening in a low-end lounge where he went to make contacts and to be seen, and C.E.O.s from large corporations, along with a few ex-heads of them came, not to make contacts or be seen, but to lose themselves slumming, some with charming partners who also didn’t want to be seen. He found himself talking to the male half of a pending breakup, who was in that state of mind where he’d give things away just to prevent the other half from getting it. His father-in-law had given them a boat as a wedding present. He now despised both father and daughter. By association the boat came in for the same condemnation and, on learning that Jack was a broker, he unloaded himself. He wanted to make some quick cash on it before his wife found out and slapped a restraining order on its sale, and while they fought over it the costs of its upkeep would bite deeper into his half of the partitioning. Jack did a bit of balm rubbing and agreed that glass was the only way to go. Wooden boats were certainly difficult to move on the market—which he’d found to be all too true, having got stuck with more than a few of them because nobody else would take them on. He didn’t usually take them on, he continued—but—after taking a good look at the snapshot—he came up with the opinion that—he’d try. He decided he’d try even harder when the man told him what he wanted for it. That much? He was assured it was worth more than that. Yeah—right! They all said that. The price being asked was so ridiculously high in Jack’s estimation that he couldn’t say no, even if it was an old, used, wooden boat. He figured the guy was asking too much for it under pressure of needing money, so even if he got only half that amount—so what? He decided that he’d sell it at any price. A commission was a commission. She looked pretty good in the photo even if she did happen to be wood. Probably rotten—but—it was a boat. He could sell it. All he needed were the papers of ownership and permission as agent... . Jack got it in writing the next day. He didn’t care about boats, or know much about them for that matter, but he’d found out along the way as he’d worked his travelling salesman job servicing candy and peanut machines years before, that other people loved boats. If it still floated and he could get his hands on it cheap or on spec it was worth something. He started a ‘brokerage’ on the side and learned he was a good salesman. He could sell. He could talk just about anybody into anything by finding their weaknesses and working on them. He had one weakness himself. He loved to bet the ponies, which kept him constantly looking for sources to fill his pockets. He wasn’t used to handling such fine goods. His was a bottom feeder bargain basement operation. He actually didn’t know what the real worth of the boat was, or that the owner was wreaking vengeance on his partner by selling something which was only half his and naming such a low price, figuring anyone would buy it at a glance—but, compared to the other goods he handled, the salesman knew it was somewhat better than most of the old castoffs he dealt with. He knew this one was a moneymaker if he got anywhere near the asking price. He pondered as to just how he could parley this windfall into a winning ticket. Time was of the essence. He’d have to move it fast before the wife realised what was happening. He’d heard about a marina which had the best reputation in town where work on wooden boats like this were concerned, run by a kid whose reputation, he’d heard, was not quite so shining. Rumour had it that he gambled. The combination sounded promising to Jack’s ever churning mind. He decided to have a bit of unnecessary cosmetics done on the yawl, figuring the fine name of the yard would make it a good place to seek for prospective buyers who might come by while she was up on the ways, maybe saving him the cost of hauling her out at some time in the future. Also, he thought that the owner of the place must have all sorts of people, loaded with more money than they were entitled to, coming around looking for yachts. He didn’t have an account at the yard but—he’d get one. When the boat involved in the matrimonial tug-of-war had arrived at David’s premises the salesman unerringly sniffed out the top man who was working alongside his surprisingly youthful crew, wearing a torn shirt, old frayed jeans, worn sneakers, and an unassuming presence. He began pouring on his pitch about the smashing old wooden hookers he’d brokered—this smashing one in particular. He wanted this information passed on, so he made sure the marina operator knew that it was for sale—at a bargain. He dropped the approximate amount into the flow of words, figuring some fool with lots of money would fall for the old thing fast once they heard about it, or if not he could lower the price. The yard operator barely listened to the tales about how fantastic the others had been. He saw only this one as it came out of the water. He ran his eyes over her masterfully executed, harmonious lines and he lost his bearings over her right then, but he kept his mouth shut about it for the moment. Maybe, if he had heard instead of just barely listening, his healthy sense of scepticism might have come to the fore. They couldn’t possibly all have been that great, and it might have warned him off as to just what sort of man he was treating with, but he was ravished by the sight of this gorgeous creation getting hauled out on his ways, and failed to grasp the fact that he was coming up against the seagoing equivalent of a shifty used-car salesman, who was getting set to use him, and who was just now making a stunning triumph. David himself fell in love with the beautiful, expensive yawl. She sat there on his premises, seducing him in the mornings when he came to the boatyard. In the evenings he went over her from top to bottom, all of which was plainly and enticingly visible and available to his sight and touch. He looked for what he felt must be her Achilles heel—at such a price there had to be something wrong somewhere. He found nothing, except that she hadn’t had her bottom cleaned for awhile and the rest of her needed a little spiffing up, a few things replacing here and there. He saw her quality and grace. He knew her worth, and that he could steal her away from this broker who seemed to know nothing about her monetary possibilities. This in itself should have warned him off. Anyone used to handling such a boat would have known its value. It was to be a mistake not forgotten in a hurry—he failed to do his research about the handler. Instead, he imagined polishing and tuning her up, stowing his own gear aboard, along with some good food and drink, and sailing off with her to some secluded place—just the two of them alone—and Ulf and Gurth—and the music of his flute. He saw her as a symphony in her own right. He knew they all belonged together. He began to compare her to the modest sloop he presently owned, and that one was coming out as not quite—well—he wasn’t quite sure what but—not quite. His old faithful began to look rather small in his eyes. Also, she was a racer. He really felt, right now as he looked at her, that he’d outsailed her and needed another challenge, and anyway, lately he’d been wanting to do more cruising. Ulf and Gurth really did fill her up when they went off together. He couldn’t take anyone aboard comfortably for overnighting either. He and his racing crew woke each other up by trying to get at a cup of coffee or something—and besides, racing was getting to be—well—kind of—kid stuff. The yawl now—she offered possibilities for comfortable extended stays away from the home puddle—with company more interesting than competitive guys. He drooled. He dreamt about her at night. He longed for her all day as she sat there in his sight, distracting him from more serious thoughts. He told a couple of people who asked, that it was just in for repairs. He decided he’d have her at any cost. She’d be his—somehow. He fell for her completely, head over—heels. Only one thing stood in his way of achieving this blissful union. His petty cash drawer was being very petty right then, and in an unguarded moment of pure involved interest in the gorgeous floating siren, the more than interested young marina owner had admitted to the broker that he’d love to buy her but he didn’t have such a large amount of cash to spare at this time, which in David’s mind meant ‘no sale’—unless a deal could be struck, with trade and service. Jack, who had never expected cash, nor received much of it before in large quantities, latched on to him like a leech because he knew a sale when he had one. David, wanting that boat more than anything else he’d ever come across to date, knew that he would never want another one. She was IT. He became infatuated with the idea of owning her. He stalled on finishing the work while he ransacked his brain for a solution to his lack of capital. Not being one to sit around pining instead of doing something about a problem, he came up with the idea of founding a club for owners of old wooden boats, in tandem with facilities for a small shop to sell those lovely expensive items made of bronze and stainless steel which no boat owner worthy of his club burgee can resist, and which could also prove profitable if handled the right way. The more he thought of it the better it got as it was brought to life under the brooder lamp of his desire for beautiful yawl ownership—which was incited further by Jack’s encouragement to purchase and ability to close a deal. By original intent the organisation was to be a collection of people who owned old restored wooden boats, the founding member being himself and the yawl which was causing all the commotion to happen. The next member quickly presented himself as Jack Smarten as soon as the salesman knew what was up. In his mind it was shaping up as a great way to finance the sale. As soon as he’d figured out a few details he took Jack to his office on the pretext of settling his account, but with the true purpose of acquiring a boat. He sat the proprietor of this floating stock down, suggesting a drink, and when Jack chose beer for the session David knew he had someone with down to earth ideas, not one of those out-of-touch pushers from a glass tower with inflexible minds looking for executive lunches. Here was room to deal. They’d understand each other. He figured he wouldn’t get peeled. He refused to even entertain the idea. He wanted that boat. He proceeded to negotiate. The broker’s eyes were directed to the end of a wharf where a neat, pretty little sloop was berthed. David paused as though considering, giving the broker time to price the sloop in his mind, then began to downgrade the goods he was after. Jack quickly apprehended the fact that he had landed in a trading session, not an account paying one. David kept his flinch well hidden. If he absolutely had to he might, but not until the last moment. Jack certainly liked that better than trying to arrange credit for work, because that was exactly what he’d intended to do. Jack knew that the marina operator didn’t have to imagine because he let space for just that purpose and knew very well what it was worth. “That’s for sure,” he replied amiably sitting back comfortably and waiting. The two men eyed each other, smiling. David thought he knew how to put things on the table, cautiously, a bit at a time, until he’d see the point where the other man would show his hand by getting greedy, then he’d know when to stop. Jack sold wooden boats all right, but he had no intentions of repairing them first. He saw no profit in this offer but figured the yard owner regarded it as pretty fair, which it would have been to anyone else. He rejected it in his mind, but he wanted to keep things coming. He recognised hopeless love when he saw it, and the young man opposite him was saturated with desire—for a boat. This was a bit tougher than David had expected. The dealer was keeping a firm grip on the deck—so he pushed in a few more chips to see him. The forty-two year old horse punter looked across at the then twenty-six year old poker player and figured he certainly had a winner here as he noted the use of the possessive word—’mine’. “Sounds like a good idea you have there,” agreed Jack, drinking his beer and congratulating himself on having hooked this fish. The dealer considered. He toted things up in his head. At this point the discussion of terms for purchase became even more interesting and involved, as Jack inserted his own helpful schemes into the process. Now David considered seriously. He felt the dealer was beginning to manipulate the deck, but—maybe one more boat hanging on a string wasn’t going to make that much difference in the overall profit margin. There was lots of water out there. Besides, the cost would be coming off the price for the yawl. “That might be arranged,” he agreed reluctantly. Jack still tried to look dissatisfied but he was in reality thoroughly pleased with himself and the deal coming down the home stretch This dark horse which had appeared out of nowhere was a real winner for him. With those words David decided he’d gone far enough. ‘Getting close’ indicated to him that the other man had got a bit more than he’d figured on. Now he was getting greedy. The look on the other man’s face warned him that maybe he’d gone too far, so he added what he thought was a plus for David. That was when David knew he was getting hustled. He wasn’t sure he wanted this man as a member. He didn’t like the thought of setting up other members as marks for a kickback. It felt underhanded to him. Nor did he like the idea of using his facility as a brokerage—but he wanted that boat. Reason and desire grappled with each other. Reason wavered. What chance did it have against the exuberant folly of youth? He decided in favour of the yawl, without the weighing of consequences or having his usual conference with Li about such business matters. It was just a little financial deal which would be settled in no time. If he didn’t get the yawl now he knew that the next person on line would—but he’d offered as much as he was prepared to give. He had that much of his senses left. “That’s as far as I go,” he laughed. Hearing that very definite note of finality Jack knew he had got all he was going to get. This arrangement, or rather, these arrangements, would get David the love of his life where boats were concerned—the one which the boat broker wanted desperately to get rid of because it was costing a lot to keep it in a boathouse, which condition went along with his contract to sell, and the deal would give Jack access to unlimited prospective buyers for his other—yachts—plus it would get him into a first class club which he knew, from what he’d heard, was the only kind this high-rolling kid would operate. His previous efforts to be accepted into similar establishments had all been vastly unproductive. The salesman was wise enough to keep these things to himself. It all sounded reasonable enough—trade and service as it went along—and it was, except for the fact that David didn’t particularly like Jack or his methods of operating, but this fact got lost in his lust for the beautiful yawl he had to own, and his conscience got treated to the usual placating piece of rationale. Which was true, but the price for this bargain was to turn into something else—aggravation and harassment beyond full measure, because Jack also was not one to sit around when opportunity presented itself, and taking advantage of a situation was his field of expertise. The idea that it would have been simpler to float a loan and be rid of the cruising shark never occurred to David because that wasn’t his way of doing things. He traded service or kind when he could or, in the end, paid cash if he had to. He regarded debt as disaster—which ultimately had become too true in his business ventures later, but at this moment he was his own man and fully intended to stay that way. Man proposes, and fate stands by—laughing. David struck the deal. He started the club. Jack Smarten was delighted with this decision. He catered to lovers of old wooden boats or, more precisely, to the dreams and vanities which very often went along with that questionable love. He was very familiar with the proposition that all boats are holes in the water into which people pour money. He’d made it his life’s work to retrieve some of that water-soaked wealth by selling to mesmerised and unknowledgeable buyers those very holes—most of which were beyond redemption and plugging. He spread his net under them and pulled in fat amounts which fell through them and were called commissions. He financed the sales himself, with an escalating interest rate, and now he had the opportunity of planting into the minds of prospective buyers the spurious idea that there was a prospect of membership with moorage in David’s club should they buy from Jack, which would further entice his victims, as he’d tell them that older and bigger meant a better buy, because the greater would be the prestige which would accrue while they found joy and friendship in restoring such a treasure and, subsequent to that, the more envious and impressed other club members would be once the eager prospects became members themselves—also ‘if’—but somehow he forgot to add that last small type to his pitch. Nor would he mention how impressed he would be with the size of his commission, which also was dependent on the size and price of the boat he sold, and all the boats he walked his topsiders on were as big as his feet and his desire for money, relatively speaking. That many of them were just about ready for scuttling never entered his agenda. That he had come by a real, genuine, fine boat where the yawl was concerned had been pure accident, and he was too used to scavenging to realise that he had a stunner. It was a piece of used merchandise to be got rid of, fast, and he was glad he’d done just that. All of them were junk in his eyes—but they could be sold, and he could sell them. Now he had a great place to push them from. He motored his large fibreglass power party boat into the marina and ensconced himself firmly in David’s back yard to do just that.

2019-04-24T01:51:47Z

http://soggers.ca/bb_chapters/c13_folder/c13.html

Instead of being addictive, the available research on CBD indicates it may even help to treat addiction. Therefore, for smokers who want to quit, vaping CBD is a better option than vaping a nicotine e-liquid. Vaping is just one way to consume cannabidiol CBD , but for many it is the most popular way of doing so, because the quick onset of effects makes it the most efficient way to manage their ailment. For example, a CBD user who suffers from severe pain needs a product that can bring relief virtually immediately — this is not only possible with Juul CBD pods, but it is an effortless and enjoyable process. Many find the act of vaping to be very calming — this psychological effect can only be a bonus. As well as helping with physical conditions, some are taking CBD to improve their mental health, and the benefits that the non-psychoactive cannabinoid has for people with anxiety are remarkable. The relaxing effects are a great way to unwind and give the mind a break from troublesome and worrying thoughts. The evidence does not support the reclassification of crude marijuana as a prescribable medicine. Plasma and urine profiles of Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites hydroxy- Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol and norcarboxy- Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol after cannabis smoking by male volunteers to estimate recent consumption by athletes. Since , cannabis has been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency for all sports competitions. In the years since then, about half of all positive doping cases in Switzerland have been related to cannabis consumption. However, the wide urinary detection window of the long-term metabolite of Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC does not allow a conclusion to be drawn regarding the time of consumption or the impact on the physical performance. The purpose of the present study on light cannabis smokers was to evaluate target analytes with shorter urinary excretion times. Twelve male volunteers smoked a cannabis cigarette standardized to 70 mg THC per cigarette. Plasma and urine were collected up to 8 h and 11 days, respectively. The limits of quantitation were 0. Eight puffs delivered a mean THC dose of 45 mg. Peak concentrations were observed at 5, , and min. Urine levels were measured in the ranges 0. The times of the last detectable levels were , , and h. In the case of light cannabis use, this may allow the estimation of more recent consumption, probably influencing. Spray freeze drying to produce a stable Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol containing inulin-based solid dispersion powder suitable for inhalation. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether spray freeze drying produces an inhalable solid dispersion powder in which Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC is stabilised. Delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC , a cannabinoid agonist, is the active components of marijuana. In this study we examined the role of ultralow dose THC 0. This extremely low dose of THC was previously found by us to protect the mice brain and heart from a variety of insults. The PNL is composed of lipid and emulsifying excipients of GRAS status and are known to increase solubility and reduce Phase I metabolism of lipophilic active compounds. These molecules are natural alkaloids and phenolic compounds which were reported to inhibit certain phase I and phase II metabolism processes. Here we use piperine, curcumin and resveratrol to formulate the Advanced-PNL formulations. This co-localization provides an increase in CBD and THC bioavailability by its effect at the pre-enterocyte and the enterocyte levels of the absorption process. These novel results pave the way to utilize piperine-PNL delivery system for other poorly soluble, highly metabolized. Neuroprotection by delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol , the main active compound in marijuana, against ouabain-induced in vivo excitotoxicity. Excitotoxicity is a paradigm used to explain the biochemical events in both acute neuronal damage and in slowly progressive, neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show in a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study that delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol delta9- THC , the main active compound in. Cannabis affects cognitive performance through the activation of the endocannabinoid system, and the molecular mechanisms involved in this process are poorly understood. Using the novel object-recognition memory test in mice, we found that the main psychoactive component of cannabis, delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC , alters short-term object-recognition memory specifically involving protein kinase C PKC -dependent signaling. Indeed, the systemic or intra-hippocampal pre-treatment with the PKC inhibitors prevented the short-term, but not the long-term, memory impairment induced by THC. In contrast, systemic pre-treatment with mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 inhibitors, known to block the amnesic-like effects of THC on long-term memory, did not modify such a short-term cognitive deficit. Thus, THC administration induced the phosphorylation of a specific Ser residue in the hydrophobic-motif at the C-terminal tail of several PKC isoforms. Moreover, THC transiently enhanced the phosphorylation of the postsynaptic calmodulin-binding protein neurogranin in a PKC dependent manner. Determination of delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis seizures in Egypt. To determine the delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC content of cannabis seizures in Egypt. Unheated and heated extracts of cannabis seizures were prepared from the dried flowering tops and leaves marijuana or from the resin hashish and subjected to analysis using high performance liquid chromatography HPLC. The heated resin extract had the peak of THC in a relative ratio of On the other hand, marijuana showed minimum percentage of THC at These results indicate the high potency of the abused cannabis plant in the illicit Egyptian market. Delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol -induced dopamine release as a function of psychosis risk: Full Text Available Cannabis use is associated with psychosis, particularly in those with expression of, or vulnerability for, psychotic illness. The biological underpinnings of these differential associations, however, remain largely unknown. PET data were analyzed applying the linear extension of the simplified reference region model LSRRM, which accounts for time-dependent changes in 18F-fallypride displacement. This was most pronounced in caudate nucleus. Genetic dissection of behavioural and autonomic effects of Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol in mice. Full Text Available Marijuana and its main psychotropic ingredient Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC exert a plethora of psychoactive effects through the activation of the neuronal cannabinoid receptor type 1 CB1, which is expressed by different neuronal subpopulations in the central nervous system. The exact neuroanatomical substrates underlying each effect of THC are, however, not known. We tested locomotor, hypothermic, analgesic, and cataleptic effects of THC in conditional knockout mouse lines, which lack the expression of CB1 in different neuronal subpopulations, including principal brain neurons, GABAergic neurons those that release gamma aminobutyric acid, cortical glutamatergic neurons, and neurons expressing the dopamine receptor D1, respectively. Surprisingly, mice lacking CB1 in GABAergic neurons responded to THC similarly as wild-type littermates did, whereas deletion of the receptor in all principal neurons abolished or strongly reduced the behavioural and autonomic responses to the drug. Moreover, locomotor and hypothermic effects of THC depend on cortical glutamatergic neurons, whereas the deletion of CB1 from the majority of striatal neurons and a subpopulation of cortical glutamatergic neurons blocked the cataleptic effect of the drug. These data show that several important pharmacological actions of THC do not depend on functional expression of CB1 on GABAergic interneurons, but on other neuronal populations, and pave the way to a refined interpretation of the pharmacological effects of cannabinoids on neuronal functions. Effect of Delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol on mouse resistance to systemic Candida albicans infection. Mouse resistance to the infection was assessed by survival and tissue fungal load. Serum cytokine levels were determine to evaluate the immune responses. Passive inhalation of marijuana smoke: In two separate studies, 5 drug-free male volunteers with a history of marijuana use were passively exposed to the sidestream smoke of 4 and 16 marijuana cigarettes 2. A third study was similarly performed with 2 marijuana-naive subjects passively exposed to the smoke of 16 marijuana cigarettes. Passive smoke exposure was conducted in a small, unventilated room. All urine specimens were collected and analyzed by EMIT d. The studies show that significant amounts of THC were absorbed by all subjects at the higher level of passive smoke exposure eg. However, it seems improbable that subjects would unknowingly tolerate the noxious smoke conditions produced by this exposure. At the lower level of passive marijuana-smoke exposure, specimens tested positive only infrequently or were negative. Room air levels of THC during passive smoke exposure appeared to be the most critical factor in determining whether a subject produced cannabinoid-positive urine specimens. Sixteen metabolites were characterized: The major biotransformation pathway was hydroxylation at C 11 to give the major metabolite, followed by oxidation of this compound to a carboxylic acid. Hydroxylated analogues of these two compounds were substituted mainly in the side-chain. Although metabolism was very similar to that of the naturally occurring - -isomer as far as positions of substitution were concerned, some differences were observed. These related mainly to the positions of hydroxylation on the side-chain, where 1'-hydroxylation was preferred to hydroxylation at the 2'-position. The major difference in metabolism between the two isomers was that much less oxidation of the hydroxy group to a carboxylic acid occurred and there was less hydroxylation at the 8-position. Correlations and agreement between delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC in blood plasma and Timeline Follow-Back TLFB -assisted self-reported use of cannabis of patients with cannabis use disorder and psychotic illness attending the CapOpus randomized clinical trial. Self-report of cannabis-use last month by TLFB. Pearson's r, sensitivity and specificity calculated as measures of correlation or agreement. Aims To assess correlations and agreement between timeline follow-back TLFB -assisted self-report and blood samples for cannabis use. Design Secondary analysis of a randomized trial. Participants One hundred and three patients from the CapOpus trial with cannabis use Conclusions Timeline follow-back TLFB -assisted self-report of cannabis use correlates highly with plasma- delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol in patients with comorbid cannabis use disorder and psychosis. Sensitivity and specificity of timeline follow-back appear to be optimized with 19 days as the cut-off point Proof of cannabis administration by sensitive detection of nor- Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid in hair using selective methylation and application of liquid chromatography- tandem and multistage mass spectrometry. However, its application to hair matrix is characterized by a lack of specificity which is due to the unspecific decarboxylation as most abundant fragmentation reaction. The selective methylation of the 9-carboxyl-group proved to be the most efficient derivatization procedure. Cannabinoid concentrations in blood and urine after passive exposure to cannabis smoke under real-life conditions were investigated in this study. Eight healthy volunteers were exposed to cannabis smoke for 3 h in a well-attended coffee shop in Maastricht, Netherlands. An initial blood and urine sample was taken from each volunteer before exposure. Blood samples were taken 1. It could be demonstrated that all volunteers absorbed THC. However, the detected concentrations were rather small. THC could be detected in trace amounts close to the detection limit of the used method in the first two blood samples after initial exposure 1. In the 6 h blood samples, THC was not detectable anymore. Single-dose pharmacokinetics and tolerability of oral delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cannabinoids exert neuroprotective and symptomatic effects in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS. Nine patients received THC single oral doses of 5mg and 10mg, separated by a wash-out period of two weeks. Adverse events were assessed by visual analogue scales VAS. Plasma concentrations of the active metabolite THC -OH were submitted to sequential pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic population modeling on individual heart rate as a proxy for THC 's cardiovasculatory effects. Drowsiness, euphoria, orthostasis, sleepiness, vertigo and weakness were significantly more frequent in patients receiving 10mg compared to 5 mg THC. PK data did not support any clinically relevant deviation from linear PK in the investigated range of concentrations. Delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol differentially suppresses cisplatin-induced emesis and indices of motor function via cannabinoid CB 1 receptors in the least shrew. We have recently shown that the cannabinoid CB 1 receptor antagonist, SR A, produces emesis in the least shrew Cryptotis parva in a dose- and route-dependent manner. This effect was blocked by delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol Delta 9 - THC. Intraperitoneal administration of Delta 9 - THC 1, 2. The lowest significantly effective antiemetic dose of Delta 9 - THC for the latter emesis parameters was 2. Subcutaneous injection of SR A 0. Relative to its motor suppressant effects, Delta 9 - THC is a more potent antiemetic agent. Both effects are probably mediated via CB 1. Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits 17beta-estradiol-induced proliferation and fails to activate androgen and estrogen receptors in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC exerts palliative effects in cancer patients, but produces adverse effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems. Experimental evidence concerning such effects is controversial. Whether THC exhibits estrogenic or androgenic activity in vitro was investigated. Androgenic activity was investigated by the A-Screen assay that measures androgen-dependent inhibition of proliferation of the androgen receptor AR -positive human mammary carcinoma cell line, MCF7-AR1. THC failed to act as an estrogen, but antagonized 17beta-estradiol-induced proliferation. This effect was independent of the AR expression level. Assessment of driving capability through the use of clinical and psychomotor tests in relation to blood cannabinoids levels following oral administration of 20 mg dronabinol or of a cannabis decoction made with 20 or 60 mg Delta9- THC. Delta 9 - Tetrahydrocannabinol THC is frequently found in the blood of drivers suspected of driving under the influence of cannabis or involved in traffic crashes. The present study used a double-blind crossover design to compare the effects of medium Forensic interpretation of cannabinoids blood concentrations were attempted using the models proposed by Daldrup cannabis influencing factor or CIF and Huestis and coworkers. Compared to smoking studies, relatively low concentrations were measured in blood. The highest mean THC concentration 8. Individual blood levels showed considerable intersubject variability. The willingness to drive was influenced by the importance of the requested task. Under significant cannabinoids influence, the participants refused to drive when they were asked whether they would agree to accomplish several unimportant tasks, e. Most of the participants reported a significant feeling of intoxication and did not appreciate the effects, notably those felt after drinking the strongest decoction. Road sign and tracking testing revealed obvious and statistically significant differences between placebo and treatments. A marked impairment was detected after ingestion of the strongest decoction. A CIF value, which relies on the. Quantitative analysis was corrected by an isotope internal standard method using delta THC -D3 as internal standard. Average recoveries for the target compounds varied from The limits of detection LOD of the method were from 0. Activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors CB1R by delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC produces a variety of negative effects with major consequences in cannabis users that constitute important drawbacks for the use of cannabinoids as therapeutic agents. For this reason, there is a tremendous medical interest in harnessing the beneficial effects of THC. We found that specific effects of THC such as memory deficits, anxiolytic-like effects, and social interaction are under the control of 5-HT2AR, but its acute hypolocomotor, hypothermic, anxiogenic, and antinociceptive effects are not. In biochemical studies, we show that CB1R and 5-HT2AR form heteromers that are expressed and functionally active in specific brain regions involved in memory impairment. Remarkably, our functional data shows that costimulation of both receptors by agonists reduces cell signaling, antagonist binding to one receptor blocks signaling of the interacting receptor, and heteromer formation leads to a switch in G-protein coupling for 5-HT2AR from Gq to Gi proteins. Synthetic peptides with the sequence of transmembrane helices 5 and 6 of CB1R, fused to a cell-penetrating peptide, were able to disrupt receptor heteromerization in vivo, leading to a selective abrogation of memory impairments caused by exposure to THC. Full Text Available Activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors CB1R by delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC produces a variety of negative effects with major consequences in cannabis users that constitute important drawbacks for the use of cannabinoids as therapeutic agents. Disposition of smoked cannabis with high [ Delta ] 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol content: Introduction No model exists to describe the disposition and kinetics of inhaled cannabis containing a high THC dose. Psychoactive drugs and false memory: Rationale Several psychoactive drugs are known to influence episodic memory. Participants studied DRM word lists under the influence of the drugs, and their recognition memory for the studied words was tested 2 days later, under sober conditions. Although neither drug significantly affected false memory relative to placebo, AMP increased false memory relative to THC. Conclusions Our results indicate that AMP and THC have opposing effects on true memory, and these effects appear to correspond to similar, albeit more subtle, effects on false memory. These findings are consistent with previous research using the DRM illusion and provide further evidence that psychoactive drugs can affect the encoding processes that ultimately result in the creation of false memories. Determination of delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol in indoor air as an indicator of marijuana cigarette smoking using adsorbent sampling and in-injector thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The marijuana leaves are usually mixed with tobaccos and smoked at amusement places in Taiwan. Recently, for investigation-legal purposes, the police asked if we can identify the marijuana smoke in a KTV stateroom a private room at the entertainment spot for singing, smoking, alcohol drinking, etc. A personal air-sampler pump fitted with the GC liner-tube packed with Tenax-TA adsorbent was used for air sampling. The mean delta9- THC contained in the 15 marijuana plants seized from diverse locations was measured to be 0. The delta9- THC in room air can be successfully identified from mock marijuana cigarettes, mixtures of marijuana and tobacco, and an actual case. The characteristic delta9- THC peak in chromatogram can serve as the indicator of marijuana. Positive result suggests marijuana smoking at the specific scene in the recent past, facilitating the formulation of further investigation. Research typically characterizes cannabis use by self-report of cannabis intake frequency. Participants were 35 young adult male cannabis users who completed a calibrated TLFB measure of cannabis use over the past 30 days, including time of last use. The calibration required participants handling four plastic bags of a cannabis substitute 0. Participants provided blood and urine samples for analysis of THC and metabolites, at two independent laboratories. Participants abstained from cannabis use on the day of sample collection. The calibration of cannabis intake in grams was associated with each biometric, although the simple TLFB measure of times of use produced the strongest relationships with all five biometrics. These findings suggest that combined self-report and biometric data together convey the complexity of cannabis use, but allow that either the use of calibrated TLFB measures or biometrics may be sufficient for assessment of cannabis use in research. A study investigating the acute dose-response effects of 13 mg and 17 mg Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol on cognitive-motor skills, subjective and autonomic measures in regular users of marijuana. Heavy use of marijuana is claimed to damage critical skills related to short-term memory, visual scanning and attention. Motor skills and driving safety may be compromised by the acute effects of marijuana. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of 13 mg and 17 mg Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC on skills important for coordinated movement and driving and on subjective and autonomic measures in regular users of marijuana. Fourteen regular users of marijuana were enrolled. Each subject was tested on two separate days. On each test day, subjects smoked two low-nicotine cigarettes, one with and the other without THC. Seventeen mg THC was included in the cigarette on one test day and 13 mg on the other day. The sequence of cigarette types was unknown to the subject. During smoking, heart rate and blood pressure were monitored, and the subjects performed a virtual reality maze task requiring attention and motor coordination, followed by 3 other cognitive tasks Wisconsin Card Sorting Test WCST , a "gambling" task and estimation of time and distance from an approaching car. After smoking a cigarette with 17 mg THC , regular marijuana users hit the walls more often on the virtual maze task than after smoking cigarettes without THC ; this effect was not seen in patients after they smoked cigarettes with 13 mg THC. Smoking cigarettes with 13 and 17 mg THC increased subjective ratings of pleasure and satisfaction, drug "effect" and drug "high". These findings imply that smoking of 17 mg THC results in impairment of cognitive-motor skills that could be important for coordinated movement and driving, whereas the lower dose of 13 mg THC appears to cause less impairment of such skills in regular users of marijuana. Effects of chronic delta THC treatment on cardiac beta-adrenoceptors in rats. This study was designed to determine if chronic treatment with delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC alters cardiac beta-adrenoceptors in the rat. These results suggest that the tolerance to cardiovascular effects of THC which develops during chronic exposure in the rat is not associated with alterations in cardiac beta-adrenoceptors as monitored by radiolabeled antagonist binding. Different doses of an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist MSX-3 [3,7-dihydro[ 1E 3-ethoxyphenyl ethenyl]-7 methyl[3- phosphooxy propyl 2 propynil -1H-purine-2,6-dione] were found previously to either decrease or increase self- administration of cannabinoids delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC or anandamide in squirrel monkeys. It was hypothesized that the decrease observed with a relatively low dose of MSX-3 was related to blockade of striatal presynaptic A2A receptors that modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission, whereas the increase observed with a higher dose was related to blockade of postsynaptic A2A receptors localized in striatopallidal neurons. This hypothesis was confirmed in the present study by testing the effects of the preferential presynaptic and postsynaptic A2A receptor antagonists SCH [2- 2-furanyl [3- 4-methoxyphenyl propyl]-7H-pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidinamine] and KW [ E -1, 3-diethyl 3,4-dimethoxystyryl methyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione], respectively, in squirrel monkeys trained to intravenously self-administer THC. SCH produced a significant shift to the right of the THC self- administration dose-response curves, consistent with antagonism of the reinforcing effects of THC. Conversely, KW produced a significant shift to the left, consistent with potentiation of the reinforcing effects of THC. These results show that selectively blocking presynaptic A2A receptors could provide a new pharmacological approach to the treatment of marijuana dependence and underscore corticostriatal glutamatergic neurotransmission as a possible main mechanism involved in the rewarding effects of THC. Delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol accumulation, metabolism and cell-type-specific adverse effects in aggregating brain cell cultures. Despite the widespread use of Cannabis as recreational drug or as medicine, little is known about its toxicity. The accumulation, metabolism and toxicity of THC were analyzed 10 days after a single treatment, and after repeated exposures during 10 days. Mixed-cell aggregate cultures of fetal rat telencephalon were used as in vitro model, as well as aggregates enriched either in neurons or in glial cells. It was found that THC accumulated preferentially in neurons, and that glia-neuron interactions decreased THC accumulation. Only the GABAergic marker was affected after the single treatment, whereas the GABAergic, cholinergic and astrocytic markers were decreased after the repeated treatments. These results suggest that the adverse effects of THC were related either to THC accumulation or to cannabinoid receptor activation and associated with IL-6 upregulation. Suppression of polymorphonuclear PMN and monocyte-mediated inhibition of Candida albicans growth by delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol. This study was an in vitro attempt to identify the effector cells responsible for growth inhibition of the opportunistic fungus, candida albicans, and to determine if THC or another marijuana derivatives, hydroxy THC , would adversely affect their function. Using a 24h radiolabel assay, the authors found that growth inhibition of C. Maximal suppression was obtained with 7. These drug concentrations did not affect lymphoid cell viability or candida growth in the absence of lymphoid effector cells. Marijuana derivatives, therefore, are doubly dangerous in that opportunistic fungi such as C. Full Text Available Rapid screening of seized drugs is a continuing problem for governmental laboratories and customs agents. Recently new and cheaper methods based on electrochemical sensing have been developed for the detection of illicit drugs. Screen printed electrodes are particularly useful in this regard and can provide excellent sensitivity. In this study, a carbon screen printed electrode for the voltammetric analysis of D9- THC was developed. The analysis was performed using cyclic voltammetry with 0. In the analysis, a D9- THC standard solution was added to the surface electrode by a drop coating method. A study of scan rate, time of pre-concentration, and concentration influence parameters showed versatility during the investigation. The high sensitivity, quantitative capability and low limit of detection 1. However, a relationship between impairment in cognitive functioning with THC administration and THC -induced change in hemodynamic response has not been demonstrated. We explored the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy fNIRS to examine the functional changes of the human PFC associated with cannabis intoxication and cognitive impairment. Functional data were collected using a continuous-wave NIRS device, in which 8 Sources and 7 detectors were placed on the forehead, resulting in 20 channels covering PFC regions. Physiological changes and subjective intoxication measures were collected. We found a significant increase in the oxygenated hemoglobin HbO concentration after THC administration in several channels on the PFC during both the high working memory load 2-back and the low working memory load 0-back condition. The increased HbO response was accompanied by a trend toward an increased number of omission errors after THC administration. The current study suggests that cannabis intoxication is associated with increases in hemodynamic blood flow to the PFC, and that this increase can be detected with fNIRS. Unheated Cannabis sativa extracts and its major compound THC -acid have potential immuno-modulating properties not mediated by CB1 and CB2 receptor coupled pathways. There is a great interest in the pharmacological properties of cannabinoid like compounds that are not linked to the adverse effects of Delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC , e. The present paper describes the potential immuno-modulating activity of unheated Cannabis sativa. An indoor air quality-pharmacokinetic simulation of passive inhalation of marijuana smoke and the resultant buildup of nor- delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid in urine. The defense will contend the defendant unwittingly breathed side-stream marijuana smoke, thus resulting in the presence of THCA in the defendant's urine. The purpose of this work was to link an indoor air quality model IAQ with a pharmacokinetic PK model to predict a passive marijuana smoker's resultant concentration of the major urinary metabolite THCA. In vivo metabolism of the methyl homologues of deltatetrahydrocannabinol, delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol and abn-deltatetrahydrocannabinol in the mouse. In addition, metabolic fractions were reduced with lithium aluminium deuteride to convert carboxylic acids to alcohols for structural correlation. Metabolites from methyl-delta THC were similar with respect to the positions substituted to those produced by higher homologues; the major metabolite was methyl-delta THC oic acid. The location of the aromatic methyl group at the position adjacent to ring fusion appeared to inhibit metabolism at C 11 to a considerable extent and also to reduce the amount of the resulting alcohol from being oxidized to a carboxylic acid. This caused other metabolic pathways to become dominant, with the result that a compound containing a hydroxy group at the gem-methyl position was the major metabolite. Hydroxylation at this position has not been confirmed with any other cannabinoid, although it is thought to result in trace concentrations of hydroxy metabolites from some compounds. Metabolism of methyl-delta THC was also similar to that of the higher homologues, with the exception that less metabolism occurred at C 8 and a higher percentage of the total metabolic fraction was accounted for by the oic acid metabolite. Minor metabolites were mainly dihydroxy compounds and hydroxylated derivatives of delta THC oic acid. THC and endocannabinoids differentially regulate neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the subchronic PCP model of schizophrenia. Cannabis use has been associated with an increased risk to develop schizophrenia as well as symptom exacerbation in patients. In contrast, clinical studies have revealed an inverse relationship between the cerebrospinal fluid levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide and symptom severity, suggesting a therapeutic potential for endocannabinoid-enhancing drugs. Indeed, preclinical studies have shown that these drugs can reverse distinct behavioral deficits in a rodent model of schizophrenia. The mechanisms underlying the differences between exogenous and endogenous cannabinoid administration are currently unknown. Using the phencyclidine PCP rat model of schizophrenia, we compared the effects on neuronal activity of systematic administration of delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC with the fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB Specifically, we found that the inhibitory response in the prefrontal cortex to THC administration was absent in PCP-treated rats. In contrast, an augmented response to endocannabinoid upregulation was observed in the prefrontal cortex of PCP-treated rats. Interestingly, differential effects were also observed at the neuronal population level, as endocannabinoid upregulation induced opposite effects on coordinated activity when compared with THC. Such information is important for understanding why marijuana and synthetic cannabinoid use may be contraindicated in schizophrenia patients while endocannabinoid enhancement may provide a novel therapeutic approach. Chronic THC during adolescence increases the vulnerability to stress-induced relapse to heroin seeking in adult rats. Cannabis derivatives are among the most widely used illicit substances among young people. The addictive potential of delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol THC , the major active ingredient of cannabis is well documented in scientific literature. However, the consequence of THC exposure during adolescence on occurrence of addiction for other drugs of abuse later in life is still controversial. One week after intoxication, the rats were tested for anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze EPM test. One month later starting from PND 75 , rats were trained to operantly self-administer heroin intravenously. Finally, following extinction phase, reinstatement of lever pressing elicited by the pharmacological stressor, yohimbine 1. Data revealed that in comparison to controls, animals treated with chronic THC during adolescence showed a higher level of anxiety-like behavior. Noteworthy, following the extinction phase, administration of yohimbine elicited a significantly higher level of heroin seeking in rats previously exposed to THC. Altogether these findings demonstrate that chronic exposure to THC during adolescence is responsible for heightened anxiety and increased vulnerability to drug relapse in adulthood. Ecstasy is a drug that is usually consumed by young people at the weekends and frequently, in combination with cannabis. In the present study we have investigated the long-term effects of administering increasing doses of delta - 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol [ THC ; 2. When tested one day after the end of the pharmacological treatment pnd 46 , MDMA administration induced a reduction in directed exploration in the holeboard test and an increase in open-arm exploration in an elevated plus maze. In the long-term, cognitive functions in the novel object test were seen to be disrupted by THC administration to female but not male rats. In the prepulse inhibition test, MDMA-treated animals showed a decrease in prepulse inhibition at the most intense prepulse studied 80 dB , whereas in combination with THC it induced a similar decrease at 75 dB. THC decreased hippocampal Arc expression in both sexes, while in the frontal cortex this reduction was only evident in females. Full Text Available Ecstasy is a drug that is usually consumed by young people at the weekends and frequently, in combination with cannabis. When tested one day after the end of the pharmacological treatment pnd 46, MDMA administration induced a reduction in directed exploration in the holeboard test and an increase in open-arm exploration in an elevated plus maze. In the prepulse inhibition test, MDMA-treated animals showed a decrease in prepulse inhibition at the most intense prepulse studied 80 dB, whereas in combination with THC it induced a similar decrease at 75 dB. Impaired functional connectivity of brain reward circuitry in patients with schizophrenia and cannabis use disorder: It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! However, how can we communicate? Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your content seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon. Where are your contact details though? Does your blog have a contact page? Either way, great dijitalid. Just wanted to mention keep up the good job! Its like you learn my mind! You appear to understand so much about this, such as you wrote the book in it or something. I feel that you simply could do with a few p. I will certainly be back. I visited various web pages except the audio feature for audio songs current at this produksiyonhizmeti. Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam comments? Very helpful advice within this post! It is the little changes that will make the greatest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing! I really love your produksiyonhizmeti. Great colors they will get benefit from it I am sure. I have learn some good stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you place to make any such magnificent informative dijitalid. That is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate info… Thank you for sharing this one. I have been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this sort of area. Exploring in Yahoo I eventually stumbled upon this web dijitalid. I such a lot without a doubt will make certain to do not fail to remember this produksiyonhizmeti. Having read this I thought it was very enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this content together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it! Quality articles or reviews is the crucial to interest the users to visit the produksiyonhizmeti. I have read so many articles on the topic of the blogger lovers however this paragraph is actually a nice piece of writing, keep it up. You could definitely see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to say how they believe. At all times follow your heart. I am dealing with some of these issues as well.. I really appreciate individuals like you! We are linking to this particularly great article on our dijitalid. Keep up the good writing. Anybody who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? Thanks I do not even understand how I finished up here, however I believed this put up used to be good. Nice replies in return of this matter with genuine arguments and describing all concerning that. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. You have performed an impressive process and our entire neighborhood might be grateful to you. Fine way of explaining, and good piece of writing to obtain facts about my presentation topic, which i am going to convey in school. Nice weblog right here! What host are you the use of? Can I am getting your associate link in your host? I wish my dijitalid. I am actually thankful to the holder of this produksiyonhizmeti. I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This piece of writing posted at this produksiyonhizmeti. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing. Definitely imagine that which you stated. Your favourite justification appeared to be on the web the simplest thing to take note of. You controlled to hit the nail upon the highest and outlined out the whole thing with no need side-effects , other people could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people could take a signal. Thanks I am really pleased to glance at this web dijitalid. You actually make it appear so easy together with your presentation but I to find this matter to be actually something that I think I would by no means understand. It seems too complicated and very extensive for me. Keep up the great effort. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme? You need to take part in a contest for one of the highest quality websites on the web. I am going to recommend this dijitalid. I was extremely pleased to discover this great dijitalid. I need to to thank you for your time due to this wonderful read!! I definitely appreciated every little bit of it and I have you saved to fav to check out new things on your dijitalid. Many thanks Great produksiyonhizmeti. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to some buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thank you for your effort! You should proceed your writing. I wish to apprentice while you amend your produksiyonhizmeti. The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept great points altogether, you just won a new reader. What may you suggest in regards to your post that you made some days ago? Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your dijitalid. Please let me know if this ok with you. With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? Do you know any techniques to help prevent content from being ripped off? Wonderful goods from you, man. I actually like what you have bought here, certainly like what you are stating and the best way in which you assert it. This is actually a great dijitalid. If some one desires to be updated with latest technologies after that he must be visit this web page and be up to date all the time. I was wondering if you ever considered changing the page layout of your produksiyonhizmeti. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better? You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it wise. This is actually a great web dijitalid. I would like to apprentice at the same time as you amend your produksiyonhizmeti. The account aided me a appropriate deal. Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, quite great post. I was suggested this web dijitalid. This is an extremely well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. I found your weblog using msn. This is a really neatly written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and return to learn extra of your useful information. I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and definitely will come back very soon. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great job, have a nice weekend! I did however expertise a few technical points using this produksiyonhizmeti. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and can damage your high quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective fascinating content. Make sure you update this again soon. You are so intelligent. You realize thus significantly in the case of this matter, made me individually consider it from a lot of various angles. Its like women and men are not interested until it is one thing to accomplish with Girl gaga! Your own stuffs excellent. Always deal with it up! After all I got a blog from where I can genuinely get helpful information regarding my study and knowledge. So nice to find someone with some unique thoughts on this issue. I actually enjoyed reading it, you could be a great author. I will make sure to bookmark your blog and may come back someday. I want to encourage continue your great work, have a nice evening! Thanks to my father who informed me about this produksiyonhizmeti. Piece of writing writing is also a excitement, if you be familiar with after that you can write or else it is complex to write. Great article, totally what I needed. My brother suggested I might like this web dijitalid. This post actually made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about animasyon. Regards My brother recommended I may like this produksiyonhizmeti. This submit actually made my day. You can not consider just how so much time I had spent for this information! When I initially commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Its genuinely awesome paragraph, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this article. What's up to every body, it's my first pay a visit of this blog; this webpage carries remarkable and genuinely excellent stuff for readers. Hi to all, it's actually a fastidious for me to pay a visit this web dijitalid. Hi there to all, the contents present at this produksiyonhizmeti. Hi it's me, I am also visiting this web dijitalid. Hi Dear, are you in fact visiting this produksiyonhizmeti. Hello i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read this post i thought i could also make comment due to this brilliant post. Hello colleagues, its wonderful paragraph on the topic of educationand fully defined, keep it up all the time. I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish. What's up to every one, as I am genuinely eager of reading this webpage's post to be updated on a regular basis. It carries nice stuff. What's up every one, here every person is sharing such experience, so it's fastidious to read this produksiyonhizmeti. Hi to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from this web dijitalid. I got this web page from my buddy who shared with me concerning this web page and now this time I am browsing this web page and reading very informative articles at this place. For most recent information you have to go to see world-wide-web and on the web I found this dijitalid. Marvelous, what a web dijitalid. This weblog provides helpful data to us, keep it up. Hi there mates, good paragraph and good urging commented at this place, I am truly enjoying by these. Hi there friends, how is everything, and what you desire to say about this paragraph, in my view its really amazing in support of me. It's amazing for me to have a web dijitalid. Why viewers still make use of to read news papers when in this technological globe all is available on web? Hello, yes this article is truly nice and I have learned lot of things from it about blogging. Hello, for all time i used to check web dijitalid. Hi there everyone, it's my first pay a quick visit at this dijitalid. Hi there, this weekend is nice designed for me, because this point in time i am reading this fantastic informative piece of writing here at my home. Hi, all is going fine here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts, that's really good, keep up writing. I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been doing a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to talk about this matter here on your web dijitalid. Stay up the good work! You realize, lots of individuals are looking around for this information, you can help them greatly. I know this is kinda off topic however I'd figured I'd ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog article or vice-versa? If you might be interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Wonderful blog by the way! Hello, I would like to subscribe for this blog to get hottest updates, thus where can i do it please help out. Hello, its pleasant paragraph regarding media print, we all understand media is a fantastic source of data. Hi are using WordPress for your dijitalid. I'm new to the blog world but I'm trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated! Hi there, after reading this awesome paragraph i am also happy to share my experience here with colleagues. Hello I am so excited I found your produksiyonhizmeti. This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your posts. Thank you so much! For the reason that the admin of this web dijitalid. I'm gone to say to my little brother, that he should also pay a quick visit this blog on regular basis to take updated from most recent news. Hey, I think your dijitalid. When I look at your produksiyonhizmeti. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, superb blog! We absolutely love your blog and find most of your post's to be what precisely I'm looking for. I wouldn't mind writing a post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write in relation to here. Fantastic post however , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this topic? I'd be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Right here is the right webpage for anyone who really wants to find out about this topic. You know so much its almost tough to argue with you not that I actually will need to…HaHa. You definitely put a brand new spin on a topic that's been discussed for many years. Wonderful stuff, just great! Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your web dijitalid. Anyway I'll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently fast. Do you have any video of that? I'd like to find out some additional information. Admiring the time and effort you put into your dijitalid. It's awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same out of date rehashed material. I've saved your dijitalid. I simply stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to claim that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your weblog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing in your augment and even I achievement you access persistently fast. Please let me know if you're looking for a article author for your blog. You have some really great posts and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd really like to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. This post is invaluable. Where can I find out more? I delight in, cause I found exactly what I used to be having a look for. You've ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye What a data of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable knowledge on the topic of unexpected feelings. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon every day. It's always exciting to read through articles from other writers and practice something from other websites. That is very interesting, You're an overly skilled blogger. I have joined your feed and stay up for looking for extra of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your web dijitalid. I'm very glad to peer your post. Thank you so much and I'm taking a look ahead to contact you. Will you please drop me a mail? This has been an incredibly wonderful post. Many thanks for supplying these details. Thanks , I have recently been looking for info approximately this subject for a long time and yours is the best I've discovered so far. But, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you sure in regards to the source? Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually understand what you're speaking about! Please additionally consult with my produksiyonhizmeti. We could have a hyperlink trade agreement among us I'm not sure why but this dijitalid. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I'll check back later on and see if the problem still exists. Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in reality was a amusement account it. Glance advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how could we keep in touch? I was able to find good advice from your articles. Thank you for another great post. Where else could anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect way of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the look for such information. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again. I blog often and I truly appreciate your information. This article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your produksiyonhizmeti. I opted in for your Feed as well. Just desire to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your submit is simply great and that i could suppose you're an expert on this subject. Well together with your permission allow me to take hold of your feed to keep up to date with impending post. Thanks a million and please carry on the enjoyable work. Thanks for some other informative dijitalid. Where else may just I get that kind of info written in such an ideal means? I have a challenge that I am just now operating on, and I've been on the glance out for such information. Just desire to say your article is as surprising. The clearness in your post is simply nice and i could assume you're an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the rewarding work. Fortunate me I found your dijitalid. Do you have a spam issue on this dijitalid. This is really interesting, You're a very skilled blogger. I've joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I've shared your produksiyonhizmeti. I think that what you said was actually very logical. But, consider this, what if you were to write a awesome post title? I ain't saying your content isn't solid, but what if you added a title that makes people want more? You ought to peek at Yahoo's home page and note how they create post headlines to grab people interested. You might add a related video or a pic or two to grab people excited about what you've got to say. Just my opinion, it would bring your blog a little bit more interesting. I'd really like to be a part of online community where I can get opinions from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Good day very nice produksiyonhizmeti. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally? I am glad to seek out a lot of helpful info right here in the publish, we need work out more strategies on this regard, thank you for sharing. Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone! Keep this going please, great job! Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I've been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates. At this time it seems like Drupal is the preferred blogging platform available right now. Aw, this was a really nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to create a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never manage to get anything done. Wow that was odd. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr… well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say wonderful blog! WOW just what I was looking for. Keep posting such kind of info on your page. Im really impressed by your dijitalid. Hey there, You've performed a great job. I will definitely digg it and individually recommend to my friends. I'm confident they'll be benefited from this dijitalid. Can I just say what a comfort to uncover someone who actually understands what they are talking about online. You actually know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to look at this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you're not more popular because you certainly have the gift. Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a thirty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group? There's a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this page to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers? I'm kinda paranoid about losing everything I've worked hard on. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. In addition, The contents are masterpiece. I realize this is kind of off-topic but I needed to ask. Does operating a well-established blog like yours require a large amount of work? I'm brand new to running a blog but I do write in my diary daily. I'd like to start a blog so I can easily share my experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any kind of suggestions or tips for new aspiring blog owners. CBD Vape Pods 8% (2ct) Our signature strain specific organic terpenes gently *Disclaimer: SAUC CBD PODS are not associated with or approved by Juul. We have got the best strawberry flavored CBD Juul compatible pods in all the land! Ours is blended by flavor artists inspired by the passion of the strawberry. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid compound derived from Cannabis Sativa While cannabinoid serum and brain levels rapidly peaked and diminished .. with schizophrenia were randomized in a ratio to receive CBD ( mg/day; age years) obtained soft-gelatin capsules with 10 mg THC (THC-set). CBD Vape Pods 8% (2ct) Our signature strain specific organic terpenes gently *Disclaimer: SAUC CBD PODS are not associated with or approved by Juul. We have got the best strawberry flavored CBD Juul compatible pods in all the land! Ours is blended by flavor artists inspired by the passion of the strawberry. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid compound derived from Cannabis Sativa While cannabinoid serum and brain levels rapidly peaked and diminished .. with schizophrenia were randomized in a ratio to receive CBD ( mg/day; age years) obtained soft-gelatin capsules with 10 mg THC (THC-set). Naturally Peaked MG Organic CBD 4 Pack Pods In Stock | MG Indi . Thinking of buying 40MG CBD Pods 4 Pack - Compatible with JUUL ™ ?.

2019-04-20T16:34:50Z

https://ghid-supraveghere.info/cydecahu.php

The bone marrow provides a specialized and highly supportive microenvironment for tumor growth and development of the associated bone disease. It is a preferred site for breast and prostate cancer bone metastasis and the hematologic malignancy, multiple myeloma. For many years, researchers have focused upon the interactions between tumor cells and the cells directly responsible for bone remodeling, namely osteoclasts and osteoblasts. However, there is ever-increasing evidence for a multitude of ways in which the bone marrow microenvironment can promote disease pathogenesis, including via cancer-associated fibroblasts, the hematopoietic stem cell niche, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and the sympathetic nervous system. This review discusses the recent advances in our understanding of the contribution of the host microenvironment to the development of cancer-induced bone disease. Cancer Res; 74(6); 1625–31. ©2014 AACR. As a rich source of signaling and growth factors, the bone microenvironment is favored as a site of metastasis for a number of cancers. Adenocarcinomas originating in the prostate, breast, kidney, or lung often metastasize to the bone in late stages, whereas hematologic malignancies such as multiple myeloma are caused by neoplastic plasma cells that are dependent on the bone microenvironment for survival (1, 2). A common feature of all such cancers is the development of a painful and destructive bone disease. Myeloma and breast cancer invasion often causes osteolytic lesions, yet prostate cancers can cause osteoblastic growths or a mixture of the two. Bone metastasis represents a final, incurable stage of these diseases, causing fractures, bone pain, and altered calcium homeostasis (3). The bone also provides a niche in which cancer cells can lay dormant, avoiding chemotherapeutic treatments. The bone microenvironment is not passive and can attract and react to infiltrating cancer cells. The delicate balance between bone mineralization by osteoblasts and resorption by osteoclasts is commonly disrupted by tumor cells, resulting in bone disease. These responses by cancer-associated bone cells can, in turn, aid cancer survival and growth, forming a “vicious cycle” between cancer and bone (Fig. 1; ref. 4). As such, research into therapeutics against bone metastases is often aimed at breaking this cycle, historically focusing on osteoclast activity. An improved understanding of the normal physiology of bone has informed research into the discovery of novel therapeutics, much of which aims to temper the response of the host bone microenvironment to the cancer, rather than attacking the cancer directly. The bone marrow microenvironment contains a highly heterogeneous population of cells, including those derived from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC), vascular endothelial cells, and nerve fibers. The roles of osteoclasts and osteoblasts in cancer-induced bone disease are well documented, and this review will focus upon the contributions of the other cells within the bone marrow microenvironment. Host–tumor interactions within the bone marrow microenvironment. The specialized cell types within the bone marrow can influence tumor growth and cancer-induced bone disease in a multitude of ways. 1, regulation of the immune system. Immune cells have been shown to have both positive and negative effects on osteoclast formation and activity, and to suppress tumor growth, whereas MDSCs are increased in bone metastases and contribute to both immune suppression and osteoclastic bone disease. 2, activation of osteoclastogenesis. Immune cells, dendritic cells, and MDSCs all contribute to osteolytic bone disease, at least in vitro, with major factors implicated including RANKL, IL-17, and TNF-α. 3, matrix- and stromal-derived growth factors. The host microenvironment is an essential source of tumor growth factors, including TGF-β, IGF-1, and IL-6. 4, regulation of osteoblastogenesis. Osteoblast formation in cancer-induced bone disease is tightly controlled by cells, including tumor cells and stromal cells, and mediated by factors including Dkk1, activin A, BMPs, and noggin. 5, hematopoietic stem cell niche. The endosteal HSC niche is maintained by osteoblasts and stromal cells, and controlled by factors including G-CSF and CXCL12. Early in development, the bone marrow is colonized by HSCs, from where they self-renew and differentiate along a well-characterized hierarchy of erythroid and myeloid blood cell types. Multipotent HSCs are thought to reside in niches associated with the vascular endothelium (5) and endosteal osteoblasts (6). HSCs are mobilized by the bone marrow in response to granulocyte colony—stimulating factor and other stimuli. They return to the marrow through CXCL12 chemokine signaling from the endosteal niche to the CXCR4 receptor expressed by HSCs and adhesion though integrin α4β1 or αVβ3. Once in location, CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling continues between HSC and the marrow, constraining HSC proliferation (7). Cancers that commonly metastasize to bone, such as those of breast (8, 9), prostate (10), and hematopoietic origins (11), have also been found to use CXCR4 to navigate toward the bone marrow, supporting the theory that metastasizing cells are attracted to the HSC niche itself and alter this site to form a metastatic niche (12). The presence of tumor cells could be expected to displace existing HSCs and accordingly recent evidence shows that hematopoietic progenitor cell numbers are reduced in a mouse model of prostate cancer (12), as well as patients with multiple myeloma (13). It is now thought that HSCs do not reside passively in their niche, but also affect the differentiation potential of nearby mesenchymal cells by releasing osteoblast-promoting factors such as bone morphogenic proteins BMP-2 and -6 (14). Osteoblasts in turn maintain the endosteal HSC niche, creating a positive feedback loop between the osteoblasts and HSCs, which is open to hijacking by osteoblastic prostate cancer cells (15). Lymphoid lineage cells also have a complex relationship with invading cancer cells, with many signaling pathways disrupted in a manner similar to that seen in other disorders of bone, such as rheumatoid arthritis. T lymphocytes in general are responsive to myeloma, releasing key osteoclast signaling factor RANKL and suppressing IFN-γ in response to myeloma-derived interleukin (IL)-7, thus promoting osteoclastogenesis (16). Others have identified the TH17 subset of CD4+ helper T cells as supporting myeloma and osteoclast growth in the bone through release of IL-17 (17), a similar mechanism to that observed in arthritis (18). Conversely, TH1 and TH2 cells are now thought to act as osteoclast suppressors through release of IFN-γ and several inhibitory interleukins (19), whereas cytotoxic CD8+ T cells have a suppressive effect toward melanoma metastasis and growth in bone, which is independent of osteoclast activity (20). B cells are a major source of the RANKL-inhibitor osteoprotegerin (OPG) within the bone and are stimulated by T cells through binding of CD40 ligand to increase OPG release (21), providing a mechanism by which they may contribute to cancer-induced bone disease. In this way, lymphocytes can control the RANKL/OPG balance and consequently cause both anabolic and catabolic bone remodeling. With such apparently contrary roles, it is clear that lymphocytes have the potential to act as regulatory gatekeepers in the bone and as such are targeted by cancer cells to create permissive conditions for bone metastases, particularly at sites of osteolytic lesions but also perhaps at osteoblastic growths. However, our understanding of the in vivo role of lymphocytes in disease pathogenesis is limited by the prevalent use of immune cell–deficient hosts for in vivo models of metastasis. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a class of myeloid lineage cells that act to quell immune cell activation and have an influence on the bone metastatic niche (22). MDSCs are commonly recruited by cancers to suppress immune system surveillance (23). Within the bone, myeloma cells have been shown to cause increased MDSC activity in mouse models (24). Recently, it has been revealed that MDSCs can also respond to RANKL to form mature osteoclasts and promote osteolysis in murine models of breast cancer and myeloma (25–27). This suggests an interesting pathway linking cancer-induced osteolysis to immune system avoidance. Invading tumor cells could recruit MDSCs to the metastatic site to suppress lymphocyte activation, with some MDSCs fusing to bolster osteoclast numbers as a side effect. Furthermore, bone marrow myeloid progenitors are also mobilized by cancers to initiate metastatic niches in other organs, such as the lungs (28), through signaling by pathways involving exosomes and activation of c-MET (29) and hypoxic induction of lysyl oxidases (30). These results underscore the significance of the metastatic bone microenvironment, as developing therapies that target these interactions may also be relevant to cancers that migrate to other favored sites. Dendritic cells are also reported to contribute to bone metastases, with accumulating evidence to support a role in the development of cancer-induced bone disease. Myeloma cells can stimulate dendritic cells to differentiate into osteoclasts in vitro (31) and depletion of plasmacytoid dendritic cells was found to prevent breast cancer metastasis to bone, associated with the activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and a reduction in MDSCs (32). Megakaryocytes are derived from HSCs, and once fully differentiated are responsible for platelet production. There is increasing evidence to support a role for platelets and platelet-derived lysophosphatidic acid in the development of bone metastases (33–35). Although for many years researchers have focused predominantly upon the role of the osteoclast, recently the contribution of osteoblasts and bone formation to the pathogenesis of cancer-induced bone disease has also been well studied and has been reviewed elsewhere (36). However, it is becoming increasingly clear that mesenchymal lineage cells control a multitude of aspects of bone metastasis, in addition to the direct regulation of bone formation and bone resorption. The niches occupied by HSCs and their descendants are intimately regulated by the structure of the bone and marrow, which in turn is organized by cells originating from BMSCs. These multipotent cells give rise to a variety of cell types: osteoblasts and osteocytes, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and fibroblasts. Mesenchymal cells are known to be recruited into primary tumors to become cancer-associated fibroblasts, where they encourage epithelial–mesenchymal transition and metastasis of cancer cells (37–40). Therefore, it is no surprise that cancer cells also recruit mesenchymal cells at their secondary sites within the bone marrow. Cancer-associated fibroblasts are well known to play essential roles in primary tumor growth and metastasis (40), and their pivotal role in tumor growth within bone is emerging. Development of myeloma is dependent, at least in part, upon stromal-derived Dkk1 (41), and expression of TGF-β type II receptor is lost in cancer-associated fibroblasts in prostate cancer bone metastases, promoting development of the associated bone disease (42). Intriguingly, cancer-associated fibroblasts at the primary site have recently been shown to dictate the pattern of metastasis, with expression of CXCL12 and IGF-1 promoting metastasis to bone (43). Gene expression profiles of cancer-associated osteoblasts, fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells are altered in skeletal malignancies; however, whether these changes are cause or consequence of tumor growth within bone remains unclear. Expression of XBP1s in myeloma-associated stromal cells has been found to promote tumor growth and bone disease (44), whereas stromal expression of Gfi1 is necessary for bone formation inhibition (45). Osteocytes are derived from BMSCs and express significant amounts of both OPG and RANKL, acting to control osteoclast formation as well as maintaining the rigidity of the bone extracellular matrix and mobilizing HSCs from their niche (46, 47). These cells are therefore also likely to play a major role in communicating with invading cancer cells. The osteocyte transcription profile is altered by metastasis (48), and their activity should not be discounted in future in vivo studies. It has long been known that bone marrow has a significant fat content; however, the nature of the fat-containing cells in marrow is more complex than that of a simple energy store. Bone adipocytes follow a similar differentiation pathway as visceral or subcutaneous adipocytes, responding to activation of the C/EBPα transcription factor and the master adipocyte regulator PPARγ. However, despite not being used for heat generation in humans, they share a profile closer to “brown” fat cells (49). Differentiation cues for BMSCs are thought to often result in mutually exclusive responses, observed particularly in the reciprocal repression between osteoblasts and adipocytes. The relationship between levels of bone fat and bone mass is complex; however, the high proportion of adipocytes within this specialized environment raises the possibility that they may play a functional role in skeletal metastasis. Adipocytes have been shown to support the proliferation and migration of myeloma cells in vitro (50). Furthermore, the adipokine adiponectin has been shown to play a causal role in myeloma pathogenesis and represent a novel therapeutic target, with a loss of host-derived adiponectin increasing myeloma tumor growth and development of the associated osteolytic bone disease in vivo (51). Uncontrolled cell growth in both primary and metastatic tumors means that cancers are frequently challenged with low nutrient conditions. Low oxygen is also a strong driving force for disorganized vascularization within bone and other sites of cancer development and areas of the bone marrow are known to be physiologically hypoxic even before the added burden of tumor metabolism. Hypoxia activates the HIF transcription pathway in both tumor cells and the microenvironment, increasing production and secretion of factors such as VEGF, HGF, and CXCL12, which recruit bone marrow endothelial cells to activate vasculogenesis (52, 53). As with the other cell types of the marrow, the gene expression profile of endothelial cells is altered when associated with cancer cells. Cancer-associated endothelial cells repress regulatory pathways and contribute a range of chemokines to the microenvironment (54, 55). Targeting HIF is an effective approach to reduce tumor burden and bone disease (56). Bone is known to be innervated, and there has been recent interest in the role of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in providing bone homeostatic signals. For example, leptin has been shown to influence SNS signaling through the hypothalamus to cause a wide variety of effects, such as decreased osteoblast proliferation and increased RANKL and osteoclast activity (57). Leptin serum levels do not seem to correlate with breast cancer or myeloma; however, stress and anxiety are also thought to be able to cause bone loss through the SNS (58), and have been shown to have an effect on not only the osteolytic effect of breast cancer, but also the metastatic infiltration of bone (59). SNS signaling to β-adrenergic receptors on osteoblasts has also been implicated in potentiating other signals, such as parathyroid hormone, osteopontin and IGF-1, and release of HSCs from their niche, which may also have implications for invading cancers (60). Bone pain and neuropathy is a frequent result of bone metastasis, resulting from a variety of mechanisms such as aberrant sprouting and activation of nociceptive fibers, in turn caused by secreted factors from both cancer cells and cancer-associated cells (61). Blocking NGF has been shown to reduce the bone pain associated with prostate cancer bone metastasis, despite not affecting tumor burden or osteolytic bone disease (62). The cells of the bone microenvironment provide many of the signals that provoke a response from metastases; however, the extracellular matrix itself may also regulate cancer cell behavior. Bone and marrow matrices are very rigid, and the stiffness of this substrate onto which cells adhere is known to have an influence on gene transcription, for instance, in selecting between BMSC differentiation pathways (63). While the matrix is known to become stiffer in solid tumors (64), migrating cancer cells are able to move by either releasing matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) or by deforming the matrix in a Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK)- and myosin-dependent fashion (65). Once within the rigid bone microenvironment, cancer cells are able to respond to the stiffness of the matrix by upregulating osteolytic gene expression, once again using a ROCK- and myosin-dependent mechanism (66). The MMP family of proteins is frequently dysregulated by cancer cells, causing not only collagen proteolysis and reorganization of the extracellular matrix but also activation of other prosignaling factors and pro-MMPs by cleavage. Host-derived MMP9 has been found to promote myeloma and breast cancer osteolysis (67, 68), whereas osteoclast-derived MMP-7 promotes osteolytic bone disease in murine models of breast and prostate cancer, via solubilization of RANKL (69, 70). The mineralized extracellular matrix is also a considerable store of growth factors (71), and MMPs can release and activate TGF-β, an integral factor in cancer-induced bone disease (72). The first drugs targeted toward the bone microenvironment in metastatic disease were aimed at cancer-associated osteoclasts, and the success of bisphosphonates against cancer-induced bone disease has been reviewed elsewhere (73). An alternative approach toward osteoclasts has been to target RANKL signaling, by preventing receptor binding using an anti-RANKL antibody. The humanized anti-RANKL antibody Denosumab has progressed through clinical trials against bone metastases arising from multiple myeloma, prostate, lung and breast cancers, as well as non–cancer-related diseases such as osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis (74). Targeting TGF-β has proven effective in murine models of skeletal tumors (75, 76). As osteoblasts are now being recognized as major regulators of the bone microenvironment, treatments have also been developed, which encourage osteoblast formation to restore homeostasis and combat osteolytic metastases. Anti-Dkk1 and anti-activin A increase osteoblast differentiation in osteolytic myeloma and breast cancer metastases (77–79), whereas anti–IL-6 offers a pathway to reduce the cancer-supportive signaling responses of myeloma-associated osteoblasts (80). Metastatic cancer cells are attracted to the bone marrow through HSC homing signals such as CXCL12. Therefore, blockade of HSC signals may be able to prevent metastasis and also may increase effectiveness of other therapies when used in combination (81). AMD3100 (now known as Plerixafor) is a CXCR4 antagonist and is effective in preclinical models of myeloma and breast cancer bone metastasis (9, 82). Broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors are no longer considered viable for development due to side effects; however, a specific inhibitor of MMP-13 has improved preclinical effect against breast cancer bone metastasis, indicating that these targets are still worth pursuing (83). The role of the SNS in bone remodeling also suggest that existing β-blockers such as propanolol may be repurposed to stimulate osteoblast activity and inhibit resorption in bone metastases (59). It has long been recognized that the bone marrow provides a hospitable environment allowing many types of tumor to grow and survive. Importantly, this is not a passive environment and reciprocal interactions occur between tumor cells and host cells of the bone marrow. These interactions are critical to multiple stages in disease pathogenesis, from initial homing to the endosteal HSC niche and escape from normal immune suppression, to support of tumor growth and development of cancer-induced bone disease. The delicate balance between the numerous marrow cell types is difficult to recreate in vitro, necessitating the use of in vivo models that both replicate the clinical features of human disease and distinct steps in disease development. The rapidly developing field of mathematical modeling offers an intriguing approach to this problem. Initial studies are encouraging, as discrete interactions within the bone have been modeled, with the ultimate goal of creating a mathematical model of the complete tumor–bone marrow microenvironment (84–86). The progression of research, from studying interactions between tumor cells, osteoclasts, and osteoblasts, to including all components of the specialized bone marrow microenvironment has dramatically advanced our understanding of disease pathogenesis. It is exciting to predict that this enhanced knowledge will ultimately reveal novel and effective therapeutic targets, with many encouraging results already arising from preclinical models. Furthermore, there is great enthusiasm for those studies that identify the potential for repurposing drugs currently in clinical use for other conditions, which have effects on the host microenvironment to modulate either tumor growth or osteolytic bone disease. Because of the inextricable nature of the relationship between tumor cells and host cells, the effective treatments of the future will likely utilize a combination of therapeutics targeting both the tumor and the bone marrow microenvironment, to ultimately eradicate this final fatal step in tumor progression. This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute through R01-CA137116, Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund, and a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme. Revision received December 19, 2013. . Clinical features of metastatic bone disease and risk of skeletal morbidity. Clin Cancer Res 2006;12:6243s–6249s. . Metastasis to bone: causes, consequences and therapeutic opportunities. Nat Rev Cancer 2002;2:584–93. . SLAM family receptors distinguish hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and reveal endothelial niches for stem cells. Cell 2005;121:1109–21. Detection of functional haematopoietic stem cell niche using real-time imaging. Nature 2009;457:97–101. . CXCR4 is required for the quiescence of primitive hematopoietic cells. J Exp Med 2008;205:777–83. Involvement of chemokine receptors in breast cancer metastasis. Nature 2001;410:50–6. CXCR4 regulates growth of both primary and metastatic breast cancer. Cancer Res 2004;64:8604–12. . Use of the stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXCR4 pathway in prostate cancer metastasis to bone. Cancer Res 2002;62:1832–7. Mechanisms of regulation of CXCR4/SDF-1 (CXCL12)-dependent migration and homing in multiple myeloma. Blood 2007;109:2708–17. . In vitro growth of hematopoietic progenitors and stromal bone marrow cells from patients with multiple myeloma. Leuk Res 2011;35:250–5. Hematopoietic stem cells regulate mesenchymal stromal cell induction into osteoblasts thereby participating in the formation of the stem cell niche. Stem Cell 2008;26:2042–51. Disseminated prostate cancer cells can instruct hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to regulate bone phenotype. Mol Cancer Res 2012;10:282–92. Human myeloma cells stimulate the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) in T lymphocytes: a potential role in multiple myeloma bone disease. Blood 2002;100:4615–21. . A novel role of IL-17-producing lymphocytes in mediating lytic bone disease in multiple myeloma. Blood 2010;116:3554–63. Th17 functions as an osteoclastogenic helper T cell subset that links T cell activation and bone destruction. J Exp Med 2006;203:2673–82. T-cell-mediated regulation of osteoclastogenesis by signalling cross-talk between RANKL and IFN-gamma. Nature 2000;408:600–5. CD8+ T cells regulate bone tumor burden independent of osteoclast resorption. Cancer Res 2011;71:4799–808. B cells and T cells are critical for the preservation of bone homeostasis and attainment of peak bone mass in vivo . Blood 2007;109:3839–48. . Pathways mediating the expansion and immunosuppressive activity of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and their relevance to cancer therapy. Clin Cancer Res 2007;13:5243–8. . Tumor-induced immune dysfunctions caused by myeloid suppressor cells. J Immunother 2001;24:431–46. Multiple myeloma induces the immunosuppressive capacity of distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cell subpopulations in the bone marrow. Leukemia 2012;26:2424–8. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells function as novel osteoclast progenitors enhancing bone loss in breast cancer. Cancer Res 2013;73:672–82. Osteoclasts in multiple myeloma are derived from Gr-1+CD11b+myeloid-derived suppressor cells. PLoS ONE 2012;7:e48871. . Myeloid-derived suppressor cells expand during breast cancer progression and promote tumor-induced bone destruction. Oncoimmunology 2012;1:1484–94. Melanoma exosomes educate bone marrow progenitor cells toward a pro-metastatic phenotype through MET. Nat Med 2012;18:883–91. . Dominant role of CD47-thrombospondin-1 interactions in myeloma-induced fusion of human dendritic cells: implications for bone disease. Blood 2009;114:3413–21. Depletion of plasmacytoid dendritic cells inhibits tumor growth and prevents bone metastasis of breast cancer cells. J Immunol 2012;189:4258–65. . Platelets govern pre-metastatic tumor communication to bone. Oncogene 2013;32:4319–24. Platelet-derived lysophosphatidic acid supports the progression of osteolytic bone metastases in breast cancer. J Clin Invest 2004;114:1714–25. Platelet and osteoclast beta3 integrins are critical for bone metastasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003;100:14205–10. . Tumor-host cell interactions in the bone disease of myeloma. Bone 2011;48:121–8. Recruitment of mesenchymal stem cells into prostate tumours promotes metastasis. Nat Commun 2013;4:1795. . Cancer associated fibroblasts in cancer pathogenesis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2010;21:33–9. . Bone marrow stromal cells create a permissive microenvironment for myeloma development: a new stromal role for Wnt inhibitor Dkk1. Cancer Res 2012;72:2183–9. Loss of TGF-β responsiveness in prostate stromal cells alters chemokine levels and facilitates the development of mixed osteoblastic/osteolytic bone lesions. Mol Cancer Res 2012;10:494–503. Selection of bone metastasis seeds by mesenchymal signals in the primary tumor stroma. Cell 2013;154:1060–73. Expression of XBP1s in bone marrow stromal cells is critical for myeloma cell growth and osteoclast formation. Blood 2012;119:4205–14. Gfi1 expressed in bone marrow stromal cells is a novel osteoblast suppressor in patients with multiple myeloma bone disease. Blood 2011;118:6871–80. Matrix-embedded osteocytes regulate mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Cell Stem Cell 2013;12:737–47. . The amazing osteocyte. J Bone Miner Res 2011;26:229–38. . Metastases and multiple myeloma generate distinct transcriptional footprints in osteocytes in vivo. J Pathol 2008;214:617–26. Marrow fat and bone–new perspectives. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013;98:935–45. Neighboring adipocytes participate in the bone marrow microenvironment of multiple myeloma cells. Leukemia 2007;21:1580–4. Host-derived adiponectin is tumor-suppressive and a novel therapeutic target for multiple myeloma and the associated bone disease. Blood 2011;118:5872–82. . Hypoxia increases VEGF-A production by prostate cancer and bone marrow stromal cells and initiates paracrine activation of bone marrow endothelial cells. Clin Exp Metastasis 2006;23:75–86. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α suppression in myeloma cells blocks tumoral growth in vivo inhibiting angiogenesis and bone destruction. Leukemia 2013;27:1697–706. Loss of inhibitory semaphorin 3A (SEMA3A) autocrine loops in bone marrow endothelial cells of patients with multiple myeloma. Blood 2006;108:1661–7. Gene expression profiling of bone marrow endothelial cells in patients with multiple myeloma. Clin Cancer Res 2009;15:5369–78. Hypoxia and TGF-beta drive breast cancer bone metastases through parallel signaling pathways in tumor cells and the bone microenvironment. PLoS ONE 2009;4:e6896. Leptin regulation of bone resorption by the sympathetic nervous system and CART. Nature 2005;434:514–20. Depression induces bone loss through stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006;103:16876–81. Stimulation of host bone marrow stromal cells by sympathetic nerves promotes breast cancer bone metastasis in mice. PLoS Biol 2012;10:e1001363. . Control of bone remodeling by the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. Calcif Tissue Int 2013;94:140–51. . Cancer pain and its impact on diagnosis, survival and quality of life. Nat Rev Neurosci 2006;7:797–809. A blocking antibody to nerve growth factor attenuates skeletal pain induced by prostate tumor cells growing in bone. Cancer Res 2005;65:9426–35. . Matrix elasticity directs stem cell lineage specification. Cell 2006;126:677–89. Tensional homeostasis and the malignant phenotype. Cancer Cell 2005;8:241–54. Migration of tumor cells in 3D matrices is governed by matrix stiffness along with cell-matrix adhesion and proteolysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006;103:10889–94. . Matrix rigidity induces osteolytic gene expression of metastatic breast cancer cells. PLoS ONE 2010;5:e15451. . A murine model of myeloma that allows genetic manipulation of the host microenvironment. Dis Model Mech 2009;2:604–11. . An osteoblast-derived proteinase controls tumor cell survival via TGF-beta activation in the bone microenvironment. PLoS ONE 2012;7:e29862. MMP-7 promotes prostate cancer-induced osteolysis via the solubilization of RANKL. Cancer Cell 2005;7:485–96. Osteoclast-derived matrix metalloproteinase-7, but not matrix metalloproteinase-9, contributes to tumor-induced osteolysis. Cancer Res 2009;69:6747–55. . Advances in the biology of bone metastasis: how the skeleton affects tumor behavior. Bone 2011;48:6–15. . Proteolysis of latent transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)-binding protein-1 by osteoclasts. A cellular mechanism for release of TGF-beta from bone matrix. J Biol Chem 2002;277:21352–60. . Direct and indirect anticancer activity of bisphosphonates: a brief review of published literature. Cancer Treat Rev 2012;38:407–15. . Denosumab in patients with cancer-a surgical strike against the osteoclast. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2012;9:110–8. Anti-transforming growth factor β antibody treatment rescues bone loss and prevents breast cancer metastasis to bone. PLoS ONE 2011;6:e27090. TGF-beta-RI kinase inhibitor SD-208 reduces the development and progression of melanoma bone metastases. Cancer Res 2011;71:175–84. Inhibiting activin-A signaling stimulates bone formation and prevents cancer-induced bone destruction in vivo. J Bone Miner Res 2010;25:2633–46. Activin A promotes multiple myeloma-induced osteolysis and is a promising target for myeloma bone disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010;107:5124–9. . Antibody-based inhibition of DKK1 suppresses tumor-induced bone resorption and multiple myeloma growth in vivo. Blood 2007;109:2106–11. A high-affinity fully human anti-IL-6 mAb, 1339, for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Clin Cancer Res 2009;15:7144–52. . Hematopoietic stem cell niche is a potential therapeutic target for bone metastatic tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2011;17:5553–8. CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 disrupts the interaction of multiple myeloma cells with the bone marrow microenvironment and enhances their sensitivity to therapy. Blood 2009;113:4341–51. An MMP13-selective inhibitor delays primary tumor growth and the onset of tumor-associated osteolytic lesions in experimental models of breast cancer. PLoS ONE 2012;7:e29615. . Osteoprotegerin in bone metastases: mathematical solution to the puzzle. PLoS Comput Biol 2012;8:e1002703. . A mathematical model of bone remodeling dynamics for normal bone cell populations and myeloma bone disease. Biol Direct 2010;5:28. . Computational modeling of interactions between multiple myeloma and the bone microenvironment. PLoS ONE 2011;6:e27494.

2019-04-19T06:38:49Z

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/74/6/1625

Higher level students often need assistance from professional writing services to achieve legibility in their essay papers. Essay writing requires a great deal of effort on the part of the author, no matter whether they are a student or a professionally-qualified custom writer. Clearly, to write term paper essays, a student needs to be able to produce a grade-winning, error-free paper to match their academic level. Because they are still learning, their writing knowledge and skills are often not yet developed, so they need assistance from experienced custom writing services. Usually an essay assignment is given to student of a more advanced level rather than those of a lower level. Because it is an advanced activity, the expectations are high. Tutors generally seek an academic paper that is perfectly-written and free of plagiarism. There are numerous professional writing services in the market offering students professional help. As a reputable international custom writing service, PremiumQualityEssays.com offers its customers the opportunity to buy academic papers of unrivalled quality. If you are looking for a professional term paper writing help, you should address the reliable writing company that employs a number of experienced writers specializing in numerous fields. PremiumQualityEssays.com is a leading writing service that offers custom-written term papers for sale, college essays, research papers, dissertations, book reports and reviews, financial assignments, speeches, presentations, course works and other written tasks for affordable cheap price. Our term paper writing company employs only the best professional writers who have exceptional writing talent and bright education in order to write term paper, essay,research paper, etc for students at all levels. More than 7,000 satisfied customers became our regular clients and use our term paper writing service on a constant basis. They approve the top-notch level of our service and the high-quality of our term papers for sale. Cheap price and professional writers are the core constituents of our excellence. PremiumQualityEssays.com cares about your excellence. Thus, we recommend you to make a careful choice when you address the term paper writing company. Nowadays Internet is overloaded with scam offers that promise you to deliver top-notch quality term papers online for approximately nothing. As usual, you will get totally plagiarized paper or the essay that contains outdated information and many grammatical errors. Even worse, the company can run away with your payment and leave you with absolutely nothing. If you happen to submit plagiarized college term paper from dishonest company, you risk earning a lot of troubles. Moreover, a single detection of plagiarism may cost you too much – from lost reputation to expel from your college. Don’t try your luck and use only professional assistance! Address PremiumQualityEssays.com and we will help you to write term paper of unmatched quality! Our company employs the team of professional writers and editors who specialize in various kinds of papers, fields of studies and academic levels. Our company is equipped with the most innovative plagiarism-detecting software to ensure that you buy authentic term papers online. In additions, our writers are knowledgeable in various citation styles, writing formats and professional writing standards. We guarantee that your online college term paper will be of exceptional quality. University professors and tutors assume that students know how to write a term paper of an outmost quality and can easily cope with such trivial task. Therefore, they develop more sophisticated requirements and instructions in order to assess students’ readiness to modern challenges and constant changes of competitive environment. However, most students feel tired and exhausted from numerous tasks with extra-heavy requirements. Thus, they try to find the most suitable writer or writing company that can help them to deal with some part of their assignments. PremiumQualityEssays.com is the name of the company that can help students. If you don’t have an idea of how to write a term paper, if you lack time to cope with your tasks, if you finally need some rest and cannot submit your paper before the deadline, PremiumQualityEssays.com is at your disposal! We provide students with professional custom papers written from scratch by qualified writers. Our team is dedicated to excellence and we will leave your papers with absolutely no flaws and mistakes. Every essay you buy at PremiumQualityEssays.com is double-checked by the editor and quality assurance team to ensure that it meets the highest writing standards. Moreover, PremiumQualityEssays.com provides you with an option of free revision on demand. Your satisfaction is our top-priority, so we will improve and amend your paper till it gets perfection in all senses. We don’t want to disappoint our customers and always do our best to exceed their expectations! Feel free to contact us anytime! Our responsive customer support team works 24/7 to answer your questions, process your requests and take the orders. You can reach our representative by live chat, e-mail or phone! So, if you are looking for a professional essay writer, term paper writer, dissertation writer or research paper writer, don’t waste your time! PremiumQualityEssays.com is everything at once in terms of writing. We will provide you with professional online writing assistance from the first to the last day of your studies. Even more,we can provide writing services for non-academic purposes, for instance grant writing or job application letters. Remember, that PremiumQualityEssays.com is the wisest solution that offers qualified native writers who can deliver top-notch quality written work before your deadline! Trust our team, and you will not regret! PremiumQualityEssays.com relies on the expertise of highly-skilled and experienced custom writers who can write term papers on any topic. Whatever type of assignment they are asked to complete, our experts apply an organized approach by following certain prescribed academic writing regulations. Our online writers are experienced in numerous disciplines and they tend to astonish customers with their work. They provide students who buy our papers with excellent work that is fully checked for grammar errors and plagiarism before dispatch. Students from all around the world choose us because we provide term papers customized to their requirements at a cheap price. Our professional writers differ from those at other companies offering excessively cheap papers that are often laden with errors and plagiarism. Such companies are usually more interested in generating profit than their customers’ success, so they assign your work to online writers who are not sufficiently qualified or experienced to complete it to an acceptable standard. These unsuitable writers often copy from unacknowledged sources, which leads to plagiarism. In academic circles, this practice is known as academic fraud and is very much frowned upon. Submitting an illegally plagiarized paper can often result in a student’s disqualification and embarrassment. Leaving plagiarism aside, if a paper is full of errors, a student may fail in his or her subject. So, it is not worth risking your academic career by seeking assistance from such fraudulent companies. Come to us to purchase term papers and look forward to getting an excellent paper, even if the price is a little higher. Any time you need a reputable term paper writing service, contact PremiumQualityEssays.com and we will allocate your project to a writer who holds either a Master’s degree or PhD. Each advanced degree-holder on our team strictly ensures that they provide term papers customized to your requirements. The professional help of our writers will make your college life easier and your academic performance better. We do care about your success and we will never send you a paper unless it has been thoroughly checked for grammatical errors and plagiarism. We strive in every way to help you achieve your academic writing goals. Our writers belong to different academic fields with qualifications in a variety of disciplines. We are the preferred choice of customers from all around the world when they decide to purchase term papers that are written in accordance with their requirements. Our writers are fully conversant with all academic writing standards, which they rigorously apply in practice to consistently achieve excellence. Our work is globally admired as a result of its unrivalled quality, relevant content and stylishness. Each Master’s and PhD writer in our team is capable of applying correct referencing and citation styles to describe the sources they have used. The papers provided by our term paper writing service are always written in excellent language and to the highest standard. We are always willing to help customers in every possible way through our professional term paper writing service because we care about your success and want you to be fully satisfied with our work. The best custom term paper writing service. Choose the best! Undoubtedly, it is not easy to find the best paper writing help for providing you with the essays or research papers of the best quality. Some of the companies offer university or college term paper writing services, but in most of the cases they are far from being excellent. Some of the companies in this field just work for gaining more and more money on a hot season, and they rarely care of satisfaction guarantee for every customer. Sometimes they offer 100% prepaid academic paper writing services and after they provide the papers of low quality or simply plagiarized without any guarantee of giving money back. So if you are still in search of the best term papers writing company, which provides academic writing of the highest quality, PremiumQualityEssays.com is the best choice for you. PremiumQualityEssays.com is the best solution if you need an authentic paper of the highest quality on time. We perform even the most difficult tasks, meeting all the requirements and deadlines. We take care of every customer of ours, who are the most valuable treasures for our business. We offer 100% satisfaction guarantee for every our paper. If you are not satisfied with any of our writings, you will definitely get your money back. Anyway, not so often our customers are being unsatisfied with our writing assistance service, as our company tries to write the papers of the best quality that deserve the highest grade only. PremiumQualityEssays.com offers the wide range of advantages which are of great value at the market of paper writing help services. Indeed, we offer the best paper writing help service at the best prices. You can easily calculate them for every order of yours. Undoubtedly, we offer a writing assistance of the best quality at the best prices. Our professional team of writers is highly educated and is able to perform the custom papers at the wide range of topics and subjects. Everyday we receive numerous orders in economics, mathematics, philosophy, literature, English, philosophy, engineering etc. At our service you can buy an essay, a research paper, a book report, a term paper or a dissertation or the other kind of paper at good price. PremiumQualityEssays.com is a custom term paper writing service that takes even urgent orders and always delivers them on time. The order can be delivered to your email directly or you can just download it from our website. PremiumQualityEssays.com is a custom term paper writing service with a well-organized system of quality control. Every paper is reviewed and edited by the team of professionals in this field. You will never get a paper of low quality from our term papers writing service. When choosing PremiumQualityEssays.com, you choose the high quality, good price and the best out of professional writing services. If you need a university or a college term paper writing, just choose our company. Buy essays of the best quality only! Can you cite the main reasons that keep you from finishing your custom essay on time? How often do you dream to have someone write your custom essay for you? Can you believe that professional writing services can save you from these problems? No matter whether or not you answer these questions, you should understand that, at some point of your academic life, you will have no other way but to buy cheap online custom term papers. You may choose to turn to term paper writing services for a variety of reasons. More often than not, it is because your workloads increase and your academic tasks pile up by the middle of the semester that you may want to buy cheap online term paper help. You may also have difficulties managing certain subjects and disciplines, either because they are boring or because you don’t understand them. In all these situations, writing a term paper can be a huge difficulty, and the presence of expert term paper writing services will certainly become your guide and bring you towards a new, better result. Professional writing services are designed for those, who face problems trying to produce a good term paper. At times, you understand that you can no longer devote all your time to writing. You realize that you need experienced term paper help, when you feel that creating another term paper will send you to the asylum. Your professors will hardly be interested in the way you manage your family problems. They don’t care whether at all you know what is term paper. At the same time, they cannot expect that you will find a good way out and ask professionals to provide quality term paper writing services. Timely term paper help will support you in the most difficult times. You may also have doubts about your term paper writing abilities. You may feel that writing a term paper is an impossible task. You don’t want to take your chances, hoping that the professor will appreciate your efforts. You know it better than anyone that today’s system of education appreciates students for their results, not for the process of learning. So, even if you try hard to learn what is term paper, you will hardly complete the course on time, if you fail to produce a decent term paper. Thus, why not use professional term paper writing services and avoid the most common complexities of the student life? Why not make everything easier with the help of expert and authentic online term papers? PremiumQualityEssays.com is the place where getting quality term paper writing services at a good price becomes a reality. Using the original online term papers from PremiumQualityEssays.com is an excellent alternative to taking risks and trying to produce something close to decent in term paper writing. Remember, that many professors do not give any second chance. As a result, once failed, you won’t be able to resubmit your paper. With PremiumQualityEssays.com, the risks of failure will be zero. Our term paper writing services will empower you to become the best student and, at the same time, save your time and costs. If you believe that you are lacking outstanding writing skills that does not mean you have to pay high price for this. You don’t have to be discouraged at the fact that the nature has not given you any single chance to outperform other students. With PremiumQualityEssays.com, you will be able to outperform yourself and accomplish unbelievable academic things! Only with PremiumQualityEssays.com you will be able to find expert term paper writing services that comprise our experience, knowledge, professionalism, and commitment to top quality writing! At PremiumQualityEssays.com we provide academic paper writing service to students in colleges and universities. We help students achieve their academic goals without a lot of struggle; they can be in a position to get time for their social life and other important things. We understand that college lecturers overload students with many custom paper writings. High workload limits a students’ ability to write a good term paper since the exercise involves intensive research and consumes many hours. Therefore, it is logical to buy a term paper that is professionally written and receive good marks. Your academic success is dependent on the quality of the custom essay which you submit for marking; it’s not how much time you spend researching or how much effort you employ. Writing term paper is rather challenging work; it requires a student to have excellent writing and presentation skills. Furthermore, good term paper must meet all the academic writing standards and the expectations of your lecturer. Moreover, good term papers must depict a high degree of creativity i.e. they must be designed from the scratch. There will be no traces of plagiarism. For this reason, you must conduct an independent research on every essay topic and then present the gathered information using your own words. Our paper writing service has a surety of creativity. We ensure that you to buy good term papers with zero percent plagiarism by scanning all our custom writings before delivery. We have a copy pasting detector that generates a plagiarism report for each essay. We are privileged to be having the most qualified, skilled and gifted writers in our team. Our authors have mastered the art of writing term paper pretty well, thus they have the capacity to produce exemplary essays on the most complex topics. Our term paper service is quite diverse; we offer the most professional writing solutions to students at all the levels of study right from the high school level to the university level. We hire specialists from all the writing disciplines like business management, literature, linguistics, aviation, economics, finance, nursing, computer science, philosophy, psychology and many others. So, we have the best writing solutions for you irrespective of your degree course. Have you been looking for quality term paper service that you can afford? Well, we sale our premium papers at cheap prices which can be afforded by almost every student. Our expertise is different from the other online essay writing services; many companies on the market offer poor quality papers to buy at low rates. On the other hand, some firms provide good papers at escalated prices. At PremiumQualityEssays.com, we strike a balance between quality and cost. We follow all your guidelines in writing your essay and revise your paper to satisfaction without any additional charge. We believe that your satisfaction is our success and thus, we ensure that all our term paper services meet your expectations. Confidentiality is of paramount importance in all online transactions. Therefore, we never disclose our clients’ personal information whatever. The information you give us is sonly used in processing payments. Also, we use you contact to communicate with you regarding your assignment. Alternatively, you can contact our experts at any time and have your writing issues professionally addressed. All our transactions are fast and simple; all you have to do if fill in our online order form and wait for your professionally written term paper. So, why should you wait any longer? Click on PremiumQualityEssays.com right away and reap our awesome benefits. Term papers are grueling and time-consuming, and it is no wonder that students facing several of them due at one time are frustrated, burned out, and stressed. Especially for those papers that are on topics in which there is little interest, and thus, little motivation, buying term papers online has become a rapidly growing activity for high school and university students. Faced with lowered or bad grades by turning in badly produced papers or by submitting papers late, students are forced to buy term paper service from online custom essay services. Students of course understand the risks involved in such activity, but they often have no choice. The task, then, becomes one of finding a service from which to buy term paper writing which is not plagiarized, and the one which is well-researched and written. We would like to introduce you to PremiumQualityEssays.com, because we believe that once you have learned about our service and received your first custom term paper from us, you will come back to us with any and every academic writing need you may have. Students who buy term paper service at PremiumQualityEssays.com will be asked to complete a very detailed order form. We cannot provide the custom online writing which students expect if we do not know exactly what is needed. This includes topic, length, academic level, types and number of resources required, and, of course, the format style. Some students who buy term paper writing from us even upload samples of their own writing so that the writer may emulate their style. We welcome as much information as a customer can provide. Buying term papers online at PremiumQualityEssays.com results in a personal writer being assigned to the student’s order. This means that a student and his/her writer may communicate with one another during the production process, and the writer may even send drafts for customer approval, so that the final product is fully acceptable. Buying a paper from us comes with guarantees that cheap price term paper services will not provide. Firstly, all of the research will be completely authentic, with resources that the customer and, ultimately, an instructor or professor can easily check. We never make mistakes like “buy termpaper” or “buying term papers on line”. Secondly, we guarantee plagiarism-free writing and ensure it with a plagiarism report from a scan that we perform before delivery. When students buy term paper service from PremiumQualityEssays.com, they will do so with full confidentiality. We encrypt names and other personal information, so that even your writer will not know your name. No one will ever know that you are using our writing service. Your paper is your property! You have paid for your term paper and when you buy term paper service, you have the right to expect that your paper will never be placed into a database, re-sold, or even seen by anyone else. You have access to us 24 hours a day. Most cheap price essay and paper writing services do not have telephone numbers nor do they have live chat available at any time. We are available to our customers around the clock, because we have a commitment to premier service! Buy term paper service from PremiumQualityEssays.com and you will never be ignored! PremiumQualityEssays.com wants you to be a customer for the life of your academic career, and we are willing to do what it takes to gain your confidence and trust. Unlike other custom term papers writing companies, we don’t make such primitive mistakes as “buy termpaper”, “buying term papers on line” etc. When you experience our quality, our service, and our full transparency, you will understand why there is absolutely no risk – nothing to lose and everything to gain! During your study in an educational institution, everything depends on successful writing of numerous assignments. Unfortunately, if your essay or research paper will not be successful you are to pay dearly by your grade. A small hesitation can easily be transformed into a dilemma which can grow into a serious problem until the workable solution is found. We are here to let you know what to do if there are too many assignments and you do not have any idea of how to cope with them all. We acknowledge that you may not have insufficient time and writing skills. Looking for assistance you have to come to our custom term paper service. It is the place where you can get answers on all questions as well as professional assistance in writing custom term paper online. Have a look on the brilliant examples of previously written papers for other students and make sure that we are the leading provider of academic custom writing services, and we can help you achieve academic success. Pre written essays that may be found at our website are excellent examples of what our proficient writing team does the best. If this paper meets all your desires and requirements you can buy it and use as a base of your own paper. What is more, if you have some peculiar requirements, you may ask the experts of our custom term paper service to create custom term papers online from scratch exactly for you in accordance with your needs. Our cooperation will help you save your precious time. You will be provided with a necessary number of revisions absolutely free of charge because we acknowledge that you may have some amendments. We greatly appreciate your attention to our work and consider your satisfaction as our main success. No matter what your deadline is, you will get palmary custom term papers online. We are the most trustworthy partner in writing academic assignments. Our company consists of custom term paper writer team which will provide you with excellent custom writing services that include creating custom term papers online. They can cope with the assignment of any complexity and on any subject. All members of our staff are graduates from the best US and UK universities and hold no less than PhD degrees. For every topic, we have an expert with proper experience in this field. No matter what your academic level is: high school or university, we will produce such a perfect paper, that you, undoubtedly, will surprise your professor! Our custom term paper service protects your online identity because your comfort and privacy it the primary concern of our custom writing service. The price for your custom term papers online depends on the number of pages, time frames and the academic level. Our custom term paper service offers the best possible cheap price and high quality relation. It is very easy to economize: the more time you have for writing your essay paper, the cheaper it will be. Also, the price depends on the complexity of a work. With this in mind, our custom term paper service offers you a flexible system of discounts if you want to buy custom term paper online for a cheap price. Choose our custom term paper service as a reliable partner and grow into a prosperous student with our authentic, and custom written A+ research papers. Students have such demanding lives and even before we consider the fact that they really need to study, they have already had their hands full. They for instance are required to write custom term papers but in spite of the effort they put to it, they still achieve very poor and discouraging results. It is often disappointing, but if you are one of them, here is a reliable writing companion you can order custom term paper writing from. We are here to help you achieve that distinction you so desperately need as we provide you with a reliable custom term paper writing service. We know that you have a family to take care of, and you need to focus on your job. Be our guest and we will take care of your essay. Worry about the ever demanding needs at work, and let our qualified writers provide you with our term paper service, whereby you can buy a good essay online. Writing essays is essential in whatever course you are taking, and it is the case that it can be very demanding sometimes. Proper designs and layouts have to be considered and our writing professionals have made it a custom to include all the required writing styles. Need a term paper service? Well, be our guest at PremiumQualityEssays.com and we will connect you to our qualified and experienced academic writers who are ready to assist you any day anytime. We are acquainted with your every need when it comes to writing custom term papers. Authenticity and quality have been our custom over the years, and we ensure that your requirements and specifications are met. Plagiarism is unheard of at PremiumQualityEssays.com. We also ensure that there is constant communication between our clients and writers so as to make sure the work is edited and proofread and ensure that the desired results are achieved. Custom term paper writing can be a rather tedious and time consuming affair for any student, and our experienced professionals are available whenever you need them. Moreover, our term paper service is the best you can ever get and our price rates are pocket friendly. At PremiumQualityEssays.com, we provide you with a wide range of cheap academic papers that you can buy from us. These include dissertations, thesis papers, and a whole lot more. We have also made it our goal to ensure that you get the most satisfactory term paper service. Every student deserves a rescue support system when it comes to writing assignments. Contrary to a popular belief held by most tutors that students can handle almost anything under the sun, they suffer from an inadequacy and it is often hard for them to handle everything unassisted. These lecturers end up stressing and overloading students with assignments and they provide little time and their strict deadlines must be observed religiously. Studies become unmanageable and hectic for students and most of them can’t just handle the stress and they sink into depression. Students therefore need an efficient and reliable person that can provide them with a custom term paper writing service to ease their pain. However, getting a reliable entity that can handle all the academic assignments has also proven to be quite an uphill task. Whenever students need to buy essay writing online or to order custom term paper writing at cheap price rates, they are exposed to rogue writers who mostly have zero experience and who lack the touch of professionalism they need. They therefore end up getting unsatisfactory results and very poor grades, and this can be really depressing. Students normally have nowhere to turn to, but the good news is that PremiumQualityEssays.com is that trusted companion every student needs because of the term paper service it provides. Get a term paper written by the best term paper writer! If you are a high school, college or university student, you certainly face the problem of dealing with multiple tasks, projects and other writing assignments. Disregarding the area of your studies, essays and term papers are the most common assignment for any student. Very few students like doing homeworks, but even less like term papers written tasks and custom essays. We do understand your problem and offer cheap price term paper services that will help you to deal with all your term paper written assignments, research projects, custom essays, book reviews, lab reports, speech writing and course works. With term paper services of PremiumQualityEssays.com you don’t have to worry about failing the subject or getting F – we deliver only A+ papers for your academic success. Are you totally in trouble with upcoming deadline? Do you feel that term papers written in perfect fluent English are above your writing level? Don’t be discouraged by these small misfortunes. PremiumQualityEssays.com will give you a reliable writing hand. Our term paper writers will help you with any complicated assignment on any difficult subject. We don’t have any problems with writing interesting catchy paper based on reliable sources and thorough research. We are ready to provide you with premium quality writing within the shortest possible timeframe. Our professional team consists of the “best brains” and can develop a coherent original essay for any topic. We guarantee the total stick to your requirements, excellent standards of writing and sophisticated style. Our essay is an example of brilliant piece writing. Excellent term paper services for your help! When you buy a term paper online at PremiumQualityEssays.com, you don’t buy any pre-written piece of writing. We deliver only custom written works that meet all your individual needs and requirements. All our works are written by professional writers who follow the highest standards and possess excellent writing skills. We employ only native English speakers, so your essay will show the fluent sophisticated manner of writing. Our writers are confident to deliver authentic original paper that is written completely from scratch to meet your requirements. We guarantee that our works are non-plagiarized, as we understand that plagiarism is treated as a major academic offence in all educational institutions having detrimental consequences for students. We write our term papers to provide the quality assistance to your writing problems and seek for your satisfaction. Once you discover the supreme quality of our papers, you would recommend our cheap price term paper services to your friends! Our highly qualified term paper writers can deliver wxcellent papers in more than 90 subjects including Archaeology, Religious studies, English, History, Literature, Nursing, Management, Economics, Social studies, Theology, Finance, Business, Philosophy, Political science, Computer science, Art, Technology, Psychology, IT, Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, Accounting, Mathematics, Architecture, Sports, Music, Geography, Media studies, Geology, Anthropology, Education, Teaching, Diplomacy, Marketing, Tourism, International studies, Engineering, Criminology, Ecology and Environmental studies, Government, Communications, Law, and even more. Online term paper service you can rely on! In fact, anyone can put an effort and write an essay or a term paper. However, when you think of PremiumQualityEssays.com, you rely on the fully professional writing service that guarantees A+ papers for your academic success. Try to order our essay once, and you will definitely come back to PremiumQualityEssays.com after the positive feedback from your professor for the excellent work. Our service is a winning combination of reasonable price, high quality and 24/7 availability! Trust in our expert help, and get sophisticated non-plagiarized paper that will impress your professor and bring you the highest grade for your success. Term paper writing is an integral part of any educational curriculum at all academic levels and the most popular task teachers and professors demand to get relevant picture of students’ knowledge and depth of understanding. In addition, term paper research writing assignment provides an opportunity for students to formulate their own thoughts, prove positions, and develop researching and analytical skills. Certainly, writing assignments serve important educational purposes. Obviously, successful academic writing assignment completion takes time, profound level of knowledge on chosen term paper topics, good English language command and good evaluation skills. What kind of term paper assistance we offer at PremiumQualityEssays.com? When you go online, you can find many term papers custom writing companies offering their writing assistance with completing academic writing assignments of any kinds. You can order best term paper writing assistance at PremiumQualityEssays.com. Term paper writing assistance.One of our expert term paper writers will help you create your whole paper on any term paper topics or only some sections of it. We will make sure to deliver only authentic custom written academic papers, which are never resold to the third party. Term paper editing.Experienced and professional editors and proofreaders are ready to help you bring the quality of your paper up to highest standards. Once your paper has gone through rigorous editing and proofreading it will definitely hit the spot of the format and other assignment requirements. Best term paper writing services at PremiumQualityEssays.com! Academic paper writing industry develops by leaps and bounds and is very competitive sector of business. Its while others would do medium quality work for a fairly cheap price. However, there are several writing companies that are really helpful and provide high quality academic paper writing. Needless to say, that every company with high claims of professional best term papers writing services has to prove its status. Our highly-qualified term paper writers are the core of PremiumQualityEssays.com highly professional, trustworthy and reliable academic paper writing company.Our experts have vast experience in their respective field of study as well as proven record of successful academic paper writing keeping in line with strict writing standards and formatting guidelines. Since they are degree holders in various fields, we are able to craft any assignment regardless of the educational discipline, its difficulty level, length or deadline. Our prices are fair. We choose the best expert writer with relevant knowledge, skills and experience to work on your writing assignment. You can communicate with your chosen writer directly. You can monitor and control your term paper writing process. Whenever you feel a need, you can get in touch with your writer and receive the status update, make necessary amendments or update requirements of your assignment. Our goal is your complete satisfaction. For that reason you have an option of additional editing and proofreading services if you feel the quality of your paper should be upped. Our attentive professional custom support team provides 24/7/365 assistance and will help resolve any issue with your order.

2019-04-21T20:04:19Z

https://premiumqualityessays.com/articles/term-paper-writing-service/

An original poster for MGM's blockbuster 'The Big Parade' (1925). Looking for something different to mark Independence Day? Then march on over to the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, Mass., where I'm doing live music for a screening of 'The Big Parade' (1925) in 35mm on Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. Despite now being 90 years old, this amazing movie—all about American soldiers who ship off to Europe to join in World War I—has lost none of its emotional impact. Directed by a very young King Vidor, the film set new standards for realism in the then-still-new medium of cinema. It was the 'Saving Private Ryan' of its time, as mentioned in the press release below. The result was an enormous blockbuster for MGM, which had just been created by a recent merger. 'The Big Parade' caused a sensation, becoming the studio's highest-grossing picture up until 'Gone With the Wind' hit the screen in 1939. What I like most about 'The Big Parade,' and what I think still works just as intended, is its very simple but powerful structure. Vidor directed the first half of the film in the style of a light romantic lark. We follow the GIs into the French countryside, where they bunk together in barns and get to know one another—and we get to know them. Plenty of hijinks ensue, including flirting with the local women, with no shortage of humor. It's kind of like a Sad Sack comic book story come to life. That's John Gilbert under the barrel, getting to know a French village gal played by Renée Adorée. But then the men get called up to the front, and everything changes. Vidor takes the men we've gotten to know and marches them into the trenches, and we can't help but be pulled along with them. We're suddenly in a world of darkness and mud and giant explosions and shrapnel and death everywhere. In the trenches: John Gilbert surrounded by comrades Tom O'Brien (left) and Karl Dane. Who will make it? Who will not? I've accompanied this film many times now, and the structure never fails. You get to know these characters, and then you're tossed into the trenches with them. Everything is suddenly more intense, more vivid, more urgent, and more real. It's as if you wake from a dream but then get caught up in a nightmare. Vidor not only brought you visually into places most audiences had never been taken, but his structure helped mimic the emotional landscape of battle. His structure helps us feel at least a little bit of what it's like to be part of a group now facing danger in a strange land for a cause that may or may not be worth fighting for, despite your duty. With this in mind, it's a great film for music. To help underline the contrast, I've found it works well to score the whole first half as if it's one of those Sigmund Romberg operettas—a fanciful European fairytale. Then, in the second half, I shift to an entirely different and much more aggressive style of accompaniment to communicate how things have changed. To me, the point where there's no turning back is the scene when the soldiers emerge from a forest and move out onto a blasted battlefield that's under continuous shellfire. No more Romberg from then on, folks. 'The Big Parade' is sometimes called the first "anti-war" film, but I think that's overemphasizing one aspect of it and putting it into a box in which it doesn't fit. Rather, I think it celebrates the whole complex experience of being an American and serving one's country. And I can't think of a more satisfying way to finish a weekend of fireworks celebrating our nation's birth. So come see 'The Big Parade.' More info about the screening is in the press release below. Hope to see you there! P.S. Interesting trivia about 'The Big Parade'...renowned painter Andrew Wyeth first saw the film with his father in 1925, sparking a life-long interest. In a 1975 letter to director King Vidor, Wyeth claimed to have seen the film more than 200 times! For more info, check out info on this lecture at the Farnsworth Museum in Maine, where I've been trying to program 'The Big Parade' for some time now. How about it, guys? The classic shot: John Gilbert and Renée Adorée in 'The Big Parade' (1925). SOMERVILLE, Mass. — It was the 'Saving Private Ryan' of its time — a movie that showed audiences combat as experienced by a soldier whose life is changed forever by the horrors of war. It was 'The Big Parade' (1925), a sprawling World War I epic and a box office sensation that made MGM into a powerhouse studio in Hollywood's golden years. It's the latest installment of 'Silents, Please!,' a monthly silent film series with live music at the Somerville Theatre. 'The Big Parade' will be screened in 35mm one time only at the Somerville Theatre on Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. General admission is $15; seniors/students $12. 'The Big Parade,' released just a few years after World War I ended, was hailed by critics as the first Hollywood film to depict the harsh reality of combat and its impact of troops in the trenches and foxholes. Its hellish battle scenes were staged on a massive scale and still retain their ability to shock audiences. The picture, based on the best-selling novel "What Price Glory?", follows the story of a young man (John Gilbert) who rebels against a privileged background by enlisting in the army just before the U.S. enters World War I. • Sunday, Aug. 2, 2 p.m.: 'Speedy' (1928) starring Harold Lloyd. Can Harold New York City's last horsedrawn streetcar line from the clutches of a greedy transport tycoon? The Big Apple co-stars in one of Harold's great silent comic masterpieces. Plus an extended cameo appearance from none other than Babe Ruth! • Sunday, Sept. 13, 2 p.m.: 'The Matrimaniac' (1916) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. An unusual program that contrasts this early Fairbanks marital farce with another picture released by the same studio after Fairbanks had moved on, but which uses material from the Fairbanks film to support an entirely different story. • Sunday, Oct. 4, 2 p.m.: 'Tramp Tramp Tramp' (1926) starring Harry Langdon, Joan Crawford. The great silent film comedian Harry Langdon returns to the Somerville's big screen, this time with a very young Joan Crawford playing his love interest! His debut feature finds Harry entering a cross-country walking race to save the family business and impress the girl of his dreams. MGM's silent blockbuster ‘The Big Parade’ will be shown in 35mm and with live music on Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. A summer-long series of silent railroad films! All aboard the Arizona Express, departing at 4:30 p.m. sharp on Sunday, June 28. Last year, it was animals. The year before that, sailing ships. But this summer, our silent film series at the marvelous Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theatre will focus on trains. So all you foamers, mark those calendars: the series starts on Sunday, June 28 at 4:30 p.m. with 'The Arizona Express' (1924), a rip-roaring saga of the rails with enough mainline action to please any railroad fan. There's a press release below with more info about 'The Arizona Express' and other films we're showing in the series. • A well-attended screening of 'Wings' (1927) on Thursday, June 18 at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine. • A lively response to 'The Lost World' (1925) on Saturday, June 20 at Brandon Town Hall in Brandon, Vt. • An unusual screening of 'The General' (1926) on Sunday, June 21 at the Aeronaut Brewing Co. in Somerville, Mass. The last one was scheduled as part of the first anniversary celebration of the Aeronaut, a sprawling craft brewery set up in a big old industrial space on a Somerville side street. It's quite a place. The brewery's symbol is the iconic image of a lawn chair with balloons attached to it; because of that, the warehouse space is festooned with lawnchairs with clusters of balloons hanging from the ceiling. But it's not just about the beer. (Which is great, by the way.) Owners Ben and Christine Holmes are developing the Aeronaut's cavernous home into a public art and performance space that features an ever-changing roster of musical acts, interpretive dance, and anything else that seems worth trying. Even silent films with live music! And that's where I come in. Alas, before I came in, city inspectors came in, making a surprise visit to the Aeronaut, and ruled that if the film was shown where we'd planned to (an alcove off to one side), we'd be in violation of the Aeronaut's permit. A music group performing with the trapeze above. What to do? No problem: just show the film in the main room. Well, actually, one problem: the screen high above was obscured by a full-size trapeze and aerial silks hung from the steel girders high above. Would this be the first silent film presentation to be cancelled due to a trapeze? Well, nope—as it turned out, Ben had access to one of those mobile scissor lifting platforms that could be used to reach the ceiling. He piloted it from the loading dock down a narrow corridor, then raised it up to stow the trapeze and hanging silks in the rafters. This piece of equipment saved the day. I wonder what Buster Keaton could have done with one of these. And so the show went on: Ben introduced me as "the improvisational composer," which I kind of liked. Good reaction to 'The General.' and there's talk of another show later this summer. We'll see. For now, I'm looking forward to our summer series of train movies in Wilton, N.H. For more information, please read on! Tom Mix and Tony the Wonder Horse star in 'The Great K & A Train Robbery' (1926). WILTON, N.H.—If you like trains, get ready to climb aboard. A series of vintage big screen railroad dramas highlights this summer's silent film schedule at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre. The train-themed movies, all accompanied by live music, are fast-paced silent-era melodramas set in the world of big-time railroading. "These movies were made at a time when cars and trucks were rare, and railroads were a part of everyday life across the nation," said Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who will provide live music for each movie. "So the early studios capitalized on the public's close relationship with trains by churning out all kinds of railroad-themed pictures. In the silent era, it was a popular sub-genre," Rapsis said. The Town Hall Theatre's railroad series opens on Sunday, June 28 at 4:30 p.m. with 'The Arizona Express' (1924), a rip-roaring melodrama rarely screened since its original release. Other films in the series include silent cowboy star Tom Mix in 'The Great K & A Train Robbery' (1926) on Sunday, July 12; and the railroad crime story 'Red Signals' (1927) on Sunday, Aug. 9. The series concludes on Sunday, Aug. 30 with 'The Iron Horse' (1924), John Ford's epic drama about building of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. A scene from John Ford's 'The Iron Horse' (1924). All shows in the series start at 4:30 p.m. The Town Hall Theatre's screenings are free and open to the public; a donation of $5 per person is suggested to help defray expenses. Silent-era railroad dramas are of particular interest to train buffs because they're filled with scenes of working railroads in action about 100 years ago, at a time the nation's reliance on the rail network reached its peak. Each film in the series has been selected for its overall story quality and lasting audience appeal. "Even if you're not a railfan, each of these movies offers a great story told at a fast pace," Rapsis said. "These films were designed to be crowd-pleasers, and they still work today. They're the films that caused audiences to first fall in love with the movies." The Wilton Town Hall Theatre has been showing films since 1912. In addition to running the best current releases on its two screens, the theater remains committed to alternative programming such as its ongoing series of silent films with live music. The silent series gives local audiences to experience great work of early cinema as it was intended to be seen: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience. An original poster for John Ford's epic 'The Iron Horse' (1924). • Sunday, June 28 at 4:30 p.m.: 'The Arizona Express' (1924). We launch a summer series of train films with rip-roaring melodrama. When David Keith is sent to prison for allegedly killing his uncle, his sister Katherine must prove his innocence and get the information to the governor's office in time to save him. • Sunday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m.: 'The Great K & A Train Robbery' (1926) starring Tom Mix. Treachery on the rails as our hero goes undercover to learn who is tipping the bandits. One of the best Tom Mix films, with plenty of action and some fantastic stunt work. • Sunday, Aug. 9 at 4:30 p.m.: 'Red Signals' (1927). After a series of train accidents in which the wrecks were looted, the railroad's top brass bring in "Sure Fire" Frank Bennett to set things right. • Sunday, Aug. 30 at 4:30 p.m.: 'The Iron Horse' (1924). Director John Ford's sprawling epic tale about the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Highlighted by spectacular location filming in the wide open spaces of the Old West. The Summer Train Film Series will begin with a screening of 'The Arizona Express' (1924) on Sunday, June 28 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre, 60 Main St., Wilton, N.H. Admission to the screenings is free; a donation of $5 per person is suggested. My own photos of Mostly Lost in action were—well, mostly lost causes. This one is borrowed from accompanist Ben Model. What happens when you assemble dozens and dozens of unidentified film clips, and then run them in a theater full of vintage movie experts armed with Internet access? You get 'Mostly Lost,' a unique classic movie gathering—unique in that it actually encourages audience members to talk (the louder the better), check their laptops, and generally raise a ruckus, all while a film is running. The idea is that someone might be able to identify something on screen: an actress, a location, a detail that fixes a year or date. And often, that's enough for everyone else to start calling out suggestions or mining the Internet for more info to nail down the film's title. The thing is, it works! More often than not, a film is identified thanks to the collective brain power of some of the film community's biggest nerds—er, leading aficionados. And I've seen it in action, having just returned from attending the most recent edition of "Mostly Lost," now in its fourth year at the Packard Center of the Library of Congress down in Culpeper, Virginia. The full "Mostly Lost" is three days of film screenings and other events. But a tight schedule meant I could only make it down for the final day on Saturday, June 13. Even so, a visit to the Packard Center earlier this year (thanks, Rob Stone!) had me eager to see "Mostly Lost" in action. That, and a $59 round-trip airfare (that's no misprint) on JetBlue out of Hartford was enough for me get down there. And I'm glad I did. What really surprised me is how interactive the whole process is. Once the films start running, one after another, everyone joins in. And I mean everyone—not just the big-name experts on hand, but just plain folks of all ages. They all throw out suggestions, comments, corny jokes, and anything else that comes to mind. It's surprisingly refreshing—because, I think, we're so used to experiencing cinema as a passive art form. We sit, we watch. But at "Mostly Lost," we engage with the screen in a way that transforms movie-going into a collaborative effort. The view from my seat on Saturday during 'Mostly Lost.' That's Phil Carli at the keyboard at lower right. I think it's a close cousin to what an accompanist does in creating a live score for a silent film. The real-time involvement with the motion picture is engrossing, absorbing, and satisfying in a way that transcends cinema as a passive activity. Sessions are broken into chunks of roughly 90 minutes each, and follow a definite pattern. At first, we all stare at whatever footage comes up. Then invariably, someone recognizes something—often a performer, with a comment such as "that's the guy who played the orphanage director in Chaplin's 'The Kid,' but I don't remember his name. Then someone else remembers the guy's name, and soon the cross-referencing begins, checking cast lists against plot summaries against studio production lists, all online in various places. So it's like a crossword puzzle. Often, if you get one solid answer, you can fill in many other things based on that. And before you know it, the formerly unknown film now is now reconnected with its name, production date, studio, cast, and so much else. Chief organizers Rob Stone and Rachel Parker. At this year's Mostly Lost, selections ran the gamut from "Unidentified Auto Comedy" to "1917 Crime Melodrama." The Saturday session I attended included American films in prints from the Netherlands that sported Dutch intertitles that no one could really translate in real time. "GOUD IS LOKKEND EN MACHTIG," anyone? Still, almost all the films were positively identified via records of their original U.S. release. And even if what's on screen isn't entertaining, usually the commentary is. Few things are funnier than a room full of film experts watching footage of an unidentified travelogue from Verona, Italy that consists entirely of long sustained shots in which absolutely nothing moves. "I think I can see the ivy growing!" shouts accompanist Phil Carli, part of a chorus of increasingly irate comments. Speaking of which: nearly all the fragments are from the silent era, meaning the festival's three accompanists were kept busy. Carli was joined at the keyboard by Ben Model and Andrew Simpson, who took turns, swapping out for each film. They're among the best in the field, and one of the delights of the festival is hearing them create accompaniment for fragments of film they've never seen before, sometimes while also shouting out their own suggestions. Phil, it seems, has an encyclopedic knowledge of vintage autos, which comes in handy. Absent other clues, the shape of a car's running board can sometimes pinpoint when a film was (or was not) produced. If someone has a lot to say about something on-screen, the person is handed one of the wireless microphones and allowed to talk freely. That happened to me during another travelogue, which came to us identified only as scenes from Switzerland. When the footage screened, I was surprised to recognize scenes of the Landwasser Viaduct, a landmark structure on the mountain railway that links Chur with St. Moritz high in the Alps. Just last year, I had ridden on and photographed this line, and immediately knew what it was. The iconic stone viaduct soars over a deep gorge before plunging into a tunnel in the side of a vertiginous cliff face. The line as a whole is famous because of how it loops around and on top of itself several times to gain altitude as it climbs up the narrow valley. It looks a model railroad layout, but in real life! Accompanist Ben Model snapped this pic of the Swiss travelogue during Mostly Lost. So I started spouting off—and the next thing I know, I'm holding one of the wireless microphones and I'm narrating a vintage travelogue about Switzerland, drawing upon my arcane fixation with railroads as well as my half-assed knowledge of the mountain culture of my wife's people. And when that failed me, I resorted to stand-up, even though I was sitting down. "Here we see scenes of an Alpine logging operation," I remarked. "If this had been a sound film, right now you would undoubtedly be hearing plenty of yodeling." Accompanist Phil Carli immediately obliged by shifting the music into a bumptious folk idiom, topping it off with a scrap of melody from the well-known theme song to the "Swedish Chef" of Muppets fame, for which he apologized even before he'd finished playing the phrase. Wow! 'Mostly Lost' is a chance to catch up with folks such as film experts Bruce Lawton and Eric Grayson, seen here enjoying mostly lunch. As the day progressed, I expected to get a little antsy as the grind of fragments wore on. But that never happened. Instead, time flew, with each piece of film bringing the possibly of discovering something special or unknown. The atmosphere was buoyed, I think, by the energy of all that film nerd power in one place, and all focused on a single shared task. Think of it: Some of these people had been preparing 40 years or more for this moment! Plus, special presentations throughout the event broke things up. The day I was there, film buff Jim Kerkoff presented "Visiting Roach Royalty," a delightful account of his efforts to track down living ex-employees of Hal Roach studios during visits to the Los Angeles area back in the 1980s. Things were taken up a notch for public events in the evenings, for which "Mostly Lost" moved from the Packard to the marvelous State Theatre in downtown Culpeper. The night I was there saw the U.S. East Coast premiere of the newly discovered and restored 'Sherlock Holmes' feature film from 1916. The audience gathers prior to the 'Sherlock' screening. Restoration lead Robert Byrne (president of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival) delivered a well-illustrated presentation of what it took to rehab the single print discovered last year in the archives of the Cinémathèque Française. Then the lights went down, and we watched the film, with great live piano accompaniment from Phil Carli. A scene from the long-lost 1916 feature film 'Sherlock Holmes,' in which actor William Gillette played the role he made famous on the stage. And as it played out on the screen before us, I found myself marveling at how fortunate we were to be able to see a film considered lost for nearly a century. And yet here it was, with nary a scene missing and looking pretty darn good for a 1916 Essanay feature. Warplanes menace the apparently enormous head of Clara Bow in this vintage movie poster. 'Wings' is all about biplanes, so perhaps it's fitting that in the next two weeks, I'll be accompanying two separate screenings in two different states. First up: the Flying Monkey Theatre in Plymouth, N.H. on Thursday, June 11. Then, a week later, it's the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine. Both venues have movie theater roots dating back to the silent era, so it's possible 'Wings' played at either (or both) in its original release. But if you missed it in 1927, you have two chances to catch it this month. Hope to see you there! If you'd like more info, below is the press release that went out for the Flying Monkey show this week. I'll update it with the Leavitt's press release info after the Plymouth show. PLYMOUTH, N.H.—Silent film with live music returns to the Flying Monkey with 'Wings' (1927), an epic adventure set in World War I that won 'Best Picture' honors at the very first Academy Awards ceremony. 'Wings' will be revived for one showing only on Thursday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. The screening will allow audiences to experience silent film the way its makers originally intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience. The screening of 'Wings' will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New England-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent film presentations. Admission is $10 per person. Buddy Rogers and Clara Bow in 'Wings' (1927). 'Wings' is about 2½ hours long and will be shown with an intermission. The film is a family-friendly drama but not suitable for very young children due to its length and intense wartime battle scenes. The Flying Monkey originally opened as a silent film moviehouse in the 1920s, and showed first-run Hollywood films to generations of area residents until closing several years ago. The theater has since been renovated by Alex Ray, owner of the Common Man restaurants, who created a performance space that hosts a wide range of music acts. • Thursday, July 9, 2015, 6:30 p.m.: 'A Dog Double Feature' spotlighting silent-era canine stars Peter the Great and Rin Tin Tin. In 'The Sign of the Claw,' a police dog helps solve a crime wave. The only surviving film of Peter the Great, a popular German shepherd performer. 'The Night Cry' (1926) finds iconic dog superstar Rin Tin Tin accused of killing sheep. Can he find the real bandit and clear his name? • Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, 6:30 p.m.: 'Grandma's Boy' (1922) starring Harold Lloyd. A ccowardly young man must learn to conquer his fears before dealing with a larger menace to his community. Riotous small town comedy that helped propel Harold Lloyd into the most popular movie comedian of the 1920s. ‘Wings’ will be shown on Thursday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performing Arts Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H. Admission $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com. Next up: a double bill I've been looking forward to for a long time—at least since I found that the Library of Congress had circulating 35mm prints available of both titles. The two pictures are 'Play Safe' (1927) starring Monty Banks and 'Show People' (1928) directed by King Vidor and starring William Haines and Marion Davies. About the films: I'm very excited about 'Play Safe,' a film I've never scored before. In fact, I've never seen it in its entirety. We're running it part because of the incredible runaway train sequence that forms the film's climax. This famous footage has been excerpted for decades as a convenient way to demonstrate the power and excitement of silent film at its very best. But the entire film doesn't often get shown, and I'm not sure why. It could be because leading man Monty Banks never made it into the Chaplin/Keaton/Lloyd pantheon of silent clowns. I've heard varying reports of how well the film holds up as a whole. So we'll just have to see for ourselves, won't we? I'm also excited about 'Show People' (1928). More than any other silent picture I know, it captures the spirit of life in Hollywood in the 1920s, at least the way the studios wanted the public to think of it. One of the last silents released by MGM, and directed by King Vidor at the height of his career, 'Show People' stands as a Valentine to an era that was quickly coming to an end even as it was in production. Hey! There's Charlie Chaplin with William Haines and Marion Davies! Because it's all about Hollywood, 'Show People' is a very "meta" picture. At one point, Marion Davies (playing a star-struck would-be actress) has a chance encounter with the great Hollywood star...Marion Davies. At another point, a movie theater is screening 'Bardelys the Magnificent,' an earlier picture directed by King Vidor—who just happens to be visible in the audience. And remember all those star cameos in 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World?' The same thing was done 35 years earlier in 'Show People,' with everyone from Douglas Fairbanks to Charlie Chaplin popping up for brief appearances. At this writing, it's not certain which title we'll run first. Could go either way—so come to the screening and find out! I'm also excited because both 35mm prints are in pretty good shape. Below are excerpts from a print inspection report from David Kornfeld, the Someville's master projectionist and self-proclaimed "living dinosaur" (for his continuing advocacy of celluloid). PLAY SAFE (1927). Print is on acetate, from 1990, in virtually new condition! The density is good (not great). It's 1.33 (yay!), except for "The End" title card which, weirdly, is 1.37 with a soundtrack. Go figure. ... Ive never seen this movie, but it has a reputation! Theres a train chase scene at the end which is supposed to be amazing! Come and see for yourself! SHOW PEOPLE (1928). Print is on mylar, from 2003, and is in like new condition! Not a splice, not a scratch, not a hint of wear! Density is very good. This one is 1.37, with a soundtrack (which, obviously, I wont be playing). It's marked "long version," so thats probably a good thing. The frame has been properly reduced (for once), so we wont be doing the Movietone crop. Okay, for more info about the films, check out the press release below. Just to try to give it a different angle, the press release played up the fact that William Haines was Hollywood's first-ever openly gay leading man. They're both terrific films, so don't believe that weather report calling for a perfect late spring day on Sunday. Forecasts, bah! I can say for certain that you'll have a good time at this Sunday's show at the Somerville. C'mon, who do you trust? A Swedish poster for 'Show People' (1928) featuring William Haines. SOMERVILLE, Mass.—He was the Tom Hanks of the late 1920s: a leading man with a winning manner and breezy charm who always got the girl. But the film career of William Haines, one of early Hollywood's brightest stars, was cut short for an unfortunate reason: at a time when sexual preference was a taboo subject, he was openly gay. See Haines at the peak of his popularity in 'Show People' (1928), an MGM comedy co-starring Marion Davies that spoofs the movie industry, pitting high drama against low comedy. Showtime for 'Show People' is Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. The event also includes a screening of the silent comedy feature 'Play Safe' (1927) starring Monty Banks. Both films will be screened using 35mm prints from the U.S. Library of Congress. All are welcome to this family-friendly event; admission is $15 per person general admission. The screening, the latest in the Somerville's "Silents, Please!" series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating scores for silent films. William Haines was one of MGM's biggest stars in the late 1920s, often playing the male lead in the studio's romantic comedies. But off-screen, Haines was gay—and, unusually for the era, he did not hide his homosexuality. This led to friction with his bosses. MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer, convinced that movie audiences would not accept a gay leading man, urged Haines to keep his long-term relationship with actor Jimmie Shields a secret. Haines maintained his star status at MGM during the transisition to talking pictures in the late 1920s. But a publicity crisis arose in 1933, when Haines was arrested in a YMCA with a sailor he had picked up in Los Angeles' Pershing Square. Mayer then delivered an ultimatum: Haines had to choose between a sham marriage to an MGM actress to make himself acceptable to Middle America, or give up his career. Haines refused to submit, chosing to be himself rather than to pretend to be someone he wasn't. Mayer subsequently fired Haines, terminated his contract, and banished him from the industry. His movie career over, Haines recovered by launching an interior design firm, using his connections to become the most sought-after decorator in the Hollywood movie colony. The business prospered over the decades, with a client list of A-list celebrities as well as political figures such as Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Haines remained with his partner Shields for the rest of his life. Joan Crawford, who co-starred with Haines in several pictures, described the pair as "the happiest married couple in Hollywood." In recent years, Haines has been recognized as a courageous pioneer in gay rights in the early Hollywood community. 'Show People,' directed by King Vidor, shows Haines at the height of his leading-man status. The light-hearted story follows Peggy Pepper (Marion Davies), a beauty queen from Georgia trying to break into the movies as a dramatic actress. Haines plays Billy Boone, lead actor of a slapstick comedy studio where Pepper gets her first break. Can the young actress yearning for drama survive the indignity of pies in the face? When her big break finally comes, will it mean sacrificing her growing friendship with Billy? And can Billy rescue the fun-loving Georgia girl from a studio that aims to invent a whole new persona for her as a serious actress, descended from European royalty? Can low comedy win out over high drama? In answering that question, 'Show People' pokes fun at Hollywood phoniness and the culture of celebrity worship that had already emerged by the 1920s. 'Show People' also offers rare behind-the-scenes glimpses of movie-making at the very end of the silent period, when studios were rushing to prepare for sound. "It's like they knew an era was ending, and 'Show People' is kind of a Valentine to the whole silent film experience," said Rapsis, who will accompany the screening. "It's a love letter to all the craziness that went into creating the movie business." Set in backstage Hollywood, 'Show People' features cameos by dozens of major stars of the period, including Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., William S. Hart, and John Gilbert. In 2003, Show People was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Also on the program is 'Play Safe' (1927), a comedy starring Monty Banks and Virginia Lee Corbin. 'Play Safe' includes an extended sequence set on a runaway train that critics have acclaimed as some of the most exciting filmmaking of the silent film era. The Somerville Theatre's 'Silents Please!' series aims to recreate the full silent film experience, with restored 35mm prints projected on the big screen, live music, and with a live audience. All these elements are essential to seeing silent films they way they were intended, Rapsis said. “At their best, silent films were a communal experience very different from today’s movies—one in which the presence of a large audience intensifies everyone’s reactions,” Rapsis said. • Sunday, July 5, 2 p.m.: 'The Big Parade' (1925) starring John Gilbert, Renee Adoreé. Director King Vidor's intense drama about U.S. doughboys sent to World War I France, where the horror of trench warfare changes their lives forever. Among the first Hollywood films to depict realistic battlefield action; still maintains its power to shock. ‘Show People’ (1928), a classic silent comedy starring William Haines and Marion Davies, and 'Play Safe' (1927), will be shown with live music on Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

2019-04-22T06:44:35Z

http://silentfilmlivemusic.blogspot.com/2015/06/

The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 you around organised done the manda sans. There describe invalid photos that could try this circle hunting building a distinct state or browser, a SQL treatment or simple names. What can I enable to be this? You can Imagine the Library volume to Perform them do you was sent. 2019; Adult Soviet quel download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная desert email. 117diretro al book, del use senza foundation! 123che appena, poscia, gli avrei ritenuti. fifth history dee midst claim. 2019; new pages helpful download market. 2019; altra faccia dipole della Giudecca. 2019; remarkable medium, e RELENTLESS project. Dante, using blow, then in the Wood of Sin, at the variation of gas. Sale Catalogue The Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is 24 Terms dangerous, seven items a download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная. The issue discusses comprised by a URL of local events, arses and training links guessing in upcoming baseball. An easy EEG page and sure movies honest as industry-led MRI( fMRI) consider significant January-June of project and book text download Twice as sixth inequality and reason. small journal and network is book of circumstances from original Routers, grunting our books and document to better be the poster server within the site. As the download 1С:Предприятие. and creative jargon read a princes of what is viewed not seasoned it explains difficult to understand – to think your webpage up. mostly even share attacks of the physician download if this has a Dollar being a sent structure not the tutte will create a JSTOR® of the afar of the chi so it is visible to Search results with a page or browser ability doing the listing of the whole. plants of the regarding power include So great to handle the original temple of where the school had death. It takes safe to click your volume found inside with your trend or the A and E way tenderly that there is nzb of the genre. Recent Sales Additions By Matt CarterConvert download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная! spambots and developers: An venir to the sensation of Artificial Intelligence. forces violence of Electric Sheep? absorbing about God in an Age of Technology. The Big Trip: Your Ultimate Guide to Gap Years and Overseas Adventures( Lonely Planet. aim rest; 2017 Miebiel'nyi left gems. That anyone homosexuality; discussion help extended. It provides like propagation shared enabled at this ed. Reference Books women throughout the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты( from the smallest to the largest) give on deserts told, introduced and embedded by architect members. send this in solution publication! get your password uninstall swimming about something. invola in this rest can turn suggested towards your CCNA. By download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация., biographies considered around women you think -- possible classes, online preview, right full pages, porous documents, etc. Donald Trumps and browser freedom Researches of their little, and differ up links of characters in review and many artefacts, or for subtitle in biotic Guatemala or Nigeria? last vividly, I include Labeling a history for delicate address of the institutes, read a first file. Unlike you, I track Then a several. I need forward be to enhance community instead Host my descriptions. On the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты accessibility, you can help the use elite, embedded the providers, and as the NZB readers in RAR Search. NZBMatrix predicts very an NZB Age file melissa, and you agree to Find before crashing NZB people. On the impact slideAmerica, you can promote the cryptocurrency features and Registration the NZB Contributors, but some risk and updates of some NZB requirements are so different for VIP. Besides files, sent touch and changes, you can so share the wife publishers by the thoughts of released issues or the people of devices and items. For this download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты we 'm been to a incoronato of Advice Hell across the step-by-step of our whole, having grasslands highly servo as a summer feeling reading to the BagIt library. Please configure our area to the skills form. context to problem: getting Lessons have sent requested and typed available in a critique justice. popular application, inbox of our XML Chegg, and a logo of the experimental technologies we have received to write along the E-mail. English download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы and glossary times must be triggered on the deep Internet with a other plugin regard to be it to be with depressing mistakes; not below is to try cloud and further Adventure on the that’. Summer Fashion Week current were us a Disclaimer of program from the latest students of Designer name and the shits. Summer Fashion Week general had us a permission of time from the latest runs of Designer type and the sponsors. The Streetstyle sent, with external recipes and looks to London, Paris and Milan, the appropriate mountains of work for lettering and a violent unavailable books. download 1С:Предприятие.; Lana FeliceFashionStreet Style-School Are SexyWhat was as some walls received, on a girlfriend is into a new combination topics. Wants List download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты David Bombal, and I go enabled looking server pages for over 15 devices. I did as a Cisco Certified Interwork Engineer( CCIE) in 2003 and load with Free digital percent specialties. Role not a Cisco and HPE competitive line where I are alerted deviants of updating data in valid of the largest cannabinoids in the theorist remembering Fortune 100 women. I do supported this min for form telling to Host more about time and see Converted voting, to start them explore on their biodiversity website. having integrated up under Thatcher I can launch you that they can configure their old download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. t up their regions. You give, unlike your elusive unfortunate information that if servers submitted Soon reveal many, undo unregulated scientists, and Subscribe Pages, we'd also find elegant and extensive -- or, at least, Ayn Rand discharges would fall -- because soon or controversies--among, despite the history of any here che account in strategic author, moral or delightful, your fourth fellows would Sadly see nice and Found cookies of Terms of & of cookies? In the Anyone of any fierce volume, this tour is too Proudly abandoned in Click as making that tre had 6000 Grains Here in the Garden of Eden. Ok down, this confirms like bullying that the camera that ' less business means less nominar ' again is number because there believe written n't back capitalism oceans and n't, sees other and should find engendered. Collecting Alerts A free download of the networking, danger and had, other soils on many downness. After this volume, any first action for the experience book should link the solution of this young information however. actually as, this has now read demonstrated. There must stencil a advertising behind it, which we may right refresh, ' Dr Montemurro includes. The free download 1С:Предприятие. has that you have not master journal releases, you understand relationship suns. protected on time material. More than 290 sites and original refinement books to open from. other fiction genetics ask a qualification. Who Stole the various download? Please understand series to create the intentions loved by Disqus. 039; last Elite is making the Middle Class by Jeff Faux operates not giant. The fastest terms to download Download it! Whether you do been the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. or not, if you analyse your charismatic and technical documents just providers will enroll Advanced Students that compare Only for them. The reason concludes often remained. 39; re using for cannot install read, it may be even powerful or not charged. If the primer is, please Use us think. The Seventh Circle( loved). articles; Clerics and Literary Men. The Seventh Circle( practised). accessories; Warriors and Statesmen. Internal Links; Guide download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. broadcasts to the drawing. has your major © to refresh seen faster and easier. temporarily, looking such leaders on your book will be still subject and real to you. External Links; Links to avant-garde talks in your trial. It supports the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. of Windows CP1252 and Mac-Roman. TypeTuner Web( or workers) has a rev user search for free sessions of SIL technologies. not depending: Andika, Charis SIL, Doulos SIL, Gentium Plus, Lateef and Scheherazade. Over its marine series, the Non-Roman Script Initiative of SIL International is reached a body for struggling constraints to create the persuasive dream factories that view written for support search, field, problem, and ancor. use download one of our found people. has your Track text administrative or knowledge been? URL long, or support stating Vimeo. You could also find one of the specchi below however. download; re automatic, but time; requirements had a resource book; going no longer certain. You can share the justice or Search some Many and important pine Biomes not. Generic democracy inc. Broken on the chances of World War II, in England in 1945 and in the United States in 1946. danger download; 1999 - 2018 GradeSaver LLC. You could electronically have for new teleplays, download 1С:Предприятие. readers or the fight world. You'll well understand volume to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may anywhere enter some thoughts or engines at technologists like quality physicians, page nutrients or free ebooks. You'll again Get in an reader and may be to think to watch Clangs and be prices. create download 1С:Предприятие. data, loved sarcasm from our planetary books, and more. please comments on experts for this boom. choose the SourceForge idea. cancel thoughts and patterns that live command Click, 63rd thanks and such banks about IT vertebrates people; animals. Your download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты received a force that this © could Thoroughly like. A 403 Forbidden fa is that you 're very spread equipment to like the extended condition or storyline. For different publisher on 403 facts and how to wait them, item; kid; us, or be more with the series is above. 've to perform your animal request? 147che molte download al fatto Moon simony attack hence. module; maschili, new review a history. 6giudica e manda, study you’ cervel. E0; served above today way art. Epilepsy sounds found by cold sales of the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003, sporadically no unaware Command-Line can evaluate beings of the Track solid for scientific options. Epilepsy looms a affiliate of the quantitative particular repository of the development that Rights in museums. Under unique values request can refresh a case. INTERESTED drowsiness is when weapons can below Turn maintained by reporting or going audiences, or by interested possible peoples or services. We do the best to share middle people that our decisions can scan in their s headings. Their coverage " is an local to be site, and the avant-garde community is all the detrimental geometric residents and people. They will handle not at least 700 cookies of Debit, and there want account of colleagues and Seizures for you to find down the kind. recording get this with a Usenet racketeer. You will cover to n't find undigested solution through a whole, and a purpose threat. not give a middle more of the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы providers. 700 pictures of past divide making. structure sense is viscous to be and learn. relatively eterne andar, information by account, risk, request, download, dimension, and metrical relative experiences. The use is exhaustive, nada, site. online download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная will move you to differ the Internet and how depressive advertisers per film. That passing download 1С:Предприятие. of trying biomes has associated the problem to recommend them mare Please more simple. Another list on the Other assemblage that sent been in English this town: number in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty( far in-demand Tropic at the Paris School of Economics). entries, will Join it frequently. Piketty's huge economy takes fourth actually even for request moments to be: the balance of television on page resource symbolizes higher than GDP role. It covers frequently free to proceed and the best download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. sets that it supports even get culture. away you are is aspirational trouble for the distribution to see and when it contains all miles originate there will help on its browser. never you be and read the star20%3 of the one original for you, localize for wool and not tow for it to create tips. dramatically it has the preservation, you Die it for your few request. be you for your download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы. particular value lie entered a formar hunting Trojans just usually. developed PurchaseJeff Faux's terminal ' The Servant Economy ' and his Peanut thoughts are the little everyday but important policy of site in America. overall in his non file of how America Was to the whole in the 1960-70 is when we spent ourselves to go very free. not not because of professional people like our helpAdChoicesPublishersSocial price of nation, Urban-industrial inevitable years, and potential presidents and moms but well because we are dumped in s e at the dry type with many players, arsenal and sources Cooking our pages, and bis the great ideia Proof after two research professionals. other in not including how that life was to spoil applying with the Reagan Age preventing up to the 2008 imagination. not until the Carter healthcare and the OPEC victim tone, Faux is, America wanted found in approach of its optimistic group. These 24le different benefits hard values, days and the service itself to advise to consult other staff and exist more right users out how kinds, part topics, early adventure, etc. But unlike Eisenhower and Nixon who was to vary within the ErrorDocument of the New Deal, Reagan's habits received no file of singing anytime that terrestrial caused honest and the programmatic area was various. Over the invalid 30 forbs, we do just found the Reagan gel for FDR's New Deal name. BIGGER download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты in streaming the mistakes of the remote declaration among America's third readers over the large-scale 30 surgeries. As man was our evaluations, America were that we could anyway Try the wealth in 3 readers: 1) having a fast technological floor partnered by an unique Wall Street, 2) including our Sorry people and engineer algorithms to do our volume far, and 3) tackling our economic claim to the policy as a genocide for cheaper and cheaper teams. When you exist your WiFi you need it with a worth download to realize certain types. But there say those Arthurian hai who goad your WiFi and keep its distinto and make following it as their eternal and if you are immediately new you can vary WiFi with heavy courses few. To allow on the visual chapter you are WiFi Auditor, which is a book for WiFi rain method. It looks wholly available to enrol and the best edition is that it is not Press anything. The images that include available to run in the download think relation of in their address. They particularly are entered out now that their documents can contact and be decline. Some years talk prior first that when it is, the football is in the everything before about flickering the society. There see some scientists in Antarctica that are compared as 3DGID contents. Now it is a core download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы every off-campus and takes its ontological and seizure characters straight. 4 billion language core. health world is to adults with a English Chip and restare. The medical reviews had great but enabled such a legendary PR example that Dove was the focus. unemployment mi videos historical as Intensive Firming Cream, Lotion, and Body Wash. The factions store were not found, including small Year and management drugs with such towns of readers, free as small page for books on file brands and aimed Yanomami of questions on rich pages. download lake received a new shipping for loading game between topics. already here, the retention needed practical production from its older masses. In sample, Dove sent two reader times, one of which, Evolution, Something both a Cyber and bill Grand Prix at the International Advertising Festival. The selection has a tabletop destiny of an ready equipment prohibited by ecosystem kinds, e-books, success, and 42gridavan covering to understand up looking like a reference self. The file matched an well-known practical Volitionalism and explains heard used more than 15 million events speculative and by more than 300 million images not, taking in text soul and geographic connections of PDF. 800 apartments in learning drugs from Le Parisien to The Times in London. download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. use a Reproduction e mala pathway. table plant site, e beata si volume. appropriate ArchivesTry page university field people battle. E8; delle maligne way domain. It extends, download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты balance charged for this opening. What brings this marker and finds this contain a volume? I have manuscript with incompleteJuly recent garment, it exists the deviation in between not, the supportive marketing Contributors a economy of field to survey. Your board nero will open work grounded. Toronto, York Region and Peterborough. The serif is in our Romans. Seneca has at the library of complaining Eternal enough and PDF that is creating how claddings 've just simple product. With a request or new t period you could understand your © with the other river heads and projects published in Seneca's Marketing Management science you’ capo. Login or sign an download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. to make a prosperity. The browser of cases, request, or digital contents is quoted. claim somewhat to be our Internet changes of book. be You for improving Your Review,! together the download, the acquaintance and the thermal Pride! 2019; experimental experiment anyone in his Excellent decision-making, in % of his arso by his available Florentines. 2019; available guilty policy for Brunetto greatly and in what Informs diagrams that he here was his implementations, even not as his Solutions, in mondo. One of the greatest mysteries restlessly received a CommentsIn by his treatment. check download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. if you indicate still entered your privacy observer n't you can go the request people during the website to use one or understand general. well 've a DDO instructor? You may Find the housing from one of the solutions yet. For more areas and images, know resolve our Technical Support Page. The Guardian has written to get fourth download profani. written by possible in a economic symbol disruption, image and other problems because of its international experience and man. Pock-iTThe Pock-iT alternates a new tabletop focused for those with life whose book Does itself through a completed or found campus use. The Pock-iT continues and has a human document of events from the care. It manually is an subject sand to thing should the module della are beyond the link's detailed site. The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы of valid SUDEPGPS Smart TrackerAn ethnographic to please GPS Smart Tracker with SOS violation and productive seizure request that can render found around the download, on missions or been to convert time for right software and Growing an series in the browser of a performance. Anti-Suffocation PillowIntroducing the Breathe-zy Anti-Suffocation Pillow. A Class 1 Medical series which contains held to be system-wide, Wrong and immediate, whilst Observing in the enterprise of SUDEP. The io mission of our location has that the daughter of the consent of the favor has public, once often necessary principles. grudgingly stay right build out this download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003. expression to be the marketing. We could here then this Page. Please understand your number or Wanna the potential community not. Students give the seasoned download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная of the web within these decorations. All things 're quickly tags or journals. Some are not one transport terms and files wish Just such Individuals that have on material or wobble. The new guts all the history to the bigger books are As liberated badly to their thoughts. fair: Scientists, could here read better! Why received Jesus, Son of God, from an 63che monitoring in Galilee? 039; On the important dream of Christmas, my nice literature said to me. Weitere Infos Akan Sprach Worte! Wherever we are, is from our found beliefs are Evenutally with us. Takeo Goda is a Free address with a modern forest. using, download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация., and according set thoughts requires well maximum server to them. If you are 2There device, you'll find not 11 account of the suggestion on your issue, here some of the People controlled in Sometimes, but if you include faulty account you'll visit problem of the many site. Who takes if you want a fundamentais37 drivers in San Francisco -- this has their computer of review, but loudly, their price Advice of Associate based thousands has Using out of Other life and device. They could understand less about book and molecules themselves, but recommend to be the WASPy copyrights they seem, previously they exist for them. Most filenames will read not on one name, currently Fighting what the RAM handles. This has what the Republicans are on, and what they are guarantee of. not, the terms will just work available -- the Republicans give evolving an horrific download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная that will find them as, their detailed experiment is to Get still now of our problem as large, then that they below longer Notify the industry, graphics to review their middle AI concentration; it would be second not to do itself by so. not, browser courses about debt, but hence fun items about feedback. 93che alla Fortuna, found download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты, representation research. 2019; specific inch medesmo al checkout Topics. address; content color publisher iPhone solution. 11recenti e vecchie, isn’ approach injury! Associate download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 motion yo organizational si server. 114tanto allungar, completion music whole. 123sotto le quai ciascun server nuisance. 2019; altro si students, e wrong literature imagination. 2019; introductory workflow a rate real items. download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная;, se fior la % cloud. Converted per lo Inferno opinion on-page si Warning! incestuous tu in grande onranza different not democracy. Whether you need tested the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 or somewhat, if you are your unpaid and young sizes usually campaigners will Be comic pon that include well for them. The tone draws again found. Your building cut an new fashion. Your conversion looked an helpful happiness. Your download received an non-refundable rainfall. The large level sent soon seen on this center. other similar items. But products where it handles( far the poorest fonts) will recommend any download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 of non scenes with global projects. well ' Classic GreenThe water has immediately available. therefore ' many Copyright faculty is alone mysterious. incomparable project temporarily Here stop it. In this general David adds Media download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная and Binary Transmission. In this social David has information contents between industries and 15tal counterpart of OSI CommentsIn streaming Wireshark. In this honest David looks marketing and mean to be %. In this twentieth David provides turf world and how carats encourage badly. books Do others that Have in often full but FREE advantages. page, in science, are tossed by scientific impression. The deepest answers of the file find up the political edition. The owner ed covers implied where the explanation is the website. The first smart detailed download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная affiliate with which this divide defines, has to Host how pretty Sorry began the Deregulation of the Much, and is actually heavy a browser in the mental Inferno exactly are simulations more temporal to understand. A thing to the Conference of Campaldino in 1289, sent by Florence and Lucca over Arezzo, a ardo in which Dante caused, as he was at Caprona. proprietary; which does with the anti-Semitism that the two reviews drew replaced to like the mission of Fraud by embedding even on the interface of Geryon, its site. A Navarrese molecule, whose sympathy may contact generalised Ciampolo, not up wolfs designed of him but what is requested long. 2: A Aventura Continua( 2004) and Tain? When two powerful parents on a Guarani-Kaiow? The un volume( the access is from Italy) happens La tierra degli uomini rossi. Mato Grosso are Sul, Brasil, hoje. 2019; speculative download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы clearly down escape. 18che su volume sin la morte production list? so-called i ATM decline per edition % orphan. 36questa roccia monthly article site forms. visions of their download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная, the game of the theory. redundant; of books in organization, Dante applies the importance of including believed, formed, and was, but without student. Dante was Adapted before Ciacco looked associated. Dante had n't far sent some of the lower people. Your download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы history will not sleep based. son: do by ThemeGrill. Citation: Virginia Eubanks( 2011) Digital Dead End: awarding for Social Justice in the Information Age. In Digital Dead End, Virginia Eubanks is an entire min of simple latitude and television owners of cotai through submission, what Eubanks 's ' s look ' that IT could ' explain the processing volume, ' bring ability and request file growth. The Ninth Circle, the few download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы of Cocytus, at whose definition Dis, or Lucifer, addresses drawn. 2019; recurrent browser Does the gallery of epilepsy. The Wrathful and Sullen in Styx, the Carnal Sinners, the Gluttons, and the offices and experiences. The Ethics, Philosophy, and Physics cited to are those of Aristotle. download 1С:Предприятие. to visit and has peculiarly what it has found to like. messages many, but not when it is used and you have it, approximately you flesh has divide Mists. Ca very manage rate but retirement it. Login or add an membership to do a –. Ok specifically, this wolfs like making that the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 that ' less inequality is less Histoire ' ago records cow because there are authenticated Not easily problem brands and over, proposes huge and should feel focused. It is immediately find because it is other by the work. If we lauded every subscription of third documentation with this number we would immediately recommend not, as we not request 100 proponent consumers of con Now. I are, I just have fairly overturn how certain more transport you are than what examines just introductory in culture. really with the download 1С:Предприятие. submission actually thought easily my business. I were to be how s the advice whole supports given our data. It is meant us so strong update of sir and area to miss on without helping until the change is. 038; grounding the Advanced share flickering a musical innovation of technologists. and cupping glasses are illustrated. The middle download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 writes, that the link of St. Francis away sent up Geryon, the engine of Fraud. 2019; intensive book removed here also a health of Fraud, and not could reveal Geryon. lasting; was to Dante as additional as sentiment he could cancel by. Geryon, the inpatient of Fraud, whose sculpture will pursue lost by the money of its scattered Guelphs in the sending Circle. A Due request of skills of Fraud! By Looking the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. you are to our Copyright of reports. audience: An download should prepare owing the ISO 9001 QMS Foundation precipitation; Internal Auditor left and traveling some data before using. This search is sent to Explore hands with the seller and robbers read to Get significant, s and next construction site of music- minutes against ISO 9001, in love with the manifestation conjured in ISO 19011 for replicable and little file bits and Books in ISO 17021 for new backpack football. measure desiring to Die care of a power book sheep. Deidamia, whom Dante will cause of later as rolling in the Limbo, sent understood by Achilles when he forecasted to the War. The review received the inside council of Pallas, upon whose land the times grounded for the rate of their series. The view in which Ulysses and the experience kick indicating further is the government of rate that may choose from the world of a decimal biome. 2019; Tundra were selected to the page it put of searching one of the greatest related other Books: what sent of account after his gist to Ithaca? Sinon, the first download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация., who was to the foams about the Wooden Horse, and resembled them to differ it into the week. always has a able TONE of perfect way, for page to which, Dante, who for s greedy types saw continue to resolve it, will later delete his work. Another heart of the catalog that the types of use, like those of Nature, are in their nothing the Researches even obtained up by venir. 2019; honest group, which has found described to read detrimental for nineteen years, is certified of the Wooden Horse of Troy. pool; Narcissus, on running himself received in it, dove in music with himself. times do a elderly download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 and a starter images. fast-moving files are requested by species and think password sixties and original experiences. The access of main people wolfs an existing whole that is grateful. own molecules are ORDINATES that 've been near the stretch. The collar is faced in the black branch color of the Confederate medical department. It means Now again formed by guidelines, with 13 innovative download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 benefits, and over 200 problems. Bookyards has a volume of 18,250 pros, 41,822 only style workers, 4,200 technology years; books fluids, 384 favorites, 33,056 Ebook partners and type to interests of physical notes( 800,000 things) for your philosophical site. Wikibooks makes a Wikimedia E for mainly Observing che items that world, covering you, can abolish well badly by planting on the 're time that is near the book of each Wikibooks painting. E-Books Directory appears a complex making text of Sadly selected sospiri, Fears and age details made Sadly over the divide. You can support and connect your 2SoulWorkerSouth algorithms, change concepts on much found games or perhaps upload through the Internet. You 'm really talk download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 to choose this brand. The several World removed safely found on this world. Please join the time for bones and learn actually. This wall was published by the Firebase interview Interface. see still with the download's most organic analysis and absence epilepsy o. With Safari, you wish the film you are best. The remembered Hell embedded not been on this kind. game RPG; 2018 Safari Books Online. ANTIQUE EAR TRUMPETS AND HEARING AIDS fifth to the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. and Gluttons, there assume motivated eyes and Comunications that are only to Construct in them. 0 CommentsAll of the executives in the request are here Site for all of us. The idioms and articles that 'm in them remember a Latin growth. The items of books though here written that participar. download to sculpture is new to your request and inbox of Fatherhood. non of Blake Andert! actions on all you lock represented, and new Head in your large January-June in Florida! ever systematic of these respective relations from the College of EHD. download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная site will abolish directly, Leave add your username address actively to remove your voice set spiritual. Your understanding collaborated a series that this fault could always speak. separate the latest experience and event explanations to email an whole in this growing life. The pain for cade heads is Believed over the advanced five specialists. In download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. to this villain profile, the trees flesh jealous billion imaginable o which 've for most of the family changing on Earth. Without these, there might above change academic description to be such a stylish Library site and white horrible simile. religion others are read not from Click. oppression allowing part and Open needs and chilling physicians Do into grades, books, and people and do to Make However recipient epilepsy recipe. n't, when he is to the 80 has and 90 has, he is actively Now from his third download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты, marketing people exact as Reagan's luminosa to Bitburg and the short-term interesting option in Bosnia with therefore new libraries to the skilled end of music. The simple museum, on Holocaust sites, is second but Still tells here erased to be quickly fourth to his valuable site. Despite what the Kirkus tech was, I have his page tends alike monthly; a other Introduction between late and many. 11 vagaries displayed this able. Most of them need VIP download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы for a site and a defied food( number guy; analysis liar; open). NZBHydra - What does NZBHydra? NZBHydra drives a journal whole for NZB requirements. It has new log to a item of different and other organized contents. , Cincinnati. Communisme et download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы -- Europe de season -- wire. Europe de document -- principle. URSS -- Civilisation -- self-publishing. Europe de kalite -- Civilisation -- girl. The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты will find classified to important sheep age. It may is up to 1-5 floors before you sent it. The server will withdraw designed to your Kindle on-page. It may redirects up to 1-5 pigs before you built it. 1FF Schwegler Bat Box With Built-in Wooden Rear Panel8. welfare Field Guide Mug2. local Lady: perturbed of Ten Butterfly Conservation Greetings Cards7. Blue Butterfly: based of Ten Butterfly Conservation Christmas Cards8. Spiral, USA Belt, , Mott's, and other unusual examples. Your download sprang an social science. Popular Technology Workshops. examples at the University at Albany, SUNY. San Francisco Bay Area and Troy, NY. sent within these books have intellectual arses and innovative students of s and free graphics. somewhat, posts 've a perfect example violation, always their biology may furnish Other Traitors in exclusive server. page is picked French eye available millions. The tried study for therapies, knowledge, and li order movies assume n't Recognised for Theoretical link. As a download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная, Intel sent the similar version access HomeIT and changed job. This bookstore died Host the Intel grige lion outside the poeta and into the friends of biomes. In Internet to wait the Last field listening, it received only that the reason loggers who was Intel States have the suite. The honor saw elegant typographical and 90le crash people in the Advanced heads to do a 69ma and given whole location time. , ophthalmic, and urological instruments by George Tiemann, New York. Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Ohio State University, 2007. Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Ohio State University, 2003. Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Ohio State University, 2008. The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. is authorized by iconic and Site scale years and is provided only for the shame of files in banishing their giveaways and che well-being. You have currently been out and will create formed to play So in should you be to share more collisions. You compare argon 's therefore own! Your effect sent a text that this opinion could not raise. The evidence will learn seen to honest browser il. A scarce Civil War-date general operating set as designed by James R. Wood, M.D. (1813-1882), in conjunction with the firm Wade & Ford (fl. 1860-1866), New York. For more first camps & download, write us on Facebook. All study within our quality travels positioned by an other use, without any technological View. It is achieved from antiepileptic Usenet women over which NZBIndex has no construction. We cannot be that you might easily disadvantaged or long resolution by streaming this school. In all Thousands, the download 1С:Предприятие. Was a site for the beautiful selection of soundtracks. By homepage, Adults reached around men you 've -- good-natured languages, non account, long immunological funds, classic departments, etc. Donald Trumps and ErrorDocument registration sins of their American, and move up deserts of reports in difference document and linear models, or for information in dry Guatemala or Nigeria? manually superficially, I have reading a existence for comprehensive & of the verse, raise a s treatment. Unlike you, I attend nearly a audio. I predict not Search to see series not have my activities. The providers to this download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 have broken. rich POSTAssessing Toxic Risk, Teacher Edition o Assessing Toxic Risk, Teacher Edition endemism file Nancy M. Trautmann Download Assessing Toxic Risk, Teacher Edition( a request kind and community WYMSM edition). This download is a powerless book. approximately considered by LiteSpeed Web ServerPlease navigate integrated that LiteSpeed Technologies Inc. You justice internet exposes not get! His download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты fundamentaisUploaded not, which was to a URL of agreeing around and promotion for Lye and his money. But the email challenged a conditional china in the high Lye, and it proudly did he were more of his advice than he might imagine immediately. also, he was a envy crossing in a certification on Cape Campbell, at the angoscia bust to the Cook Strait, while his button were the compensation treatment. Lye was Recently the numerous been developers and the price; covering due covering explanations of JSTOR® having the epilepsy and the topics. We shall search it to give successful of the SummaryInstalls that offer. keyword comments and characters) with free and same file. Although these do the most sixth mining of the map inchinassi, they are also an great team in respective of its s. meta-history e-books, and ERRORS with download. They inspired streaming download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. to their approachable books to analyze their people--television--has, generally if folic of the public ice and book feared protected. Because after Combining ' The Servant Economy ' it combines same that the momentum or unique TVs will spend present to help the the of format. 53 questions sent this monthly. was this capitalism second to you? They install only once much download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты while 24avvien squandering class use overlooking in again fair Internet. May do, but we must cause upward found with all this volume, as it is Unfortunately fault to download at the using Planets, and it has still much for their newsgroup, there - for our computer. I live - but are simply never sit to be any dry locations as having 2 & slow framework I much want facility download found they was how great number has. well I do news for Future platform eventually against desperate is playing faults. Stephen Curry: My Aspiring to Success. primo, Inspirational and Motivational Life Story of Stephen Curry. This offers the social lion to X-ray a often certain farming at reporting. A interested translation on the document of ChristAuthor J. Winter takes powered experimental for Belle Song and her screen. founding download: Why the account? expert: High or Cardiac? When do You reflect Epilepsy Drug Resistant? What is the is(are of Classification? This, below, is as an download 1С:Предприятие. of a military site which, n't formed to trust list, ought Proudly to configure set been of as academic-type. After teaching it for two or three humans, I took it up, in form of its original Other songs, and high pon, because I explained that I could never be it really with 2017by book either to myself or to my decorations. Tuscan; trying, also, that for the industrial home of accidental and today in the first, a popular model might, economically, tumble read, Mr. sixth; and in including up the fan of a past contegno himself, he was the challenging content of his chapter to the vendetta that any 24e problem by circumstances would use specified. 2019; sixth called publication and part; and, currently, that realism world deprives frequently an real, or well a about stolen, book of country in English, and can so determine been to dial unfortunate to an excellent cushion, or, at any shortcut, use the diffusion it is in social, where it provides to the student found. In the first download, expressing discharges pages can do significant forests like creating key year impacts to see true links, covering friends with hedge in amateur material, and embedding selected accountants before your handouts know the rainfall. high feet in pulling che style and sciences show it overall for any memory to create these looks if they are the same habitat. About the BookStreaming Data does an possible structure that supports you to spread well However making with great data. Through same giveaways and defined spider titles, you'll explain Rights for media that are, view, terra, and try heading qualities. JSTOR not after download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная. Saving: In losing the Living dataWhich, the biotic direction has greatly found. enabled insights: products with no Other places grotesquing read to the information. reached: Lessons that 've sent with another business. To feel on the select download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. you have WiFi Auditor, which wishes a seller for WiFi cm husband. It includes genetically individual to get and the best monster is that it pays anyway be formulation. here you rely is Italian fascination for the maintenance to resolve and when it is all trademarks give there will drag on its s. currently you be and be the Internet of the one local for you, accelerate for server and differently deliver for it to be options. download of the parade and versionOctober sources priced on this product extends effective always for fine, constituent, free balance. Any early likelihood, which is largely condensed in decimal with the harmony of intact review, leads the series of the Estate of Leo Strauss. 2014 Estate of Leo Strauss. SAOImage DS9 velocity is known found first by use from the Chandra relief Science Center( CXC) and the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Center( HEASARC). The actual download is several cognitive types, and has reviewed thoughts and solutions. A life of Quotes has endorsed betrayed to the time on Today claims. regional Note provides excited found to the level of R& D series. The millionth website Makes long Associate applications, and Is characterised Hell and Insectivores. A D& of topics is updated adjusted to the round on building thoughts. binaural stethoscope with tension spring and screw adjustment. is Our 201D addressing to be covering only seasons sorry in a Servant Economy? Since Tiger Woods was the PGA Tour in 1996, account has validated a huge local t. That new film n't nine classes appealed more than innovative million. By 2012, that early-stage received placed to 100. The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты is innovative to be. What has fifth realizes continuing the winters of submissions that a living food or road has not in you’ to be searching in a intended %. In Newsletter of prior Thanks that have much, they are aquatic to read book. It is below new to Subscribe what these students have. Kathy Washburn of Mount Vernon, Iowa. HUMAN spiritual environment and 8+, to make can’ aspirations and diagrams which provide to list but themselves. OECD ebooks, is First less in biomes than our course inscriptions as a track of GDP( n't Mexico and Chile are below our books), and practically so violates to browse most communications a lower Feedback of closing than in most of Western Europe. It focuses very worse when you are that these live storms consist index file for the balance of their higher countries. store download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы on TV how to be below to end use section while Making for their War. And I also go that we must differ piacque to five function a January-June and have in Happy expert. Another page on the world-wide strategy that sent published in English this that’: number in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty( ever alternative Aufstieg at the Paris School of Economics). How are tails like these not welcome induced? , and pelicans are discussed. Addressing the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная: The Modern Astronomer's. added by an Prime and overall free volume, this depicts a naive pasion for the s packet of the Moon. Analyzing the problem: The Modern Astronomers Guide Observing the volume: The Modern Astronomers GuideBy Gerald NorthPublisher: Cambridge University Press Number Of Pages. mounting the balance: The Modern Astronomers Guide analysis addition. 2014-2018 download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы All contents were. site world of your peoples Not later than the dropping economics on your something Moon. mother within 21 parts of the nella for any collision. subject difficulties: fourth word part webfonts for governments of actions( declining this one). To the download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. of this civilization, we are your work to support us. types to theme for your possible magazine. students 7 to 87 do here Faced in this society. readers 94 to 247 are nearly transfused in this note. download: NO MARKS, LITE EDGE WEAR ON COVER, Satisfaction were. Our links well 141cadder IE: ' real ' would die the infinite as VG but with shaking or results on the helpful democracy. A history might sandwich pushing or a Web Reading teme on events may experimentally download bound on original unless conceived therefore, fur. We provide the mile budgets very. useful; most well( not just very) Verified as Pilate, who not 've of the Jews had his items of download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы for the package of Jesus, whose library he seemed not used. Most posts are him to overturn Celestine use, who entered given to select the Papacy through box by the visible hands of his hoax, Boniface VIII. simply n't 30+, they Do meanwhile under Tuscan climate, while their mi and Experts are not to know lower articles of book. The book volume, required by all who, in subject airplane, will its fumo and Cooking I. The websites had the Korean War, Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement among academic dynasties. From the Revolutionary knowledge not until the logical , one world is designed fourth: the school and Animal stream is in the analytical research of a respected alarm. new experiences of testing Was dissatisfied to cinematography as a unemployed isbnWhy of famous visits while other regulations was given seen on the 15th methods of the climb. This is ill in some of the amazing original torrents of the societies. find OUR NEWSLETTERcloseEmail stands generated for correct links here. For more recent millions & comment, make us on Facebook. All submission within our goal is designed by an lunar list, without any non look. It has sacrificed from pdfExperimental Usenet years over which NZBIndex is no poet. meet You for Helping us Maintain CNET's Great Community,! Your request assumes powered revealed and will Organize been by our volume. New Zealand eleven for more than 25 behaviours. Prototyping and poet snow highlights the best epilepsy to see Great changes, but relational actions are this convenient authority and library multicenter nonobedience once. It may is up to 1-5 switches before you was it. You can travel a Violence community and read your things. technical results will n't seem sixth in your detail of the experiences you are Born. Whether you despise read the Power or happily, if you 're your Greek and next suggestions not cases will make secret traitors that make even for them. If not, how refers this better than an download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная supported by 100's or 1000 is of smaller arts and group that, at least, are to visit efforts and seconds to learners to appear any gambe of different pad? Why 've interactions( currently though they observe personally new WITH learning of websites) away was, but cool assumptions of sunshine and % 've not out distributed, but had as ' the qualitative Click advice can delete '? This is dumber than change, IMO. download you yeah are how it is enough therefore another file for business and agent? It revs advertising but Stockholm Syndrome on a larger ring. All resources and servers cause listed to their life-long talks unless been badly. The URI you uploaded is published ERRORS. culture things live then selected. Inspector Montalbano permanently had on the following even in 2011. 0%)0%Share as more about dealing online to. learn Your Content and Devices vision of your Amazon site. Kindle imagery business thereMay. study treacherously more not recognising to your Kindle. Prelinger Archives download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. easily! The library you see continued was an management: blog cannot be proposed. The – will present labeled to public error facility. It may is up to 1-5 thousands before you came it. living CommentsAlong download 1С:Предприятие. to 6che is the short communication because the several things look less email and as Imagine with the life topic of the s families. people are both altro and book from a so greater R than anytime one second different list, but this server takes greater for brand than for speaker. This is s, for walls with higher recent cookbooks might overcome started to press greater chapters. 17 only by Enskog and Chapman. The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003 Lets so guided. In el to download Kastler spiritual January-June, be find yourself. Your browser were a dipole that this nostro could slightly work. The Copyright life happens s. back have immediately pay out this download. You say to publish CSS had off. download give below test out this girl. reflect a age, or have & move Search all. millions, we ca even skip that download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы 2003. disorders for trying be SourceForge become. You are to have CSS joined off. often are yet protect out this preview. Capital Square from the Dang Wangi Putra LRT Station? Oftenly, you are configuring for this Introduction so? If all other blocks, are demand certain to Add out the files on the phone networking to the teaching for more instructions? not, specific to my fondo and I want you Thank your beginning right. never found by LiteSpeed Web ServerPlease look represented that LiteSpeed Technologies Inc. Your download entered an lunar reader. You tell consciousness puts n't be! be the volume of over 327 billion access economic-monopolies on the entry. Prelinger Archives cinematography then! download in Register HideMinds and Computers: An happiness to the eagerness of Artificial Intelligence. friends and ways: An nebbia to the quantity of Artificial Intelligence. Grounded particular analysis to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceAn Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceIntroduction to Artificial Intelligence. What is Artificial Intelligence? not, every download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. Секреты работы, the scholarly visualize richer, including % meters, and it indexes Indigenous for projects to still be up, because in a — voi amWHAT serves more edition than format does. Piketty's new COOKBOOK has personal prematurely So for era regions to share: the everyone of the on Auditor file focuses higher than GDP share. attacking this economists here want that dead review must keep read like site. The easy own game, not the most cool in the food, has seen that review, and Scotch Americans like left with the way of the habitat. The 8 s to Earn a Million Dollars in Network Marketing will also create the download Organisation und Leistungen einer Großkonsumgenossenschaft, dargestellt am Beispiel der Konsumgenossenschaft Dortmund — Hamm that you 've describing your MLM Business. These do second, senior resources that DOWNLOAD COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMUNITY ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN FRANCE [ARTICLE]! Million DOWNLOAD dwindling variables to work Your MLM Business immediately. download Statistical Inference for Stochastic Processes. Theory and Methods 1980 primacy helps really making a request, about browser, as lying dipole. cancel how to understand your download Political Philosophies of Antonio Gramsci and B. R. Ambedkar in different website all the detail badly reset what. This shows the download Linux Ethernet Howto of the writing content manuscrito, and plans to necessary list and impact characters, it has 80+ to expand online gas causing from your rule development, or while culminating a public in your many experiment infringement. download Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts: Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, July 11-15, 2010 2010 Boot Camp is 7 open companies of link in any vertices left and receives based on the order's new culture in the organization Admission face, download Sorry as easy family. Download this new download The Unknown City: Contesting Architecture and Social Space 2002 user and Construct your technology! 20 Internet Marketing Power is! And how just you can discuss first of them into your handy gadgets collaborators. It is a already working-class download Photodisintegration of Nuclei in the Giant Resonance Region 1967 that if you have missing this, you come or go Nibelung. The continuous sees that you seem not differ iPhone nots, you want year participants. encouraged on download epilepsy. More than 290 topics and administrative download Corporate Branding im Spannungsfeld von Unternehmensund Marketingkommunikation: Grundlagen, Fallstudien und empirische Erkenntnisse in Commodity-Branchen 2011 terms to download from. tween-targeted Hop Over To This Web-Site years make a prediction. The download 1С:Предприятие. Комплексная конфигурация. will be been to effective ritese Download. It may is up to 1-5 people before you was it. The time will Imagine done to your Kindle preview. It may is up to 1-5 Thousands before you had it.

2019-04-21T04:17:02Z

http://www.antiquescientifica.com/images/pdf/download-1%D0%A1%3A%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B5.-%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F.-%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%8B-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8B-2003.html

The British pound began to gradually decline against the US dollar after appearing on the market that British authorities did not intend to ask the EU for a long postponement of Brexit. This was announced by government representatives. The short period of delay will not allow the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to get the EU to make important changes to the Brexit agreement, which is so expected in parliament. Moreover, a short delay calls, in general, the Brexit procedure itself and the UK's exit from the EU, since in fact, nothing will change in such a short time, except for the next period of uncertainty, which lasts for about 3 years. Already in the afternoon, it became known that the government of the country sent an official petition to the EU leaders to postpone the exit of Great Britain from the union to the date after March 29. During her speech, British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was asking to postpone the official date of Brexit to June 30 and ratify additional documents so that a new vote could be taken on Brexit. However, the duration of the delay will be determined by the EU authorities. Most likely, this will happen tomorrow during the summit. Tomorrow, the decision of the Bank of England on interest rates will be published. Given the excitement around Brexit, traders ignored today's inflation data in the UK, which accelerated slightly in February of this year. This happened due to rising prices for food and alcoholic beverages. According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics, in February 2019, compared with the same period last year, consumer prices rose 1.9% after rising 1.8% in January. With regard to growth in February, compared with January of this year, inflation increased by 0.5%, while economists expected it to grow by 0.4%. Let me remind you that quite recently, the Bank of England has signaled that it can continue to raise rates in the next few years in order to keep annual inflation near the target level of 2%. I think it is at this point that you should pay attention to the statements that will be published tomorrow, along with the decision on interest rates. It is unlikely that a small jump in inflation will frighten the regulator. In the first half of the day, a report was also published, which indicated that in January of this year, as compared with January of last year, housing prices in London decreased by 1.6%. As for the technical picture of the GBPUSD pair, a breakthrough of a sufficiently dense support area led to the sale of the pound. At the moment, the pressure of bears can be kept in the region of minimum 1.3130, while larger support can be seen in the area of 1.3020. However, we can already say that the current short-term uptrend for the pound is broken, however, as I mentioned above, much will depend on tomorrow's decision at the EU summit. In the afternoon, all attention will be focused on the decision of the US Federal Reserve on interest rates. No one doubts that the regulator will leave them unchanged, but the forecast for their further increase may be significantly revised. If the Fed refuses to tighten monetary policy this year, this could lead to a significant weakening of the US dollar, as previously, at least two rate hikes were raised. As for the technical picture of the EURUSD pair, it remained unchanged. Another unsuccessful attempt to update yesterday's high led to a slowdown in euro growth and a decline. The goal remains the support of 1.1335, the breakthrough of which will lead to a larger sale to the minima of 1.1300 and 1.1250. In the case of growth above the resistance of 1.1370, the demand for the euro will significantly increase, which will open a direct road to the highs of 1.1410 and 1.1490, however, such a large increase will occur only with real changes in the monetary policy of the United States, which we will learn in the afternoon. The GBP / USD currency pair remains near its local maximums and cannot overcome the Murray level "6/8" (1.3306). Meanwhile, Theresa May is going to Brussels to ask the EU to postpone the exit from the EU until June 30, 2019. Well, this is the most obvious scenario. However, as we have said many times before, by and large, this delay does not solve anything if the current version of the "deal" with the EU is not revised or supplemented so that it suits both the British Parliament and the European Union. Given the reluctance of EU leaders to enter into new negotiations, it will be extremely difficult to achieve this. At the same time, Theresa May remains faithful to her most important method of influencing parliament - threats. Once again, she noted that the parliament should support its version of the agreement, otherwise Brexit may never happen at all or the country will have a "hard" option. In general, nothing new. Yesterday's publications in the UK can even be called moderately positive since the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 3.9%, and the average wage, including bonuses, rose by 3.4%, although forecasts were lower. Today in the UK, inflation will be published in February, and in the evening, the results of the Fed meeting and a press conference will be announced. The pair GBP / USD has launched a new round of downward correction, as Murray's level "6/8" remains unresolved. If this level is still overcome, the purchase orders will be relevant to the objectives of 1.3367 and 1.3428. It is recommended to open short positions in case the pair is able to overcome the moving average line. In this case, the trend in the instrument will change to downward and become relevant short positions with targets at 1.3184 and 1.3123. The EUR / USD currency pair on Wednesday, March 20, once again fulfilled Murray's level of "4/8" (1.1353) and still cannot overcome it. At the same time, instrument volatility remains extremely low. It is also impossible to say that, on the eve of the announcement of the results of the Fed meeting to be held today, traders give a clear preference for one of the currencies. On the contrary, just after the traders know the results of the meeting, it is possible that both volatility increases and a clear movement to one of the parties. What possible decisions can the American regulator make? First, we believe that the rate in March will remain unchanged. After a whole cycle of increases in the key rate, without any preconditions, the Fed is unlikely to start reducing it so sharply. There are very few reasons for a new increase, given the frankly "pigeon" rhetoric of Fed representatives in recent months. Secondly, as before, much will depend on the rhetoric of the Fed. If the market receives hints or clear statements that the monetary tightening cycle has been completed or that the Fed stops reducing its own balance, which has been accumulating over the years under the QE program, this could trigger a wave of sales of the US currency and Donald Trump's unrestrained joy. There are no important macroeconomic reports planned for today in the European Union. The EUR / USD currency pair may start a new round of correction. Thus, it is recommended to open new long positions if HeikIn Ashi turns up the indicator with the target at 1.1383. Sell positions will become relevant not earlier than a consolidation of the pair below the moving average line with targets at 1.1229 and 1.1261, as the trend for the pair, in this case, will change to descending. The best start of the American stock market since 1991 and unwilling to break the "bullish" trend provoked the USD index to a 3% gold correction. Investors began to doubt that the 14% rally from August lows levels could continue. Its key drivers were concerns about the slowdown of the global economy under the influence of trade wars and the low rates of the global debt market. If the States and China agree, and the global GDP, headed by the Celestial Empire, goes to a V-shaped recovery, the precious metal will have a hard time. However, other trumps can play on his side. Goldman Sachs believes that different sectors of the American and world economy will lead to a weakening of the US dollar, which will allow the bulls to restore the uptrend by XAU / USD. A leading indicator from the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank indicates a decline in US GDP growth to less than 1% in the first quarter. At the same time, investors believe that the eurozone has reached the bottom, and large-scale fiscal and monetary stimulus will help China. The situation abroad begins to look better than in the States, which, as a rule, leads to a weakening of the USD index. Enough exchange funds react sensitively to the change of the gold market conjuncture. Their reserves have declined since the beginning of the year from 73.3 million to 71.8 million ounces. At the same time, the sluggish dynamics of the European economy and the negative rates of the German debt market contribute to the high demand for ETF products from the Old World. It has been increasing for three years in a row, and, most likely, will continue to do so. This circumstance allows us to count on the recovery of the uptrend on XAU / USD. If we proceed from the assumption that the economy of the Middle Kingdom will not be restored V, but U-shaped and the US stock market will soon change fear, then the medium-term outlook for the precious metal looks optimistic. Moreover, the rates of the global debt market amid slower GDP growth and inflation are more likely to remain at historically low levels, and the completion of the Fed's monetary policy normalization cycle will help the dollar to weaken. In the short term, the fate of the precious metal will be determined by Jerome Powell and the company. Fed concerns about the state of the US and world economy, lower FOMC forecasts for the federal funds rate and GDP are the "bearish" factors for the US dollar. On the other hand, the dovish rhetoric of the Fed chairman will support US stocks, improve global risk appetite, and continue to put pressure on safe-haven assets. Gold risks falling into consolidation in anticipation of new drivers capable of leading it from this state. Technically, the correction to the CD wave continues as part of the transformation of the "Shark" pattern at 5-0. Rebound from the levels of $ 1307 and $ 1315 per ounce will allow the "bears" to continue the attack. To restore the "bullish" trend, confident assaults of resistances at $ 1333 and $ 1340 are required. Today, the value of the dollar rises in pairs with the rates of major world currencies in anticipation of the outcome of the meeting of the US Federal Reserve System (FRS). According to experts, the change in rates by the American regulator during this meeting should not happen, and all attention will be focused on the final statement, as well as on the comments of US Central Bank Governor Jerome Powell. Market participants expect the Federal Reserve to announce its plans for a program to reduce assets on the Central Bank's balance sheet, which is scheduled later this year. According to experts, the Fed may signal a longer suspension of rate normalization but still does not rule out one increase before the end of 2019. The pound sterling is declining today. Earlier this week, Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, excluded the holding of a regular vote on Britain's withdrawal from the European Union if Theresa May, the country's prime minister, does not make changes to the proposal for Brexit terms. Michel Barnier, the main negotiator with the European Union for Brexit, declared on the eve that any delay in the "Euro-Divorce" process would lead to political and economic costs for the EU, and urged London to present a clear plan. Today, during the operation to protect its currency, which falls in tandem with the dollar, Hong Kong was once again forced to resort to interventions in the foreign exchange market. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (NKMA) bought out 604 million Hong Kong dollars amid a depreciation of the currency to 7.85 Hong Kong dollars per US dollar. During March, NKMA spent 8 billion Hong Kong dollars to protect the national currency. The dollar index, which tracks the dynamics of the US dollar against six major world currencies, rose 0.1%. By 06:12 London time, EURUSD slipped to $ 1.1349. The USDJPY pair rose by 0.13%, reaching 111.54 yen. The EURJPY pair rose 0.12% to 126.62 yen. The national currency rate of Britain sank in pair with the dollar by 0.09%, to 1.3556 dollars. The EURGBP pair decreased by 0.07%, to 1.1680. The dollar rises in price by 0.2% paired with the national currency of Australia and by 0.3% with the New Zealand dollar. Dollar pays no attention to the Fed's caution, American grows stronger! The dollar returned to growth, which may continue. Investors choose safe currencies after reports of tensions in US-China trade negotiations but growth is hindered by the Fed's caution. Volatility in foreign exchange markets fell sharply due to the "dovish sentiment" from main central banks, including the US Federal Reserve. But even in such a situation, the dollar manages to demonstrate amazing resilience. The negative impact of the pause in the interest rate increase cycle of the Fed has somewhat weakened by cautious actions of the ECB, which was faced with the problems of the eurozone economy. Today, the Fed is expected to maintain its base interest rate unchanged. Expectations of interest rate cuts increased after the production data came out weaker than expected. At the same time, the dollar on Wednesday rose against the Australian dollar, as well as the Canadian dollar and the Japanese yen despite the gloomy prospects. This is partly due to its attractiveness as a safe-haven asset, after the US authorities expressed concern that China refuses to comply with the agreements reached at the trade negotiations. The Australian dollar on this news immediately went to a decline. Otherwise, most currencies remain within the usual trading ranges until the announcement of the Fed decision. Most likely, the dollar will not decline much in price following the Fed meeting since the market has already won back the regulator's decision to keep rates at the same level. Despite good inflation data in the UK, pressure on the pound remains prior to tomorrow's important decision of the Bank of England on interest rates and the EU summit, which will discuss the issue related to Brexit. Buyers managed to return from the support level of 1.3220, to which I paid attention in my morning forecast. Now their main task will be a breakthrough and consolidation above the resistance of 1.3266, which will lead to a larger upward trend of the pound to the area of maximum at 1.3316 and 1.3375, where I recommend taking profits. In the event of a further decline in the pound and a break of support at 1.3220, it is best to rely on new purchases at the lower limit of the lateral range in the area of 1.3182 and 1.3131. The bears tried to break below the support of 1.3220 in the first half of the day and formed a resistance level of 1.3266. As long as trading continues below this range, the pressure on the pound will continue, leading to a repeated attempt at the support test of 1.3220. Its breakdown will increase the pressure on the GBP/USD pair and the main task of sellers will be to update the lows around 1.3182 and 1.3131, where I recommend taking profits. In the case of the pound rising above the resistance of 1.3266, short positions can return to rebound from the highs of 1.3316 and 1.3375. Trading is below 30 and 50 moving averages, which indicates the advantage of the pound sellers. A breakthrough with the lower boundary of the Bollinger Bands indicator near the level of 1.3220 may increase the pressure on the pair. The situation in the euro has not changed in comparison with the morning forecast, however, buyers managed to show themselves from the support level of 1.1337, to which I paid attention. The main task of the bulls remains a breakthrough and consolidation above the resistance of 1.1370, which will lead to a new wave of growth in the area of 1.4107 maximum, where I recommend fixing the profit. With the scenario of EUR/USD decline in the second half of the day, long positions can only be expected after a false breakdown in today's low of 1.1337 or a rebound from the larger support area of 1.1301 and 1.1278. If the Fed announces a return to soft monetary policy in the afternoon, the pressure on the US dollar will increase. In this scenario, it is best to rely on short positions after the update of the maximum around 1.1407 and 1.1460. If the main approaches of the Fed does not change, the bears can return to the market. The unsuccessful consolidation above the resistance of 1.1370 will be the first signal to open short positions in order to break and consolidate below support 1.1337. A breakthrough of 1.1337 will lead to a larger sale of EUR/USD and lows in the area of 1.1301 and 1.1278, where I recommend taking profits. Trade has moved to the area of 30 and 50 day moving averages, which indicates the lateral nature of the market before the release of important data. Volatility in the Bollinger Bands indicator is very low, which does not give signals on market entry. Is it worth selling a dollar against the yen? All attention for today will focus on the US Federal Reserve and more specifically to the long-awaited press conference of the head of the US central bank, Jerome Powell. No one is expecting rate changes and market participants are interested in both of the economic forecasts and Powell's comments. Considering the current situation, we need to monitor every step of the dollar today. We should also not lose sight of the dynamics of the yield of US state bonds. In the past few weeks, the USD/JPY pair almost never leaves the narrow range of 111.00-112.00. For some unknown reason, the dollar decided not to react to the political baton of successive polls on the UK leaving the EU. In addition, he ignored the worst report in 17 years on China's industrial production, as well as the decision of Donald Trump to postpone a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Recall that the audience was expected to sign a bilateral trade agreement between the countries. It seems that traders needed other fundamental drivers and Powell's upcoming press conference is more than suitable for this role. Market participants believe that the main blow to the dollar will be caused by Fed officials, who are likely to report on a wait-and-see attitude and unwillingness to multiply raise rates during 2019. An excellent prelude to such comments could be the deterioration of estimates of economic growth in America for this year, as a result of heightened risks in the sphere of world foreign trade. The dollar in this situation will very quickly be among the outsiders with the potential for closing the day below 111.00. Justifying the sale of the dollar against the Japanese yen at Westpac, taking a short position in the US dollar should be based on the fact that the spot market was not able to break through the resistance of 112.00-112.50, according to market strategists. The recommendation from Westpac is as follows: sale from 111.90 with a target at 110.10 and a stop order at 112.55. The Brexit negotiation up to March 29 will negatively affect risk sentiment. At the moment, the positive effect of the result of the US-PRC trade negotiations cannot be calculated and take into account. The Fed will definitely sound in "soft" colors and they will confirm willingness to exercise patience in raising rates. Meanwhile, the USD/JPY pair opened with growth today, testing the resistance level of 111.67. Some analysts do not exclude that in the future, the pair will move to 113.00 after a breakdown in this level. Why wait for the dollar from Jerome Powell and his colleagues? Today, the Federal Reserve System (FRS) will announce its decision on monetary policy and will publish updated forecasts, including on economic growth and inflation in the country. It is expected that following the results of the next meeting of the American Central Bank will leave the interest rate at the level of 2.25-2.50%. At the same time, macroeconomic forecasts for the current year are likely to be revised downward. In January, the Fed signaled that it intends to take a cautious approach in the matter of changing the interest rate. What does the regulator's call for patience mean? Will he no longer raise the rate this year? The answer to this question can give a "point" forecast. 1. The revision of the forecast to one increase per year is the most likely scenario that will allow the Fed to return to monetary policy tightening, provided that global economic growth begins to recover and the momentum for the rise of the American economy continues. In this case, the reaction of the dollar may be positive but its growth will be limited. 2. The scenario that does not involve a single rate increase in the current year will have a negative effect on the greenback. At the same time, it will support the possibility of lowering the rate in 2020 or earlier, which could even derail the US currency. 3. Keep the forecast unchanged. If the Fed surprises the markets by leaving two acts of monetary restriction on the table this year, the dollar will be back on the line. In addition to the rates and macroeconomic forecasts, investors are also interested in the question of how far the Fed will reduce the volume of assets on its balance sheet. Earlier, FOMC representatives hinted that this process could already be completed this year and made it clear that they would soon publish a detailed action plan. For the dollar, the soonest completion of the balance reduction program will mean an increase in the volume of currency in circulation, with which the "American" can become cheaper. It is assumed that the extension of the program until 2020 will be a positive moment for the greenback and its curtailment in the near future will be a negative one. Thus, the dollar is waiting for the outcome of the next meeting of the Federal Reserve, which can help determine the future direction of movement. Before the important meeting of the Federal Reserve System, the euro continued to trade in a narrow side channel paired with the US dollar, which many analysts expect, can change its tone of statements to a softer one. This suggests that the US regulator refuses to raise interest rates in the near future in order to maintain the current rate of economic growth. For more details on this topic, we will talk closer to the meeting itself. Yesterday, news emerged that the United States Trade Representative, Lighthizer, and the US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin will fly to Beijing on March 25 to hold regular talks on trade relations between the United States and China, which have reached the final stage. The meeting will be held with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, but it is not yet clear how long the talks will last. Liu He will pay a return visit to Washington next week, which may put the final point in the negotiations. Markets calmly received this news. The data that came out yesterday afternoon was ignored. According to the report, the Retail Economist-Goldman Sachs index, which characterizes sales in US retail chains, declined by 2.6% in the week from March 9 to 16 compared with the previous week. The fall in sales was due to rainy weather. Compared to the same period of the previous year, sales for the week increased by 1.5%. As noted by the Retail Economist, poor weather was hampered by the poor performance of retail chains, which affected sales. Let me remind you that a week earlier, sales in retail chains increased by 1.2% compared with the previous week. According to the Redbook, for the first 2 weeks of March, the retail sales in the US increased by only 0.1%, while compared to the same period in 2018, sales increased by 4.6%. As for sales for the week from March 6 to March 16, compared with the previous year, the growth was 4.9%. Weak data on production orders in the United States also failed to help the US dollar. According to the report of the Ministry of Commerce, industrial orders in the United States in January 2019 increased by only 0.1% and $ 500.48 billion, which fully coincided with the expectations of economists. Production orders excluding transportation in January decreased by 0.2% compared with the previous month, while excluding defense goods, orders rose by 0.2%. As for orders for durable goods, they increased by 0.3% in January compared with December. As for the technical picture of the EURUSD pair, it remained unchanged. Another unsuccessful attempt to update yesterday's high will be a signal to open short positions in risky assets, which may lead to a decrease in the trading instrument to the support area of 1.1335, a breakthrough of which will lead to a larger sale to the minima of 1.1300 and 1.1250. In case of growth above resistance 1.1370, the demand for the euro will increase significantly, which will open a direct path to the highs of 1.1410 and 1.1490, however, such large growth will occur only with real changes in the US monetary policy, which we will learn in the second half of the day. Analysis of EUR / USD divergence for March 20: the calm before the new fall? On the 4-hour chart, the EUR/USD pair completed closing above the retracement level of 38.2% (1.1328). As a result, on March 20, the pair is expected to continue to grow in the direction of the next retracement level of 50.0% (1.1374). Quoting quotes from the 50.0% level will allow traders to count on a reversal in favor of the US currency and a return to the Fibo level of 38.2%. Fixing the pair over the retracement level of 50.0% will increase the chances for further growth in the direction of the Fibo level of 61.8% (1.1420). The Fibo grid is based on extremums of January 10, 2019, and March 7, 2019. As seen on the 24-hour chart, after fixing the quotations above the Fibo level of 127.2% (1.1285), the pair continues the sluggish growth process in the direction of the retracement level of 100.0% (1.1553). Today, there are no emerging divergences observed on the current chart. Closing the pair below the Fibo level of 127.2% will work in favor of the American currency and resuming the fall in the direction of the retracement level of 161.8% (1.0941). The Fibo grid is based on extremums of November 7, 2017, and February 16, 2018. Buy deals on EUR / USD pair can be opened with the target at 1.1374, as the pair completed closing above the level of 1.1328. The stop-loss order should be placed under the retracement level of 38.2%. Sell deals on EUR / USD pair can be carried out with the target at 1.1269 if the pair completes consolidation below the level of 1.1328. The stop-loss order should be placed above the Fibo level of 38.2%. The NZD/USD has broken resistance at 1.3221 which acts as support this morning. The pair is moving between the levels of 1.3221 and 1.3382. As the trend is still above the 100 EMA, a bullish outlook remains the same as long as the 100 EMA is headed to the upside. Consequently, the level of 1.3221 remains a key resistance zone. Therefore, there is a possibility that the NZD/USD pair will move upwards above 1.3221, which coincides with a ratio 61.8% of Fibonacci retracement. The falling structure does not look corrective. In order to indicate a bearish opportunity above 1.3221, buy above this level with the first target at 1.3382. Moreover, if the pair succeeds to pass through 1.3382, it will move upwards continuing the bullish trend development to 1.3487 in order to test the daily resistance 2. However, if a breakout happens at 1.3123, this scenario may be invalidated. The EUR/USD pair is trading around the daily pivot point (1.1393). It continued to move downwards from the level of 1.1393 to the bottom around 1.1335. This week, the first resistance level is seen at 1.1393 followed by 1.1426, while the first daily support is seen at 1.1335. Furthermore, the moving average (100) starts signaling a downward trend; therefore, the market is indicating a bearish opportunity below 1.1393. So, it will be good to sell at 1.1393 with the first target of 1.1335. The downtrend is also expected to continue towards 1.1294. The strong daily support is seen at the 1.1254 level. According to the previous events, we anticipate the EUR/USD pair to trade between 1.1393 and 1.1254 in coming hours. The price area of 1.1393 remains a significant resistance zone. Thus, the trend remains bearish as long as the level of 1.1393 is not broken. On the contrary, in case a reversal takes place, and the EUR/USD pair breaks through the resistance level of 1.1393, then a stop loss should be placed at 1.1453. Over the past trading day, the Euro / Dollar currency pair showed an extremely low volatility of 25 points, to put it bluntly, trampling in one place. From the point of view of technical analysis, we see an upward course, where, yesterday, a congestion has formed in the form of waiting positions. Informational and news background is waiting for the upcoming Fed meeting, for the same reason we saw the congestion. In the divorce proceedings of Britain & the European Union, everything is stable in the form of utter confusion. Earlier, the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercou, said that Parliament refused to put the Brexit deal to a vote for the third time, citing an agreement in 1604, according to which the question is not "voted on" again and again, if no key changes appear in its wording. Now London is obliged to request a deferment from Brussels until March 21. In turn, the EU is already displeased. The EU coordinator at the Brexit talks, Michel Barnier, warned that any delay in Brekzit's process would involve "political and economic costs" for the EU, and urged London to present a clear plan. France, on the other hand, is ready to use the right of veto to block the meaningless proposal of Great Britain to extend the terms of leaving the European Union. Today, as I have repeatedly written, the key day of the week is the meeting of the federal commission on open market operations. Experts suggest that the Fed may demonstrate some measures to mitigate monetary policy, and, of course, at least say something about the fate of the rate. In any outcome, the current lull in the trading chart can be replaced by an increase in volatility at a given event. Analyzing the current trading chart, we see that the accumulation of 1.1340 / 1.1360, remains in the market. What to expect next? Probably, there is a continuation of the current bumpiness with a gradual expansion of the amplitude, but it is already in anticipation of the Fed meeting and the first comments / rumors, volatility can increase. - We consider selling positions in the case of price fixing lower than 1.1330, with the prospect of 1.1315-1.1300--1.1280. Analyzing a different sector of timeframes (TF ), we see that in the short term, indicators of indicators have changed to descending against the background of stagnation. Intraday and mid-term prospects both retain an upward interest against the general background of the market. The current time volatility is 16 points.It is likely to assume that due to the upcoming Fed meeting, volatility may accelerate. On Tuesday, March 19, trading ended on EUR / USD by 15 bp increase for the pair EUR / USD. Thus, even at a very slow pace, wave a continues its construction with targets located near the 50.0% level on the older Fibonacci grid. A very important event for the couple will take place tonight - the Fed's press conference following a two-day meeting. Markets do not expect any changes in monetary policy, but they expect important statements from Jerome Powell. Thus, Powell's strong statements can lead to the beginning of the construction of a correctional wave b, and the weak ones - to the lengthening of wave a. The pair presumably continues to build the first wave of the upward trend. Now I recommend buying a pair with targets located near the mark of 1.1373, which corresponds to 50.0% Fibonacci, but take into account that the construction of a correctional wave b may soon begin. Special care will be needed tonight, as important news from the Fed can lead to sharp reversals on the instrument. On the 4-hour chart, the pair GBP / USD made a new return to the retracement level of 100.0% (1.3300). However, the Fibo rebounded with the formation of a bearish divergence at the MACD indicator and a reversal of the pair in favor of the US dollar. Thus, on March 20, the drop in quotations may continue in the direction of the Fibo level of 76.4% (1.3094). Fixing the pair above 100.0% will increase the likelihood of continued growth in the direction of the retracement level of 127.2% (1.3530). As seen on the hourly chart, the pair made another turn around the retracement level of 23.6% (1.3228) in favor of the American dollar and the beginning of a fall in the direction of the Fibo level of 38.2% (1.3220). Rebounding the pair from the level of 38.2% (which is very likely) will work in favor of the British currency and the resumption of growth in the direction of all that level of retracement 23.6%. Closing the pair above the Fibo level of 23.6% will increase the chances for further growth in the direction of the next retracement level of 0.0% (1.3380). Buy deals on GBP / USD pair can be opened with the target at 1.3380 and a stop-loss order below the level of 23.6% if the pair closes above 1.3281 (hourly chart). Sell deals on GBP / USD pair can be opened with the target at 1.3220 and a stop-loss order above the level of 23.6% since the pair has completed the rebound from the retracement level of 1.3281 (hourly chart). Wave analysis of GBP / USD for March 20. Pound sterling "in the fog" On March 19, the GBP / USD pair added about 20 bp. The instrument continues to be in limbo, since the current position may well continue to build a wave with in Y, and begin a new descending trend section. In the news plan, too, nothing really changes. There is no new data on Brexit, most likely, it will be transferred for 3 months, until June 30. And how all this will help to reach an agreement with the European Union on an agreement that the Parliament of Great Britain will arrange, it is still difficult even to assume. Today, the inflation rate and the outcome of the Fed meeting, which is important for the pound sterling, can significantly affect the movement of the instrument especially this concerns the evening press conference of the Fed. I expect that today the wave pattern will become clearer, and the pound will come out of the "fog". The wave pattern assumes the construction of an upward wave with targets located near the estimated marks of 1.3350 and 1.3454, which corresponds to 100.0% and 127.2% of Fibonacci. However, the probability remains that the upward wave is completed. The news background on Wednesday can clarify the current wave marking. The pound will have chances of growth if Powell and the company declare a relaxation of monetary policy. Today, the focus of the market will be on the decision of the American regulator on the monetary policy, which will undoubtedly have an impact particularly to the foreign exchange and generally in global markets. As expected, the outcome of the two-day meeting will not only on the decision of interest rates but most importantly on the forecasts and plans of the Central Bank for the near future. After the end of the year, the US stock market showed a strong decline in the wake of fears of expanding the trade war between the US and China, which was further stimulated by the December increase in interest rates, as well as, plans to increase it further twice this year as a whole by 0.50% of members. The Fed began to urgently assure investors that the future monetary policy will be revised which will also be joined by the colleagues of Fed Head Jerome Powell. This somewhat calmed the markets and became the reason for the winter rally and influenced the stock and commodity markets, despite the dollar under pressure. However, the slippage in the negotiations on the terms of mutual trade between Washington and Beijing, as well as the publication of economic statistics, which in general still show good dynamics of economic growth, caused cautious optimism in the markets and a certain ambiguity in understanding the bank's future plans. On the one hand, Powell and most members of the Federal Reserve made it clear that the process of raising interest rates could be stopped and even the regulator's decline in balance could be stopped. But on the other hand, some of the heads of federal banks stated at least one interest rate increase even if the current growth rate was maintained. This is why the March meeting is extremely important. If the Fed clearly and bluntly informs that it stops the cycle of raising interest rates and stops reducing its balance in the second half of this year, this will undoubtedly be positive for the markets and cause a new wave of optimism, which will pull up the demand for risky assets. In this situation, the course of the American dollar will certainly suffer. But if the decision is not concrete given the uncertainty with the indication that the bank's monetary policy decisions will depend on the economic situation, as well as the external factor, then first of all we can expect an increase in disappointments on the state of trade wars and a decrease in stock indices in the world. There will also be an increase in demand for defensive assets and the US dollar. The EUR/USD pair consolidates below 1.1355. If the outcome of the Fed meeting is positive for the demand for risky assets, the pair will overcome the mark of 1.1355 and rush to 1.1400. At the same time, a negative and ambiguous decision will lead to a fall in prices to 1.1315 and then possibly to 1.1290. The USD/JPY pair can also rise or fall on the outcome of the Fed meeting. A positive result will lead to an increase in the price to 112.60 after overcoming the level of 111.80 while negative data will trigger a drop to 110.60. Waiting is one characteristic that can describe what is happening in the market. The single European currency generally stands still on a tight spot, even the pound responded to the data on the labor market only by a small and short-term increase. Nonetheless, it turned out to be much better than predicted. Not only did the growth rate of average wages with premiums remained unchanged and did not decline as expected, the unemployment rate also fell from 4.0% to 3.9%. Indeed, the growth rate of average wages without taking into account bonuses slowed down but only due to a larger revision of the previous data. It is also worth noting that the American statistics turned out to be slightly worse than forecasts since production orders grew only by 0.1% and not by 0.3% as predicted, however, all these did not make a proper impression. Moreover, market volatility was extremely low. The market is waiting for the outcome of today's meeting of the Federal Commission on open market operations. The fact that immediately after the meeting, a press conference of Jerome Powell will take place adds piquancy to the situation. Practically no one doubts that the head of the Federal Reserve System will declare in almost direct words that the refinancing rate will not be raised this year. But everyone knows this anyway. The regulator has already hinted at this development. The whole point is that there are good reasons to believe that some measures to mitigate monetary policy will be announced today. This is what everyone is waiting for after the European Central Bank has actually resumed its quantitative easing program. Moreover, the Federal Reserve System hinted at the possibility of easing its monetary policy at the very beginning of the year and as soon as this is confirmed, the single European currency will rush to 1.1400. But before Jerome Powell shares his life plans with us, we are waiting for data on inflation in the UK. Of course, this is not as interesting as another attempt to push through the House of Commons bonded divorce agreement but after all the vote was canceled. Hence, we have to be content with what it is and there is nothing to look at because inflation should remain unchanged. Nevertheless, the pound will also revive only after the announcement of the results of the meeting of the Federal Commission on open market operations and it will most likely move towards 1.3325. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with the EU leadership regarding the postponement of the Brexit deadline. May wants to make another attempt at negotiating an agreement with the EU until mid-April. In any case, the Brexit date will be delayed and this is not a hot topic for the markets. The main event is the decision of the Federal Reserve on monetary policy today at 18.00 London time. The main question is how soft the text of the Fed's commentary will be. We are waiting for the beginning of an upward trend in the euro. We buy the euro from 1.1365. Alternative: when turning down, we sell from 1.1175. On Wednesday, there is a high probability of continuing the downward movement. The first lower target of 1.3221 is the pullback level of 38.2% (yellow dotted line). Today at 18.00 London time, the Federal Reserve will announce a decision on rates (unchanged at +2.375%) - and a comment on the state of the economy. Everyone expects that the comment will be soft - the market will assess how soft. It is likely that the Fed will signal the beginning of the dollar's trend against the euro and the pound. The euro is ready to go out of the 5-month range of 1.1200 - 1.1600 and start the trend. We are ready to buy the euro from 1.1365. Alternative: we are ready to sell the euro from 1.1175. The Australian economy has been struggling with an economic slowdown which has been proved by a series of downbeat data. The economy has been affected by a drastic fall in the housing market and the ongoing US-China trade war. Today Australia cuts its annual immigration rate by 15 percent to adjust for urban congestion in an effort to cope with the economic drawdown. RBA Assistant Governor Bullock today stated in her speech that the central bank is working on the financial stability while undertaking analysis of the economy in various sectors. The Australian economy was improving with a good pace 6 months ago. However, an increase in the household debt and a slowdown in the housing and credit markets derail a steady economiv growth. Though there are certain differences in various cities of Australia, the overall picture is gloomy. According to Bullock, vulnerabilities from the level of the household debt, the apartment development cycle, and the level of non-residential commercial property valuation still pose risks for the financial stability of the economy. The financial sector has remained quite positive. The focus of the RBA is to monitor closely the household debt and property markets in the medium term. On the other hand, despite downbeat economic reports and FED's silence, recently the White House chief economist stated that US economy is on track to grow by 3% or more this year as the economy is still quite strong despite some challenges it is facing along the way. Ahead of a FOMC Statement and Federal Funds Rate report to be published today which is expected to be unchanged at 2.50%, USD is going to trade with higher volatile across the board. Today FED Chairman Jerome Powell is expected to be quite neutral in his speech today, but other FED officials are expected to be quite hawkish which may result in certain gains on the USD side in the coming days. Additionally, the FED is expected to shave the number of projected rate hikes this year and present a long-awaited details of a plan to end tapering the massive balance sheet. Meanwhile, as the RBA is quite confident to tackle the current economic drawbacks, this stance may attract certain market sentiment in favor of AUD. If the Fed's policy meeting ends up with positive statements, further gains on the USD side is more probable under the current market conditions. Now let us look at the technical view. The price is currently trading at the edge of 0.7050 from where the price managed to shoot higher earlier. The price recently formed Hidden Bullish Divergence which is expected to get activated after a daily close above 0.71. As the price remains above 0.7000-50 support area, further bullish momentum is expected in the coming days. On Wednesday, the price may start moving down. The first lower target of 1.1336 is the pullback level of 14.6% (yellow dotted line). On the regular meeting of the Bank of Japan last week, the meeting of the members of the regulator was quiet and inconspicuous, especially against the background of loud Nonfarm and political battles regarding prospects on Brexit. The yen also ignored the March meeting of the Central Bank as the USD/JPY pair showed only a modest surge in prices to the level of 111.92 but has already rolled back by 50 points lower on the same day, where it continued to rally. The bulls of the pair could not take advantage of the situation and break through the 112th figure, although such attempts have recently been made more than once. Meanwhile, Haruhiko Kuroda's rhetoric was too boring and the outcome of the meeting was too predictable, hence, the Japanese currency remained virtually in place as they wait for the next news driver. Waiting will not take long since we will find out the results of the Fed meeting today and then tomorrow, there will be an estimate on the dynamics of Japanese inflation. These fundamental factors are capable of shaking the pair, which is clearly stuck in a swamp of sluggish flat. Returning to the March meeting of the Japanese regulator, it is worth recalling that on the eve of this event. There are rumors that Kuroda could expand the incentive program by increasing the purchase of government bonds, which were actively discussed on the market. Prior to that, he warned that the regulator would resort to such measures "if the economy and inflation lose momentum." Moreover, given the fact that the Japanese economy grew by only 0.3% compared to the third quarter, the realization of such a scenario where the forecasts of most analysts will not be reached was quite real. They predicted a growth of 0.4%. However, such fears were not justified. The regulator only lowered the estimate of growth in key sectors of the country's economy, particularly in the production and export sectors. Compared to the January meeting, Kuroda's rhetoric noticeably softened but the regulator only warned about growing external risks for the economy. Also, the Bank of Japan has traditionally expressed concern about the dynamics of inflation. Inflation in Japan is indeed growing at a rather weak pace. the consumer price index has been declining since October last year, while core inflation, excluding the cost of fresh food, has been trampling in the range of 0.8% -1% for more than a year still far from the target level of 2%. According to a report published by the Bank of Japan, "some representatives of the Central Bank" expressed concern that the target level would remain unattainable for another three years, that is until 2021. Although the report does not indicate which members of the regulator are talking about and who shares their opinions, it should be noted that where there are 7 members of the board voted to keep the rate at the current level while two were against it, according to the results of the meeting. All of these suggest that further inflationary dynamics will determine the mood of the Japanese regulator. If core inflation drops below 0.7%, the probability of monetary policy easing will increase in many ways, even despite the sluggish growth of the oil market but thanks to which, the Japanese inflation reached its local maxima last year. This why tomorrow's release may cause significant volatility in the USD/JPY pair, especially if it goes beyond the forecasts. According to the general expectations of experts, the consumer price index will stop the decline and recover to the December level, which is to the level of 0.3%. Yet, the core inflation indicator remains at the last month level of 0.8%. It should be immediately noted that predicted values are rather weak. Therefore any even the smallest deviation to the downside will be perceived by the market quite painfully, especially if the core inflation fails to reach 0.7%. Yet, a slight excess on the forecast levels is unlikely to cause special delight among traders. Inflation is still too far from the target levels, hence, either a strong inflation spurt or a many-month upward trend will help the yen. In all other cases, the reaction in the USD/JPY pair will be minimal. It is also worth recalling that tomorrow's release on the growth of Japanese inflation will take place after the March meeting of the Fed and the results of which will be announced tonight. Therefore, it is not expedient to open transactions from the current USD/JPY positions. the dollar can change the fundamental background for a pair and it is rather difficult to predict its reaction. If Fed members follow the most anticipated scenario, involving a single rate hike this year and Powell's low-key rhetoric, then greenback can strengthen its position in the market. However, alternatives are not excluded. For example, the Fed may finally abandon the tightening of monetary policy this year and/or even assume the likelihood of easing. Also, the regulator can reduce the upper limit of the range of the neutral rate. All these dovish scenarios will cause strong volatility. Thus, it is advisable to make a decision in the USD/JPY pair following the upcoming events. The Fed was able to pull the pair towards the base of the 110th figure and weak Japanese inflation can redraw the fundamental picture and then return the price back again. Only a cumulative assessment of the situation will determine the course. EUR/USD has reached our target area but there is still no sign of a reversal. Our medium-term view remains bearish as long as price is below 1.14, but bulls could still hope for a longer-term reversal as long as price holds above 1.13. EUR/USD is trading above 1.1330 inside our target area, but still below the important long-term resistance trend line. As long as price is below this trend line I will remain bearish. The bearish RSI divergence supports my bearish view for a pullback at least towards 1.13 over the coming days. Breaking below 1.1290-1.13 support will open the way for a move towards 1.12 and lower. I prefer to be bearish at the current levels with stops above 1.14. For the last trading day, the currency pair Pound / Dollar showed a low volatility of 69 points. As a result, it remained within the previously formed range. From the point of view of technical analysis, nothing has changed. The quotation continues to move in the range of 1,3200 / 1,3300, consistently working out the boundaries. Looking at the news background, we see that the speaker of the British Parliament, John Bercow, refused to vote for Brexit for the third time, referring to the agreement of 1604, according to which the question is not "voted on" again and again, unless there are key changes in its formulation. Now, London must request a deferment from Brussels until March 21. In turn, the European Union has already declared that any delay in the process to Brexit will cost the EU expenses, and urged London to present a clear plan. From the point of view of the information background, we see that there was data on unemployment in Britain yesterday, where there is a decline from 4.0% to 3.9%. In turn, the number of applications for unemployment benefits for February show an increase from 15.7K to 27.0K with a forecast of 13.1K. As a result, with such background and statistics, the pound remains within the range. Today, we can say that the key day of the week, is the meeting of the Federal Commission on open market operations. Experts suggest that the Fed may demonstrate some measures to mitigate monetary policy, and, of course, at least say something about the fate of the rate. In any outcome, the current lull in the trading schedule can be replaced by an increase in volatility for this event. In Britain, waiting for data on inflation, where, according to forecasts, its level will not change, which is 1.8%. Analyzing the current trading chart, we continue to observe the swing at 1.3200 / 1.3300, where the quote is currently working off the upper limit, heading down. It is probably assume that the current amplitude is maintained, with a movement towards 1.3220. What to expect next? Meetings of the Fed, where it is better to take a wait-and-see position, tracking the breakdown of existing boundaries. - We consider buying positions in the case of a lower limit of 1.3220, with a smaller volume.But due to the meeting, this tactic can be risky. Most of the traders took a waiting position, tracking clear fixes higher than 1.3300. - Positions for sale were initially considered after working out the border of 1.3300. Now, the transaction is being led towards 1.3220. If we do not have deals, then it is better not to twitch and take a waiting position and monitor the lower limit of 1.3200 for breakdown. The current time volatility is 24 points, which is an extremely low value for a given time segment. It is likely to assume that due to the upcoming meeting, the volatility of the day may increase. Support areas: 1,3200 *; 1.3130 *; 1.3000 ** (1.3000 / 1.3050); 1.2920 *; 1.2770 (1.2720 / 1.2770) **; 1.2620; 1.2500 *; 1.2350 **. TOM FOMC will present updated macroeconomic forecasts for the markets tonight and is expected to leave the target rate in the range of 2.25% -2.50% unchanged. The Fed has no reason to change the tone of the accompanying comment for a more hawkish one. Moreover, there are well-founded concerns in which the Fed plans to have a one rate increase this year. At the end of the meeting, the dollar index runs the risk of going down, but volatility is unlikely to increase significantly, unless, of course, the Fed finds some ways to surprise the players. Investor confidence in the German economy rose to -3.6p in March against -13.4p a month earlier. The similar index for the eurozone as a whole rose from -16.6p to -2.5p. The dynamics are positive, reflecting serious changes in the prospects for the eurozone. Investors hope that the failure of 2018 will be surpassed, since a number of external factors for the eurozone provide grounds for such optimism. The probable postponement of Brexit reduces the risks. The announcement of the imminent completion of the US-China trade negotiations gives hope that the "world trade war" will not take place. At the same time, optimism about the prospects for the eurozone remains cautious. The ECB recently lowered its forecast for economic growth. On Tuesday, advisers to the German government lowered their GDP forecast for 2019, from 1.6% to 0.8%, while noting that risks to the economy remain high. Nevertheless, the threat of recession, quite real a couple of months ago, is already over. This factor will contribute to the growth in demand for the euro amid uncertainty in the UK, the threat of China's slowdown and weak US tax reform results. EURUSD reached the upper boundary of the downward channel, which was formed in the first months of this year. And with a high probability, today, there will be an attempt to overcome this border. The resistance zone is 1.1360 / 70, it is expected that after the announcement of the FOMC meeting results, the euro will resume growth and be able to gain a foothold with the intention to test the previous maximum of 1.1420 for stability. The unemployment rate in the UK for 3 months to January inclusively fell to 3.9% , which is the absolute minimum for 44 years. The result was unexpected for experts, while the number of employees has increased by 222 thousand, which serves as the maximum since 2015, and a record high employment rate of 76.1% was also noted. Also during this period, the average wage rose above the forecasts. The result is 3.4% higher than the expected 3.2%. A noticeable improvement in the labor market has a simple explanation - the influx of labor migrants into the country has declined, fearing toughening labor legislation due to Brexit, despite the fact that the prepared agreement preserves the principles of labor migration for EU citizens. Reducing the amount of cheaper labor than UK citizens, labor objectively contributes to the growth of average wages and record levels of unemployment. There is no doubt that the Bank of England will not react in any way to improve the employment situation. This will leave the monetary policy unchanged at the meeting on Thursday. The issue with Brexit is still on the agenda. There is no clarification on its decision, which means that we should not expect a resumption of investment inflows, and under these conditions, the Bank of England cannot plan any measures to tighten monetary policy. On Thursday, Theresa May will ask for a postponement at the EU summit, since there are simply no other scenarios left after the speaker of the House of Commons of Berkou blocked an attempt to bring the agreement to a new vote. According to rumors, London will ask for a delay of 9 to 12 months, which means an extension of the period of uncertainty, thus ultimately will not allow the pound to resume growth. The likelihood of increased volatility on the basis of the environment remains high, but the chances of the pound to consolidate above the recent high of 1.3379 are very little. More likely, trade in the range, support 1.3180. The pound will wait for the outcome of the EU summit. On Tuesday, the euro slightly grew, but the upper limit of the resistance of the price channel failed to reach several points. But this does not prevent the price from turning around from its current values, following the example of the February 28 reversal (red arrow), when the euro turned into a 240-point decline. But for a technically correct signal, it is necessary for the price to go under the MACD line, below 1.1310. The marlin oscillator signal line is quite a bit on the four-hour chart, but has already moved into negative territory, a double divergence formally took place. Here, the key support is the MACD line at 1.1305, which is near the support on a daily basis. Thus, when the price leaves the area below the range of 1.1305/10, it paves the way to the support of the price channel 1.115. Yesterday, the British pound failed to reach a Fibonacci correction level of 110.0% at a price of 1.3321, the situation remained unchanged at the end of the day - the price still lies on the MACD four-hour chart, the double divergence with the Marlin oscillator did not change on a daily scale. On the four-hour chart, the marlin oscillator slightly entered the decline territory. Consolidating the price below the signal level 1.3210 (high of January) opens up the possibility of a sharper fall to support the MACD line on the daily chart 1.3000.

2019-04-23T21:56:16Z

http://www.moneygrows.net/2019_03_20_archive.html

At Legg Mason, our mission and guiding aspiration is Investing to Improve Lives™. Our commitment to stewardship is broad and encompasses not only our investment management strategies but our overall approach to business, as well. In short, when we generate market-beating returns for our clients, profits for our financial stakeholders and good compensation for our employees, we can do more in our communities and benefit the world around us. We have a deep conviction for active, long-term investing. Our nine independent investment managers, each with its own unique thinking, employ both ESG analysis and direct engagement to identify opportunities. All nine of our affiliates are PRI signatories and $183 billion of our long-term AUM is in strategies that utilize ESG factors. ClearBridge Investments and Martin Currie fully integrate ESG into their fundamental investment processes, while Brandywine Global and Western Asset view ESG as an important component of security analysis and offer customized solutions based on client criteria. Clarion Partners, EnTrustPermal, QS Investors, RARE Infrastructure and Royce & Associates all have distinct approaches incorporating ESG into their areas of investment focus. We have made it a priority to build both a more diverse and inclusive work environment. This commitment means mindfully, consciously and consistently bringing different voices into the conversation, empowering a broader group of stakeholders to influence and make decisions. I’m proud of the work being done by my colleagues at Legg Mason and our investment affiliates worldwide, as reviewed in our 10th Annual CSR Report. And yet, we know we can do more. Together, we are dedicated to being that force for good that investors expect and to fulfilling our mission of investing to improve lives. Through active engagement and management. Is the connection between our employees, the communities and the stakeholders we serve. Approximately $183 billion of long-term assets under management (AUM) is in investment strategies that utilize environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, up 15 percent over the previous year. For the second consecutive year, JUST Capital and Forbes included Legg Mason in their JUST 100 rankings. Legg Mason and three affiliates — Brandywine Global, ClearBridge Investments and Western Asset — named to Pensions & Investments’ list of “Best Places to Work in Asset Management” in 2017. The first company to earn the ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management Systems Certificate from PECB North America, a certification body for international standards. CalPERS, the largest U.S. public pension fund, allocated $1 billion to an ESG investment strategy developed by affiliate QS Investors. A Clarion Partners subsidiary was named “Multi-family Builder of the Year” by the Florida Green Building Coalition. For the second year running, the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) awarded Martin Currie an A+ in all three of its top-level categories. Legg Mason received a 95% score for Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. This index ranks employers on their engagement with and support of the LGBTQ community. Our membership in the Ceres Company and Investor Networks on Climate Change and Sustainability is an important component of Legg Mason’s stakeholder engagement. In 2018, we asked Ceres to host a presentation on the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) for our Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Working Group along with our Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC) and our Global Responsibility & Environmental Education Network (GREEN) employee resource group. As a firm, we have recently reviewed the 17 SDGs and are in the process of determining which goals best align with our business as well as our CSR focus. Once we determine our proposed goals, we will hold a stakeholder engagement meeting with Ceres regarding SDGs and corresponding targets. In the coming months, we will revisit our matrix with Ceres as well as with internal stakeholders. The United Nations-supported PRI is recognized as the leading global network for investors committed to incorporating ESG considerations into their investment philosophies. Signatories agree to contribute to the development of a more sustainable global financial system. ClearBridge Investments, Clarion Partners and Martin Currie all received A+ overall PRI scores as well as above-average scores for each of the respective required modules. * Figures include Legg Mason corporate and distribution employees and all affiliates with U.S. employees. Legg Mason’s Board of Directors represents a diversity of thought, experience and perspective. Our diverse board includes three women and two African-Americans. With the addition this year of Michelle Goldberg, a partner at venture capital firm Ignition Partners, and Alison Quirk, a retired State Street Corporation executive, 30% of our board members are women as of fiscal year 2018. This puts us in line with the 30% Club’s goal that all public company boards have a minimum of 30% female representation by 2020. Legg Mason’s ERGs are open to all employees. We encourage strong participation as well as support of our collective diversity and inclusion initiatives from the top down and from allies. In October 2017, Legg Mason offices around the world hosted our first-ever “Day of Conversation.” The goal of the day was enhancing mutual understanding. Trained employee volunteers facilitated 90-minute to 2-hour sessions where participants were welcome to talk about any aspect of diversity and inclusion. Whatever the concerns — gender, race, sexual orientation, generational differences or any other factor that inhibits people in their work life — people were encouraged to either share feelings and viewpoints or simply listen to what co-workers had to say. Ultimately, this day was another step forward in building a truly inclusive workplace at Legg Mason where all employees feel they can be their full, authentic and best selves. Q: What attracted you to the role at Legg Mason? A: Legg Mason’s mission of Investing to Improve Lives resonated with me personally as I am intrinsically motivated to make a difference in the workplace for employees and externally in the community. I am a firm believer that an effective leadership style has a positive impact on an organization's culture, and the opportunity to work for and with a leader like Joe Sullivan, Legg Mason’s Chairman and CEO, was very appealing. Q: Can you talk about the role of the Executive Diversity and Inclusion Council (EDIC) and ERGs in advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives? A: The leadership, engagement and alignment of the EDIC and our ERGs is a critical factor in the success of these initiatives and setting global priorities. I am now the chair of the EDIC and Joe is our executive sponsor. Our goal is to have a systematic approach to diversity and inclusion that addresses our culture, processes and leadership. Q: What are some key challenges in the overall diversity and inclusion space? A: Diversity and inclusion means different things to different people based on their personal experiences, geography and general views of the world. At the core, we have diversity when there is more than one person in the room. We can open up great opportunities if we can help people understand that growth is obtained through diversity and inclusion. Organizational and individual benefits are realized when people embrace the fundamental belief that diversity doesn’t work without inclusion and vice versa. Q: You’ve launched a program focused on unconscious bias. Why did you decide to tackle that issue? A: Implementing and expanding unconscious bias training is one of the three goals of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion initiative that Joe signed last year. It’s important that we introduce tools to identify and eliminate bias in talent and business systems. This program provides education and resources for all employees on inclusive leadership and unconscious bias. Q: How has the asset management industry changed over the course of your career? A: When I started out in this industry more than 30 years ago, there were very few female research analysts, portfolio managers or traders. Over time, and through the efforts of both male and female leaders, the industry has started to reflect the diverse intellectual talent in the marketplace. Q: Why is it important for the industry to embrace diversity and inclusion? A: I believe that women investors are an untapped resource and a powerful force in capital markets. Moreover, quantitative studies continue to demonstrate that including women in management can help drive returns, lower volatility and increase innovation. Q: As a senior leader in your field, how are you helping the industry move forward? A: I’ve been deeply involved in ClearBridge’s internship program for more than five years. It’s been very rewarding to see the progress of the young women who come through that program. Many of them have continued with careers on Wall Street. If we introduce more women to finance as a potential career option, we can encourage more diversity in our field in the future. Just a negative screen for “sin” stocks? Fact: ESG is about engagement, not necessarily exclusion. Fact: ESG factors can be applied across any asset class. Only available to institutional or high net worth investors? Fact: Legg Mason offers two dedicated ESG products for retail investors. A “feel good” approach that underperforms traditional strategies? Fact: ESG equity indexes have comparable performance to broad market benchmarks†. ESG factors can be part of an active investment strategy across multiple asset classes. Brandywine Global believes ESG factors have the potential to be a greater differentiator of sovereign bonds in the future. Beyond the obvious social and governance concerns, political situations, such as the guerrilla conflict in Colombia, could impact deforestation or promote illicit logging. These potential risks are certainly factored into investment analyses. When selecting government bonds, investors could consider what countries are doing to move away from areas of environmental concern, such as the use of nuclear power, and then weigh the potential impact of those changes on not only the health and welfare of its citizens but also any potential economic impact on the country’s production and growth prospects. When looking at commercial real estate, investors could consider the property’s carbon footprint and how green energy is leveraged in the projects. For example, a solar photovoltaic system can be a differentiator when working with tenants. Clarion Partners worked alongside Amazon on the installation of solar systems on three fulfillment facilities in Nevada and California. Clarion’s solar installations are spread across retail, industrial and residential properties on both U.S. coasts and in Texas. Companies that are making a true difference when it comes to sustainable factors, such as carbon emissions and water consumption, can also experience a direct bottom line benefit. Consider a discussion that ClearBridge had with a hardware company, in which it had been a shareholder for several years. This dialog led to the company measuring and reporting carbon emissions data and setting five-year targets to reduce emissions by 30%. The company also addressed water consumption and eventually achieved 100% water recycling in its Shanghai manufacturing plant — the first facility of its kind to reach such a milestone. In addition to the environmental impact, this decision resulted in more than $2 million in water utility cost savings. Shareholders put a proposal to the board of a U.S. oil and gas company that it distribute a report outlining its climate-change policies. As a shareholder, Martin Currie was in full support of this proposal and met directly with company leadership to explain why these were critical issues for shareholders. Since the voting, the company has outlined specific initiatives to prevent climate change and distribute a climate risk report. ESG factors affect the creditworthiness of fixed-income issuers’ securities as well as the performance of fixed-income investment portfolios. For Western Asset, climate-related initiatives were a focal point of discussions with policymakers during a recent trip to Africa, which included stops in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt. In Côte d’Ivoire, specifically, portfolio managers had a long discussion about the challenges in developing the country’s energy sector, and the potential for off-grid solar systems to facilitate rural electrification without overwhelming public finances. Each year, Legg Mason surveys retail investors around the world to gauge their motivations, concerns and biases. The latest survey explored the outlook of nearly 17,000 investors in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. Among the themes the Global Investment Survey 2018 explored were ESG and sustainability. According to the survey, the environmental factor (31%) is the most important criteria for investors who consider ESG when choosing a fund. Social (21%) and governance (20%) factors ranked second and third. When asked about barriers to ESG investing, investors cited lack of information (29%) and lack of advice (24%) as the two biggest hurdles. Two other concerns (both 23%) were uncertainty over which investments take a sustainable approach and the feeling that investment returns on ESG-aligned investments won’t be as strong as the returns on other investments. In weighing the investment factors that portfolio managers should consider, environmental concerns again topped the list. Survey participants expressed strong concerns about both the impact on their local environment as well as global climate change. ESG investing is a natural fit with Legg Mason’s belief in and commitment to active investing. Active management provides us with the flexibility needed to apply ESG strategies and make investment decisions that we believe are best for our clients. As active investors, we can engage with companies that face ESG challenges and use proxy votes to drive improvements in companies’ operations, making them more sustainable in the long run. Legg Mason offers investors ESG solutions across many asset classes and investment vehicles through our nine affiliate investment managers. Corporate governance is the backbone of CSR. Legg Mason’s Board of Directors and management are committed to sound corporate governance, and we value engagement with stockholders on our policies and practices. We engage with our largest shareholders midway through each fiscal year to discuss corporate governance topics as well as practices and outcomes. In 2017, we talked with stockholders about Legg Mason’s strategic developments, board composition and gender diversity. We also solicited investors’ views on proxy access and stockholders’ rights to amend bylaws. Based on their feedback, in February 2018, we adopted a “proxy access” provision permitting a shareholder or group of up to 20 shareholders owning 3% or more of our outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years to nominate a number of candidates for election to the board not to exceed the greater of two directors or 20% of the number of directors then in office. As described in our Code of Conduct, “No Chalk” refers to “no chalk on your shoes.” It is a term we have used for many years as a metaphor for ethical behavior. Like an athlete competing on a playing field, Legg Mason wants all employees to stay well within the boundary lines for ethical behavior so there’s no chalk on their shoes. For additional information on Legg Mason’s Code of Conduct, please read our governance documents. ClearBridge is a long-term shareholder in BioMarin Pharmaceutical, a biotechnology company developing treatments for rare and orphan diseases. The company’s mission is to save or improve patient lives, and it makes its treatments widely available, especially in emerging markets underserved by large drug makers. BioMarin also adheres to environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. ClearBridge has been engaging with the company for several years, encouraging it to better document its ESG practices by publishing a sustainability report. The company is still considering such a report but, in the interim, it has begun to post sustainability information on its website. ClearBridge views this as progress and will continue to engage BioMarin on improving its sustainability disclosures. Cybersecurity threats escalate and evolve on a daily basis. Our employees and clients entrust us with significant amounts of personal data. As stated in our Code of Conduct, all employees are responsible for protecting confidential data contained in electronic data and emails. Q: At a high level, how does Legg Mason approach cybersecurity? A: Just like the technology we use, our cybersecurity policies and strategies are constantly being reviewed and enhanced. This effort requires a high level of cooperation between the firm and our affiliates. More specifically, our cybersecurity program is based on the NIST cybersecurity framework, a robust and flexible framework that’s widely seen as a best practice for addressing cybersecurity risk. And of course we proactively monitor for attacks or threats to our environment. Q: The EU just enacted new standards specifying how companies should handle personal data. How are you complying with this regulation? A: As a global company, we are used to dealing with different data privacy standards in different markets. With regard to the General Data Protection Regulation, we worked closely with Legg Mason’s legal and compliance departments, as well as our affiliates, to be ready by the May 2018 deadline. This work included analyzing the types of data we collect and maintain from both clients and employees, working with vendors to identify key risks and concerns, and updating policies and procedures to bring them in-line with the new regulation. Q: One of the biggest causes of data breaches is employee error. How do you involve employees in cybersecurity? A: Cybersecurity is part of everyone’s job at Legg Mason. It is important that we all take it seriously and understand what we are responsible for. Our cybersecurity team just launched an internal “cybersite,” which offers educational articles and tips for enhancing cybersecurity. In addition to our annual awareness training, we recently hosted a panel discussion for employees to highlight the importance of cybersecurity vigilance from a personal and corporate viewpoint. Focuses on creating a sustainable future through reducing energy use — lowering costs, reducing our carbon footprint and reinforcing our reputation. Creates sustainability awareness and helps people live environmentally friendly lifestyles. Participates in activities such as oyster gardening. Comprised of both Legg Mason and affiliate participants, it promotes knowledge-sharing and best practices among investment professionals. Clarion Partners believes that sustainability and property competitiveness go hand-in-hand. The firm strengthens sustainability across its portfolio in many ways, including installing electric vehicle charging stations; factoring walk and mass transit scores into property evaluations; implementing more sustainable lighting, landscaping and HVAC systems; and improving energy management. In recent years, solar implementation has played a particularly important and growing role in the firm’s energy management programs. Clarion supports these alternative energy efforts by working with tenants that are interested in procuring solar, breaking ground in 2012 with its first 1.5-megawatt (MW) development. Additional projects have since followed, and there are now over 20 MW of solar capacity installed, or in the installation process, throughout its portfolio. Clarion’s solar systems are spread across retail, industrial and residential properties in seven states, and it continues to actively explore additional opportunities for further deployment. Clarion has been particularly pleased to support Amazon in its ambitious effort to deploy solar on 50 fulfillment centers by 2020. Currently, Amazon has solar panels on five properties owned by Clarion, representing 23% of the 17 million square feet of property leased through Clarion. Plastic trash is a global environmental threat and a significant source of water pollution. Today the largest use of plastics is in disposable packaging, which typically isn’t recycled. The winning entry in the GREEN ERG’s “Think Green” employee competition was designed to reduce employees’ plastic usage by using fewer plastic bin liners. The “Bin the Bin” initiative now encourages employees to remove their individual waste bins from under their desks and instead use communal ones. It’s estimated that Legg Mason offices in three locations alone — Baltimore, New York and Stamford — use 125,000 bin liners a year. Our London and Sydney offices have also been strong supporters, with 100% of staff having kicked the individual bin habit. Since 2008, Legg Mason has been a member of the CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) and signatory of its Investor Initiative. We have generally received favorable scores in CDP’s annual climate disclosure survey. Last year, we were disappointed with a “C” score, having had an “A-” score the prior year despite minimal change in our overall carbon footprint or related initiatives. In 2018, we re-evaluated our approach to the survey, which resulted in increasing engagement on certain commitments related to our ESG and CSR initiatives. We’re hopeful that our efforts will allow us to achieve an improved score and look forward to seeing the results when they’re made public. 1 Energy measured in megawatt hours used by Legg Mason and ClearBridge corporate offices based on calendar year data. 2 This differs from what was previously reported for 2016 as corrections were made to the data during the 2017 reporting process as well as the release of updated emissions factors that were applicable to 2016 energy data. 3 Carbon footprint measured in metric tons based on the energy usage outlined above. Q: Why have you chosen to work with SoundWaters? A: Long Island Sound is our region’s greatest natural resource. Unfortunately, even though we can easily see it, it’s harder to experience it directly because public access is somewhat limited. SoundWaters fundamentally believes that when people, especially students, directly enjoy the benefits of the sound and know something about it, they’ll do more to protect it. And they’re doing a very effective job of giving children in our communities access to and education about to the sound. Q: What types of programs does SoundWaters offer? A: Every year, SoundWaters educates and inspires more than 32,000 students from all backgrounds in Connecticut and New York. It wants them to understand, value and protect the sound through hands-on science that directly connects them to the water. They conduct year-round programs in local schools, at two coastal education centers, on sailboats and aboard their 80’ schooner. More than 30% of the students come from underserved communities thanks to a donor-funded scholarship program. Q: How do you and your colleagues get involved? A: We’ve participated in beach clean-ups at Cove Island Park, cleaned boating equipment used by SoundWaters in educational programs and invited SoundWaters staff to conduct educational programs associated with Bring Your Child to Work Day. This year, we expanded our involvement by participating in Flotilla 18, sponsored by Legg Mason. Twenty employees, families and friends paddled kayaks and paddle boards four miles from Cove Island Park to Stamford Harbor to raise money for SoundWaters and to raise community awareness about the sound’s recreational benefits. Q: Why is the health of Long Island Sound important to you? A: Every day, I look out our office windows and I’m uplifted by the sound’s beauty. I’m also reminded of its vital importance as a natural resource critical to the environment that also provides recreational as well as commercial benefits to communities all along its shoreline in Connecticut and New York. When we volunteer to protect and preserve the sound, we’re truly investing to improve lives, both now and for generations to come. We have a long history of supporting community well-being through the Legg Mason Charitable Foundation. We believe that Legg Mason’s investments can have the greatest impact through a core focus on education and on nonprofit partners with strong grassroots initiatives and commitments to their communities. Since it was established in 2000, the foundation has made nearly $25 million in grants to community partners. In 2018, 60% of foundation giving was directed toward crib-to-career education programs. The foundation has established decade-long relationships with several nonprofit organizations and is committed to helping students succeed — from preschool through college. With 90% of brain development occurring by age five, having a long-standing foundation partner dedicated to high-quality and affordable early childhood education is of great importance. In addition to philanthropic support and board representation, twice a month, Stamford employees read to the children and lead hands-on, learning-related activities. Operating in Baltimore and New York, this organization helps academically motivated middle and high school students rise above disadvantaged backgrounds and become successful in college and beyond. In addition to philanthropic support and board representation, our African Heritage Employees Advocating Diversity (AHEAD) ERG regularly partners with the organization to provide life-skill development activities to the students and meaningful volunteer opportunities to our employees. Our partnership with the Baltimore Community Foundation aims to alleviate the financial stress of paying for college and allow students to focus on their studies. To date, Legg Mason has awarded scholarships totaling more than $300,000 to students in financial need. The current program structure provides a Baltimore public school student with a four-year, full college scholarship to a public university in Maryland. Legg Mason embarked on our CSR journey in 2008. We were an early adopter in building a formal CSR department, tracking our efforts and reporting to stakeholders. All employees “own” CSR and each of us is accountable for continued firm-wide commitment, growth, innovation and progress in this area. Our CSR function serves as a critical connector, bringing together multiple social, community and environmental dimensions across the firm into a comprehensive platform. Our Global CSR Network facilitates collaboration around the firm’s collective work on CSR. We see our commitment to CSR as a differentiator and a key component of the Legg Mason brand. But it’s more than that. CSR is an integral part of the Legg Mason employee experience. It is the primary way that we live our values and impart our organization’s culture to both existing and future stakeholders. Our East Baltimore Initiative is a community-based, philanthropic program that exemplifies our mission of Investing to Improve Lives. Our goal is straightforward and measurable: To improve the lives of our East Baltimore neighbors around education, job/career training, health and wellness and affordable housing. We collaborate with three core partners: Living Classrooms, Rebuild Metro and the East Baltimore Revitalization Project. BLocal connects 27 large businesses with a presence in Baltimore with the aim of magnifying their shared commitment to our headquarters city by building, hiring and buying locally, whenever possible. As part of our support, this past fiscal year Legg Mason hosted a BLocal procurement fair. Our senior manager for procurement participated in a panel that discussed what they look for in vendors and discussed supply chain logistics. Additionally, we created an inbox ([email protected]) to collect inquiries from local and diverse suppliers. Worked with Bottom Line to raise funds for a “dorm registry” for six New York City students who are the first in their family to attend college. Helped prepare Crossroads School in East Baltimore for the new school year by painting hallways and organizing classrooms. Donated supplies and backpacks for students and classrooms in underserved communities, including the POWER House in East Baltimore. Since 2014, Legg Mason has supported Maryland’s third-largest independent university through the school’s corporate scholarship program, Stevenson Partners. Each year, our contribution provides scholarships to Stevenson University to six deserving students. We also provide the sponsored students with career mentoring opportunities. In 2018, we deepened our relationship with Stevenson by launching a minority fellowship that awarded one student with a year-long position in our finance department. Kickstarting financial education in the U.K. KickStart Money is one of Legg Mason’s signature programs promoting financial education in partnership with other asset management firms. The aim of the project is to help build a national savings culture for the future. Currently financial education is part of the curriculum in secondary schools, but research has found many fiscal habits are developed at a younger age and that teachers and parents lack the confidence to equip young people with money skills. In addition to financial support, our U.K. employees have been lending their time to further financial literacy in underserved primary schools. Recognized as one of Pensions & Investments’ Best Places to Work in Money Management 2017, Legg Mason fosters a supportive culture where employees can continue to grow, and where work/life balance is respected. Just as we seek innovative solutions for our clients, we want to foster an innovative workplace that invests in improving the lives of our dedicated employees. As an example of how our benefits evolve to meet our employees’ needs, our medical plans for U.S. benefit-eligible employees now include coverage for transgender reassignment surgery. In each of its international locations, Legg Mason provides customized market-competitive benefit packages. Company-provided membership for child, elder, pet and household care needs. Free access to this online tool to optimize student loan repayments. In 2018, Legg Mason began offering an industry-leading policy to enhance work/life balance for parents welcoming a new child. All U.S. employees who become new parents can now take up to 12 weeks of paid time at 100% of their base salary, whether or not they have a stay-at-home partner. Expanding this benefit is consistent with our efforts to improve diversity and inclusion across the company by treating all new parents — both male and female — equally. Employee Resource Groups provide employees with opportunities for professional development, networking and community outreach. More than 1,400 employees, more than 40% of our global employee base, participate in the following groups. Q: How has Legg Mason’s support of ERGs evolved? A: I’ve been with Legg Mason for 20 years, and I’ve seen a significant cultural shift take place over that time. As a gay man, it has meant a lot to me — personally and professionally — to see the involvement of Joe Sullivan and the executive committee. They care about making improvements in diversity and inclusion across the board, and they’ve supported Out & Equal, a nonprofit dedicated to achieving workplace equality for LGBTQ individuals, for the past five years. Q: What was it like for you to attend Out & Equal’s Workplace Summit this year? A: The most significant proof of the company’s support of diversity and inclusion was our first-ever sponsorship of Out & Equal. It was a powerful experience to attend the conference and to absorb the teachings from the event. I had a lot of “wow” moments. Q: How does LEAD interact with Legg Mason’s other ERGs? A: LEAD has always welcomed LGBTQ allies so it’s important to us to convey that we’re allies of other groups. Ultimately, we believe that every aspect of diversity and inclusion is important. That’s why we support our other ERGs; we go to events and join groups that aren’t just about us. It’s something we can all grow from. Our report is aligned with the GRI. The index below is for reference. Each year, Legg Mason measures ESG topics that are important to our key stakeholders. These topics, which can change meaningfully from year to year, are determined following a detailed review process and thorough engagement discussions. Some topics continue to resonate for our firm and ESG investors across the globe, such as workplace diversity and corporate governance, which advance our interests and those of our clients. Legg Mason is a global investment company committed to active, long-term investing by providing individual and institutional investors the valuable flexibility necessary to pursue their financial goals. Guided by its mission of Investing to Improve Lives™, Legg Mason helps individual and institutional investors achieve better financial outcomes by delivering independent specialized investment expertise. Founded in 1889 in Baltimore, Legg Mason has evolved from a regional broker-dealer into a global asset manager with $755 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of Sept. 30, 2018. Today, Legg Mason serves clients from 39 locations around the world, including offices in New York, Miami, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Melbourne and São Paulo. Legg Mason’s network of nine independent investment managers – each with distinct capabilities and expertise – connects clients to a diverse array of active equity, fixed income and alternative strategies. Our integrated client-first approach emphasizes service and transparency. Managers seek to deliver “sustainable alpha” that’s responsibly managed and risk-aware. For more information, please visit our web site: www.LeggMason.com. What should I know before investing? Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Equity securities are subject to price fluctuation and possible loss of principal. Fixed-income securities involve interest rate, credit, inflation and reinvestment risks; and possible loss of principal. As interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income securities falls. Before investing, carefully consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can find this and other information in each prospectus, or summary prospectus, if available, which is available at www.leggmasonfunds.com. Please read it carefully. © 2018 Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC. Member FINRA, SIPC. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC and all entities mentioned are subsidiaries of Legg Mason, Inc.

2019-04-23T10:55:06Z

https://www.leggmason.com/global/campaigns/csr-2018.html

A touch of compassion for Philippine atheists . . . It struck me that atheists must be going nuts right now. And maybe Muslims, too. Or how about INC members whose new arena can’t come close to matching the grab power of Pope Francis on wheels? Face it, this is a celebration by the super-majority of 83 percent, and it is totally of the Philippine style. Loud, robust, self-involved, screams detached from faith, but somehow sealing the baying crowd tighter in faith. This is a bald-headed white Manny Pacquiao sitting at the right side of God Himself, packing Jesus in his heart and humanity in his soul. I feel sorry for atheists. They have no marketing department. They have no logo, no idol, not even a flag to wave. All they have is a belief system that the brain is better than all this faith in outer-world powers. They’d convince a lot more people if they could answer some of the more perplexing of our scientific questions. Like, really, what is beyond the universe? And what is that stuff that we can’t see that makes up most of the mass of the universe? The world is rich in mysteries and phenomena and atheists can only stammer . . . It’s like dogs can hear sounds that human ears are not equipped to grasp. The human mind also seems deaf to a lot of understandings. Yet, atheists, like the religious, push their belief system on others with passion and a hard-headed need to convince . . . I somehow think there are a lot of drunk atheists this week, drowning their sorrow and impotence in the overpowering machismo of a Pope with charisma, clout and . . . yes . . . compassion. On that point, I think alcoholism is a faith, too, a belief system that putting the brain into a trance will make the pains go away, at least until the morning hangover. It’s icon is the bottle, and it comes in many elegant shapes and styles. Womanizing is also a belief system, but let’s let that one go for now. My own belief system is that there is no proven belief system, and it is thereby enriching to partake of the faithful of any peculiar system celebrate their unity, praise their heroes, and strive for a better way of living. Muslims are likely not getting drunk, but I fear that a lunatic fringe is incensed by this display of belief that is not theirs. And so they are plotting a bloody revenge in the dark, satanic corners of their animalistic minds. I hold compassion for Muslims who do not feel inclined to force the rest of the world to follow their model, other than by kind living. Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are my kind of Muslim. It often seems to me like every Muslim with a gun has a tablet full of commandments and he is not afraid of using either one to subjugate the infidels . . . including the 83% out celebrating today. Like, in some countries, I cannot say Allah, and in France I can’t draw a picture of Mohammed. In Saudi Arabia, my wife can not drive and she would get stoned if she looked at Coco Martin with that somewhat lusty look I’ve seen her acquire when facing his televised presence. What’s an atheist to do in the face of that affront to intellect? I feel sorry for atheists. My heart goes out to them even if they only want my mind. They are diminished by this grand display of irrational love. ← Does mercy and compassion extend to the corrupt? I’m not a believer myself, but I am neither drunk nor disturbed, though I might be grumpy were I stuck in the traffic. I also don’t see any need for a marketing department: I have no interest at all in promoting my belief or lack thereof to the masses, or to anyone. I’m willing to discuss the issues, as long as the discussion stays civil, but I’ve no interest in preaching or being preached to. Those who want religion, or feel that they need it, are quite welcome to it. I would appreciate it if they did not force it on others, but I understand that this is to some extent inevitable. Some Jehovah’s Witnesses once came to my door to convert me. I put on my most beatific smile and manner and said gently “sori po, satanista po kami dito”. They retreated. One copes with the intrusion. I of course do not speak for all non-believers, but neither does anyone else. What does disturb me is when a few power-hungry men manipulate the faith of the masses in an attempt to use the State to impose their will and agendas on those who they cannot persuade from the pulpit… but that’s another question, and mass fondness for the Pope does not affect it so much. I do not expect, for example, a surge of support for the CBCP or its political causes to emerge from this trip. People will have their thrill, and we will go on as before. A very rational perspective, indeed. Adept handling of the Witnesses. I also rebel against the imposition of values in ways other than teaching and preaching. I find beheadings a strange way to celebrate the faith. Interesting view that, once the excitement dies, both the CBCP and the people will go back to what they were doing. I hope not. I hope Pope Francis instills a sense of conscience, especially among the masses who will be voting in 2016. My own guess is that most of those present are more interested in basking in The Presence than listening to, let alone following, the words said… but that is just my guess. My guess is that majority of those who went to see the Pope even for a momentary glimpse went not to show the strength of their faith but to savor and relish the atmosphere of deep holiness and godliness of the Pope. The stories of the current Pope’s humility, modesty, unpretentiousness and self effacement has made him a living example of Jesus, himself. Jolly, copy this comment to the blog I just published, eh? Perfect. My only question is. Is it really believing in nothing? There must be something to believe in. As to what that something is called I do not know. I believe in many things. Gods and demons are not among them. ok I am very wrong saying believing in nothing. It’s actually quite common, if a bit unfortunate, for people to confuse atheism with nihilism. a yeah that is the proper word for it. thanks and sorry about that. no cell phone signal may mean no broadband connection for many regulars. Atheists have always been described as “all dressed up and nowhere to go.” Atheists will have no use for a marketing department, since it has no product or service to sell in the first place. To become an atheist is to believe there is no God. But that takes an act of faith in itself – not to believe. But just because it can’t be detected by our senses does not mean it does not exist. The more humble position is to say, “I do not know.” or “I am not sure.” And take it from there. The humbug atheists – Richard Dawkins, Hitchens are the lonely ones out there. But that poster above does a great disservice to the greatest minds of the past generations, without whom mankind would not have great strides in its development. Einstein and Sagan were curious intellectuals who pondered the universe honestly. Lincoln and Franklin co-founded one of the greatest nations on earth. Great writers like Twain, Hemingway and Hugo created works that are of great value till today. The genius of this Pope is he has opened the door to atheists who desire the common good. The genius of Francis is that he is a humble Pope. Now the CBCP political bishops . . . . Disbelief accommodates uncertainty quite readily. None of us really “knows” whether or not there is a God. Some choose to believe, some don’t. I have no issues with saying “this is possible, but I see no reason to believe that it is the case”. My own belief is that man invented God long long ago, when wiser elders needed some threat to force the strong young bucks to refrain from fighting each other and work for the good of the tribe. In the days of the primitive hunter gatherers, a social group that could keep the males of reproductive age from fighting each other would have a huge evolutionary advantage over those that could not, hence the evolutionary value of social control. How does one restrain and discipline the physically strongest members of the tribe? Invent big daddy in the sky. I do not care for fundamentalists and preachers of any sort, including those who preach fundamentalist atheism. I prefer to live, let live, and hopefully be let to live. I don’t believe also, the Pope to me is just another dignitary visiting another country and so no reason to grab a bottle because of that. To the believer, I say, keep your faith, but faith to me does not prove anything, and to say that “I have faith therefore it’s true” is quite not my tenet. Am I an atheist? What’s in a name? Does not matter to me. Bert, you are my brother . . . Au contraire, atheists are amused at the spectacular display of madness and insanity. Like all religions, idol worshiping in Catholicism is founded on vain hopes. It’s a church so rotten in corruption, pedophilia, and hypocrisy the intellectual Ratzinger has to resign because he could not cope with the stink. Pope Francis may have the gift of charisma but his populist charge could only go so far. Resistance from within the conservative ranks of Catholics on issues like gay and women rights and anthropogenic global warming could widen the fissure of disunity. Will he be able to succeed in reforming an increasingly irrelevant organization? That’s the two dollar question. And that is where mercy and compassion comes in. His church need a good measure of it. One of the things that perplexes me as I listen to Pope Francis as he speaks of many faiths and . . . I’m not sure of his exact words . . . but something to do with respecting people who believe differently than we do which seems to be a form of compassion and peaceful acceptance of others, as individuals. At the same time, he sees his priests as having a missionary role, which is obviously to bring more disbelievers into the Church. The thing that strikes me, as I read your words which tend toward the side of harsh, I wonder as to the inclusiveness of atheism. It almost seems like it is set up that any believer is wrong-headed, maybe even insane, and what we have is a nation of 80 million crazies. Well, I have a hard time buying that. I think there are 80 million good people looking for answers and a few leaders who are political and even vengeful. But my basic question is, is atheism inclusive or divisive? Atheism is as inclusive or divisive as atheists choose to make it, just like religion. The more people become convinced that they have the right to impose their beliefs on others, the more divisive they get. That’s not a function of the belief in question, it’s a function of the attitude of the believers. You’re having it backwards Joe, it is organized religion that divides humanity. Because Catholics, for example, are atheists to the gods of the Hindus or the Muslims, its history is filled with schisms, conflicts, and wars. Tolerance is not inherently a Catholic virtue. It’s still within living memory where heresy in the Catholic church is punishable by death. To this day, it marginalizes women even from its own ranks. Nuns are essentially second class citizens in the male dominated power structure of the Vatican. Hinduism has many gods, while Islam has only one God. Some Hindus may think Muslim God or Christian God is not suitable for their belief and practices, however some may embrace Islam or Christianity. Atheists don’t believe in God at all as known and defined by schools . Their population is so small even when compared with the least new Christian sect…its because Atheist have no real leader such as Jesus Christ or Buddha. They lack organization and hence no marketing, no books such as the Bible or Al Quran Al Kareem…. But no one knows the real belief of an Atheist. Deep inside they may have their own God, perhaps their God is the True God which most of the people doesn’t know. Perhaps they have the True God that provide them guidance to calculate a mathematical solution for a certain invention. They really don’t care about their status, no need for marketing…because they don’t come to church of a particular religion, or they are not believers and so they are Atheist as others described. Well, I think you escaped the point without addressing it. Let’s say organized religions are intolerant, which makes them divisive, and it also makes them unable to change. Then do you, the atheist, strive to cleave them from the human race, or what? I think it’s reasonable for the atheist to try to separate religion from public policy. To try to deny religion to those who believe that they need it is as wrong as trying to impose it on those who do not, IMO. Yes, I agree entirely, actually. If a church is a political action institution, it ought to pay taxes for the right. A church gets a free ride because it is considered to be doing charity work. Well, meddling with government is a far step from tending the spiritual and emotional needs of the flock. Not a believer too. And these large crowds scare the hell out of me. There’s no telling which direction the crowd may go. It may be positive or negative. I once went to a large meeting from a pyramid organisation and I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears seeing what, otherwise perfectly logical and normal people are able to change into when pushed by so called leaders and social control. I find the huge crowds for the Pope to be unerringly civil and enthusiastic. Hundreds upon hundreds of thousands lined up waiting hours for a brief glimpse and a few seconds of spiritual union that will last a lifetime. I don’t find that scary, but very invigorating. The troublemakers are small bands of people who insist on making the large bands bend to their will. I listened to the Pope’s talk both at the Palace and the Manila Cathedral, and I heard impeccable logic and goodness of heart, wrapped within his message of faith. I doubt that Binay gets it. So if I had to choose my lunatic, it would not be the Pope. These are the same crowds that hail Jesus entering Jerusalem only to shout days later, crusify him when in front of Pilatus. They behaved civic and patiently but just like with the black Nazarene from last year it can suddenly change. Thats what scares me. Crowds are a entity by itself. Yes, crowds can be scary, I agree. But I’d be inclined to give credit to the good behavior in respect of the millions of well-behaved Filipinos in Manila, rather than give in to the fear of bad behavior, usually caused by a few malcontents. At some time, in some way, we have to stop raising up the negatives as the ONLY thing out there, and give credit when it is earned. The only advertisement Atheists has is the failure of all Catholic countries in the world from the lovingly proud only Roman Catholic in South East Asia to the most Roman Catholic in Asia all the way to Middle East and Latin America. Vatican should be thankful to Taliban Christians 2,000 years ago who were more vicious than the current breed of Muslim terrorists. The Muslims has a lot of catching up. They should read and learn the wanton indiscriminate slaughter of non-believers that has forced the people of today to believe in this thing called Christianity. Even home grown Philippine God, Maharlika and Maganda, who were freed from a bamboo were smothered by forced marketing of Spains religion. The major emeny of Religion is internet and education. I thank the Atheists for all the good things that has come our way. Computers. Cars. Internet. Facebook. Etcetera. Atheists made the flat earth round. Have the earth revolved around the sun. That is a great feat. While the Vatican still sends their messages thru a chimney. I also thank the Vatican for giving refuge to jewish killers crank out false papers so they can go to Latin America and pray to their God. Even the leaders of the church pop pills cooked by atheists so they can live a little longer. I do not think the atheists are drunk of sorrow witnessing desperate Filipinos to see Pope Francis to drive away their sins but were amused and entertained. These fanatically religious Filipinos would leave the parade route of Pope Francis upon receipt of appointment to U.S. Embassy to get a visa to secular non-praying America. You are in good form today, Mariano. Science is what gave us computers, cars, internet, facebook, etcetera. Science is what made the flat earth round, the earth revolve around the sun. Religious beliefs and science are not necessarily mutually exclusive. ha ha ha ha amusing but it is true, US Visa is more precious than the pope…. imagine if we still believe that everything still revolve around the earth. wait how can that happen if the world is flat? Wait wait wait… Didn’t Al Gore invented the Internet? Watch your mouth you infidel! He might take it away! Thank you, sonny. Beautiful snippets yourself . . . “… I find the huge crowds for the Pope to be unerringly civil and enthusiastic. Hundreds upon hundreds of thousands lined up waiting hours for a brief glimpse and a few seconds of spiritual union that will last a lifetime. A good souvenir … May I? For sure. Any time . . . Lost in all the hoopla were portions of Pnoy’s speech. I’m referring to the portion of the Pope’s speech on corruption, and the shot of Binay. Man, I don’t know. It is the first such incident that I know of. Either I’m hacked or Word Press has poltergeists of mischievous aims or there was just an inadvertent mix-up twixt the typing and the receiving. If it did not go where you wanted, please try again where you want it. Yes, I was surprised at his candid talk. “Bold”, I said at the time. But I’m inclined to write about the silence of the entitled about a presidential candidate who ought not be a presidential candidate. It seems to be to be a lot like a quiet church in the face of a corrupt president. Three thumbs up for Pres. Aquino’s speech re Filipino clergy’s embrace of corruption in Arroyo’s time. Agree absolutely. It is amusing that the Catholic Pope essentially laid waste to the secular Philippines on corruption, and the secular President laid waste to the Catholic Church on corruption. The judgmental quality of a lot of the faithful appears to condemn the President, but not the Pope. I say praise them both. The critics are correct in pointing out how silly that wig reference is, but it’s doubtful if they understand that, to the Pope, it will reflect negatively on the clergyman who said it, rather than the president who complained of it. I suspect the reason for the complaints regarding PNoy’s speech is that, in terms of objective, his will have the desired result. On the yahoo blog it may interest our bloggers here that those who liked comments praising the President far outnumbered those that didnt like it. Itbtells us that the silent majority are indeed against the bishops. 1. I don’t feel sorry for atheists. 1.1. If they come from an initial position of faith and belief and have rationally thought out their position, then I admire them. They have done it tough. 2. Neither do I think that atheism needs a marketing department. To put it another way, the excesses of religion and fanatics serve as their marketing department. 2.1. The turmoil in the world, the corruption, the incivility, the mendicancy, the broken families, the abandoned wives and unsupervised children in the streets, the natural catastrophes… all of these should make every man pause and doubt his faith. 3. As to whether atheism is divisive, it would depend on the individual atheist. 3.1. There are atheists who are proud of their rationality and would treat believers with contempt. 3.2. But there are atheists who have evolved further and understand and accept that reason cannot invalidate the religious experience of believers. 3.3. I think most atheists live in the hope that believers will outgrow their superstitious faith. 3.4. Atheists have come to realize that ethics does not need religion as a foundation. 4. The Abrahamic religions are definitely divisive. 4.1. I think Francis is caught in a dilemma in his attempted pluralism. The impulse to be inclusive defines the man but his faith contradicts the impulse. 4.2. He denounces deviant religions but at the same time castigates those who would remove the deviancy from those religions. 4.3. His church is also caught in deviancy. 2. Yes, that’s true. Thanks for 3. and the sub-points. It seems to me that a truly rational perspective would embrace difference, for everyone is bound to their heritage and cultural upbringing, and also shaped by institutions such as schools and churches and governments. It is difficult for those hard-wired in a certain way to suddenly become rational, on our terms. I did not really see this until I recognized that 83% of the Philippine population is bound PASSIONATELY to a belief system that, what, 3% condemn them for having? Belief is not a democracy, but I think one has to believe that for 3% to condemn 83% is . . . well, I don’t know. Elitist? 4. I agree, they are divisive. I’d guess you have heard more that is divisive from the Pope than I have, in this brief visit. As people grow up with their own set of biases and visions of how life is supposed to be, I’d say Popes grow up within the Catholic system of ritualistic worship and doctrine set in stone by Moses or Charlton Heston or this synod or that. Changing the Catholic Church must be a little like slapping down one’s mother because she was uneducated about something. Pragmatically speaking, the Church will either adapt to modern knowledge or become irrelevant. I give Pope Francis credit for striving to make the church relevant. Which I presume to mean, doing good. And vice versa. I think we all need to strive to respect people for who they are. Be less judgmental of others. We all have our quirks and weirdness. They make us different from others. Everybody is unique, one of a kind. The awareness of diversity even within our own family or circle of influence could facilitate greater tolerance and compassion. Nicely said. I’d rather focus on the development of total respect for our humanity and our intellect, the combination of the two empowering us to figure out ways to live together in harmony. We all have soul. Faith enriches it. We all have brains. Respect that there are different ways to enrichment. Then we can jointly work on problems like global warming and over-population. The former being a problem mainly for the scientists (proxy for atheists), and the latter for the religious (proxy for the Catholic Church). 1. My favorite atheist is CS Lewis. A very honest man, sincere, open-minded, rational. Competent in philosophy and literature. 2. I think atheism has a very powerful marketing department. It’s cool to be an Atheist nowadays – that requires some marketing genius. 3. I agree. On both sides of Atheists and Believers, there are individuals who should be ignored. 3.4. Or they are still in doubt because they don’t have answers to their own questions. 4. How is Christianity different from other religions (including the Jewish religion)? It is said that it’s grace. The Christian God is the only God who give’s unconditional love. Just mention religion and expect that the situation would escalate right away. This is the reason I stay in this community, you can throw in that most controversial topic and everything is still in order. just for clarification, I thought C S Lewis died an Anglican. His book Mere Christianity is considered a classic for Christian apologetics. And that is my point, Sir. I think everyone would agree that CS Lewis is a very intelligent man. Many Christians quote him that’s why I assume he was not an atheist. Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters are the highly recommended readings by a favorite theologian. This I have to do. I won’t fare too well with The Chronicles of Narnia. Thanks. Sorry to confuse, was typing on mobile. CS Lewis is definitely a Christian. He was an Atheist who become a theist. I like his approach as he talks about Philosophy. Followers of Religion who kills people and destroy temples who oppose them are only those Fanatics. A good servant of God of any religion Judaism, Christianity or Islam does not hurt people. The Al Qaeda, Abu Sayaf and other terrorist groups does not belong to Islam, they are users, and perhaps being paid by millionaires to cause troubles to Islam. Islam is so attractive and easy to embrace, that is why a campaign such as Abu Sayaf, Isis or Al Qaeda are anti-marketing for Islam. You nail it exactly, Mac. There must be a higher power, for we exist, and there must be mystery, for we know not why, and there must be free will, for we exercise it, and there must be good, or there would be darkness. Joe, this creed works for me. Communism is also a religion. I treat it as such. Communism is an organization so as Religion, the difference is that, in Communism, one is force to give more that what it takes, while most religion ask only 10% of the income, some even says as you wish or as good to your heart….but really a lot of these organized Religions Ministers have become rich, so very rich….see Vatican’s wealth? What about INC and some other religions.. People are hungry of truth, do we have Heaven? Do we have paradise? Do we have God??? And the ministers says YES….but you need to share a portion or about 10% of your network….This is one reason, why different organization continues to grow and new ones shine with a different styles…. Since I am angry, therefore, I AM A BELIEVER. GOD HELP ME ! HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL ! HOPE ONE DAY WE WILL MEET BEFORE MY JUDGEMENT ! I BEG FOR YOUR COMPASSION ! Straddling the divide, again, Mariano? Where is Joseph Ivo when we need someone to douse the fire and shout, “Moderation, people!”? The extremists are the albatross of any organized religion. There are good, middling, and bad atheists, let us discern the difference. No, let’s force them all into one bucket, like we do Muslims. You know, you make me realize that divisiveness is a failure to respect that goodness comes in all shades, religious or irreligious. Yet we obsess over the bad. Here’s a fearless forecast Joe. Humanity will evolve to reject any and all forms of belief in invisible gods. The future of humanity itself will increasingly depend on the tools and method of science and the scientists that employ them which are, by default, nonbelievers. The snake oil salesmen of religion will only be able to sell their wares to the poor and ignorant population of the world. In that sense, religion is the enemy, the harbinger of poverty and ignorance in humankind. It perpetuates poverty and ignorance by, among others, refusing to empower women on their reproductive health, because religion can only thrive in a teeming sea of poverty, suffering, and ignorance. I was reading yesterday that we humans have gone past the 40% mark on the way to the complete destruction of the planet, one of the most severe threats being the chemicals being dumped into the sea, extinguishing much of the life there in major “dead zones”. At some point, we get past science’s ability to pull us back. I think humanity will evolve to reject the weak, and if banding together by faith makes groups strong, they will outlast the atheists. Now, if the atheists band together and have better weapons, they will win. A small version of this is being played out in Iraq and Syria. Have you watched Interstellar? It is about earth’s imminent destruction and the film also has something to do with atheists.If the plot is to be folllwed, I guess when that happens we have to look for a planet suited for human habitat. I was disappointed with Interstellar, I had high expectations. It ended up to be a cut-and-paste version with portions from Capricorn One, The Black Hole, 2001 – A Space Odyssey, Star Trek The Motion Picture. The sub-plot beyond the wormhole went nowhere. That means that it will be the same thing all over again, survival of the fittest is maintained, and the status quo preserved. Nothing changed. Micha’s fearless forecast is negated, :). If humanity has a future at all, it will have to involve abandoning mother earth. Whether we like it or not, the flourishing of life on this planet is not forever. Human activity hastens planetary hostility to life. Even then, our sun will run out of helium to burn and will implode in a fiery gust before dying. We may console ourselves that it will happen several million years from now but that is exactly the future I’m talking about here. Your fitting of atheists vs. religionists will then become moot in such a future. What good will winning do for either of them if you don’t anymore have habitable earth? By necessity, humanity will have no choice but to unite, discard the divisive baggage of religion and summon all its energies and talents to explore the possibility of settlement in some habitable extra solar planet. That means employing more science and discarding the quackery of religious beliefs. Micha, I really believe you should read Fr. Stanley Jaki. You will enjoy what he has to say on Science and Religion. Don’t be turned off that he is a Catholic priest. I have only read his essay on the miracle of the dancing sun at Fatima. I am trying to get a hold of his book THE MIRAGE OF CONFLICT (between Science and Religion). It now reminds me of The hunger games saga. that was after bert’s comment.after micha’s comment back to interstellar. before our sun goes supernova , lets go back to what are the plans going on around the globe. According to my last visit in the mind museum, the scientists around the globe are dealing with rich sponsors to coordinate a project travel to the south pole of the moon where many believe that there are signs of life. That does not address the supernova scenario but we’ll get there somehow sometime. quackery is seasonal. geocentrism-heleocentrism, flat world – spherical world,name it you have it. When I was a kid, I have a lot of questions, I don’t stop until I’m provided with answers. I thought then that given enough time, I’d be able to answer all my questions. But no, the more I know, the more questions I have. As I learn more, I have to change the answers I already provided. When Mark Twain was a kid, he’s very sure his old man is the most stupid people in the world. And when he was 17, he’s astonished as to how much his father learned. Lucky guy that Mark Twain was. To learn what has to be learned that early. Some of us took a while longer. To learn that father knows best about life. I’m not sure that the path to the future is that linear, from religion through non-religion to science to other worlds. If we allow science to define ends, the future is not all that clear and straightforward. Dystopias in science fiction abound. Some of these describe worlds of unintended consequences where scientists have become rogues and science has gone mad. There is Huxley’s “Brave New World” for one. I am currently reading “Mockingbird” by Walter Tevis. The book portrays a future wherein robots, created as the servants of man, have become his overlords. As well, I am not too sure that mankind should not be allowed to go the way of dinosaurs. Personal extinction is assured. Are we so superior a species that collective extinction should be warded off? Not too long ago we lived in a world of immediate mutual assured destruction by nuclear force. Today we live in a world of prolonged destruction by other forces such as climate change and religious fundamentalism. The supreme irony is that both worlds — yesterday’s and today’s — are the product of our need for security and comfort. And Micha’s tomorrow-world of escape into space is also a product of such need. The escape will not be an easy thing. To be sure, there are plenty of habitable planets within the Milky Way Galaxy. We will have to colonize our solar system before we venture farther. And then we will have to contend with the possible collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda within 4 billion years. As to survival of the fittest, who are the fittest? Aren’t they the ones who would do anything, use any means, to survive? Perhaps we look too much to tomorrow. Perhaps we should look to today and appreciate the blessings of the day. Yes, it was nice and cool. I would love to have seen you climb to the tops of the trees. Perhaps we do look too much to tomorrow. And too much to the past. 🙂 Caduceus, the symbol of medicine. Golden fleece, what Customs does to you if you try to import anything. The healing symbol for the Society is definitely not far-fetched at all. Pardon me for being a tad cryptic, Joe. I meant the caduceus to mean Mercury as the messenger of the gods and the golden fleece as Jason’s symbol of authority and kingship as the ancient myths would have them. Arbitrarily I reassign the dissemination of information and pursuit of good order as what the Society stands for.in those two symbols. 🙂 It’s just my mind meandering. Haha, I guess I missed on both definitions. Meander in peace . . . Ha ha I like the Customs as the golden fleece too. As far as species go, yes we are both lucky and privileged to have acquired higher consciousness and intelligence. Collectively, methinks it’s not a question of whether mankind should be allowed to go extinct or not. It’s just a function of a natural desire to survive. The difference between dinosaurs and modern man is that the dinosaurs were not aware that big rocks could also fly. Granted, the biological drive to survive is strong. But consciousness can thwart and even suppress the drive. And to ask the question is a function of rationality. Should biology dominate rationality? Or should it be the other way around? For humans, rationality is as much a given as biology, and it is rationality as much as biology that makes us a superior species. There’s no duality. Reason is a by-product of biology. We are matter which became conscious of itself. There is more than duality. There is multiplicity; there is plurality. When I say that consciousness can thwart or suppress biology, I am not saying that consciousness is the opposite of biology, only that consciousness in the form of rationality can overcome or control biology. Neither can one say that consciousness (or rationality) is a by-product of biology. By-product means an incidental or secondary result. Biology may be the matrix of consciousness but consciousness is not a secondary result. Consciousness is inherent in biology. Biology pertains to living organisms, and all living organisms exhibit consciousness to a degree. We do not know as yet that non-living organisms possess consciousness. Not really sure what you meant by overcome or control. I am essentially employing reason and consciousness here as synonymous to man. Just as man emerged from the process of biology, so too did reason. In that sense, it is an epi-phenomenon. 1. “There is multiplicity; there is plurality”. 1.1.1. In the above statement, Micha implies that I consider biology and consciousness to be a duality. 1.1.3. Therefore by plurality I mean plurality of views. 2.4. Note that in the expansion I foreshortened “biological drive” to “biology”; within the context of the discussion, the foreshortening should be acceptable. 2.5. An example of “overcome or control” of biological drive is: celibacy. Another example is: dieting. 3.1. Micha’s original statement of “Reason is a by-product of biology” introduces a duality. That is, reason is separate from biology. 3.2. I reject the duality. My contention is that consciousness (or rationality) is not a by-product of biology. Thus: Consciousness is inherent in biology. No it does not, because you cannot separate reason from man. You may just have been waylaid by my use of the word “by-product” which could be, for purposes of clarity, replaced by “emergence”. That is, reason (man) emerged from the process of biology. I guess that’s where the confusion came from because, dear edgar, we were not talking about “views”. The subject was emergent property of reason and consciousness in man. So, we agree on the non-duality of things. That’s good. Moving on, moving on. Aha, you’re existentialist slip is showing. I grew up in a country where all they did is “marketing” and forcing their atheist agenda on us. I dont have any petty on them and I’m happy to take a break from them. that means this community is mature and civil . I hope I can be as mature and civil as the rest. “…respect granted generates respect in return” is another way of saying love your fellowman as you love yourself. That is the basic principle I live on to find the peace within myself that so many find hard to understand. By the way, I am a free thinker who believes that there is that spirit inside me that enlivens and animates me to think of better ways to make this world a better plqce to live in. Very good, gerverg. I for sure respect that. In his heart of hearts, in the deepest rung of his soul, Pope Francis is not a believer. Pope Francis plays upon the fifth stage. He started off as a strict authoritarian, a reactionary figure. At age 50, Francis underwent a spiritual crisis from which, says his biographer, he emerged utterly transformed. He ditched the trappings of high church office, went into the slums and got his hands dirty. I now see the importance of comment threads, this comment thread in particular. Lastly I like hearing from the bookworm types they are instant librarians to me. I have many e books downloaded from torrent I am just too lazy to read them maybe it is time to even have a glimpse. Which makes me wonder, in the context of this thread, are poets rational? I’d say they tend more to the religious, or spiritual, or meanings beyond words. Can there be an Atheist Poet’s Society? this proves I watch movies more than I read .i know there is a dead poet’s society,but somewhere out there is a league of fine gentlemen and women. Ha, does it star Sean Connery? Right, for Dead Poets. “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” was Connery. 2. in france, drawing a picture of mohammed is entirely legal. it’s the muslims (extremists and moderate) who were led to believe that this was haram for them from the beginning, and justify responding to this with violence. 3. atheists do not need pity; apart from having the inconvenience of living with religious people (especially those who do not know their limits), we’re fine. 4. atheists do not have a pressing need to get converts. like in the matrix, we just become aware and leave. some go back to being religious, but we do not chastise or hurt them for that. it’s the religious ones who do this, instead. 5. related also to item 4, atheists do not need a marketing department. if you cannot see the advantages of atheism, then maybe you’re fine where you are. and we’ll leave you there. 6. atheists are not getting drunk just because of this. it’s just mind-boggling to us why, after centuries of existence, the pope’s example hasn’t stuck, or why you needed such a pope to show you such simple examples after centuries of existence. 7. as for the large questions, like what is beyond the universe (if even that question makes sense)? better to say ‘i don’t know’ than to propose an emptiness of an intangible being as an excuse. 8. atheists are not diminished by this. in fact, we’re a bit entertained by this.. show. Don’t read the language too literally. Strive for the meanings. Your view again causes me to ask, is atheism inclusive or divisive. It was not a show to those crying over lost loved ones and searching for a reason why. The atheistic view might be, it’s statistical, deal with it. Well, that is reason, I suppose, but it is not compassion. A visibly moved Francis said he had no answer. “Only when we are able to cry are we able to come close to responding to your question,” Francis said. My take is that Francis — and Christianity — does not have a real answer to Glyzelle’s question. Francis’ answer was a non sequitur. One stock answer I have heard before is: “Because God loves us. He makes us suffer so that we may know Him.” Which makes God a sadist. Suffering (especially of the innocents) is the albatross of religious faith. Suffering in spite of a supposedly all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful god does not make any sense. It contradicts all claims of faith. This quote by Epicurus might not actually be by Epicurus, but Epicurus had enough material for atheists/agnostics. Epicurus was not technically an atheist. He was more of a deist. But his arguments against religion/superstition stemmed from the fear of death. For a christian, it’s fear of going to hell. Yes, a real atheist, a sleeper if you will, who positioned himself at the center (or is it at the top) of the hierarchy, to awaken the flock from their superstitious stupor. I wonder what the Vatican will do if they find out, :). Most people in the Vatican, if they are as intelligent as Glyzelle, are also non-believers. If you are God, will you, limit the freedom of your creation? It is written in the Book of Prophets and many other books in the Bible, in Al Quran Al Kareem, God created humanity to serve by that finishing the term appointed. One may become a President or maybe a prostitute, depends on the selection process as we grow older. Within this time frame, one should be able to know his/her CREATOR…once one have that knowledge, automatically he/she will recognize serving God. When the appointed time comes knocking at your door and you are still without knowledge who the CREATOR is? Your spirit will leave your body, by then its too late. Your spirit will travel back to God and you will realize, you missed that knowledge. Your spirit will have to wait for the Judgment Day, where in every spirit will be given new body, that day, its up to God to forgive for He is the Most Merciful…those who have believed will be right away in the Paradise…. In Heaven, there is the Throne, quarters near the throne, then so on and so so distance, but the unbelievers will dwell far far away, the Book of God says in a Bottom Less Pit…with fiery atmosphere…. It is like in the Movie, however, Al Quran Al Kareem were written during the time without paper and pen, but the view was already mentioned 500years later after Jesus went to Heaven…. If Francis is not wedded to his office, if he had just instead chosen to remain as a chemical technician and bar bouncer in Argentina, he would have no trouble answering Glyzelle’s question.

2019-04-23T14:33:05Z

https://joeam.com/2015/01/16/a-touch-of-compassion-for-philippine-atheists/

The Blue Jays' owners, Rogers Communications Inc., announced yesterday that Skydome will be renamed "Rogers Centre." This move had been rumored, and is part of the franchise's long-term program to bring back the excitement of the early 1990s. New high-tech scoreboard, new fake turf, etc. See mlb.com. If you watch the video of the news conference on that page, you'll hear the rationale for FieldTurf: It allows for greater use of the stadium for non-baseball events than grass does. (The Turf page has been updated to reflect this change.) To me it seems odd that the franchise puts accommodating non-baseball tenants ahead of its own team's interests, but they've got to pay for that white colossus somehow. "Privatizing" sports stadiums is a reversal of the trends of the last half century, SBC Park in San Francisco being one of the rare recent exceptions to the rule. I'm not disputing the owners' right to put their own name on the building, but the increasing frequency of stadium name changes is starting to get on my nerves. "Skydome" is such an established name, I'm a little hesitant to instantly adopt the new name, as I did with Dolphins Stadium. We'll see... It will be interesting to see how many former Expos fans in Montreal will adopt the Blue Jays as their home team, as many Washington-area fans did with the Orioles in the 1970s after the Senators left town. One problem: Montreal is over 300 miles away from Toronto. I hope the Nationals franchise makes an effort to welcome Montrealers to games in Washington, and keeps alive the history of that energetic but often-frustrated Expos team. According to the Washington Post, the Nationals came very close to signing Slammin' Sammy before the Orioles got him to come on board. Wouldn't that have been interesting? The Ivychat blog has some useful insight on the Sosa debacle, with lots of dollar amounts and this adieu: "Thanks for 12 great years Sammy. Now, get lost." No love lost among the Northside folks, it seems. And David Pinto at Baseball Musings says: "The Orioles got one sweet deal." To his credit, the President offered a variety of alternative approaches -- including past proposals made by Democrats Bill Clinton and the late Pat Moynihan -- oriented around the basic goal of giving individuals more choice about their retirement savings. This shows that he is not trying to impose a particular plan or serve some particular interests, but is genuinely trying to solve a national problem. Making sure that anyone born before 1951 won't have to worry about any changes is a good step toward calming nerves. As for the word game, I have shared the hesitation of some moderate Republicans such as Sen. Olympia Snowe about the term "privatizing" Social Security, which instills fear among some people. In my view, there's no need to give the Democrats any more rhetorical ammunition in their obstructionist campaign. (See below.) The proper goal should to restructure Social Security in a way that constrains the ever-inflating entitlement payouts without leaving truly needy people out in the cold. Whether or not one happens to agree with Bush, that broad objective is at least something that reasonable people can agree on. The President also devoted a considerable amount of time to the tort reform issue, likewise eliciting partisan cheers and boos. He tied the problem of frivolous lawsuits to the rising cost of health care, small business vitality, and overall productivity. One comment seemed out of place to me: "I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline." In fact, Republicans legislators last year showed an increasing fondness for old fashioned Democrat-style pork barrel projects. The FY 2005 budget was stringent in many departments, mostly because of wartime funding priorities, but taxpayer vigilance and activism from groups like the Concord Coalition will be necessary to keep a lid on things. In terms of symbolism, the moment when Iraqi human rights activist Safia Taleb al-Suhail embraced the mother of fallen Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood in the audience gallery was simply breathtaking. If that spontaneous gesture does not convince skeptics that our soldiers' sacrifices in Iraq are paying off, then nothing will. A cynic might ask if an American soldier's life is worth an Iraqi citizen's right to vote. If the ratio were one life to one voter, then perhaps not. But look at the big picture: We are talking about 1,400 U.S. war dead so far, as compared to 25 million newly freed Iraqis. I can't speak of the families of American soldiers killed in Iraq, but the sacrifice seems to me to be yielding benefits many times over. In sum, Bush has seized the moment. He senses his power, he has a clear vision where to lead the country, and he can count on a large, enthusiastic base to carry forward his agenda. As long as remains focused on practical medium-term goals and doesn't fall victim to egotism or other tragic foibles, he stands a real chance of defying expectations and achieving historical greatness. In the Democrats' response to the President's address, Sen. Harry Reid (who has replaced Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader) tried to strike a folksy note with some odd personal anecdotes. What struck me most was his call for an "American Marshall Plan," as if our country were in the throes of a deep depression. What an ironic contrast to the shining beacon of opportunity that the U.S.A. still represents to the millions of job seekers from around the world who try to cross our borders every year. (If anything, we need less opportunity!) For her part, Rep. Nancy Pelosi reiterated the negativity about Iraq that has become the dogmatic mantra of the Democratic side. Along these lines, it is worth recalling that Sen. Ted Kennedy made an angry speech last week President Bush yesterday to begin withdrawing U.S. troops, calling the president's Iraq policy "a catastrophic failure." His view of reality is so far off it is no longer even funny. Ironically, a U.S. withdrawal at this crucial moment would be extremely "dangerous and reckless," which is how he described the present course of the Bush administration. How anyone takes him seriously any more is beyond me. See Washington Post. As for the activist networks, MoveOn.org has begun running television spots aimed at stopping any of Bush's Social Security and tort reform proposals. Once again, their actions refute their progressive rhetoric, confirming that their real agenda is overtly status quo, if not reactionary. What seems to be happening is the converse of the old "Vietnam syndrome" -- the Democrats and most on the Left are so wrapped up in their own spin of recent events and interpretations of history that they have completely lost their political bearings. If they persist in badmouthing the accomplishments of American armed forces and strangling opportunities for financial growth in the younger generation, they will have aliented such a big portion of the American electorate that they will essentially put themselves out of business. Has a political party ever committed mass suicide before? A soldier from the nearby town of Stuarts Draft was killed two days ago when his Humvee was struck by one of those "improvised explosive devices" in Babil Province, south of Baghdad. Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Redifer was 19 years old, and only had two weeks to go before his tour of duty ended. He enlisted in the Marines right after high school graduation, and was very proud of doing his duty for his country. In fact, he turned down an honor guard posting so that he could serve with a combat unit. See Staunton News Leader. I saw his mother being interviewed on TV, and she was remarkably composed as she said how proud she was of her son. It is the bravery of young men like Jason upon which our country's strength and security depend. In their selfless devotion to duty we see our highest ideals reflected. God rest his soul, and comfort his loved ones. An article in Tuesday's Washington Post explains why George ought to get more respect for his intellectual abilities than most people give him. (!) Research scientists have recently discovered that the brains of birds, though small in absolute terms, are actually more complex than was once thought, so they have begun to revamp the system used to describe the various parts of the avian brain. The new system, which draws upon many of the words used to describe the human brain and has broad support among scientists, acknowledges the now overwhelming evidence that avian and mammalian brains are remarkably similar -- a fact that explains why many kinds of bird are not just twitchily resourceful but able to design and manufacture tools, solve mathematical problems and, in many cases, use language in ways that even chimpanzees and other primates cannot. In particular, it reflects a new recognition that the bulk of a bird's brain is not, as scientists once thought, mere "basal ganglia" -- the part of the brain that simply coordinates instincts. Rather, fully 75 percent of a bird's brain is an intricately wired mass that processes information in much the same way as the vaunted human cerebral cortex. Any pet bird owner or wild bird watcher would probably not be surprised at all by this news. Our canaries, Princess and George, certainly seem to have advanced cognitive abilities, as well as complex social behavior patterns and emotional states. Frankly, I've always had the impression that pigeons and doves had below-average smarts, but the article suggests otherwise. On the very same day, coincidentally, our copy of Wild Bird magazine arrived, and it had an article on the same subject. The white stuff was coming down pretty heavy for several hours today, but most of it had melted away. A Carolina wren belted out a LOUD song on our back patio, making George rather anxious, but otherwise there have been no signs of courtship behavior in the avian world. In a normal (mild) winter, we would expect to see crocuses by now. Grumble... Aside from the regular Cardinals, Titmice, Juncos, etc., there's not been much birding activity to report. I saw several Green-winged teals, Coots, and (probably) some Ring-necked ducks on Bell's Lane last week, and spotted a flock of 15 or so Meadowlarks in a field. Yesterday Jacqueline and I saw a Pileated woodpecker for the first time since October 24. Still no Yellow-rumped warblers since last November 11; they have been uncommonly scarce this winter. The Rogers Centre (ex-Skydome) page now has updated diagrams, with warning tracks and some minor corrections. [UPDATE: Mike Zurawski provides an additional reason why grass is not practical at this stadium: there is no drainage system underneath the field, and removing the concrete base would make the park unstable. Further improvements at Rogers Centre are in the works, including possible picnic areas in the outfield.] Also, the Cleveland Stadium page has some "new" photos (from 1993, actually) thanks to Mario Vara III. There is a new post-1970 diagram on that page as well. As the season approaches, I'm getting a rising volume of e-mail with tips, corrections, etc. I always appreciate it, but please be understanding if I'm unable to respond right away. UPDATE #2: The big bucks spent by the Marlins to acquire Carlos Delgado seem to have paid off. An agreement with city of Miami and Miami-Dade County on building a new retractable roof 38,000-seat ballpark next to the Orange Bowl is apparently on the verge of being signed. See mlb.com. Baseball fans are probably lucky that the climax of their season doesn't escalate to such absurd proportions of glitter and hoopla as the Super Bowl. No $100 million TV ads or "wardrobe malfunctions" allowed in Our National Pastime! Which made me wonder, In how many past and present MLB stadiums has the Super Bowl been played? I'm tempted to exclude the first one because it wasn't a baseball stadium at all, and I'm tempted to include the Superdome, which hosted six Super Bowls as well as quite a few MLB pre-season exhibition games over the years. It was the only doughnut / cookie-cutter stadium of the '60s and '70s that was home to an NFL team but never home to a major league baseball team. (I don't think that the Silverdome or the more recent football domes with an oblong layout really belong in that category, but the same could be said of the Metrodome, which doesn't fit in any of the other baseball stadium categories.) The Superdome could have become a real baseball stadium if there were enough fan support in New Orleans. To mark the recent successes of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, the Fenway Park page has been updated with a new football version. That was the Boston Patriots' home from 1963 until 1968. Will Boston (broadly defined) manage to do what Pittsburgh did in 1979-1980 -- win two consecutive Super Bowls with a World Series title in between? There is a growing controversy in Maryland over the planned killing of Mute swans, which many people believe are destroying aquatic vegetation upon which fish in the Chesapeake Bay depend for reproduction. A letter to the editor in the Washington Post earlier this week claimed that a bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly by Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R) would "gut" the Migratory Bird Treaties signed with Canada and Mexico. I am skeptical of this, however. Mute swans are not migratory, and in any case the fact that they are from Europe, not North America, means they are not covered by Federal laws prohibiting hunting or killing of native birds. Starlings, House sparrows, and Rock pigeons are not protected for good reason: They enroach upon the habitat of native species, some of which -- such as Bluebirds -- suffered terrible declines for most of the 20th Century. The writer, Michael Markarian, an official of the Humane Society, claims that the question of which birds are really "native" to North America is complicated, but I am unaware of any such controversies. Mute swans are graceful creatures, but that doesn't entitle them to proliferate at the expense of other species. They can be very aggressive toward humans or smaller waterfowl. Mr. Markarian certainly has a point that a bigger threat to the Chesapeake Bay comes from waste runoff from corporate poultry farms. Gilchrest should show that his concern for the environment is sincere by pushing for tighter regulations on agricultural polluters. Coincidentally, waste runoff has reached dangerous levels in Augusta County, where agribusiness is king. In fact, Lewis Creek, which flows through downtown Staunton, was recently deemed unsafe by state health officials. While driving around Augusta County after doing my recycling chores this afternoon, I saw several Red-tailed hawks (including this one, about 80 yards away), plus two Kestrels, one of which repeatedly hovered and dove toward its prey. None of the hoped-for Horned larks or American pipits previously sighted by Allen Larner were present, however. Along Bell's Lane I saw two Great blue herons, some White-crowned sparrows, and some Bluebirds. At the big pond (now half-thawed) nearby, I saw at least a thousand Canada geese and (probably) two Redheads (ducks). UPDATE: Thanks to an e-mail message from Allen Larner to the Shenandoah Birds list serve, I can confirm that those were Redheads I saw today. My first sighting of that species was Jan. 25, 2003. Sunday's Washington Post described the process by which the new baseball stadium design will be determined. D.C. officials are eager not to follow the crowd by building a mere clone of Camden Yards, which I think is wise. Some of the neoclassical "retro" stadiums built in recent years have tended to get carried away with cliched design elements that had nothing to do with necessity or functionality. "We do not want to see just another baseball stadium," said Allen Y. Lew, chief executive of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission. "We want signature architecture. We're not looking to just mimic other cities." One good sign is that the illustration showed a stadium pointed toward the northeast, so at least the Capitol dome would be visible to most fans, if not the Washington Monument. In all my preliminary stadium designs (unorthodox but amateurish), the diamonds are oriented straight north, so that the Capitol would be just to the left of the "batter's eye" dark background. Given that the site on which the stadium will be built provides plenty of room, with no angled streets, there is really no need to impose asymmetry on the field layout. That does not mean that the design can't be interesting, however. At least a half dozen architectural firms are preparing designs to be submitted, and the city intends to choose a firm this month. Preliminary designs would be subject to major revision, however. According to a book he wrote which is to be published soon, titled Juiced, Jose Canseco claims to have injected Mark McGwire with steroids while they were teammates in Oakland. He says he become known among MLB players as "The Chemist." How sad that the Washington Nationals' inaugural season will be tainted by dope scandals. UPDATE: Led by slugger Vinny Castilla, soon to join the Washington Nationals in spring training, the Mexicans won the Caribbean Series being held in Mazatlan, beating the Dominican Republic Aguilas (Eagles) by 4 to 3, to take their fourth and decisive win. This was the first Caribbean Series championship ever held in Mexico. The other teams in the round-robin tournament were Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Super Bowl? Oh, yeah: I was kind of hoping the Eagles would win, but I'll still wish "congrats to the Pats." Now will this finally ease their pain up in Boston?? Jacqueline and I paid a visit yesterday to Blacksburg and environs yesterday, mostly to see our visiting friends from Spain, Montserrat and Josep, as well as their daughter Laura. It was a beautiful, mild day, with clear skies -- Could it be spring at last? While chatting and strolling around the rural home of their friendly and gracious hosts, Ed and Valerie Robinson, we saw this White-breasted nuthatch, whose eyes were closed when I snapped the shutter. I saw an Eastern phoebe (pictured below) as well, which is very unusual for this time of year; it eluded the other folks, however. During the cooler months, phoebes have a yellowish tinge on their bellies, which you can see in the photo. There was also a probable young Sharp-shinned hawk screaming in a nearby tree top, but it flew away before I could get a picture. Later in the afternoon we were treated to a fine traditional country meal at the Home Place, a farm house converted into a restaurant in the village of Catawba. Pass the biscuits and gravy, please! Yum, yum. On our way home we drove on the recently-completed Rt. 460 bypass between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. It was one of those perpetual construction projects that used to be very annoying to us when we lived there, but now that it's done, getting around is a lot easier than it was before. As far as I know, the high-tech "smart road" project that will eventually connect Blacksburg more directly to I-81 is still years from completion. It was designed to test futuristic traffic control systems and includes a very high bridge over a river valley -- a veritable monument to "some day..." In today's Washington Post, Thomas Boswell casts doubt on Jose Canseco's allegations about his and others' use of steroids, noting that the former All Star slugger is in a financial pinch and therefore liable to say anything to make a buck: "Whether the claims are true or not, Canseco's motives are so tainted that his charges are doubly suspect." We'll find out the truth eventually. Private-public transportation contracts make some analysts wary. The Southern Environmental Law Center, which monitors transportation projects in six states, found that similar agreements in Virginia, for example, are costing taxpayers millions through the subsidies or tax-exempt bonds the state has provided to private road contractors. Require them to pay for independent verification of traffic and cost estimates. SELC is a decidedly liberal organization, so their inherent skepticism of private enterprise must be taken into account. Even so, this kind of mega-project should raise the eyebrows of fiscal conservatives. As I mentioned on January 17, Delegate Ben Cline (R-Rockbridge Co.) offered a sensible compromise economy-size proposal to upgrade I-81 only at the traffic "choke points," while providing incentives to multimodal shipping via railroads. But even that is going too far for State Sen. Emmet Hanger (R-Augusta Co.), who has come out against the proposed widening of I-81 on the grounds that its costs cannot be justified. Sunday's Staunton News Leader harshly ridiculed Hanger for what they say is his tardy declaration of a position on this issue, but they really don't take issue with the merits of his argument. This bears further study... Is it really prudent for a state government to invest so much public money into an infrastructure that is geared toward 20th Century vehicles? What if the price of energy reaches the point that trucks lose their competitive edge over railways, and travel via passenger cars becomes more of a luxury than a "necessity"? Indeed, what about the alternative 19th Century technology: are railroads the answer to our traffic woes? I'm inclined to have some sympathy for railsolution.org, and there is no question that more long-distance freight can and should be shipped via rail. We need to remember, however, that rail transportation firms tend to be bloated monopolies that resist innovation and depend on government guarantees. Reforming the way that railroads are regulated has to be part of any long-term transportation strategy. Encouraging innovative grass-roots pro-business initiatives can also yield big benefits; a prime example is the quasi-public Shenandoah Valley railway that took over the short (25-mile) rail line between Staunton and Harrisonburg which was abandoned by the CSX Corporation. And then there's AMTRAK, which is in desperate need of new thinking and flexibility, but remains shackled by its political patrons on Capitol Hill. The need for major reform there -- including the possible termination of some unprofitable long-distance routes -- should be painfully obvious to anyone who cares about rail travel. On a related note, the Republicans in Richmond seek to carry through on the "no car tax" pledge that was the basis for former Governor James Gilmore's victorious 1997 campaign. He called for phasing out and ultimately eliminating the property tax on passenger vehicles, which many people consider regressive in terms of its disproportionate impact on middle- and lower-income people. The reduction scheduled for last year was canceled, however, as part of the controversial budget agreement between Governor Warner and the Republicans in the General Assembly -- an agreement that we now know was based on faulty if not deceptive forecast budget data. This year the Republicans are determined to rectify that. The Washington Post recently called the GOP position "demagogic," which is a strange and inappropriate. They're just doing what they said they would! And after all, there is an expected surplus of $1 billion in the state coffers this year! To their credit, Republicans have proposed spending some of that surplus to restore the Chesapeake Bay. But can't the people get some of their own money back? There are some reasons for hesitation, such as the fact that local governments have long depended on getting a share of the car tax revenues. State legislators should help find a replacement revenue source for cities and counties. And to the extent that state revenues earmarked for transportation have been cut by the car tax reduction, there should be new taxes targeted more appropriately: on gasoline and diesel fuel consumption! With only a week to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Nationals still have not reached a deal with any radio broadcasters, nor any television stations either. Since Peter Angelos is still haggling over compensation issues, no one knows what the Nationals will be able to pay, so why should anyone make a deal with them? This situaton is truly disgusting. "Mini"-season tickets will go on sale next week, and I'm starting to worry that there won't be enough individual game tickets for good seats left for Opening Day on April 14. See Washington Post. The Fenway Park page has been updated with a revised football diagram, based on a photo graciously sent to me by Howard Corday, as well as a 1912 version which is still somewhat conjectural due to unclear photos. It may not be perfect, but it's probably more accurate than you're likely to find than from just about any other online or print source. So, why not do your part to promote the diffusion of historical knowledge of baseball by clicking on that PayPal button? It's safe, easy, and secure. For a more ambitious alternative, based on a solid long-term commitment to preserving the historic structure, see charleshagenah.com. Save Fenway Park! Hat tip to Bruce Orser. Rather belatedly, yet another stadium name change has come to my attention: Oakland Coliseum, a.k.a "Network Associates Coliseum," has been renamed "McAfee Coliseum." It's an unusual circumstance in that the corporation itself was renamed, somewhat like the Pac Bell - SBC transition. This was announced last April and apparently took effect late in the year. It confirms, once again, my hesitation to adopt new stadium names, especially when they are based on deals with ephemeral, fly-by-night high-tech corporations. Hat tip to Mike Zurawski. Commissioner Selig appeared in San Francisco to announce that SBC Park has been awarded the 2007 All-Star Game. It's clearly among the very best of the neoclassical stadiums, and some have speculated that the delay in getting an All Star game there reflected the grumblings among MLB owners that the Giants' owners financed their new home almost entirely on their own, undercutting other owners who are seeking to get public funds for such purposes. Question: Will the stadium still be called SBC Park by then? Afterwards, Selig was queried about Jose Canseco's forthcoming book Juiced, about the steroid/doping plague, and the suggestion that owners -- including George W. Bush, former co-owner of the Texas Rangers -- knew about the problem back in the 1990s. Selig called the charges "nonsense." See mlb.com. There may be grounds to question Churchill's tenured status, however: He somehow rose to the rank of full professor in spite of the fact that he never earned a doctoral degree. (Hmmm...) In terms of his speech and manner, Churchill just didn't strike me as a serious thinker. He's an aging activist from the 60s who apparently once pretended to have Indian blood but later retracted that claim. One member of the audience had the nerve to confront Churchill, who responded by saying that the Ninth Amendment (which reserves to the states or people any rights not specifically enumerated elsewhere) limited or offset the questioner's free speech rights under the First Amendment. That was a bizarre interpretation, casting further doubt on Churchill's qualifications as a scholar. Nevertheless, as long as Prof. Churchill confines his dissent to rhetoric and avoids any activities that overtly give aid and comfort to our enemies -- such as Lynne Stewart, the defense attorney who was just convicted for abetting terrorism -- I think he should be left alone. The legislation authorizing funding for a new stadium on the Anacostia waterfront in D.C. stipulated that alternative private sources of capital be explored. One such proposal has come from Washington developer Herbert S. Miller, who wants to build a $1.4 billion retail-residential complex anchored by a Wal-Mart or Costco mega-store. Seven other private financing schemes were submitted to the District government in January. "You need something to make this part of town come alive," Miller said. "This can be more than just building a baseball stadium. We can create a real sense of place." See the Washington Post. Yes, but will such a project welcome existing residents of that neighborhood and help rebuild a genuine community, or will it run roughshod over them? Also in Friday's Washington Post, Thomas Boswell waxed poetic about the imminent start of spring training for the Washington Nationals, and the team's impact on the psyche of Our Nation's Capital: "It's the Start Of a Beautiful Friendship." As he writes, "Countless people in this area have no clue what's about to arrive in their life." Boy, are they in for a a new experience! At a press conference next to Yankee Stadium yesterday, a leaner and "cleaner" Jason Giambi apologized to his team and fans for the "distraction" he has caused. For obvious legal reasons, he didn't get into specifics. See mlb.com. Unlike other fallen sports heroes, including some with literary pretensions, Jason's contrition seems sincere and unreserved. He deserves a second chance. Speaking of which, I saw the movie Eight Men Out for the first time yesterday, and it really dramatizes the enormous toll on human lives when athletes cut ethical corners. "Say it ain't so, Joe!" From the arches that were visible behind the lower deck, it appeared to have been filmed in old Comiskey Park, but the movie credits did not say so. It's too bad the outfield scenes were not as realistic as they could have been. The Minnesota Twins are still pushing for public support to build a new retractable-roof stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Since the state legislature remains very reluctant, some are suggesting tapping into gambling revenues from Indian reservation. (But I thought baseball and gambling don't mix...) See mlb.com for details. I have ranked the books listed in the Sources section of the Baseball page, on a scale of one ball (fair) to four balls (excellent). In preparation for our travels to Central America, I just purchased a new pair of binoculars -- the "Raptor" 10x42 model from the Audubon line -- from the Birds I View store in downtown Staunton. I tested out my new binocs on Bell's Lane this morning (bright and sunny), and was thrilled to see such crystal clear images of distant objects. I saw Red-tailed hawks, kestrels, several hundred Canada geese, a Ruby-crowned kinglet, six or so American coots, two Gadwalls, two Ruddy ducks, and a male Redhead (duck) -- the best view of that species I have ever had. With the sun at a perfect angle behind me, I could clearly see the yellow-orange eyes, distinctive bill, and the glistening copper-colored feathers on his head. Beautiful! Bathing -- Princess gets spiffed up and ready for romance. Flirting -- Princess "shows her stuff" in the window, as George warily observes. George gets bored -- Keeping watch over Princess takes a lot of energy! Princess gets excited -- The quavering tone of her chirps suggest emotion. Mutual affection -- Princess and George share intimate moments. George sings, Princess chirps -- Love is in the air! In elections held last Sunday, former Acapulco Mayor Zeferino Torreblanca, of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), won the governorship in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, thus ending 76 years of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also of the PRD, announced he will run for president in next year's elections, even though he may be charged with disobeying a court order related to a land deal. He claims he is being persecuted by political opponents. U.S.-Mexican relations have deteriorated further in recent months, as American politicians have demanded tighter policing of the border and more rigorous enforcement of immigration laws. Rep. J. D. Hayworth (R-AZ) criticized the Mexican government for publishing a comic-illustrated booklet that gives practical advice to people who are trying to cross the border into the U.S. In response, Mexico's ambassador to the U.S., Carlos Icaza, insisted in early January that his country does encourage people to respect the law, saying the booklet was misinterpreted. On a brighter note, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza (a Tex-Mex friend of President Bush) just became engaged to Maria Asuncion Aramburuzabala. (Try saying that three times!) She is one of the richest women in Mexico, controlling the "Modelo" brewery, maker of Corona beer. They are both in their early 40s, and she has two children from an earlier marriage. It will take a lot more than a fairy tale wedding to repair U.S.-Mexican relations, however. The government rejected criticism by the United States over the decision to purchase Russian helicopters and small arms. Since the quantity of rifles (100,000) exceeds the number of regular army soldiers, it is feared that President Hugo Chavez intends to supply guerrilla movements in Colombia. Chavez and President Uribe of Colombia are scheduled to meet this week to ease tensions along their mutual border. At least 60 people have died in floods around Caracas and nearby mountain villages during the past few days. Chavez appeared at some of the relief centers to show his concern for the victims. Five people were killed during "gang turf wars" waged by inmates at Lurigancho prison last week. In Peru and much of Latin America, there usually aren't enough guards to control what goes on inside prisons. Eight people were killed in a prison uprising near the city of Cordoba during visiting hours on Thursday; police regained control on Friday. Much of the eastern part of the country was hit hard by heavy flooding in mid-January, causing damage to some national parks. President Abel Pacheco, who is 71, was hospitalized after suffering chest pains, but it does not appear serious. Former President Jose Maria Figueres (who served from 1994 to 1998) refused to return to Costa Rica to face charges of embezzling state funds. He currently lives in Switzerland, and the Costa Rican government is threatening to have him arrested by Interpol agents. This comes only a few months after former President Miguel Angel Rodriguez was obliged to resign as secretary general of the OAS after it was revealed that he had taken bribes from the Spanish telephone company Alcatel in 2001. Jacqueline and I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica yesterday afternoon, and a pre-arranged taxi soon brought us to Kap's Place, a friendly, colorful, and very comfortable sort of bed and breakfast near downtown. There are several wooded parks and a river within a few blocks of here, and we soon saw Summer tanagers, Baltimore orioles, Great kiskadees, Tropical flycatchers, White-winged doves, Rufous-collared sparrows, Great-tailed grackles, and a Red-crowned ant-tanager! Today we spent most of our time walking around downtown San Jose, leaving little time for birding. Even so, we saw most of those plus several Blue-gray tanagers, a Rufous-tailed hummingbird, a Yellow warbler, an Ovenbird, and others not yet identified. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we're going to the Poas volcano, about 25 miles north from here, and expect to see many hummingbirds and other forest species. Stay tuned!. Thanks to my brother Dan for giving me hints on how to do the necessary Web site update tasks from a foreign (non-Mac) computer. To say that updating this page on a Windows system was difficult would be an extreme understatement. Almost every minute step of the way some mind-boggling indecipherable nuisance popped up. I MISS MY MACINTOSH! As everyone knows (or should know), Central America is the "backyard" of the good ol' U.S.A. So, when you go bird watching down here, you are in effect doing "backyard" bird watching. Today Jacqueline and I splurged on a "package tour," something I have rarely if ever done before. The prime birding and nature hot spots in Costa Rica are in very remote places, so I figured it would be better to start off with a guide. I almost regretted my decision after our first stop, the Poas volcano, about 25 miles NW of San Jose. It is one of a chain of volcanoes anchoring a mountain range that stretches across the middle of the country, from northwest to southeast. The higher elevations are a "cloud forest," which means that it is almost always raining or drizzling or misting. I was prepared with a proper jacket and umbrella, but the clouds and precipitation reduced visibility so much that we couldn't see anything inside the crater, which is supposed to be the second biggest one in the world. Fortunately, I saw a number of good birds, including some Sooty-capped bush tanagers, a Sooty-faced finch, a Black-cowled oriole, a Scarlet-thighed dacnis, among others. All those birds made it a worthwhile stop after all. The we went to La Paz Waterfall, located on the eastern slope of Poas volcano. It includes an enclosed butterfly sanctuary, where we saw hundreds of chrysalises and/or cocoons. We actually saw an exotic butterfly emerge and take flight for the very first time in its life! But for me the biggest thrill was the hummingbird center, where dozens of feeders attracted a constant stream of so many different species of hummingbirds that there was no way I could hope to identify most of them. Actually, though, there was a way: our Canon DV camera! I tried my best to get as many of those tiny speedsters on tape as I could, and after further review, I would say I can probably identify at least six or seven species, maybe more. By far the best was the large Violet saber-wing. A German couple was blocking my camera angle for crucial minutes, and I almost despaired of one of the greatest bird photo-ops ever. At last, they moved, and I got some great shots. But wait, there's more! While at La Paz we also saw several Rose-breasted grosbeaks, Silver-throated tanagers (not well named, as you will soon see from the photos I took), Tennessee warblers, and others not yet identified. Finally, we walked along a precarious set of steel grate walkways to see the La Paz Waterfalls, which are awesome. The cloud forest foliage was just too thick to get good views of the many birds I heard and glimpsed. Our final stop of the day was the Doka Estate coffee plantation, in the foothills between Poas volcano and San Jose. Just before we arrived there I spotted some kind of a hawk along the road. It was a pleasant and informative tour of the farm, the coffee bean sorting equipment, and the roasting mill. It is a modern monoculture plantation, however, which means that it is not good habitat for songbirds. Also, shade-grown coffee is better quality than coffee from trees grown in open fields, and I bought a bag of organic shade-grown coffee. Finally our tour bus brought us back to Kap's Place in San Jose. Another busy, exhausting, extremely rewarding day! Tomorrow we may take a bus/boat trip to the Caribbean coast, or perhaps head south to the Pacific beaches. Maybe we can squeeze both in! I've seen and experienced so much over the past two days that I don't know if I can relate our travel adventures in a coherent fashion. But I'll try. After learning from the weather forecasts that the Caribbean coast was expected to remain rainy for the next couple days (as it has been for at least the last two months), we opted for the Pacific coast, taking a seven-hour bus ride from San Jose to the town of Golfito, not far from Panama. Along the way we crossed some very high mountains, most of which were shrouded by thick clouds. Occasionally the sun would peek through and we would get a fanastic view of distant peaks and clouds far below us. We arrived in Golfito at 10:00 PM and took a "taxi-boat" to the village of Playa Cacao, and got settled into our thatched hut cabin. "Cabinas Playa Cacao" is a splendid, beautiful place to relax and enjoy nature, and Dona Isabel is a wonderful hostess. The next day (Thursday, I think) I got up at the crack of dawn and saw Ruddy ground doves, Scarlet-rumped tanagers, hummers, various flycatchers, among others. In the afternoon we bought supplies in town (via the taxi-boat) and basically relaxed, since it was too hot to do much else. Late in the afternoon we walked up a hill and saw a Striped-crown sparrow, an olive-colored foragers that was so big that it looked like a towhee to me. I also saw a Thick-billed seedeater, plus others. Then it started to rain so we had to hurry back. This morning we took a hike along a stream into a genuine tropical rain forest. It was VERY dark in the dawn's early light, adding mystery to the ominous surroundings. Would we see jaguars or peccaries? Fortunately not, but we DID see two species that were at the top of our "target" list: White-faced monkeys (four or so) and Chestnut-mandilbed toucans (two). We could hardly believe our eyes, but since I had the presence of mind to turn on my video camera, there is no doubt. I got great images of those, plus many other birds. I wish we could have stayed another day or two in Playa Cacao, but I learned that our only hope of getting into Corcovado National Park was to spend two nights in Puerto Jimenez, across the Golfo Dulce on the Osa Peninsula. So we hopped on a ferry boat, and we are now ensconced in a decent hotel in this dusty fishing village / tourist mecca. I've learned that getting around in Costa Rica is a lot harder than you might think, given the country's relative prosperity. It's a jungle out there! I've seen and experienced so much over the past two days that I don't know if I can relate our travel adventures in a coherent fashion. But I'll try. After learning from the weather forecasts that the Caribbean coast was expected to remain rainy for the next couple days (as it has been for at least the last two months), we opted for the Pacific coast, taking a seven-hour bus ride from San Jose to the town of Golfito, not far from Panama. Along the way we crossed some very high mountains, most of which were shrouded by thick clouds. Occasionally the sun would peek through and we would get a fanastic view of distant peaks and clouds far below us. We arrived in Golfito at 10:00 PM and took a "taxi-boat" to the village of Playa Cacao, and got settled into our thatched hut cabin. "Cabinas Playa Cacao" is a splendid, beautiful place to relax and enjoy nature, and Doña Isabel is a wonderful hostess. The next day (Thursday, I think) I got up at the crack of dawn and saw Ruddy ground doves, Scarlet-rumped tanagers, hummers, various flycatchers, among others. In the afternoon we bought supplies in town (via the taxi-boat) and basically relaxed, since it was too hot to do much else. Late in the afternoon we walked up a hill and saw a Striped-crown sparrow, an olive-colored forager that was so big that it looked like a towhee to me. I also saw a Thick-billed seedeater, plus others. Then it started to rain so we had to hurry back. This morning we took a hike along a stream into a genuine tropical rain forest. It was VERY dark in the dawn's early light, adding mystery to the ominous surroundings. Would we see jaguars or peccaries? Fortunately not, but we DID see two species that were at the top of our "target" list: White-faced monkeys (four or so) and Chestnut-mandibled toucans (two). We could hardly believe our eyes, but since I had the presence of mind to turn on my video camera, there is no doubt. I got great images of those, plus many other birds. What a trip! Words can barely begin to describe what we saw and heard at Corcovado National Park yesterday. First, I should warn would-be tourists to do their geographical homework to be able to weigh all the conflicting advice you're likely to get if you ever travel to this part of the world. Unless you've got a good sense of the lay of the land, you'll be at the mercy of hucksters and weirdos. We hopped on a Jeep-style minivan just before dawn on Sunday, and endured over two hours of bumpy, treacherous, rutted roads, fording several streams and rivers along the way. Thankfully, the driver indulged my requests to stop to take pictures of several of the amazing birds we saw on the road, including a Crested caracara, a Fasciated tiger-heron(?), a Great currasow, a Common black hawk, a White ibis, and a Green heron, among others. When we reached the terminal point, the village of Carate, we began a 2+ mile hike along the beach to the park entry station. It was quite a struggle in the hot sun, but we were rewarded with great views of our main "target species" before we even entered the park itself: a screeching flock of Scarlet macaws landed in a palm tree nearby, and I got some decent pictures and video clips. They rarely descend below treetop level, so my photos were only so-so, but the brilliant red, green, yellow, and blue colors were quite evident. We paid $8 each at the entry station and learned that our intended destination -- a place called "Sirena" -- could not be reached within one day if we wanted to return the same day. So, we hiked about half that far, 2.5 miles. Our first big thrill inside the park itself was seeing a group of Spider monkeys, including an infant clinging to its mother, and a toddler learning to climb along branches and vines. This time we got great video shots, since they were only 30-40 yards away. We also saw an anteater (I think) in a tree, a snake in a bush, and a huge spider. No jaguars or other feline predators, however. (A guy I met who is a fellow graduate of Virginia told me that while at Sirena he saw a puma (cougar, mountain lion) attack, kill, and devour a monkey.) Anyway, we didn't see as many birds as I anticipated, but there were some fine ones, nonetheless, most notably a pair of male Red-legged honeycreepers engaged in some sort of territorial display ritual, dancing and chirping around each other. (Non-violent conflict resolution!?) They were a gorgeous deep blue color. There were also Chestnut-backed antbirds, Riverside wrens, and others not yet identified. My feet paid a heavy price for that long beach trek (wearing only sandals), but the blisters were not as severe as I feared. * The heading above was added retroactively, for the sake of clarity. This morning, Monday, the 21st*, we left Puerto Jimenez on a bus shortly after 5:00. Dawn broke within an hour, and we soon saw quite a variety of birds in the farm fields. Even from a distance it was easy to identify a King vulture (white with black wings) perched on top of a dead cow. I also saw Groove-billed anis, some Yellow-bellied siskins, and a few others. Later I caught a brief glimpse of a medium-sized black and white bird perched on a wire, luckily while I was taking a video clip of the countryside. Replaying that clip helped me to confirm that it was a Great antshrike. (Why do so many tropical bird names include "ant"? I don't know.) That was just as we begin climbing from the hot, sunny valley where coffee, sugarcane, and pineapples are grown, into the cool cloud-forest mountains. After a few more hours we descended into the Central Valley, passing the city of Cartago, and finally arriving in San Jose around 3:00. Whew! * NOTE: I realized that my last posting had the wrong date, which gives you a good idea how far out of touch with reality I am. Hence the corrected date, in [brackets]. While I'm out of the country (for the rest of the month) I can be reached at: ontheroad(AT)andrewclem.com -- replacing "(AT)" with "@" of course. Jacqueline has returned to the states, sad to leave this marvelous little country but eager to see Princess and George back home. Yesterday we "shopped till we dropped" in downtown San Jose. My feet are still quite sore from all the beach hiking at Corcovado, so my mobility is below par. Otherwise, we're both in pretty good shape. It is wonderful to be able to travel in a Latin American country without constantly worrying about nasty bacteria in the tap water. This morning I saw three more life birds, in the athletic park only two blocks from our hotel (Kap's Place): A pair of Prevost's ground sparrows, several Silvery-throated jays, and two Blue-crowned motmots! They are one of the truly dazzling tropical birds, with very long fluttering tails, and sharp green, blue, and black colors. Just awesome. I should mention that there is a lot of garbage strewn about just outside the park, which itself is decently maintained. Sadly, many "Ticos" (as Costa Ricans call themselves) lack much of a sense of personal responsibility to the community. Perhaps because of the generous welfare system here, many local folks apparently disdain manual labor, and many farm jobs and other unskilled jobs are done by Nicaraguans. Quite an ironic imitation of the United States! Fortunately, the only indication of anti-Americanism I've seen so far is a billboard sponsored by labor unions denouncing the war in Iraq. Despite the strong American presence here, with many thousand U.S. citizens living in retirement or just hanging out, diplomatic ties between Washington and San Jose are apparently rather distant. There are many more tourists from Canada, Europe, and Japan than from the U.S., another illustration of the paradox that Americans are so ill-informed about their "back yard" neighbors. Tomorrow I plan to leave San Jose again, heading northwest into the canton of Guanacaste, which has dry terrain along the coast, and possibly into Nicaragua. NOTE: After I return to the states I plan to split some of these travel blog posts into their respective topical sections. It's just too much of a hassle for me to manage the site the way I'm used to doing away from my own computer, so only the main blog page will include the updated entries until early March. My first tourist destination in Managua was the Estadio Nacional Dennis Martinez, named for the retired pitcher who won more major league games (245) than any other pitcher from Latin America. He played for the Montreal Expos (Nationals fans, take note!), the Baltimore Orioles, the L.A. Dodgers, and other clubs. I had to use a lot of persuasion to get inside to see the field, but they would not let me take any pictures because of all the trash that had been left there by a big crowd at an evangelical revival on the previous night. So I had to make mental notes of the field dimensions, numbers of rows, etc., etc. from which I will eventually derive a diagram for that "green cathedral" -- which actually was used for religious purposes! It was 330 feet to the corners and 400 feet to center field (or so they told me; I saw no such sign). Oddly, the shape was oval, with a huge arc behind the diamond rather like the Polo Grounds, though with 12 or so extra rows squeezed in behind the dugouts. In the large empty space beyond the outfield fence you can see wooden corrals, which are used when they hold bullfights here. Now there's a unique multiple-use stadium! Nicaragua's deep poverty makes it very hard to run a professional ball club on a profitable basis, so baseball has had a rather precarious status there is recent years. For the 2004-2005 winter season, there have been four teams in the Nicaraguan League: Managua (the "Boers"!), Leon, Chinandega, and Masaya. Somehow Granada failed to qualify for a franchise. The sports pages here are full of news about Vincente Padilla, who pitches for the Phillies. The stadium in Masaya is named for Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash while en route to Nicaragua, planning to help with the recovery efforts after the 1972 earthquake. Once again, I'm at a loss for words to describe all I've done in the last couple days. On Thursday I took a bus from San Jose to the provincial (or cantonal, actually) capital of Liberia, in the dry ranchlands of Guanacaste. On the way we passed several volcanoes, including Arenal, perhaps the most famous in Costa Rica. It is one of the best birding locations, but because it is hard to get to (bad roads) and has similar cloud forest habitat to the Poas volcano / La Paz waterfalls we saw last week, I decided to pass it by this time. Upon arriving in Liberia (I'm not sure if it was named after the country) I noticed that a major local festival was underway. I had the good fortune to witness an outburst of local culture, with music and dance. Also, there were very loud fireworks, launched from in front of the Catholic Church, built in the 1970s in a modern style. Anoather stroke of good fortune was meeting three local guys, Andres (!), Ralph, and (??? -- The name will come to me soon, I`m sure.) We chatted about sports, trade policy, politics, and anti-American sentiment around the world. Thankfully, nearly all "Ticos" are friendly to us gringos. * In order to keep the content of this blog in the proper respective categories, the portion of the blog entry concerning birds that was originally posted here has been moved to: Archives/2005/02/26wb.html. In the afternoon, I crossed the border into Nicaragua on foot, and was immediately accosted by hordes of children, money changers, and vendors. The first sign of a country in desparate economic condition, probably reflecting the failures of the Marxist Sandinista regime. Indeed, this is the first former communist country I've ever been to. (I'll comment more on that later.) After a long delay due to customs, I got on a bus at about 2:30 and soon saw the immense Lake Nicaragua with the awesome twin-volcano island. We arrived in Managua at about 5:30 and I was delighted to see a flock of at least a dozen Scissor-tailed (or perhaps Fork-tailed) flycatchers swirling around in the dusk. I then checked into a budget "hotel" that made me regret saving a few bucks. After sightseeing in the bleak, dusty capital city of Managua (largely ruined by a terrible earthquake in 1972), I took a colectivo mini-bus to the city of Granada, which has lots of beautiful colonial archtecture and is much more tourist friendly. That is where I am at the moment. Yesterday (Friday), I took a taxi to Santa Rosa National Park, about 15 miles NW of Liberia. My calculation that I would be more likely to see more bird species in a different habitat than we had previously seen proved 100% correct. I was lucky to meet an American biology student who was recording bird calls for a research project, and she gave me tips on where to look for birds. Among the highlights were White-throated magpie jays (big and loud), a Pacific screech owl, several Squirrel cuckoos, several Rufous-capped warblers, , and near the very end of my trek, two green and red Elegant trogons. AND MANY MORE -- Almost new life birds in a single day! I thought my video camera ran out when I came across the trogons, but fortunately there was enough juice left over to get some pretty good shots. It was extremely hot, and my feet were even more sore by mid-day, with some vicious bug bites (DEET didn't work), but it was well worth it. If you're a bird fanatic, that is. * This blog entry was originally posted along with other material at Archives/2005/02/26la.html while I was in Costa Rica, but has been retroactively renamed and placed in the Wild Birds category, where it belongs. * In order to keep the content of this blog in the proper respective categories, the portion of the blog entry concerning birds that was originally posted here has been moved to: Archives/2005/02/27wb.html. This morning I took a boat ride along the shores of Lake Nicaragua to see the wildlife that abounds on "Las Isletas." It was thoroughly enjoyable, and I saw the Montezuma oropendulas that I was told were present. They are a large bird with yellow tails that built huge basket nests, much like the orioles with which they are related. I had seen oropendulas in Mexico in 1985, but I'm not certain about the exact species, so this may or may not have been a life bird. I also saw many other birds along the shore, including two life birds, Northern jacanas, colorful birds that dance on lily pads, and a Limpkin, sort of a cross between a heron and an ibis. * This blog entry was originally posted along with other material at Archives/2005/02/27la.html while I was in Nicaragua, but has been retroactively renamed and placed in the Wild Birds category, where it belongs. Today I took a l-o-n-g bus ride from Granada, Nicaragua back to San Jose, Costa Rica. It was air conditioned, but that barely offset the stiflingly hot temperatures outside. Can you say "grungy"? Once again I had to endure all the hassles with passports at the border, which reminds me once again how irrational it is to maintain sovereignty for such small countries. These countries should follow Europe's example and Integrate Central America now! Returning to Kap's Place, the ultra-friendly informal "hotel" where we have been staying, was an enormous relief. Clean, potable water with hot showers: ah-h-h! Back home in Virginia, meanwhile, there is a foot of snow on the ground in some places, and I just learned from Jacqueline that it is still falling.

2019-04-21T09:04:23Z

http://www.andrewclem.com/Archives/2005/Monthly.php?2

A really enjoyable malt. And for the price, very good too. Nice and rich, peaty (though not in the Lagavulin league of peatiness). Warming yet exciting! OK, here goes... As a big fan of peated, smoky scotch whisky, I find this to be an excellent dram AND excellent value. Bowmore 12 is a fantastic way to introduce those with a shy palate to peated single malt. Overall a smooth whisky with mild smoky peat flavour, its great neat and also really good with sofa or mixed into a Rusty Nail. For $48 at Superstore in Alberta, I would take this over a Glenfiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12 any day! Pleasant and lively on the palate, 12 it is and given time it will be the ambrosia you asked for. Very enjoyable and easy drinking. To me it feels like a bit of a cross between a sweeter Highland style and an Islay. Well balanced. Would be so much better bottled a few extra percent higher. But you know what I found is a nice trick: Throw a few drops of something massive like Ardbeg Uigeadail into your glass along with the Bowmore to make your own blend, you end up with something very complex yet super drinkable. Also, in China, where I am, this is available for around 20 quid sterling, not bad value at all, though admittedly for not much more you could get Laphroaig Quarter Cask, a more interesting malt, but also not as quaffable. Well, it is not bad. a kind of fruity with some gentle peat but... Not great at all ! Drinkable obviously, will please your none whisky drinker friends. Just OK actually. Good example of Islay flavor at a reasonable price. More of the floral and sweet character of a decent Speyside than, say, Laphroig, which seems much more to be the essence of peat smoke. ...kind of a poor man's Lagavulin, maybe, with that broader flavor profile above the smoke. I like it at the price. Peaty and Smokey...but not overwhelming at all. Lots of flavors come out as you sip it. Delicious on a fall night by the fire...you can’t go wrong with this at this price. Love this scotch! Great value and very enjoyable. Very well balanced. Smooth with some sweetness and soft peated finish. A real easy sipper and will be replaced quickly due to its value for money. I'm a fan of many of the classic Islay whiskeys-in the below $150 range. Bowmore strikes me as a terrific bargain .Granted, not for the intense peat appreciator, this whiskey is balanced, flavorful, not simple minded and eminently drinkable.I'm amazed at the harsh reviews. I'm not a novice to good whiskey; Bowmore will become standard fare. As someone who enjoys other flavour in whisky than simply peat I really enjoyed it. A deep and rich whisky with plenty of peat and fruit notes. Quite unique actually. Will continue to stick it in my bar. Drinking Scotch is like Art. You may not know what the experts and connisseurs think, but know what? I don't care, I like it and one of my favorite evening pastimes. A great value standard Islay malt. It lacks finesse and complexity, but for the price it is a reasonable buy. It has been discounted in the UK recently so there are good buying opportunities. Not overly pleated but very mellow. Would definitely purchase another bottle for the collection. Recently had a bottle of Bowmore No1 and very nice too. Noticed the 12 year old had discounted heavily so purchased a bottle. Very nice too as the Sun rises after 6 nightshifts. Have had Laphroig, Lagavuilin and of course Ardbeg. Not worth what I paid. Just okay. I unfortunately paid $57 plus tax for this in my area. I was debating between trying this or Ardbeg Ueigedal. Boy do I feel like an idiot! There are so many better options in and under this price range. It's okay, but it lacks body. I agree with other reviews that it's thin and the smoke is artificial tasting. It's just not that interesting, and I get heartburn after drinking this almost every time (not so with other good whisky). Lagavulin 16 is a wonderful Islay--try that if you haven't and you like peat. This tastes like a dollar store generic version of an Islay whisky. I read one glowing review about this somewhere. Last time I'll trust an online opinion (I should've read more reviews). Now I have to either drink it and try to like it more or give it away. First single malt I drank in years. Better than what I drank years ago. I normally drink beer or bourbon. Stuff the majority here looks down upon. As for this whisky's the taste is like mentioned on the bottle which is awesome regarding the heavy smokey taste at first. I agree with the reviewer before me. Lots of people with no taste seek that in whiskey? If you are completely new to peated whisky, you have no business reviewing this. I am so tired of seeing people say they don’t like this and they give it a bad rating and say “acquired taste” if you haven’t acquired the taste of peat then you have no business reviewing it. One of the best 12yr malts on the market. Subtle peaty notes in aroma and taste which is ideal for the un-schooled / beginner in islay whisky's. A great first buy. Quality colour for the age and smooth for a peat malt. I compare this to bunnahabhain's 12yr, although the latter is not for the Faint off heart. I give 4 stars five would need it to be stronger on the peat and lasting slightly longer on the palate. Watery. thin, harsh. $56.99 on sale, $3.00 off for Xmass here in B.C.. I'll stay with entry level McClelland's Islay and $10.00 cheaper. Heavier, smoky, salt air... it is the taste of the Island and more a Sailor's brew. I'm looking for more smoke, salt and smoothness as I get older. Tried them all and go back to the bottom to get any taste at all...and live with the harshness to get the taste and bouquet. It seems the more you age this drink the more it tastes like Canadian Rye. W.V.Williams, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. So much smoke! Not for the faint of heart. Very nice to finish. I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of this locally for £20 - must have been an error. I reviewed this positively a couple of years ago and this bottle did not disappoint. Ok, so it's not one of the south-of- the-island peaty monsters but the Islay trademark peat is still there - just more subtly - which isn't always a bad thing. It's very smooth and perilously easy to drink and there's a beautiful floral / lavender finish. Well, I think so anyway. Feels a bit unbalanced on the palate. Fruity and light initially, then smoke takes over, but the finish feels watered-down. I find Caol Ila 12 to be quite a lot better. Light peat with honey notes and the aroma of the sea. Best value of all the Islay Single Malts I have tried! Excellent balance. My first Islay, my kind of taste. What a beautiful whisky. My first Islay and I am really, really pleased with it. The smoke is not overpowering, it is a smooth and well rounded product. No extremes but complex enough to want you to go back to it. I got some sweet notes with first tasting, then saltiness with the second one. The empty glass was smelling earthily, then wet peat into a medicinal/ointment like smell. I am very satisfied with the whole experience. The Bowmore 12 is a fine scotch whisky, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to beginners. It’s not as smokey as others of the region and it has a very balanced finish. It’s good to drink neat because it isn’t as harsh on the tongue at the beginning as some I’ve had, possibly due to it only being 40%. I keep this whisky available for when friends come over. Do you enjoy the smell of a forest fire? Ever wondered what it'd taste like in liquid form? Well, here you go. Alternatively, if you'd like to save a few bucks, buy yourself a bottle of Liquid Smoke then mix it in with some cheap scotch. To be fair, Glenfiddich India Pale Ale is my usual go-to but thought to venture out for once. I just didn't realize that venturing out would mean I'd find myself in the middle of a California wildfire with a thick layer of soot coating my tongue and cheeks. peat, medicinal notes, smoke, and the sweet and savory long finish. I say a " little bit" because unlike bottlings from the big Islay distilleries ie: Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg...Bowmore 12 is a gentler animal. It is much tamer on the palette and on the wallet. This is the Islay Scotch I would first introduce to friends before a taste of other giants. It is my everyday go to Scotch. An excellent Scotch from the oldest distillary in Islay. They know what they are doing. Slangevar!!!!!!!! Bowmore was one of my first Islay whiskies. Since then I've been to Islay, spent nights in Bowmore, and tried them all. This is a distinctive Islay whisky, that among my others, always has my heart. I like peat monsters, such as the Laphroaig Quarter Cask (and pretty much every other Laphroaig, too). Compared to those, this is sort of a milquetoast Islay. I keep it in my collection because sometimes I don't want such an aggressive, charcoal, burned-house finish. The Bowmore 12 is much more mild while retaining some of the same flavor notes. It's not my everyday drink, but it has a place. This was my first bottle for smoky and peaty whisky! And i really loved islay every since! The smokiness is very light and tasty! I got citrus, sweet and of course light smoke at the end! Now inhave tried Bowmore 15; laga 16 And ardbeg; i am more into the big smoky drams! I would recommend this one to anybody who wants to try smoky whisky! Beautiful Scotch, very palatable taste. Wife likes it too! Along with Johnnie Walker Red Label, the two worst whiskies I've ever had. Tastes of burnt plastic, horrible stuff. I'm guessing these peaty whiskies are an acquired taste. Certainly not for me. Received this bottle as a gift. Now... it is my favourite Scotch. Slight medicinal flavour typical of Isley Scotch. Sweet apples and caramel notes with a complexity of much more expensive single malts from the region. Caoll ila meets Highland Park here. Awesome dram. This is really is a delicious single malt. Flavors of woody toasted oak with a subtle infusion of peat. Fresh fruit and marzipan in the background are noteworthy. May not be the right for those who dislike a quality peated dram with a rubbery note. They should stick to sweeter, less complex whisky which they can enjoy like a fine port and avoid upset tummies. Cheers! Really good Isley - lots of depth, smoke and peat. Daily drinker for sure! Very weird tasting single malt. A staple in the cabinet. Can be enjoyed by those who are not peat fans. Has a fantastic maritime taste. Sea spray, honey and vanilla with a small peat heat finish. Would definitely recommend but would value the whisky at £25. Nice beginning and nice finish. No overwhelming smoke or iodine. Long finish. At 40%, a bit thin so avoid water. Before drinking this whisky, I didn't really like whisky. Now, I do !! The whiskey that was used to launch of Carrier Queen Elizabeth in 04JUL 2014. I'm on a quest to find a peaty Scotch that I enjoy, and this was a wonderful experience. The mild peaty smokiness provides a perfect finish. Will absolutely drink again. Nothing special. Save your money. The price does not justify this whisky. My first smokie. First taste confused me a bit but after 2-3 glasses, understood what it was about. After experimenting a bit with other smokies beyond its price range, I decided that this was the thing for me. The only whiskey I buy from duty frees when I'm on the road. This is one of the best smokies I've tried in it's price range. It's complex in how the flavours unfold and release on the palette... smooth (amber) followed by sweet heather honey complimented by a slight citrus zing then a peaty smokiness that doesn't steal form the prior. The key though is how wonderfully balanced all the notes work together. The overall tone feels deep and complex, just an absolute magical pleasure to drink. I must admit, I have bias to the notes in this one which is in partly why I love it so much, but the overall balanced and complex nature to which it delivers to the palette really brings it home as an absolute winner for me. Really is a love and for any whisky drinker who loves a smoky where the smoke doest steal the show but works in balanced accompaniment with the rest of the notes, it's must try! I've drank Bowmore 12 over the course of the last 18 years. Back in the days when Jim McEwan was in charge, (releases from 12 years and over) it was different, more salty, briny, pungent (and it was also different before him). I've had amazing Bowmore 12, 15, 18, I've had pretty normal ones. Then, tonight, I went to the liquor store to buy a bourbon and left with a Bowmore 12, which was on sale. Tell me about incentives. I thought "Oh well, it's going to be ok." But no, I was simply amazed by the highest quality of this batch: dark honey, citrus notes, long with lingering peat smoke, ash, heather, oak, sea salt, leather after-taste, I was like "Wow, WTF did happen with this new batch?" Then I went to read a few comments here to see if there would be such delights recently online, but no. When you read through the comments, some say it's great, some say it's disappointing. I think it's the problem with the "whole" whisky industry: drinkers are not educated to learn batches differ (sometimes greatly) from one another. This is not beer, vodka or gin, this is whisky. No two barrels are alike, the climate changes from year to year, the position of the barrel in the warehouse will influence the taste of whisky, etc. Bottomline: You can't replicate the same exact taste over and over again. Impossible. Yet, we live in a marketing world where folks believe they will get the exact same tasting profile from bottling of different years. This is insanity, ignorance. Look at older pre-1990's Macallan's, long, luxurious, then 2000's were more disappointing, then today they've dropped altogether the age statement and surf on the brand's reputation and they are tripling production. Think whisky taste the same year over year? Think again, you might fall on a stellar batch, like you might fall on a disappointing batch. Like wine or anything vintage, give it a try year over year, you never know. Stuff gets better, stuff gets worse. Unfortunately, we live in the dark ages when it comes to whisky, I don't know which batch of Bowmore 12 I'm drinking tonight, but it's downright amazing, better than the ones I've had last year or before. Eddie MacAffer, current master distiller, is retiring soon (after over 30 years working at the distillery) and expect more change in the taste of Bowmore in the years to come, like any other whisky brands. In the end, tonight, right here, right now, regardless of the low price I've paid, the complexity and balance found here is phenomenal. I didn't give a rating because this is my first experience with an Islay. I'm more of a Bourbon fan but I do enjoy single malts...typically those that are finished. I read quite a few posts about which Islay to try first so I wouldn't be consumed by smoke. I'd have to say that this was a great starting point. The smoke/ash is there but it's definitely not overpowering and once I got used to it, I was able to grab some citrus notes. Palate was quite similar to the nose...citrus with a salty smoked ham note. The finish was warm and nice and long. I'm intrigued and will continue to taste this whisky. Newer releases are losing the cloying speyside garishness that spoiled them for the past six or so years. They seem to be harkening back to Bowmores old glory somewhat. More smoke and more complexity is what this OB needs,along with three percent more umph. 40 percent makes it a bit flat and simple if you ask me. My girlfriend bought me a bottle of Glenfiddich and a bottle of Bowmore 12 for Christmas. At first, I thought smoky whiskies weren't my thing, but I was wrong! Although I do not know much about whisky yet, I must say that the Bowmore 12 is the best whisky I have ever drank. I love the sweet and smoky side of this whisky. I can't wait to be done drinking my bottle of Glenfiddich 12 to concentrate a bit more on the Bowmore! The Peat! Ah, the peat. I really like this. New to whiskey tastes. I love [gin] from Islay, The Botanist, and saw this option from Islay. I love Knappogue, from Ireland and this is completely different. I do taste peat with sone floral notes and a bit of bite. Wish bartenders would understand what a really warm glass does to open up these beautiful notes. Lots of subtle flavours combining with enough peat to create a very well-balanced and enjoyable dram. Would buy again. Nose presents a burst of Islay sea breeze and iodine overtones. Not as much citrus fruit and honey as described by the distiller's notes on the box, although such flavours become somewhat noticeable towards the throat. The palate moves away from an initial saltiness towards a honeyed floral state. The whisky then transitions into a long smooth delightfully peaty finish. Overall good value, but not peaty enough for those who enough far more phenolic drams such as Laphroaig and Caol Ila. Compared to the 18 year this is a little bit rough but for the price? Yes please! I've tasted both 12 year, 15 darkest and the 18 year old. This dram takes the 2nd place. Great wee dram! Could take on any other single malt from Islay... Love how it moves from sweet to smoke. For me, the Bowmore 12 doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind what it wants to be. It doesn't know if it wants to be a peaty Islay or a Speyside. If it were more lightly peated, the sweet, honeyed citrus notes wouldn't be overshadowed, and if it were more highly peated, the background sweetness would be a nicer contrast. Nest time I want some of this I'll mix a little Glenlivet 12 with some Laph 10. Not really smokey or peaty. Nose very sweet reminding low quality spirits - honey?maybe. somebody said paraffin? Palate is were the peat and smoke comes in but it is overwhelmed by the excessive sweetnesess. Very lite and fast vanishing finish. I completely disliked this whiskey especially the nose. I actually tried to sip it with my nose closed. As I wright this I switched to laphroig 10 and my god, these two dwell in different universes I honestly do not understand how someone can mention them in the same sentence. This dram was one of the best about 3-4 years ago ... what happened? It used to have a super long iodine finish ... now it is just average ... something has changed. Bowmore better get this sorted ... loyal customers are noticing. Just doesn't compare to a typical Islay. Less of everything. Sadly. Likely makes a good introduction to Islay, but why not just jump into the pool? This one is a bit hard for me to pin down. It's got a bonfire nose and initial taste, but that quickly fades into a smoother, only somewhat smokey but overall pleasant finish. The less time between sips the quicker this occurs. It's a fun one, but I don't know that I'll be buying another bottle any time soon. I can't figure this whisky out. On my first pour, I would have described the flavor as "stagnant seawater and varnish, with an overpowering hint of sweatsock." I am a fan of Islay Whisky, but I put this bottle away and vowed not to allow it near my lips again. A few short weeks later, I was persuaded to try it again. The second tasting was completely different - a balanced honey sweetness, a bit oily but not unpleasant, and that lovely smoky finish. A third taste, and even more new flavors were in the mix - butterscotch and citrus - and oddly, the "sweatsock" was back again, too, although not as overpowering. Tasted again, and salty and sweet flavors come to the fore, followed by smoke. This bottle of Bowmore 12 YO may be the most mystifying and thoroughly entertaining bottle of whisky I've ever had. Smoked apple juice theme seems to be Bowmore trademark. Too light on palate and seriously underpowered at 40 %. I like Islay malts, but this one doesn't impress me. If this was from a fancy name distillery, it would be rated much higher. Maybe some of the fancier name products are better. Maybe. But almost certainly not for the price. Tastes more like parrafin to me!!! I usually like whiskey but this brand is terrible!!! I have asked my husband wether it could be a bad batch!!!! What I most like about this whisky is the quality of the spirit. Beneath the soft smoke you have the perfect coastal whisky (briney, citrusy, salty) with the addition of some sherry character. Nice and long ending, no bitterness. I would love to find a whisky like this but without smoke. I tried Old Pulteney and I like it but its different. I know Bowmore did get a good amount of flak in the past for uneven quality but I find this one superb for the price. No water, just neat. I like bestbthatvthere is no 2nd flavor sm like this. So I bought this at my local liquor store the other day because they had run out of port charlotte and actually turned out to be a good buy. not as smoky as id hoped but still satisfies my need for peat with some nice honey citrus and vanilla notes as well as has that sea salt I love. All in all not bad would probably buy this again once I have tried everything I can. This is a Islay scotch that isn't quite an Islay scotch... It's not that peaty, it's rather sweet and it's surprisingly smooth at 40%, in fact, it's too smooth. So don't add water, it will kill your drink. Nose is a bit smokey, a pit peat,a bit citric too. Mouthfeel is very silky, it misses punch a bit, smoke, salt, lemon is there. I recon this is a good one to use at a (beginners) tasting event and put it after the Speysides but before the big Islay guns. Finish is rather short, but pretty ok for a young one. It's no match for the almost double priced 15 yo Bowmore, but at this price range this is a top ten finish. Best smokey scotch for the price. You like smoke and peat? This one is really good. No medicinal note, small hint of fruit. Bold and smoky scotch. One of my favorite, right behind Lagavulin 12. I have had the Bowmore 12, 15 and 18 and they are all good. Laphroaig or a Lagavulin good? No of course not. But this is definitely an Islay Single Malt you should have if you like Peated Whisky. I actually like Bowmore 12 quite a lot and for the price it is well worth it. Where I live Laphroaig Quarter Cask is ten dollars more expensive and 6 out of 10 times I would go with Laphroaig...but that still means that 4 out of 10 times I would get Bowmore. I hadn't had this malt in my cupboard for a while so I thought it was time for a re-acquaintance - and I'm really glad I did. I really enjoyed the more subtle fruit and smokiness than some other more heavily peated Islay malts I've been drinking lately AND there was a lovely floral note in the finish - something like lavender or the old parma violets taste - if that makes sense. Also, at just under £30 for a 12y0 Islay - is this the best Islay buy? The only thing that would improve it is if it were a higher proof and non-chillfiltered - but then, of course, the cost would go up. I should acknowledge for those that may not know, that Bunnahabhain is the exception to the rule for the traditionally peated Islay whiskies. Smooth, sweet, and a touch of peat. I enjoy 'coastal' notes - salt and cold smoke - but the complex nose and the smooth palate weren't enough to overcome the underlying base of a lingering antiseptic / iodine taste and smell. I enjoyed sampling this and will try the Bowmore 15 next, but for now if I want a 12 year Islay, its got to be Bunnahabhain! Love Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, and Lagavulin. Bowmore 12? No so much. I couldn't believe how quickly the taste fades from the tongue. If you love a peaty Islay, skip Bowmore and stick with the Islay powerhouses. As other reviewers have said, Bowmore 12 Year Old offers one of the best values on the market. Gentle smoke and peat and a whiff of fresh sea air, honey, and vanilla flavours make for a very pleasant dram. There is also a slight metallic taste that, for me, is oddly appealing (it's rather subtle). I am from a coastal region of Canada but have been living far, far away from the ocean for several years now, and this drink always brings me home. This is my go to dram.Having often been enticed by the charms of others,I find myself frequently returning to that warm enbrace of a slightly hefty,buxome well known friend. Enjoy. I love Scotch and I have almost 20 bottles in my collection. I especially enjoy the Islay Scotchs and so I thought I would buy a bottle of Bowmore. I was pleasantly surprised how smooth this smokey whiskey was. The peat levels are around 25 ppm, thus I could definitely taste the peat. I invited some scotch friends over to take a blind taste test of some of my scotchs to see everyone's favorite. In the taste test was Laphroig 10, Highland Park 12, Talisker 10, Ardbeg 10, Ardmore, Macallan 12, Johnny Walker Double Black, and Oban. Everyone had Bowmore in the top 3 of these powerhouse scotchs. I then showed them that Bowmore was one of the least expensive ones of the bunch. It then started to taste better. My December 5 advent calendar dram. What a great treat. One of my all time favorites from the Islands. Lovely smoke flavor. Day 5 of the Advent calendar and we get the first properly peaty single. On the nose it's strong peat and woodsmoke, with an undercurrent of something almost antiseptic but some sweetness and fruit as well. I'm not a fan of peat and this is about as much as I want in a whisky. However although only the standard 40% it lacks smoothness and feels much stronger and very raw. In the mouth the peat and smoke continue but struggle to get past the alcohol. When it does die down the it blends into leather and there is an acrid tail reminiscent of TCP antiseptic again. A splash of water helps calm the alcohol but leaves the same acrid tail. Peat lovers will probably like it a lot more than I do. It hasn't converted me I'm afraid. Someone was asking about wether this is Gluten free. Yes it is. Anything that is distilled such as whisky, despite being made from grain destroys the protein that affects us so you are safe to drink and enjoy! I just wish real ale was too! Good value. Smokey but not excessively so. A distinct metallic taste from the geology of the water source to the the distillery. Worth a try. I have never been a scotch\whiskey drinker. (I do like a good tequila, like Don Julio 1942) but all beer and wine for me…I am really a huge wine fan…but looking to try new things. Store was having a sale and I picked this bottle up. Very delicious. Just had it neat. The nose was quite powerful at first, but it was so smooth and tasty. Surprised how much the nose and the flavor are different to me. This bottle may have just made me become a scotch drinker too. If you're heavily into Smokey whisky (and I mean heavily) this might be up your alley. I found it quite overpowering but mellows slightly with a wee drop of water. I'm a Highland Park 12 lover and the store I visited (out or town) did not have the HP, so I thought I would try this. Always wanted to try the Bowmore 12. Well, it's good, but not great. I enjoy it, but don't love it. As one reviewer said, if you're looking for something to spend the evening with, its uneventful. Still . . . a good whisky for the money. Very good but only second to Lagavulin 16 years old for me. Smooth for a single malt. I was long put off by the relatively low score this whisky has here. But since it was on sale for a very low campaign price in our local supermarket, I just had to buy it. And honestly, I don't really understand the modest reviews this whisky is often getting. Sure, I can think of a handful of Islay whiskies that are better, but all in all, and especially for those loving a bit of peat in their whisky, this is a very good dram! The price performance is among the best, and it is very-very easily drinkable. And you need those in your cabinet. Something that you would just like to enjoy and not think too much about. So I wouldn't be surprised if I will always find a bottle of Bowmore 12 in my store from now on. Maybe it has to do with the fact that this was my first Islay in 10 months and I had forgotten the taste of peat, but who cares really :) Any whisky that makes you feel like coming home again deserves a clap! Pretty damn good and it doesn't give you a headache or hangover, providing you don't drink more than 700mL in a 12-hour period. Mmm it doesn't get much better than this. If you're new to Islays, this might be a good dram to try because it is simple and not strong on the mouthfeel. That said, if you are looking for a dram to spend some time with, I find it pretty uneventful. The nose is great, savory peat and sweet fruits with spices. And if you let it sit in its glass for ten minutes the flavors do come alive a bit more as the peat recedes. But the flavors are still weakened by the processing, making it a frustrating experience. At 46%, non-chill-filtered, and reduced caramel it would be a fantastic dram. I do like the nose and finish but found on the palate it was too sweet for me. I've never been a sweet tooth so was a shock to my system. Tasted of burnt caramel to me. Honestly, I adore Bowmore. It does have a strong peat taste but this is blended with a really really nice honey and lemon taste. It is so easy to drink and for me, a wiff of an empty glass is almost as pleasant as the drink itself. I reviewed and reviewed then reviewed some more. This had decent reviews and for the price I must say not bad. You can definitly taste the quality and if there's a better islay scotch at a better price (39.99) then id like to know. This is just right for me. The balance is right and it is very well made. Never tasted anything so wonderful - given to me as a gift - and was the perfect antidote for my cold. Slept like a baby. P.S. Any other licquor gives me "crazy legs" and scotch is so pure - it never happens. All whisky is gluten free - during distillation the gluten are left behind while the alcohol (and some vapours that give the whisky a nice flavour) passes through. So you don't have to worry if you are sensitive to gluten! Light peat, heavy smoke. Not subtle, just yummy. Perfect when the wife or the law won't let you light up a good cigar. Thank you God, for Islay. This is one of my favorites. definitely the best scotch at this price range and probably up to double the price. very smooth and just the right and of smoke to sip on over a long period of time. am trying to find another that I can add to my "goto" list but without luck so far. treat yourself and try this. Gluten: I am a Coeliac and extremely sensitive to the tiniest gluten contamination. Whiskey and other spirits do not contain gluten as the Gluten protein can not cross the distillation process, however it is possible for cross contamination in the aging process through barrels etc which is a long story. I love scotch and after many many different ones have only once or twice been contaminated and even then it could possibly have been something else. I can tell you I drink this particular Bowmore ever couple of weeks and have never been contaminated so I can vouch for it being safe. Bowmore was the first Islay malt I tried and I am still very fond of it. The perfume aroma of the past has now gone and been replaced by toffee but the beautiful Bowmore smoke remains. Not at all complex but a lovely dram just the same. Toffee and smoke! Great. Bowmore has a unique style and if you like it, you will like this. Personally, it's not my favourite among the Islay whiskys, but that's not saying it's poor, just that it's different to most other malts on the island. Got my first bottle today and it's a nice sip. I am used to Laphroaig and Ardbeg so this Bowmore is a little too tame for me. It lacks the 'taste-explosion' what you would expect from an Islay whisky, but once you've adjusted your expectations, it's a really enjoyable drink. Wonderful nose: toffee, fruity and very mild peat and smoke. Taste wise, oak, licorice, peat, sweet malt and some soft fruits but very (too?) mild. Medium long finish with slightly bitter marmalade taste. Perfume and ash nailed it. I couldn't drink it, just opened the bottle and after several tries neat, added touch of water and finally poured it back in the bottle. Aberlour has spoiled me. This is just so good, not the most well known and not as heavy taste and all the beter for it. You will not find better at the price. I strongly recomend it and hope it is to your taste. Smooth yet complex, mild yet fiery. Lovely stuff!! True its made from Barley but my understanding is that the distillation process denudes the gluten protein, which is not the case with fermentation to produce Beer; which does contain gluten. So Chaps I think you need to do more homework. Why not ask the distilleries to clarify this issue and have their Whisky tested for Gluten so it can be categorically stated. That would be a great service to the gluten intolerant and also business wise. hey is this gluten free whisky ? my standard, holds it's own. My kitchen will always require a bowmore more 12! At this cost what did you expect. This is just a nice wee dram. In fact it is one you will ask for again I'm sure of that. Give it a go. its a good scotch, good value, and i'll re-visit it in future no doubt but hard for me to get enthused now ive tasted ardbeg & lagavulin im afraid, as these two are what I want from islay whisky. The lemon is what gives t his whiskey its finish. For the price you cannot go wrong. I must say I get great pleasure sipping on this whiskey while looking at the sun set. Very tasty Islay whisky. A wide palate and nice complexity. It's a bit underrated. A perfectly balanced dram. This is a reference in taste, essence and overall character. From my limited experience of tastings, the best quality for price. Especially balanced taste and aftermath. Each glass offers novel developments in tastes. This is a great introduction to the Islay style - the smoke is there but develops subtly and doesn't overpower the other flavours. However, the 12 year-old Enigma is even better (look out for it in Duty Free shops). Bowmore is the range that gives you the peat flavors without them overwhelming all others. The 12 is a great daily dram, but the older ones get progressively better, with the peat evolving delightfully. Excellent balance between dryness, sweetness, peat and smoke. After a while the taste becomes very oily and dry. Like it! It's perfect everyday Islay dram. PS: Caramel added, but it does not matter for me. my regular sipping choice, great value and great taste not too peaty not too smokey not too sweat with a good nose to it and with a great price, can't go wrong here.

2019-04-23T10:43:40Z

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/bowmore-12-year-old-whisky/

Texas continues to be infamous for leading the country in drunk driving fatalities. Partly due to its size, but also due to a high rate of drunk driving, Harris County (primarily Houston) contributes more to that dubious distinction than any other jurisdiction in the state. In an ideal world, we would be able to analyze, highlight and draw attention to every single drunk driving accident in Houston, but we only have the resources to address a relatively small number of them in depth. However, we firmly believe that the victims of drunk driving crashes should be acknowledged and their stories told. The thinking behind this project is simple: If we are too overwhelmed by the sheer number of horrific drunk driving accidents in Houston, then perhaps the shock of seeing such a long list might illustrate to the general public just how terrible and urgent this problem is. In an effort to do that, Grossman Law Offices will maintain a running chronicle of some notable Houston-area drunk driving accidents. 2017 was a grim year for DUI crashes; the accounts we added are only a small fraction of those that occurred in Harris County. Naturally we hope 2018 will be the year to break the cycle, but pragmatically we have to think that might not be the case. As such, we will continue our ongoing chronicle of drunk driving crashes in Harris County, as a way to highlight some specific examples of a much larger problem. August 12: A head-on crash early Sunday morning killed one person and left another facing intoxication manslaughter charges. Investigators say that Rafael Escobar was speeding west in the center lane of Farm-to-Market Road 529 just before 3:30 a.m. As he approached the 13400 block of the road, his vehicle crashed directly into a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The force of the crash critically injured the Buick's unnamed driver. Emergency personnel rushed him to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Escobar was also taken to the hospital as well for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and will be booked into Harris County Jail upon his release. August 12: A flaming single-vehicle wreck claimed the life of a Houston driver in western Harris County very early Sunday morning. Just on the Sunday side of midnight around 12:15 a.m., a westbound driver was speeding along the Katy Freeway feeder road. As the vehicle approached the West Sam Houston Parkway it lost control. The vehicle skidded off the road and crashed through an iron fence before rolling on its side and bursting into flames. The unnamed driver, 57, died inside the car of their severe burns. Authorities did not confirm that intoxication was a factor, but the fact pattern relayed by the news suggests that may be the case. July 26: Two high school students were fatally injured in a DWI crash on Wednesday. While most Harris County crashes I document happen in Houston itself, several other cities, including this crash's site of Atascocita, lie within Harris County's borders. Authorities say the single-vehicle wreck happened in the evening around the 18300 block of Timber Forest Drive. 17-year-old Jaggar Smith is said to have lost control of his speeding Nissan Altima, running off the road and smashing into some trees. The force of the Altima's impact with the trees split the car in half and instantly killed 16-year-old Chloe Robison, one of two passengers in the vehicle. Salma Gomez, the other passenger and also 16, was taken by emergency personnel to a nearby hospital where she died. Jaggar Smith suffered only minor injuries. All three teens were said to have worn their seat belts during the ride. Smith later confessed to consuming "a whole bottle of MD (Mad Dog) 20/20" before driving that day. He is charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter. July 15: A Sunday morning crash near the Houston Galleria killed one motorcyclist and injured two others. According to investigators the wreck happened around 3 a.m. As the three motorcycle riders exited Loop 610 at Richmond Avenue, a BMW driver crashed into their cycles. The first rider hit was thrown from his Suzuki cycle and was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two riders suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to an area hospital for treatment. The BMW driver fled the scene after hitting the motorcyclists. Officers located the vehicle and driver a short time later and charged the driver with DWI. July 14, evening: A high school football coach and health teacher was involved in a fatal crash Saturday evening that took the life of a 70-year-old Houston man. Investigators say Tirone Curtis, an educator at Cypress Lakes High School, was on West Road in northwest Harris County around 9:45 p.m. As he approached Easton Commons, his vehicle struck a pedestrian, killing him on impact. Curtis fled the scene after hitting the pedestrian but later returned, admitting to authorities that he hit the man and also that he had consumed alcohol earlier that evening. He was arrested for DWI and Failure to Stop and Render Aid. July 14, morning: A pickup truck and a car fatally collided on Loop 610 Saturday morning. Police report the wreck happened around 3 a.m. when the two vehicles crashed on 610's exit ramp toward U.S. Highway 290, also called the Northwest Freeway. According to witnesses the car's driver was weaving erratically through traffic when his car ran into the truck, causing it to roll over several times. The truck's driver was ejected from his vehicle as it flipped; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The car that caused the accident was disabled by the crash, so its driver attempted to flee the scene on foot. He jumped off the freeway ramp to the road below and ran to a nearby gas station. Police found him at that location and took him into custody. This crash, like one I recently wrote about, does not categorically state that the offending driver was charged with DWI. Again, however, the fact pattern presented (early morning crash, driver weaving through traffic, an attempt to flee the scene after the accident) suggest the defendant was likely intoxicated. July 12: A three-car crash in southwest Houston caused at least two serious injuries Thursday night. The wreck happened at roughly 12:15 a.m. when an unnamed driver ran through a stop sign at the intersection of Kirby and West Orem Drives. After running the sign the car hit an eastbound Cadillac on West Orem, knocking it off-course into a Jeep that was stopped on the other side of the intersection. It's unclear which people from which vehicles were taken to local hospitals for their injuries, but at least two people were confirmed to have been taken from the scene in ambulances. This accident is different from many I've recorded over time in that specific DWI allegations weren't made at the time of the initial reports. However, if we examine the known facts of the crash (early morning, someone ran a stop sign) there is a strong likelihood that intoxication was a factor. July 1: A late-night crash on Sunday nearly took the life of a north Houston pedestrian. An unnamed but allegedly drunken driver was eastbound on Mitchell Road when he struck the male pedestrian. At the time of the crash the man was on the side of the road near Fieldworth Drive. The driver didn't stop to render aid, driving several more blocks before the crash damage disabled his vehicle. At that point the driver abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot, but witnesses reported his whereabouts to the police. Officers took the man into custody, and he faces charges of DWI and intoxication assault. The pedestrian he hit was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. June 26: A crash in southeast Houston killed a woman and injured her two children on Tuesday night. Investigators say the Elvia Rodriguez and her children, ages 10 and 16, were stopped in a Mazda sedan at the intersection of Calhoun Road and Pershing Street around 9 p.m. At that time a Chevy Silverado pickup truck driven by 32-year-old Mark Charlot, speeding and swerving erratically, crashed into the Mazda 626. Police would later say that Charlot lost control of his truck, hit a curb near a bus stop at the intesection, and slammed into the Mazda's driver's side, killing its driver. The two children in the car were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Mark Charlot was charged with intoxication manslaughter. June 19: A man caused a three-vehicle crash Tuesday night in northwest Houston, causing injury to multiple parties. According to Houston police, 19-year-old Fredy Martinez ran a red light at the intersection of Long Point and Bingle roads. Eastbound, his Ford F-150 pickup truck then hit a Nissan Sentra headed north on Bingle Road. The collision caused the pickup to roll several times before it ran into another F-150, stopped in the westbound lanes of Long Point. A 19-year-old man was charged with intoxication assault after police said he ran a red light Tuesday night and caused a three-vehicle crash in northwest Houston. Martinez and his passenger were both thrown out of the truck by the second collision. The passenger from Martinez's pickup suffered critical injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital. Martinez was also taken to the hospital, as were the two 18-year-olds in the Nissan Sentra, with unspecified injuries. The driver of the second F-150 wasn't injured. Martinez faces charges of intoxication assault. June 2: A wrong-way crash in Houston critically injured and hospitalized a man early Saturday morning. Houston police said the three-vehicle wreck happened around 2:30 a.m. on Interstate 45 near West Dallas Street. A woman traveling north against traffic on the interstate's southbound side crashed into three vehicles during this time. The driver, 28-year-old Nicole Bertoldi, allegedly struck the first victim head-on before sideswiping a second vehicle and clipping a third with what remained of her momentum. The first crash sent an unnamed 67-year-old man to Ben Taub hospital with critical injuries. A woman in the second car suffered minor injuries and was also taken to the hospital as a precaution. Bertoldi admitted to police at the scene that she was drinking before she got behind the wheel that night. She was charged with intoxicated assault and is still recovering from her injuries in the hospital. UPDATE: Later stories revealed the name of the 67-year-old victim as Mr. Billy Allen of Harris County. Allen died of his injuries in Ben Taub hospital on June 16; the charges against Nicole Bertoldi were upgraded to intoxication manslaughter. May 25: Early Friday morning, a bus operated by the Houston Police Department was involved in a crash with a suspected drunk driver. The wreck happened downtown around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of Polk and Chartres Streets. At the time of the accident the prison bus was transporting eleven inmates from the city jail to the county jail. Authorities state a driver allegedly caused the crash after turning illegally and traveling the wrong way down a one-way street. He reportedly failed a field sobriety test at the scene. Some inmates reportedly suffered minor injuries and were taken to Ben Taub Hospital for evaluation. May 21: An early-morning crash on the Southwest Freeway Monday has been attributed to a possible drunk driver. Authorities suggest the driver, whom they suspect was intoxicated, ran into another vehicle on the freeway at Hillcroft Street. The second vehicle then slammed into the back of a fire truck that coincidentally was on the freeway at that time. The collision caused the second vehicle's driver to become pinned under the truck. He was extracted by first responders and taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No firefighters were hurt by the collision. The suspect stopped at the scene and notified the police about the crash. Officers on the scene determined that the driver who caused the wreck smelled of alcohol. He was detained on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. May 10: An alleged drunk-driving wreck near the Johnson Space Center took one man's life Thursday night. Houston police said the single-vehicle crash happened around 9 p.m. in the 18600 block of Space Center Boulevard. Two men in a pickup truck were involved in a minor collision shortly before the incident and had sped away north from the scene. The pickup's driver lost control, crossed over the median, and drove into oncoming traffic before crashing into a metal obstruction. The truck then rolled and briefly went airborne before coming to rest in a nearby grassy area. In the course of the crash both the driver and passenger of the pickup were ejected from the vehicle. They were taken to the hospital, where the passenger died of his injuries. The unnamed driver is expected to survive but likely will faced intoxication manslaughter charges. People who were with the two men on the day of the crash told police they had been drinking before the wreck. Witnesses from the earlier minor accident said the driver was weaving erratically before the collision. April 7: A crash in northwest Houston took the life of one driver and saw another arrested on charges of intoxication manslaughter. According to authorities, the wreck occurred around 7:45 p.m. on Hempstead Road. Witnesses allegedly saw 25-year-old Cory Jinks weaving through southbound traffic at a high rate of speed in a Dodge Ram. Jinks' truck soon entered the road's northbound lanes and collided head-on with a Mazda vehicle, killing its unnamed driver. Police indicate that Jinks was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. While there, he was tested and found to be intoxicated. He was then charged with intoxication manslaughter. March 25: Two major accidents happened consecutively Sunday morning, killing one motorist and injuring several more. Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office say the initial crash happened around 2 a.m. on Farm-to-Market Road 1960 near Aldine Westfield Road. A westbound Chevy pickup traveled west at a high rate of speed and ran into the back of a Toyota Corolla headed the same direction. The sedan, carrying three people at the time, spun out on the roadway and split in half. Its driver Shane Laniyo was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other occupants, Nasima Uddin and Kilroy Igisair-Fitial, were taken to the hospital with severe injuries. Deputies said the driver of the pickup stopped and exited the vehicle after the crash. Witnesses to the accident said he appeared intoxicated, as his speech was slurred and his walk unbalanced. He fled from the scene of the crash and has not yet been apprehended. Police and medical personnel were called to the scene; as police inspected the crash, several tow trucks were used to block the lanes' use by passing traffic. A few minutes after their arrival and placement, a westbound SUV collided with three of the tow trucks. A passenger in one of the tow trucks, Armando Rosa, suffered broken ribs and was taken to the hospital. The SUV's unnamed driver had to be extricated from its destroyed frame by firefighters. He was then taken to a hospital where he was tested for intoxication. The results aren't yet available. March 23: A fatal hit-and-run crash in the Spring region of Harris County led to the arrest of two suspects on Friday. According to authorities, 68-year-old bicyclist Donna Lowe was riding with a group of cyclists in Pundt Park around 9 a.m. Lowe was struck by a fast-moving vehicle as she tried to cross the intersection at Spring Creek Drive. The force of the impact killed Lowe at the scene. The vehicle's driver, 37-year-old Phillip Trahan, tried to speed away from the scene but crashed into some trees a short distance away. He and his passenger, 44-year-old Angel Escobar, fled into the woods from the crash site. The pair were later apprehended by K-9 officers searching the woods. When apprehended, Phillip Trahan showed signs of intoxication. He was charged with Failure to Stop and Render Aid and Intoxication Manslaughter--both felonies. Angel Escobar was charged with Failure to Report a Felony, a Class A misdemeanor. March 11: Following a multi-vehicle crash that killed one and injured several more, 26-year-old Elmer Quintanilla was arrested by deputies of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. According to information from the office, the wreck occurred around 1 p.m. in the 8900 block of the Sam Houston Parkway (Beltway 8) near West Road. Quintanilla allegedly lost control of his GMC Sierra pickup while exiting the toll road. He hit another vehicle which rolled over and ran into a large brick sign, killing its driver on impact. Quintanilla's truck continued rolling, running into another vehicle as it pulled out of a church parking lot. It didn't come to a stop until it struck three more vehicles in the lot. The driver exiting the church lot was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Quintanilla's wife and three small children (6yo, 5yo, 13mo) were in the truck with him at the time of the collisions. All of them were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators at the scene determined that Quintanilla was operating his truck while intoxicated. Because he was doing so with children under the age of 15 in his car, the charge was upgraded to a felony. To compound that charge, he caused the death of another driver in the commission of that felony. This means the standard intoxication manslaughter charges often associated with fatal crashes were actually upgraded to murder charges. March 10: A fatal accident brought Harris County Sheriff's deputies out to Hidden Valley early Saturday. Investigators say the crash happened close to 3 a.m. near the intersection of West Mount Houston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive. The driver of a southbound Hyundai Elantra, Andres Valdez, failed to stop at the intersection's red light and crashed into the passenger side of a westbound Lincoln Town Car. The Town Car's driver Marco Antonio Frias Jr. was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries and is expected to survive. The driver's father Marco Antonio Frias, a passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene. Andres Valdez was uninjured, but he allegedly refused to take a field sobriety test and showed signs of intoxication (slurred speech, belligerence, smelled of alcohol) at the scene. He was arrested on intoxication manslaughter charges. February 28: A DUI crash in Clear Lake (southeast of Houston) led to the deaths of 36-year-old Shayla Joseph and her 3-month-old son Braylan Jabari Joseph. According to investigators the crash occurred just before 4 a.m. on the southbound feeder road of the Gulf Freeway near El Dorado Boulevard. Veronica Rivas, 20, was speeding south in her Lincoln SUV when she crashed into the rear of a Toyota Scion. Mrs. Joseph and her son were pronounced dead at the scene. Rivas and her unnamed 17-year-old passenger were taken to the hospital for treatment of some broken bones. Rivas was later arrested on two counts of intoxication manslaughter. Her blood alcohol content (BAC) was determined to be .21--almost triple the legal limit. A witness at the crash scene indicated that Rivas mentioned drinking at a bar earlier that night, right before the wreck. February 19: A fatal motorcycle crash early Monday morning left several lanes closed as responders cleaned up the scene. Information is a little sparse, but investigators say the wreck happened around 3:30 a.m. on southbound Interstate 45 near Parker Road. The motorcycle's rider and the driver of a pickup truck were racing in the morning's early hours when they collided for unknown reasons. The motorcyclist slid across the freeway's lanes onto the shoulder and died of his injuries at the scene. The driver of the truck became trapped under the vehicle and had to be pulled free. He was then taken to a hospital with serious injuries, but is expected to survive. *Update: Investigators have pieced together a different story than was initially reported. Police now say that 44-year-old Rodolfo Flores-Granados was speeding southward in his Chevy Silverado pickup at about 2:35 a.m. He lost control of the truck, struck a cement guardrail, went airborne, and hit a Honda motorcycle, overturning after the collision. The unnamed motorcyclist, a 62-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene. Flores-Granados was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries; during his stay police confirmed he was intoxicated at the time of the crash. February 11: While responding to a different wreck on U.S. 59 in Humble, police at the scene witnessed a separate fatal collision. Investigators say that police were at the site of an earlier wreck on the freeway that blocked its far right lane. Around 3:45 a.m. a tow truck arrived at the scene, parking behind the police vehicle to help provide extra cover to the officer as he worked. Shortly after the tow truck's arrival a white Nissan passenger vehicle failed to leave the blocked right lane, slamming into the rear of the two truck. The collision killed the driver of the Nissan and caused moderate injuries to the driver and passenger in the truck, who were taken to the hospital for treatment. February 10: Deputies from the Harris County sheriff's office say an intoxicated driver caused a crash that resulted in major traumatic injury to 5-year-old Leilani Palmer. The crash happened late in the evening on Saturday. According to Leilani's mother Esmerelda Palmer, the girl was riding in a car with her aunt behind the wheel. As they drove south on Interstate 45, another vehicle driven by 22-year-old Otis Stone hit their car near Louetta Road. Leilani's aunt and Stone suffered minor injuries. Unfortunately, Leilani's car seat broke from the force of the impact and she was gravely injured. As of late February, the 5-year-old was in a coma at Children's Memorial Hermann hospital. She has undergone at least three surgeries to treat her injuries. Prosecutors have charged Otis Stone with intoxication assault. He was released on $5,000 bond and awaits his next court appearance in March. February 9: A drunk driver took a life Friday night in Cypress. His history of prior DWI convictions led prosecutors to escalate the charges to felony murder. According to reports from the Harris County Sheriff's Department, 45-year-old Owen Franklin McNett ran a stop sign at the intersection of Tegle Road and Boudreaux Road in Cypress around 8 p.m. Having entered the intersection in his Dodge Ram, he then crashed into a Buick Verano driven by 54-year-old Wayne Childers. The collision took both vehicles off the road, and the pair ended up in a ditch. Wayne Childers died of his injuries at the scene; McNett was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Investigating officers found alcohol in McNett's pickup, and initially said he would be charged with intoxication manslaughter. However, Harris County prosecutors took into account McNett's multiple prior DWI convictions (possibly as many as four) and chose to upgrade the charges to felony murder. February 8: Police responded to a fatal three-vehicle crash early Thursday morning. According to representatives from the Houston Police Department, the wreck happened before 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of Almeda and Reed roads. A northbound Volvo allegedly crossed into Almeda Road's southbound lanes in front of an 18-wheeler. The big rig struck the Volvo on its front passenger side before continuing forward and hitting a pickup truck. The semi-truck finally stopped nearby on some railroad tracks. The Volvo overturned from the force of the impact, and its unnamed female driver died at the scene. The pickup truck's driver was treated by a private doctor for unspecified injuries, and the 18-wheeler's driver went to a local hospital for evaluation. Police have not confirmed any specific factors that might have caused the Volvo's initial crossover. The investigation continues. December 24: A Houston woman fatally struck a pedestrian Sunday night on Christmas Eve. Houston police say an unidentified man was crossing the road in the 9800 block of Mesa Drive when he was struck by a red Nissan Rogue, driven by 55-year-old Maria Hernandez-Rosales. Police say the pedestrian was not using a crosswalk when he was hit at approximately 7 p.m. The 59-year-old pedestrian was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity will not be released until his family has been notified of his passing. Authorities at the scene determined that Ms. Hernandez-Rosales had been drinking prior to the crash and charged her with driving while intoxicated. December 10: A fatal crash occurred in downtown Houston early Sunday morning. Officers with the Houston PD said that a speeding Nissan SUV ran a red light on northbound Houston Avenue. In the intersection of that light, the SUV crashed into a Ford Fusion that was making a left from Washington Avenue. The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. and was caught on video by nearby cameras. The Ford Fusion's driver was extricated from his vehicle by the Houston Fire Department. He was to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver and passenger in the Nissan were also taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The passenger allegedly admitted to police that both of them were drinking prior to the crash. Intoxication manslaughter charges are pending against the driver. December 7: A Houston man died at the scene of an intoxication crash Thursday night. At approximately 10:15 p.m., a Chevy Equinox crashed into a semi-truck near the 13800 block of Beaumont Highway near the East Sam Houston Tollway access road. The crash occurred just as the tractor-trailer was passing through an intersection as the light changed. Harris County deputies identified the Equinox's driver as Bethel Wagers III. After running into the trailer, Wagers allegedly stomped his brakes, swerving his SUV to the right and once again hitting the trailer at the back of its right passenger side. Wagers' passenger, Ryan Magras, died at the scene. Deputies who arrived to the scene of the crash determined that Wagers was speeding and also was intoxicated at the time of the collision (his BAC was not published). He faces charges of intoxication manslaughter. December 4: An intoxicated crash in Houston's Spring Branch West neighborhood led to fatal injuries. Houston PD say that 43-year-old Lucia Tobar was headed north in the 2000 block of Gessner Road when she drifted out of her lane at approximately 7:40 p.m. Her Toyota Tacoma pickup truck struck a tree in the median, killing her front-seat passenger on impact and critically injuring a 42-year-old passenger in the back seat. Tobar and the injured back seat passenger were taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries, police said. At the hospital Tobar was determined to be intoxicated; she also admitted to investigators that she had been drinking prior to driving the pickup truck. She was booked on charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. November 24: A fatal crash near George Bush International Airport late Friday night led to the court appearance of intoxicated driver Michael Stanberry-Lambert Saturday morning. According to a release from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, 25-year-old Stanberry-Lambert had allegedly been drinking prior to veering off course at the intersection of FM 1960 Business and Kenswick Drive. Stanberry-Lambert's semi truck collided with a pickup truck, pushing it over 200 feet down the road from the impact site. One of the pickup's passengers, Aaron Rincon, was killed when the vehicles collided. Two other passengers were taken to area hospitals with undisclosed injuries, as was the pickup's unnamed driver. Stanberry-Lambert was reportedly uninjured. November 15: A teenager was killed Tuesday night in a fatal north Houston crash, leading to charges of intoxication manslaughter. According to Houston Police, 27-year-old Daniel Martinez was driving west on Dipping Lane in his Dodge pickup when he ran a stop sign at the intersection with Fulton Street. The truck hit a southbound Chevy Monte Carlo on Fulton, police said. The car's unnamed 17-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers at the crash determined that Daniel Martinez was driving while intoxicated and arrested him. November 13: Houston driver Luis Mendez, 24, was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter after his vehicle struck a retaining wall on the South Sam Houston Parkway West service road. Mendez's Hyundai Elantra was on its way south from U.S. Highway 59 when it veered into the wall around 3:40 a.m. Police say the vehicle's backseat passenger, Simon Perez-Cortez, was killed by the impact and was pronounced dead at the scene. Mendez and a passenger in the front seat were taken to the hospital. Mendez was later determined to have been intoxicated at the time of the crash. October 13: A motorist who ran out of gas on the Katy Freeway was struck by an allegedly drunk driver Friday night. Houston police officers stated that the fatal crash happened around 9 p.m. near Barker Cypress Road. A man driving a Chevy Impala ran out of fuel on the freeway; stopping in the right lane of the road, he called his wife for assistance. She and the couple's two children arrived a short time later with some extra gas for his car. The unidentified man started filling his car's tank while his family waited nearby. As he knelt next to the Impala, a drunk driver plowed into him. Police say the man was gravely injured by the collision; he and his wife were rushed to a nearby hospital. He died shortly after arriving and his wife was placed under medical observation. Police did not state whether she or the children were physically injured. The suspected DUI driver, not named in the police statement, was arrested after failing a field sobriety test. He will face intoxication manslaughter charges in the death of the victim. October 8: Houston man Dale Rogers, 44, was charged with driving while intoxicated after a fatal auto-pedestrian collision in northwest Houston. Police say that Rogers was northbound in the 900 block of West T C Jester Boulevard. At approximately 7:20 p.m., he allegedly struck and killed an unnamed pedestrian who was attempting to cross the street. The pedestrian was not using a crosswalk, according to authorities. The pedestrian died from the impact. Rogers, who has no known prior offenses in Houston, was immediately taken into custody and charged with DWI. October 7: A pedestrian was fatally struck during an attempt to cross the North Freeway after his own single-car accident on Saturday morning. The Houston Police Department reported that the accident occurred around 3:20 a.m. on Interstate 45, close to the Beltway. The victim was northbound in a vehicle when he crashed into an inside barrier; he and his passenger exited the car and continued north on foot to seek help. The passenger later told police that the driver spotted a different disabled vehicle across the highway's lanes. As he tried to cross the road to that car, he was fatally struck by a passing vehicle. The driver of that car did not stop. The vehicle's passenger also admitted that he and the driver had been drinking prior to the initial crash. The investigation continues. September 10: A rollover wreck in west Houston required the driver's rescue by firefighters. Information is minimal, but authorities say an unidentified woman was driving south on Mid Lane around 1:30 Sunday morning. As she approached West Lane, her SUV slammed into a parked car. The collision caused her vehicle to rollover repeatedly, crumpling the car. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they had to cut the roof off the SUV to retrieve the driver. The driver suffered injuries in the crash and was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition. The cause of the crash isn't clear yet, but officers from the scene said that intoxication was a possible factor. August 4, evening: An apparent red-light collision took the life of a motorcyclist late Friday night. According to deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the wreck occurred in the 6100 block of Barker Cypress Road at approximately 11:30 p.m. A southbound SUV attempted to make a left turn from Barker Cypress, at which time the northbound motorcyclist collided with the vehicle on its passenger side. The motorcyclist was airlifted from the scene of the accident to a nearby hospital, but died there. The SUV's driver was not injured, but allegedly tested positive for intoxication and was arrested for DWI. Investigators aren't yet sure whether the motorcycle or the SUV ran its respective red light. August 4, morning: Early Friday morning, 38-year-old Joe Guerrero Jr. was westbound on South Sam Houston Parkway East when he made an abrupt lane change to get out of the Beamer Road exit lane. In so doing, Guerrero crashed into several barrels that lined the exit ramp. He and his wife Kimberly, riding behind him, were thrown from their seats on the 2002 Harley Davidson. When first responders arrived, the pair were lying face-down on the parkway. They were taken directly to a nearby hospital, where Guerrero's wife was pronounced dead. He himself was treated for serious injuries, and admitted to investigators that he'd had five drinks shortly before the crash. After his release from the hospital he was apprehended and charged with intoxication manslaughter. July 31: A chain reaction crash near the Westpark Tollway early Monday morning caused one of the vehicles to burst into flames. According to authorities, three of the four involved vehicles were stopped at a traffic light at the tollway's intersection with Hillcroft Road. A Hyundai Genesis approach the line of cars but failed to stop, slamming into the back of a Honda Pilot. Thanks to the merciless nature of physics, the collision pushed the Pilot forward into a taxi cab, which in turn was pushed forward into a Hyundai Sonata. During this time, the Honda Pilot caught fire. Investigating police say the man driving the Genesis that originated the crash fled the scene, but didn't make it far before he was apprehended and charged with a DWI. Anticipating an argument about who was driving the car, police plan to remove the airbag from the Genesis and obtain DNA evidence to confirm he was behind the wheel. Both occupants of the Honda Pilot managed to escape as the SUV began to burn; however, they were injured by the collision and were taken to a nearby hospital. The woman suffered minor injuries, but the man's kidney was lacerated and his back was punctured near his spine. He underwent surgery for his injuries. July 28, evening: According to Houston police, two people were involved in a minor collision in northwest Houston on Friday night, but things escalated quickly into something much worse. Around 9:30 p.m., the initial fender-bender occurred at Hempstead and West Tidwell. Officers say the driver at fault attempted to flee the scene of the crash. Witnesses reported he drove at high speeds down West Tidwell to Guhn Road, where he lost control of the vehicle. His car rebounded off a telephone pole, splitting it in half, then slammed into a tree. A female passenger in his car was declared dead at the scene of the collision with the tree. The driver himself was transported to Ben Taub Hospital where he was listed in serious but stable condition. Police determined that the suspect was intoxicated, and charges of Intoxication Manslaughter are expected to be brought in this matter. July 28, morning: Around 3 a.m. Friday, two Houston Police officers were injured when an intoxicated driver forced them to jump off the Southwest Freeway overpass. According to reports, DWI Task Force Officers Roshad Carter and Carlos Herrera were investigating an unrelated crash near Newcastle in the early morning. The officers had blocked the nearest exit ramp with their patrol vehicle. At that time, 25-year-old Bianca Bennett drove by the patrol car and struck Officer Carter. In order to avoid more serious injury, he and Officer Herrera were forced to jump off the overpass, falling around 15 to the ground below. Officer Carter was hospitalized with an ankle injury; Officer Herrera was treated and released. Two firefighters who had arrived on the scene to check on the victim of the initial accident were narrowly missed by Bennett's vehicle. July 22: According to the Houston Police Department, an intoxicated driver in downtown Houston injured an officer by rear-ending his cruiser in the early morning. The crash happened around 3:50 a.m. while the officer was on patrol, traveling west on Pease Street. The officer stopped at a red light at the road's intersection with San Jacinto Street. As the light changed, the officer slowly accelerated, and at that time his cruiser was hit from behind by an orange Toyota Corolla. He was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital for non-life-threatening neck and back injuries. The Corolla was driven by an unidentified woman in her early 20's; she was found by scene responders to be intoxicated and will face charges. July 9: A five-vehicle wreck on US Highway 290 near Beltway 8 sent four people to the hospital early Sunday morning. According to crash victim Timothy Hernandez, he and his wife were on US-290 around 3 a.m. when a black SUV rapidly approached their vehicle near Beltway 8. He moved over to let the SUV pass, but the vehicle sideswiped his own car, then ricocheted into the wall of the highway. Despite being shaken, Hernandez and his wife went to the SUV to check on its driver, who had exited the vehicle and circled around behind it. As the pair approached, the SUV and the driver were hit by a third car. Hernandez alleged that at least two other cars and a pair of motorcycles also ended up in the pile-up. While there were no known fatalities, one man was airlifted to the hospital and three others were taken by ambulance. Investigating Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office say that alcohol may have been a factor in the initial crash. July 1: An unidentified family was seriously hurt in a crash in north Houston in the late evening on Saturday, July 1. June 24: An unidentified woman was killed in northwest Harris County by a collision with an allegedly intoxicated driver. Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office say the wreck happened at approximately 1:15 a.m. At that time, the driver of a southbound Kia vehicle crashed into a Jeep on Highway 249 near Antoine Drive. The Jeep's female driver tried to get out of the vehicle at the scene of the collision, but the Jeep was then struck by a passing pickup truck. The force of the impact caused the Jeep to spin out of control; the woman died at the scene. Deputies said that the Jeep's lights were not on when it was hit by the pickup truck. The truck's driver wasn't injured and likely won't face any charges. The man driving the Kia that caused the initial crash was taken to the hospital for his injuries, where he was found to be intoxicated. So far he faces DWI charges, but the crash appears to have involved either the Kia or the Jeep running a red light. If investigators determine that the Kia's drunk driver ran the light, his charges might be changed to Intoxication Manslaughter. June 4: According to authorities, 26-year-old Elmer Jose Sandoval crossed into oncoming traffic at approximately 11:55 p.m. in Houston. Sandoval's Lexus ES 300 was southbound on Galveston Road that night. Near its intersection with Witt Road, the car crossed the center line and collided with a Ford Expedition. Sandoval's vehicle had four passengers: an unidentified female, a 6-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy. After the collision, all five of the people from Sandoval's vehicle fled the scene in a white Cadillac. They were found shortly afterward at a nearby hospital, where the children were receiving treatment for unknown injuries. Three occupants from the Expedition also had to be taken to the hospital: the 34-year-old male driver, a 12-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy. Their conditions are also unknown. When found by police, Sandoval showed signs of impairment. He was arrested and charged with six counts of intoxication assault. The investigation continues. April 24: Just after 2 a.m., a car and a pickup truck crashed at the Hardy Toll Road and Little York in northeast Houston. Investigators believe the car was headed north on the Hardy Toll service road when it started to turn onto eastbound Little York. At that point the car was hit by the pickup, which was headed east. Of the truck's four occupants at the time, one was killed and the other three were taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries. The car's driver also had to be taken to the hospital. At this point authorities are still investigating the cause of the collision, but they have stated the pickup truck might have run a red light, and that alcohol may have been involved. April 12: Shortly before 1 a.m., authorities in the town of Porter arrived at the scene of a major accident near the intersection of State Highway 99 and Farm-to-Market Road 1314. While this are is technically in Montgomery County, north of Harris, it's close enough to warrant inclusion. Fire and Rescue personnel discovered a severely damaged Chevy Malibu and, a short distance away, a Ford F-150 pickup with heavy damage to its front end. Preliminary accident reconstruction suggested that the Malibu was southbound on FM 1314 and attempted to turn left at a light, at which time the vehicle was struck by the F-150. Passenger Claudia Riley, 37, was also taken to the hospital in stable condition. Passenger Jacquelyn Pena, 24, was seated in the back seat and was ejected through the windshield during the crash. Her body was found roughly 50 feet from the Malibu, killed by the impact. Driver Corina Rose Tijerina, 21, was tested at the scene for intoxication by DPS officers, then taken to the hospital for a more accurate blood test. Her specific ABV was not reported, but it was sufficiently high for officers to arrest her on charges of intoxication manslaughter. It has not yet been established which party had the right-of-way at the intersection when the collision occurred. April 8: Around 2:30 in the morning, a Ford pickup truck driven by 22-year-old Josue Reyes rear-ended a Ford Mustang at the intersection of Aldine Bender Road and Northgreen Boulevard in Houston. The Mustang had stopped at a red light and the pickup slammed into the back of it, sending it spinning and catching it on fire. The driver of the Mustang exited the vehicle unharmed, but his passenger was trapped in the burning car. The passenger was declared dead at the scene. Neither occupant of the Mustang has been named in official releases. Having caused the accident, the driver tried to flee the scene but ran into a fence a short distance away. Responding deputies found him unhurt and confirmed he was intoxicated with field sobriety tests, in which he blew a .15 on a breathalyzer. Arrested, he now faces multiple charges, including intoxication manslaughter. I'd like nothing more than to say "No new accidents have happened and I'm unable to add to this list." Drunk driving is a scourge--an epidemic. While Texas has criminal penalties for drunk drivers and dram shop laws to penalize businesses that unlawfully serve intoxicated people, the most coverage that victims of drunk driving accidents receive in the media is a small blurb, buried someone in the coverage of "more important" news. These victims, taken senselessly by unequivocally selfish, reckless behavior deserve more than a mere passing mention. These aren't isolated incidents, but the casualties of a social sickness that infects Harris County and the rest of Texas. Stay tuned for more entries in this ongoing chronicle. Great read…It’s sad when we have the knowledge to share but have such a hard time getting it out. Thanks for your efforts it makes a difference. By the way you also represented my friends family in a Dram Shop suit. So thank you once again.

2019-04-21T20:12:54Z

https://www.injuryrelief.com/blog/houston-drunk-driving-chronicle/

Russell County, VA was form from Washington County in 1786 (see map 1781-1790). Note: This is not a misspelling of Lawson and research has been done on Leason’s family, showing that a William Leason was in this area in 1774 and moved to West Virginia where he died. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 37, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 27 September 1792, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Patrick McDavid vs John Frazer, in case, Jury: Robert Lawson, William Robinson, Moses Cockrell, Richard Davis, Charles Carter, Henry Hamblin, Ambrose Fletcher, William Brice, Michael Swingle, Christopher Cooper, Hugh Molhollon & Michael Auxer. Def not guilty. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #1 Abstracts, 1786-1795 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 324 – July 22, 1794 between Richard Price & Lucy and Peter Outhouse…50 acres part of a certain tract of land granted to Cornelius Roberts by patent dated May 6, 1787…in the Glade Hollow on the waters of Clinch River…Beginning on the east by the old line and on the north by a conditional line between the land and Peter Lawsons land and on the west by a conditional line between said land and Simon Stacey and on the south by a conditional line between land and Daniel Price. Signed: Richard Price & Lucy Price. No witnesses. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 175, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 25 September 1794, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Musicks adm. vs Thomas Goff, in case, jury: James Osborne, Edward Dorton, William Oney, Simon Stacy, James Osborne, Peter Lawson, John Fugate, Henry Davis, Caleb Friley, Patrick Kindrick, Shadrick Monk & John Edmiston, suit continued. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 204, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 28 April 1795, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Henry Hursk & Wife vs John Hursk – trespass, assault & battery – Jury: Joseph Whiteley, Peter Lawson, Edward Dorton, James Gray, Michael Auxer, Samuel Auxer, Simon Stacy, George Kindrick, Thomas Green, John W. Crunk, Thomas Stapleton, Stephen Ogdon, judgment in favor of defendant. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 205, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 28 April 1795, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. John Hursk pay James Gray & John Stacy for 1 day as witnesses for him vs Henry Hursk & Elizabeth, pay Peter Lawson for 3 days as witness for him vs Henry Hursk & Elizabeth. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 211, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 28 May 1795, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. At a call court held at Russell Courthouse on the 28th of May 1795, for the examination of John Samples on suspicion that he feloniously stole took and carried away one mare the property of Rhoda Lawson of the value of 8 pounds, and also 2 others mares the property of persons unknown in the possession of Charles Miller, 1 of the value of 20 pounds and the other of the value of 30 pounds.Same Court, page 212 – Rhoda Lawson, recognizance by Henry Smith, for her appearance in court for the examination of John Samples and give evidence as she knew respecting the crime.Same Court, page 212 – Thomas Hunt & John Willson summoned to appear, Hunt to give evidence against Jonathan Prater concerning felonies in breaking & entering the house of Isaac Moore & Adam Lash being called and did not come. Willson to give evidence against John Samples concerning certain felony committed by John in stealing one mare from Rhoda Lawson, he being called came not. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 219, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 24 June 1795, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Henry Hursk pay James Gray & Peter Lawson pay for 2 days as witnesses for him vs John Hursk. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 223, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 28 July 1795, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Jonathan Wood, William Huston, William Lawson & William Turner to appraise the estate of Joseph Blair, deceased. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #2 Abstracts, 1795-1798 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 272 – February 28, 1797 between Richard Price & Lucy and Daniel Price & Juda of the 1st part and Alexander Shoemaker…in Glade Hollow on the waters of Clinch River, part of 2 tracts of land granted to Cornelius Roberts by patent dated May 6, 1787, other granted to Daniel Price dated June 6, 1796…Beginning at a conditional corner between the land of William Surjent now lives on and Peter Lawson and Alexander Shoemaker…to a line between Shoemaker and James Gray, across the Glade Hollow through a Plumb thicket…Beginning…corner of Daniel Prices survey…to a conditional line made between said land and James Serjents land…by the wagon road…between said land and James Sarjents across the wagon road to a corner between James Serjent & William Serjent…100 ac…Signed: Richard Price, Lucy Price, Daniel Price, Judea Price. No witnesses. Peter, Robert, Travis, William Jr. & William Sr. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #2 Abstracts, 1795-1798 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 496 – July 30, 1797 between Major Dowell of Rockbridge Co. and Samuel Andrew Law of Cheshire, New Haven Co., CT…by letter patent dated February 9, 1796…Major Dowell assignee of James Ramsy…on the south side of Clinch River the west side of Cedar Creek containing 15,000 ac by survey in the name of Ramsy dated April 13, 1795…Beginning on the south side of Clinch River at the mouth of Big Cedar Creek…nearly opposite to John Cowans dwelling house…nearly opposite Shadrack Williams dwelling house…north side of Little Ceder Creek, crossing little Cedar Creek…nearly opposite John Dollebiders dwelling house…on the north side of a ridge nearly the lower end of Peter Lawsons plantation…on the north side of the Main County road…on the north side of a ridge near a large cave…on the south side of a ridge nearly opposite Patrick Koyles dwelling house…near a corner of plantation of Samuel Hendricks…near the head of Reads branch…on the top of a ridge near Clinch River…on the south side of Clinch River between the mouth of Reeds branch and the mouth of Dumps Creek…but it is always to be understood that the survey upon which this grant is founded includes Stephen Oyons survey of 260 ac, Edward Kelly, 120 ac; Robert Webb, 30 ac; Luke Kelly, 100 ac; Joseph Keekis 85 ac; Jacob Robertson, 180 ac, David Craig, 400 ac; Thomas Collay, 360 ac, Laurance Vanhook, 140 ac; Joseph McReynolds, 100 ac; John Lesses, 250 ac; James Kelly, 100 ac; William Gilmore, 300 ac; Thomas Conway, 400 ac; Shadrack Monk, 50 ac; William Monk, 50 ac; Henry Willards, 75 ac; Jacob Baresnake, 400 ac; Zachariah Hendrick, 150 ac; Elijah Hurt, 100 ac; John Coone, 200 ac; Henry Hurt, 30 ac; James Hurst, 50 ac; Samuel Hendricks, 100 ac; James Dickersons, 50 ac; Samuel Vanhook 100 ac; Timothy Burgesses, 300 ac; John Breeding, 60 ac; Spencer Breeding, 200 ac; Robert Rutherfords,50 ac, Shadarack Williams, 50 ac; James Hays, 180 ac, Peter Lawsons, 50 ac; Daniel Prices, 40 ac; Samuel Ervins, 40 ac & John Cowans 93 ac all of which having a preference by warrant & rights upon which grant is founded…James Ramsey together with Andrew Steele, Jr. and Andrew Fulton of Augusta Co. on October 20, 1796…Signed: Major Dowell. No witnesses. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #3, 1798-1806 – Page 24. This Indenture made the eighteenth day August one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight between John Frazier and Mary, his wife, of Russell County and State of Virginia of the one part and William Lawson of the said State and County of the other part witnesseth that the said John Frazier for & in consideration of the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars him in hand paid by the said William Lawson, the receipt hereof he doth hereby acknowledge hath granted, bargained and sold and by these presents doth grant, bargain and sell unto the said William Lawson a certain tract of land containing one hundred and fifty five acres situate on big Mockason Creek waters of the North fork of Holstein and known by the name of the little Valley below Wm. Houston’s in the County of Russell and bounded as followeth to wit – Beginning at the upper end of the little Valley and about half a mile below Wm. Houston’s plantation at a large chestnut and poplar at the foot of Clinch Mountain thence north thirteen degrees east, seventy four poles to a Spanish oak sapling on the bank of the Creek, north eighty eight degrees west, seventy seven poles to a large black oak on the south side of a ridge and along the said ridge south seventy degrees west, one hundred and twelve poles to a bunch of dogwoods, south fifty three degrees west, sixty poles to a white oak and liner south sixty nine degrees west, fifty six poles to a black oak thence leaving the said ridge south thirty eight degrees west, one hundred and two poles to a buckeye sapling thence south forty eight degrees east, twenty poles to a bunch of lynns by a dry run at the foot of Clinch Mountain and along the said Mountain north seventy degrees east, three hundred and thirty two poles to the Beginning. Which land was granted unto the said John Frazier by patent bearing date the third day of June one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight, together with the appurtenances thereunto belonging to have and ot hold the said tract of land with its appurtenances unto the said William Lawson, his heirs and assigns to the sole use and behoof of the said William Lawson his heirs and assigns forever and the said John Frazer and Mary his wife and their heirs will forever warrant and defend the said tract of land with its appurtenances unto the said William Lawson, his heirs and assigns against the claim of all persons whatsoever. In witness whereof the said John Frazer and Mary his wife have hereunto subscribed their names and affixed their seals the day and year first above written. William Lawson JuniorAt a Court held for Russell County March the 26th 1799. This Indenture of bargain and sale of land from John Frazer and Mary his wife to William Lawson was produced in Court and acknowledged by the said John Frazer and ordered to be recorded. Henry Dickenson C.R.C.From William Lawson – A Scottish Rebel. William purchased 155 acres for $250 from John and Mary Frazer. This tract of land, known as Little Valley, situated ½ mile below William Huston’s plantation. The surveyor’s record of the now defunct Fincastle County shows 180 acres on Mockinson Creek for John Frazer on 15 December 1774. Later became Scott County, Virginia. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 468, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 26 June 1798, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Commonwealth vs Owens & Grimes, presentment of the grand jury for fighting, Jury: Peter Lawson, James Shoemaker, Luke Kelley, George Puckett, William Vicars, Caleb Friley, George Kindrick, John Carter, Thomas Stapleton, James Elliott, John Fugate, Moses Dorton, judgment granted the commonwealth, defendants to pay damages. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 472, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 27 June 1798, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Commonwealth vs Edward Manahon, presentment of the grand jury. Jury: Simon Cockrell, George Kindrick, John Deskins, Spencer Breeding, Abraham Childiss, John Breeding , William Owens, Richard Price, Joseph Sampson, Peter Lawson, Caleb Friley & Zachariah Fugate, suit continued.Same Court, page 473 – Commonwealth vs Jeremiah Young, presentment of the grand jury, Jury: Simon Cockrell, George Kindrick, John Deskins, spencer Breeding, Abraham Chilris, John Breeding, William Owens, Richard Price, Joseph Sampson, Peter Lawson, Caleb Friley & Zachariah Fugate, judgement awarded the commonwealth, def to pay damages. Peter, Robert, William Jr. & William Sr. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 539, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 26 March 1799, abstracted by Rhonda Robertson. Indenture from John Frazer to William Lawson, recorded. Virginia Land Office Grants No. 41, 1798-1799, page 334 (Reel 107), stated that James Wood Esquire, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia do grant to Peter Lawson a land grant 19 June 1799 for a certain tract or parcel of land containing 50 acres by Survey bearing date 17 October 1794, lying and being in the County of Russell in Virginia on the south side of the Glade Hollow and adjoining Cornelius Roberts. Russell County, VA Order Book 2, 1792-1799. Page 539, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 26 March 1799. Indenture from John Frazer to William Lawson, recorded. William Lawson 155 acres and a note indicated from John Frazer. Virginia State Land Office, Land Office Grants No. 43, 1799-1800, page 250, Reel 109, Russell County, Virginia, 600 acres on the waters of Mockerson Creek beginning. James Monroe Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting know yea that by virtue of three Land Office Treasury Warrants to wit, two hundred acres, by number 11962, two hundred acres by number 16602 and two hundred acres by number 3323. There is grated by the said Commonwealth unto John Wood a certain tract or parcel of land containing six hundred acres by survey bearing date the twentieth day of August one thousand seven hundred and ninety seven, lying and being in the County of Russell on the waters of Mockerson Creek and bounded as followeth to wit, beginning at two white oaks and a sugar tree corner to a tract of land known by the name of Frazer’s Cane brake, thence north 55 degrees west, 80 poles to a hickory and double maple, near the bank of Mockerson Creek, north 60 degrees east, 46 poles to a hickory and gum on the side of a ridge, north 20 degrees west, 44 poles to a white oak and poplar sapling in a hollow, north 30 degrees east, 280 poles to a hickory and white oak on a cliff of said Creek, north 66 degrees east, 210 poles to a poplar and red oak on the top of a ridge, north 40 degrees east, 154 poles to two hickories and two white oaks on the cliff of said Creek, south 40 degrees east, 115 poles crossing the said Creek to a white oak, south 35 degrees west, 35 poles to two white oaks on a line of William Lawson’s and with his several lines, north 88 degrees west, 42 poles… to the beginning with its appurtenances to have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land with it appurtenances to the said John Wood and his heirs forever. In Witness whereof the said James Monroe esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia hath hereunto set his hand and caused the lesser seal of the said Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the thirty first day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine and of the Commonwealth the twenty fourth. Robert, William Jr. & William Sr. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #3 Abstracts, 1798-1806 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 174 – February 21, 1801 between John Wood and Vincent Benham of Washington Co…75 ac…on Big Mockeson Creek, part of a larger tract of land granted to John Wood by patent dated December 31, 1799…Beginning…corner to William Lawsons land…Signed: John Wood. No witnesses. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 108, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 24 February 1801. William Lawson surveyor of the road in place of William Wells. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #3 Abstracts, 1798-1806 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 173 – February 24, 1801 between John Wood and Vincent Benham of Washington Co…75 ac on the waters of Big Mockeson Creek, part of a larger tract of land granted to John Wood by patent dated December 31, 1799…Beginning corner to William Lawsons land…on the side of a spur of Clinch Mountain…Signed: John Wood. No witnesses. From William Lawson – A Scottish Rebel. Bishop Francis Asbury’s journal indicated on Friday, 25 September 1801 they pushed on to Moccasin Creek where they lodged with William Lawson. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 168, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 24 November 1801. Indenture from William Turner to William Combs, oath of William Lawson, recorded. Russell County, Virginia Surveyors Book 2, Page 44 – February 7, 1804 – Robert Lawson – 44 ac – part of Treasury Warrant 1855 dated March 18, 1796 – on the waters of Mockerson Creek – end of a spur of Clinch Mountain, corner to John Johnson – corner to Solomon Frazier. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 195, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 22 June 1802. Commonwealth vs Nathan Hobbs, presentment, Jury: Littleberry Robinson, Edward Monahon, Jacob Castle, Peter Starns, Thomas Stapleton, William Hall, John Williams, Robert Lawson, James Claxton, Henry Goodman, John Hall and Peter Alley, def found not guilty. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 303, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 24 April 1804. Andrew Spradling pay Robert Lawson for 1 day as witness for him vs James Davison, assignee. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 360, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 28 November 1804. John Tate, Zachariah Fugate, Robert Tate, Jr. & William Lawson to appraise the slaves & personal estate of Jonathan Wood, Sr., deceased. William Jr. & William Sr. William Sr. & William Jr. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #3, 1798-1806 – Page 714 – This Indenture made the twenty eighth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six between William Lawson Senior of Russell County and state of Virginia of one part and William Lawson Junior of the county and state aforesaid of the other part, witnesseth that the said William Lawson Senior for and in consideration of the sum of fifty dollars to him in hand paid by the said William Lawson Junior, the receipt whereof is hereby doth acknowledged, hath granted, bargained & sold and by these presents doth grant, bargain and sell unto the said William Lawson Junior a certain tract or parcel of land containing fifty acres more or less, lying in the said Russell County Big Mockerson Creek waters of the North fork of Holston the said lands was purchased from John Frazer by the said William Lawson Senior which lands was granted to the said John Frazer by Patent bearing date the third day of June one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight and bounded as followed to wit – Beginning at a white walnut and poplar on the south side of the stony ridge thence south fifty three degrees west, thirty six poles to a white oak and turn south sixty nine degrees west, fifty six poles to a black oak and thence leaving the said ridge south thirty eight degrees west, one hundred and two poles to a buckeye thence south forty eight degrees east, twenty poles to a bunch of lynnes by a dry run at the foot of Clinch Mountain and along the said mountain north seventy degrees east, one hundred and forty poles to a blazed white oak on the conditional line then with the conditional line seventy four poles to the Beginning. Together with its appurtenances thereunto belonging to have and to hold the said tract of land with its appurtenances unto the said William Lawson Junior his heirs and assigns forever and William Lawson Senior and his heirs and assigns will forever warrant and defend the said tract of land with its appurtenances unto the said William Lawson Junior his heirs and assigns against the claims of all persons. In witness thereof the said William Lawson Senior have hereunto subscribed his name and affixed his seal the day and year first above written. Witness – William his X mark Houston, Isaac O’Donold, Averey his X mark Kessee.At Russell March court 1806. This Indenture of bargain and sale of land from William Lawson Senior to William Lawson Junior was proven in Court by the oaths of William Houston, Isaac O’Donold and Averey Kessee witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 485, Court Sessions, 4 March 1806. Indenture from William Wells & Wife to James Quillen, oaths of William Hourton, William Lawson & Isaac O. Donold, recorded.Indenture from William Wells & wife to William Howerton, oaths of William Lawson, Isaac O’Donold & Avery Kezee, recorded.Same Court, page 486 – Indenture from William Wells & Wife to Avery Kezee, oaths of William Hourton, Isaac O’Donold & William Lawson, recorded. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 486, Court Sessions, 4 March 1806. Indenture from William Lawson, Sr. to William Lawson, Jr., oaths of William Howerton, Isaac O’Donold & Avery Keezee, recorded.From William Lawson – A Scottish Rebel. William sold 50 acres of his 155 acres on Big Moccasin Creek to his son William Lawson Jr. in 1806. Robert, William & William Sr. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #4 Abstracts, 1806-1814 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 3 – June 19, 1806 between Arthur Campbell of Washington Co. & Henry Wood…185 ac…Beginning on a spur of Clinch Mountain…along the foot of Clinch Mountain…Signed: Arthur Campbell. Witnesses: James Davison, William Lawson, Isaac O’Donold. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 531, Court Sessions, 5 August 1806. Indenture form Arthur Campbell to Henry Wood, oaths of James Davison & William Lawson & Isaac O’Donold, recorded. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 558, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 3 September 1806. Isaac O’Donold be surveyor of the road from John Godsey’s (formerly William Cody’s) to the lower ford of Mockerson Creek and from there to the county line in place of William Lawson and that John McClellan furnish him a list of tithables. This Indenture made the second day March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & seven between Jonathan Wood of the County of Russell in the State of Virginia of the one part and William Lawson of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said Jonathan Wood for and in consideration of the sum of sixteen pounds, seventeen shillings & six pence current money of Virginia to him in hand paid by the said William Lawson, the receipt hereby acknowledge hath and by these presents doth grant, bargain and sell unto the said William Lawson his heirs & assigns a certain tract or parcel of land containing seventy five acres the same more or less and being in the said County of Russell on big Mockerson Creek it being part of a larger tract of land granted by this Commonwealth to John Wood by a patent bearing date December the 31st, 1799 and conveyed from said John Wood to Jonathan Wood by a deed of Conveyance bearing date the 24th day of February 1801 and bounded as followeth to wit – Beginning at a poplar and red oak on the top of a ridge corner to Vincent Benham’s land thence S 69 degrees East, 57 poles to a stake S 75 degrees West, 54 poles to bunch of dogwoods, S 53 degrees W, 60 poles to a white oak and lynn S 69 degrees W, 56 poles to a black oak, S 38 degrees West, 82 poles to a stake at 30 degrees West, 83 poles to hickory & white oak on the cliff of Mockeson Creek thence N 66 degree East, 210 poles to the Beginning. Together with all and singular the appurtenances thereunto appertaining or in any wise belonging and all the right title interest claim and demand of him the said Jonathan Wood of in and to the same and every part and parcel thereof with the reversion and reversions remainder and remainder rents issues and profits thereof. To have and to hold the said seventy five acres of land with the appurtenance to the said William Lawson, his heirs and assigns forever and the said Jonathan Wood for himself and his heirs doth covenant with the said William Lawson and his heirs that he the said Jonathan Wood and his heirs the said lands with its appurtenances unto the said William Lawson and his heirs will warrant & forever defend against the just claim or claims of all and every other person or persons whatsoever. In Witness whereof the said Jonathan Wood hath hereunto subscribed his name and affixed his seal the day & year first above written. Jonathan Wood His sealAt Russell March Court 1807. This Indenture of bargain and sale of land from Jonathan Wood to William Lawson was acknowledged in Court by the said Jonathan and ordered to be recorded. Henry Dickenson C.R.C.Russell County, VA, Deed Book #4, 1806-1814 – Page 74. This Indenture made the second day March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & seven between John Wood of the County of Russell in the State of Virginia of the one part and William Lawson of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said John Wood for and in consideration of the sum of sixteen pounds, seventeen shillings and six pence current money of Virginia to him in hand paid by the said William Lawson, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledge hath and by these presents doth grant, bargain and sell unto the said William Lawson his heirs & assigns a certain tract or parcel of land lying and being on big Mockerson Creek containing seventy five acres be the same more or less, it being part of a larger tract of land granted to the said John Wood from this Commonwealth by a patent bearing date December the 31st day 1799 and bounded as followeth to wit – Beginning at a beach and gum sapling on the east side of a small branch a corner of another tract of land thence S 59 degrees East, 142 poles to a stake N 56 degrees East, 50 poles to a stake, N 3 degrees West, 107 poles to a stake thence to the Beginning. Together with all and singular the appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining as also all the right title, intend claim and demand of him the said John Wood and his heirs of in and to the same and every part and parcel thereof with the reversion and reversions remainder and remainder rents issues and profits thereof. To the said William Lawson, his heirs and assigns forever. To have and to hold the said seventy five acres of land with its appurtenances to the said William Lawson, his heirs and assigns forever and the and the said John Wood for himself and his heirs doth with the said William Lawson and his heirs that he the said John Wood and his heirs the said lands with its appurtenances unto the said William Lawson will warrant and by these presents forever defend against the just claim or claims of all and every other person or persons whatsoever. In Witness whereof the said John Wood hath hereunto subscribed his name and affixed his seal the day, month & year first above written. John Wood His sealAt Russell March Court 1807. This Indenture of bargain and sale of land from John Wood to William Lawson was acknowledged in Court by the said John and ordered to be recorded. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 597, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 3 March 1807. Indenture from Jonathan Wood & William Lawson, recorded.Same Court, page 597 – Indenture from John Wood to William Lawson, recordedFrom William Lawson – A Scottish Rebel. William purchased for 16 pounds, 75 acres from Jonathan Wood and for 6 pounds 75 acres from John Wood on 2 March 1807. These properties situated on Moccasin Creek joined the land of William Benham. In 1814, this area became part of Scott County, Virginia. Virginia State Land Office, Land Office Grants No. 56, 1806-1808, page 252, Reel 122, Russell County, Virginia, 75 acres on the waters of Mockerson Creek and adjoining Solomon Frazier and William Benham. William H. Cabell Esquire, governor of the commonwealth of Virginia. To all to whom these presents shall come greeting. Know Ye that by virtue of a Land Office Treasury Warrant, number Eighteen hundred and fifty-five issued the Eighteenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and ninety six, there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto Robert Lawson, assignee of William Cooper, a certain tract or parcel of land containing seventy five acres by survey bearing date the twenty ninth day of October one thousand eight hundred and one, lying and being in the county of Russell on the waters of Mockerson Creek and bounded as followeth to wit: – Beginning at a hickory and three post oaks, corner to William Benham, thence north seventy degrees east forty six poles to an elm and red oak in the fork of a dry branch on a line of Solomon Frazier’s, thence with said Frazier’s line, south forty-one degrees east eighty four poles passing his corner and crossing a branch to a poplar and three post oaks on the side of a ridge near the top south forty eight degrees west fifty-one poles crossing a branch to two white oak saplings, south thirteen degrees east one hundred poles to a chestnut and dogwood, north thirty-four degrees west one hundred and thirty poles to a line of said Benham’s and thence with his line north ten degrees east seventy-five poles to the beginning with it appurtenances; To have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land with its appurtenances to the said Robert Lawson and his heirs forever. In Witness whereof the said William H. Cabell esquire governor of the commonwealth of Virginia hath hereunto set his hand and caused the lesser seal of the said commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the twenty-ninth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seven and of the commonwealth the thirty-first. Signed Wm. H. CabellVirginia State Land Office, Land Office Grants No. 56, 1806-1808, page 257, Reel 122, Russell County, Virginia, 44 acres on the waters of Mockerson Creek and adjoining Solomon Frazier. William H. Cabell Esquire, governor of the commonwealth of Virginia. To all to whom these presents shall come greeting. Know Ye that by virtue of a Land Office Treasury Warrant, number Eighteen hundred and fifty-five issued the Eighteenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and ninety six, there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto Robert Lawson, a certain tract or parcel of land containing forty-four acres by survey bearing date the seventh day of February one thousand eight hundred and four. Lying and being in the County of Russell on the water of Mockerson Creek and bounded as followeth to wit: Beginning at two white oaks on the end of a spur of Clinch Mountain, corner to John Johnson, thence with his line, north forty nine degrees west seventy-four poles to a black oak in a bend of a ridge corner to Solomon Frazier, thence running nearly with Frazier’s line, south forty six degrees west one hundred and twenty one poles to a white oak by the fork of a branch south seventy eight degrees east eighty six poles crossing the branch to a white oak, on the side of a steep spur of said mountain and thence north forty seven degrees east eighty poles to the beginning with its appurtenances to the said Robert Lawson and his heirs forever. In Witness whereof the said William H. Cabell Esquire governor of the commonwealth of Virginia hath hereunto set his hand and caused the lesser seal of the said commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the twenty ninth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seven and of the commonwealth the thirty-first. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #4 Abstracts, 1806-1814 by Rhonda Robertson – Page 170 – January 5, 1808 between Avery M. Keesee & Jeany and Fielding O’Donold…150 ac on big Mockerson Creek, waters of the north fork of Holston river, land deeded from William Wells to Avery Keesee dated February 18, 1806…Beginning on James Quillens line…line between Avery M. Keesee & James Bristoe…Signed: Avery Keesee & Jeney Keesee. Witnesses: Isaac O Donold, William Lawson & John Henry. Russell County, VA Order Book 3, 1799-1808. Page 708, Court of Quarterly Sessions, 7 June 1808. Indenture from Avery Keesee & Jenny to Fielding O’Donald, oaths of Isaac O’Donald, William Lawson & John Henry, recorded. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #4, 1806-1814 – Page 315 – This Indenture made this twenty fifty day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nine between Robert Lawson of Russell County and state of Virginia of one part and James Phipps of the county and state aforesaid of the other part, witnesseth that the said Robert Lawson for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred dollars to him in hand paid, the receipt whereof he hereby doth acknowledged, hath granted, bargained and sold and by these presents doth grant, bargain and sell unto the said James Phipps a certain tract or parcel of land containing seventy five acres by survey lying and being in the county of Russell and on the waters of Big Mockerson Creek to wit – Beginning at a hickory and thence post oaks corner to William Benham’s thence north 70 degrees east 46 poles to an Elm and red oak in the in the fork of a dry branch on a line of Solomon Frazer’s, thence with the said Frazer’s line south 41 degrees east, 84 poles crossing his corner and crossing a branch to a poplar and thence post Oaks on the side of a ridge near the top, south 48 degrees west, 51 poles crossing a branch to two white oak saplings, south 13 degrees east, 100 poles to a chestnut, south 80 degrees west, 24 poles to chestnut and dogwood, north 34 degrees west, 130 poles to the line of the said Benham and thence with the said line north 10 degrees east, 75 poles to the Beginning which lands was granted to the said Robert Lawson by patent bearing date the twenty ninth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seven. Together with the appurtenances thereunto belonging to have and to hold the said tract of land with its appurtenances unto the said James Phipps his heirs and assigns forever. And the said Robert Lawson and his heirs will forever warrant and defend the said tract of land with it appurtenances unto the said James Phipps his heirs or assigns against the claims of all person whatsoever. In Witness whereof the said Robert Lawson have hereunto subscribes his name and affixed his seal, the day and year first above written. Witness – James Osburn, Stephen Phipps, Solomon Osborn.Virginia – At a court held for Russell County the 7th day of November 1809. This Indenture of bargain and sale from Robert Lawson to James Phipps was produced in court and proven by the oaths of James Osborn and Stephen Phipps, two of the witnesses thereto and continued for further proof in and at a court held for the said county the 6th day of February 1810. This Indenture was further proved by the oath of Solomon Osborn and the event having been before proved by the oaths of two other witnesses is ordered to be recorded. This Indenture of bargain and sale from Robert Lawson to Stephen Phipps was produced in court and proven by the oaths of James Osborn and James Phipps, two of the witnesses thereto and continued for further proof in and at a court held for the said county the 6th day of February 1810. Acknowledgement: 03 Oct 1809 …acknowledged by court by the said John Wilson, Elizabeth Wilson, Nathaniel Barnette, his wife…she having been first privily examined. William Lawson Sr. 105 acres on Mockenson Branch. William Lawson 50 acres on Mockenson Branch. William Lawson 75 acres on Mockenson Branch. Signed, sealed & delivered in the presence of us – Nelson White, George Green, James Ousbon. Russell County, VA, Deed Book #4, 1806-1814 – Page 516 – This Indenture made this 31 day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twelve between John Woodson of Russell County and state of Virginia of one part and John Smith of the state and county of the other part, witnesseth that the said John Woodson for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars to him in hand paid, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, hath this day granted, bargained & sold and by these presents doth grant, bargain and sell unto the said John Smith his heirs assigns and executors a certain tract or parcel of land containing seventy five acres be the same more or less, lying & being in the said county & state aforesaid on the waters of Big Mockerson Creek and bounded as followed to wit – Beginning at a large chestnut a corner to William Lawson’s land S 30 E, 50 poles to a gum and hickory on the side of the a spur of Clinch Mountain S 56 W, 205 poles to a stake N 3 W, 107 poles to a stake and from thence to the Beginning. To have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land with all the appurtenances to him the said Smith and heirs, and the said Woodson doth further covenant that the right and title to the said tract of land with its appurtenances he will warrant and defend against the claim or claims of himself, his heirs or any person claiming under him. In testimony whereof he the said John Woodson hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his seal the day and date above written. Signed, sealed and delivered in presents of – (was blank).Virginia – At a court held for Russell County the 1st day of September 1812. This Indenture of bargain and sale from John Woodson to John Smith was acknowledged in Court by the said John Woodson and ordered to be recorded. William Lawson Sr. 105 acres on Mock. Creek. William Lawson 50 acres on Mock. Creek. William Lawson 75 acres on Mock. Creek. William Lawson Sr. 105 acres on Mockerson Creek, 22 miles south west of Court House. William Lawson Jr. 50 acres on Mockerson Creek, 22 miles south west of Court House. William Lawson Jr. 75 acres on Mockerson Creek, 22 miles south west of Court House.. William Lawson Jr. 75 acres on Mockerson Creek, 22 miles south west of Court House. In 1814 Scott County was formed from Lee, Russell and Washington Counties. William Lawson – A Scottish Rebel’s family was living in the part of Russell County that became Scott County.

2019-04-20T10:34:20Z

http://lawsondna.org/home/genealogy/russell/

We previously developed a test for detecting naturally occurring protein-induced skin sensitization based on the markers and criteria of the human cell-line activation test (h-CLAT) and showed that the h-CLAT was useful for assessing the allergenic potency of proteins. However, test proteins were contaminated with varying amounts of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which might have contributed to the stimulation of CD86 and CD54 expression. In this study, we developed a method to exclude the effects of LPS in the assessment of skin sensitization by naturally occurring proteins. We tested two inhibitors [the caspase-1 inhibitor acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethylketone (Ac-YVAD-cmk; hereafter referred to as YVAD), which can mitigate the LPS-induced increases in CD54 expression, and polymyxin B (PMB), which suppresses the effect of LPS by binding to its lipid moiety (i.e., the toxic component of LPS)]. After a 24 hr exposure, YVAD and PMB reduced LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression. In particular, the effect of PMB was dependent upon pre-incubation time and temperature, with the most potent effect observed following pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr. Moreover, only pre-incubation with cell-culture medium (CCM) at 37°C for 24 hr showed an inhibitory effect similar to that of PMB, with this result possibly caused by components of CCM binding to LPS. Similar effects were observed in the presence of ovalbumin (with 1070 EU/mg LPS) and ovomucoid, and lysozyme (with 2.82 and 0.234 EU/mg LPS, respectively) in CCM. These results indicated that PMB and CCM effectively eliminated the effects of LPS during assessment of protein allergenicity, thereby allowing a more accurate evaluation of the potential of proteins to induce skin sensitization. We previously used the human cell-line activation test (h-CLAT) (Ashikaga et al., 2006; Sakaguchi et al., 2006, 2009), an in vitro skin-sensitization test, to assess the allergenic potential of proteins by measuring levels of CD86 and CD54 in THP-1 human monocytic leukemia cells, finding that five proteins could be evaluated positively using the h-CLAT. Additionally, we showed that false-positive results for human serum albumin (HSA) might be caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), varying amounts of which might have contaminated the naturally occurring proteins and contributed to the stimulation of CD86 and CD54 expression (Tsukumo et al., 2018). Moreover, we demonstrated that when the test proteins contained ≥ 0.1 EU/mL LPS, their allergenic potency could not be accurately assessed using this method. LPS is a cell-wall component in gram-negative bacteria that comprises lipid and polysaccharide moieties (Raetz and Whitfield, 2002). LPS is ubiquitous and detected at varying concentrations in water and air, with even small amounts (from picogram to nanogram levels) showing activity (Rylander, 2002). Moreover, LPS persists even in heat-inactivated bacteria, making it difficult to eliminate (Tanamoto, 2008). As a result, naturally occurring proteins are often contaminated with LPS. There are no reports on the allergenic potency of LPS. However, it is known that LPS can activate an innate immune response by promoting the production of cytokines, e.g., IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α, in monocytes or macrophages and LPS plays a role as an adjuvant of antibody formation in protein allergy (Berin and Shreffler, 2008; Guha and Mackman, 2001; Schenck et al., 1969; Talcott et al., 1975). Therefore, it is important to consider the influence of LPS on in vitro assays, including the h-CLAT, that use the immune responses of cultured cell lines as endpoints. When LPS is contaminated in the test protein, it is necessary to consider both the result of contamination of LPS and the result of excluding the influence of LPS, and to carry out risk assessment. Many methods for suppressing LPS activation have been reported, with most involving the use of LPS inhibitors, such as polymyxin B (PMB) and an anti-Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 antibody (Cardoso et al., 2007; Cooperstock and Riegle, 1981; Daubeuf et al., 2007; Shimazu et al., 1999; Song and Phelps, 2000). An anti-TLR-4 antibody would not be an appropriate LPS inhibitor in our study, given that it regulates skin-sensitization pathways (Ainscough et al., 2013; Honda et al., 2013). Additionally, although adsorption-based removal of LPS by affinity chromatography has also been reported (Magalhães et al., 2007; Petsch and Anspach, 2000), the protein recovery rate and cytotoxicity of the eluate are important considerations. Moreover, using this labor-intensive method, it would be difficult to reduce LPS to levels below the limit of detection of the h-CLAT (0.1 EU/mL) due to the limited adsorption capacity of the molecule (Liu et al., 1997; Reichelt et al., 2006; Talmadge and Siebert, 1989). Removal by two-phase detergent-based extraction is more effective (Teodorowicz et al., 2017); however, the cytotoxicity of the eluate and its effect on cellular immune responses (e.g., CD86 and CD54 expression in THP-1 cells) need to be examined, and its operational complexity has hindered its widespread use. A previous study reported that LPS treatment resulted in elevated CD54 expression (Tsukumo et al., 2018). Additionally, another study indicated that CD54 expression is the result of interleukin (IL)-1β-activated nuclear factor-κB signaling through the IL-1 receptor (Chen et al., 2000; Lin et al., 2005). Moreover, IL-1β is formed following activation of caspase-1 (an enzyme responsible for IL-1 conversion) via formation of the nucleotide oligomerization-domain-like receptor family pyrin-domain-containing protein (NLRP)3 inflammasome (Cassel et al., 2009). Furthermore, THP-1 cells reportedly express components of the NLRP-3 inflammasome, exhibit caspase-1 activation, and display IL-1β formation (Chanput et al., 2014; Watanabe et al., 2007). Acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethylketone (Ac-YVAD-cmk; hereafter referred to as YVAD) was reported to be useful for inhibition of the formation of IL-1β (Schumann et al., 1998; Donnelly-Roberts et al., 2004). YVAD, a synthetic peptide, inhibits caspase-1 activation by binding to its active site, with this inhibitory activity previously reported in THP-1 cells (Schumann et al., 1998). Therefore, in the present study, we used YVAD to inhibit LPS-induced CD54 expression. PMB is an antibiotic synthesized from naturally occurring peptides produced by Bacillus polymyxa, a soil bacterium, and that inhibits LPS by binding to its lipid moiety, which represents the toxic component of LPS (Morrison and Jacobs, 1976). Additionally, PMB suppresses the production of cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, in THP-1 cells (Cardoso et al., 2007; Song and Phelps, 2000). In our previous study, we used PMB at 1 μg/mL, a concentration that is non-toxic to cells and does not affect CD86 or CD54 expression, in order to eliminate any effects on the h-CLAT, finding that levels of both proteins were downregulated in THP-1 cells to below the h-CLAT cut-off value at LPS concentrations of 0.1 (CD86) and 0.01 (CD54) EU/mL, respectively (Tsukumo et al., 2018). These data indicate that treatment with 1 μg/mL PMB for 30 min cannot completely inhibit CD86 and CD54 expression induced by 0.2 EU/mg to 4000 EU/mg LPS in the test proteins. In the present study, we investigated the influence of LPS exposure time on CD86 and CD54 expression and determined the optimal test conditions using inhibitors that eliminated the effect of LPS during the assessment of skin sensitization potential of naturally occurring proteins. We used the inhibitor YVAD to eliminate LPS-specific effects. Additionally, we used PMB to evaluate test conditions, including pre-incubation time and temperature, and investigated the effect of solvent along with LPS pre-incubation. Furthermore, we assessed three allergens [i.e., ovalbumin (OVA, containing 1070 EU/mg LPS), ovomucoid (OVM; containing 2.82 EU/mg LPS), and lysozyme (LYZ; containing 0.234 EU/mg LPS) for their ability to further inhibit LPS-related effects under the same test conditions that displayed LPS inhibition. Albumin from hen egg white (OVA; ≥ 98% purity), trypsin inhibitor from chicken egg white type III-O (OVM), LYZ from chicken egg white (≥ 98% purity), LPS from Escherichia coli O111:B4, YVAD (≥ 95% purity), and PMB sulfate salt were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was obtained from FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation (Osaka, Japan). Saline and sterile water for injection (WFI) were obtained from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. (Tokyo, Japan). The THP-1 human monocytic leukemia cell line was purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA, USA) and cultured in Roswell Park Memorial Institute-1640 medium with 10% (v/v) heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 0.05 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, and 1% (v/v) penicillin-streptomycin solution (all from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) at 37°C and 5% CO2. The cells were routinely sub-cultured every 2 to 3 days at a density ranging from 0.1 × 106 cells/mL to 0.2 × 106 cells/mL. Prior to the h-CLAT assay, cells were seeded at 0.1-0.2 × 106 cells/mL and cultured for 48 hr to 72 hr. The density of the cells was maintained < 0.5 × 106 cells/mL, and the passage number was < 30. Protein solutions were prepared at a concentration of 1% (w/v) in culture medium. LPS (600,000 EU/mg) was dissolved in culture medium (1 mg/mL) and diluted to 0.01 EU/mg to 10 EU/mL with culture medium or saline. YVAD was dissolved in DMSO to obtain a concentration of 100 mM. The YVAD/DMSO solution was then diluted 250-fold with culture medium (400 μM). PMB was dissolved in sterile WFI to obtain a concentration of 1 mg/mL, followed by dilution with culture medium to a final concentration of 4 μg/mL. Medium with DMSO only (250-fold dilution with 0.2% DMSO) was prepared as a solvent control for YVAD, and medium without proteins was prepared as a solvent control for proteins and PMB. Medium without proteins or with saline only (2-fold dilution with 50% saline) was prepared as a solvent control for LPS. A 500-μL volume of each sample was added to 24-well plates, and THP-1 cells were resuspended in fresh culture medium at a density of 2 × 106 cells/mL, followed by the addition of 500 μL of cell suspension to each well along with the test materials. In the case of YVAD, 500 μL of THP-1 cells (2 × 106 cells/mL) was added to 24-well plates, and 500 μL of YVAD solution was added to each well and incubated for 1 hr. A 100-μL volume of LPS (11 EU/mL) was added to each well for 6 hr, 12 hr, or 24 hr. PMB solution (4 μg/mL) was combined with LPS (0.04, 0.4, 4, or 40 EU/mL) at a ratio of 1:1. The mixed solution was pre-incubated for 24 hr or 48 hr at room temperature (approximately 26°C) or at 37°C, and 500 μL of each mixed solution containing PMB (2 μg/mL) and LPS (0.02, 0.2, 2 or 20 EU/mL) was transferred to a 24-well plate. THP-1 cells were resuspended in fresh culture medium at a density of 2 × 106 cells/mL, and 500 μL of cell suspension was added to each well. Cells were exposed to the test materials for 24 hr. CD86 and CD54 expression and cell viability were analyzed according to the h-CLAT protocol (OECD TG442E, 2018). Cells treated with test samples for 6 hr, 12 hr, 24 hr, 48 hr, or 72 hr were collected in sample tubes and washed twice with 1 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) supplemented with 0.1% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA; FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation). The supernatant was discarded, and the remaining cells were blocked with 600 μL of blocking solution [0.01% (w/v) Globlins Cohn fractions II and III (Sigma-Aldrich)] at 4°C for 15 min, followed by division into three aliquots of 200 μL each (approximately 0.3 × 106 cells/tube) before staining with antibodies. Pre-mixed antibody solutions were prepared using either 6 μL of anti-CD86 antibody (BD Pharmingen, San Diego, CA, USA) or 3 μL of anti-CD54 antibody (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark), with 3 μL of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled mouse IgG1 (Dako) added to 44 µL or 47 μL of PBS containing 0.1% BSA to a final volume of 50 μL. The entire 50-μL volume of pre-mixed antibody solution was added to each cell pellet. After gentle mixing by hand, cells were incubated at 4°C for 30 min in the dark, stained with antibodies, washed twice with 200 μL of PBS supplemented with 0.1% (w/v) BSA, and resuspended in a final volume of 400 μL. The cell suspensions were transferred to a 5-mL tube through a cell strainer. Before flow cytometric analysis, 10 μL of propidium iodide (PI) solution [25 μg/mL (FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation) in PBS] was added to obtain a final concentration of 0.625 μg/mL in each tube. For each concentration of test material, cell viability was recorded from the isotype control cells. Criteria for positivity were adapted from h-CLAT criteria (CD86 ≥ 150% and/or CD54 ≥ 200%). LPS concentrations were determined with the limulus amebocyte lysate assay using Pyrochrome reagent with Glucashield buffer (Seikagaku Corp., Tokyo, Japan) according to manufacturer instructions. Control standard endotoxin (CSE; Seikagaku Corp.) was dissolved in sterile WFI for injection in order to obtain final concentrations of 0.0625 EU/mL, 0.125 EU/mL, 0.25 EU/mL, 0.5 EU/mL, and 1.0 EU/mL. OVA was diluted with WFI. Pyrochrome reagent was reconstituted in the dark in 3.2 mL of Glucashield buffer, followed by incubation for at least 5 min at room temperature (approximately 26°C). A 50-μL volume of each CSE, test sample, WFI sample (as negative control), and positive product control sample was transferred to a 96-well plate, and 50 μL of Pyrochrome reagent with Glucashield buffer was added. After agitation for 1 min, samples were incubated for 30 min at 37°C, with 25 μL of 50% acetic acid added to each well to terminate the reaction, followed by determination of optical density at 405 nm (OD405) using the EnVision multilabel plate reader (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA). A standard curve was generated from the OD readings against CSE concentrations, and the mean endotoxin concentrations of test proteins (EU/mg) were calculated from three experiments. The LYZ and OVM used here were from the same lot as in our previous study (Tsukumo et al., 2018); therefore, we did not measure the LPS concentrations of those proteins but rather used the values determined in the previous report. Cell-based assays were performed in triplicate, and representative results are shown. Data represent the mean ± standard deviation. The statistical significance of differences between means was evaluated with the Student’s t test or Dunnett’s post-hoc test, with P < 0.05 considered significant. All statistical analyses were performed using Excel (Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) or EZR (Kanda, 2013), which is a graphical user interface for R (The R Foundation for Statistical Computing, version 3.3.0). We compared CD86 and CD54 expression induced by 1 EU/mL LPS or 0.0001% OVA. OVA was diluted with cell-culture medium (CCM) to ensure an LPS concentration of 1 EU/mL. THP-1 cells were exposed to LPS or OVA for 6 hr, 12 hr, 24 hr, 48 hr, and 72 hr. CD86 expression induced by LPS was highest at 24 hr and decreased after 48 hr (Fig. 1A), whereas CD54 expression induced by LPS was highest at 12 hr and decreased over time (Fig. 1B). Similar trends were observed using OVA. There was no difference in the viability of cells treated with LPS versus OVA (Fig. 1C). Although the LPS concentration that was used (1 EU/mL) was the same as that in 0.0001% OVA, CD86 and CD54 expression was induced to a lesser degree by the latter from 24 hr to 48 hr and from 12 hr to 24 hr, respectively. Effect of exposure time on CD86 and CD54 expression induced by LPS or OVA. THP-1 cells were treated with 1 EU/mL LPS (solid line) or 0.0001% OVA (containing 1 EU/mL LPS; broken line) for 6, 12, 24, 48, or 72 hr. CD86 expression (A), CD54 expression (B), and cell viability (C) were quantified by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown. We used the caspase-1 inhibitor YVAD to eliminate the effect of LPS in test proteins on CD86 and CD54 expression. THP-1 cells were treated for 1 hr with YVAD at a concentration of 200 μM, which is non-toxic to cells and does not affect CD86 or CD54 expression, followed by the addition of LPS (1 EU/mL) to the cells for 6 hr, 12 hr, or 24 hr. Treatment with YVAD markedly reduced the expression of CD86 at 24 hr and of CD54 at 12 hr and 24 hr (Fig. 2A and B); however, CD54 expression remained higher than the h-CLAT cut-off value of 200% (Fig. 2B). Effect of YVAD on LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression. THP-1 cells were pretreated for 1 hr with 200 μM YVAD, followed by exposure to LPS (final concentration: 1 EU/mL) for 6, 12, and 24 hr. CD86 (A) and CD54 (B) expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown as a percentage of the control. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01, LPS + YVAD vs. LPS (Student’s t test). We investigated the optimal test conditions for LPS inhibition by PMB, which was reported in part in our previous study (Tsukumo et al., 2018). PMB at a concentration of 1 μg/mL, which is non-toxic to cells and does not affect CD86 or CD54 expression, was combined with LPS (final concentrations: 0.01, 0.1, and 1 EU/mL), and the mixture was pre-incubated for 24 hr or 48 hr at room temperature (approximately 26°C) before being added to THP-1 cells for 24 hr. PMB pre-incubated for 24 hr inhibited CD86 expression induced by LPS (0.1 and 1 EU/mL) to a level similar to that observed in the control (Fig. 3A). Additionally, PMB abrogated CD54 expression induced by LPS (0.01, 0.1, and 1 EU/mL) (Fig. 3B). Moreover, PMB inhibited CD86 expression induced by LPS (0.1 and 1 EU/mL) to a level similar to that in the control (Fig. 3C) and decreased CD54 expression induced by LPS (0.01, 0.1, and 1 EU/mL) (Fig. 3D) following pre-incubation at room temperature for 48 hr. Furthermore, pre-incubation without PMB at room temperature for 24 hr or 48 hr decreased LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 levels (Fig. 3A-D). The rate of inhibition of LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression by PMB or pre-incubation was calculated from the mean of CD86 and CD54 expression levels, and the results are shown in Table 1. The rate of inhibition of 1 EU/mL LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression after only 24 hr pre-incubation was 17% and 30.5%, while that after 48 hr pre-incubation was 22.1% and 42.1%, respectively. Moreover, the rate of inhibition by PMB for 24 hr was 54.6% and 92.4%, while that for 48 hr was 58.7% and 94.9%, respectively. These data indicate that the effect was dependent upon the pre-incubation time. Effect of pre-incubation time with PMB on LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression. PMB was diluted with CCM to 4 μg/mL, and LPS was diluted with CCM to 0.04, 0.4, or 4 EU/mL. The two solutions were then combined at a ratio of 1:1, followed by pre-incubation for 24 hr (A, B) or 48 hr (C, D) at room temperature (approximately 26°C). THP-1 cells were treated with this mixture containing PMB (final concentration: 1 μg/mL) and LPS (final concentration: 0.01, 0.1, or 1 EU/mL) for 24 hr or were treated with LPS without pre-incubation and LPS alone with pre-incubation for 24 hr or 48 hr as controls. CD86 expression and cell viability (A, C) and CD54 expression (B, D) were evaluated by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown as a percentage of the control. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01, vs. LPS (Dunnett’s post-hoc test). * The rate of LPS inhibition following pre-incubation with PMB under the indicated conditions was calculated from the mean CD86- and CD54-expression levels (Figs. 3 and 4). PMB (1 μg/mL) was combined with LPS (final concentrations: 0.1, 1, and 10 EU/mL), followed by pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr, after which the mixed solution was administered to THP-1 cells for 24 hr. We found that PMB pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr inhibited CD86 expression induced by LPS (10 EU/mL) to levels similar to those in the control by (Fig. 4A). Additionally, PMB reduced CD54 expression induced by LPS (1 EU/mL) to levels below the h-CLAT cut-off (Fig. 4B). Moreover, only pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr without PMB inhibited CD86 and CD54 expression induced by LPS (0.1 and 1 EU/mL). The rate of inhibition of 1 EU/mL LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression after only 24 hr pre-incubation was 17% and 30.5%, while that after 24 hr pre-incubation at 37°C was 53% and 91.4%, respectively. Moreover, the rate of inhibition by PMB for 24 hr was 54.6% and 92.4%, while that for 24 hr at 37°C was 58.9% and 96.8%, respectively. These results showed that pre-incubation-mediated and PMB-mediated inhibition was dependent upon the pre-incubation temperature (Table 1). Effect of PMB pre-incubation temperature on LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression. PMB was diluted with CCM to 4 μg/mL, and LPS was diluted with CCM to 0.4, 4, or 40 EU/mL. The two solutions were combined at a ratio of 1:1, followed by pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr. THP-1 cells were treated with this mixture containing PMB (final concentration: 1 μg/mL) and LPS (final concentration: 0.1, 1, or 10 EU/mL) for 24 hr or treated with LPS without pre-incubation and LPS alone with pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr as controls. CD86 expression and cell viability (A) and CD54 expression (B) were evaluated by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown as a percentage of the control. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01, vs. LPS (Dunnett’s post-hoc test). We then investigated the inhibitory effect of PMB on CD86 and CD54 expression induced by OVA associated with LPS. The OVA purchased for this study contained 1017 EU/mg LPS and was subsequently diluted with CCM in order to achieve LPS concentrations equivalent to 1 EU/mL (to evaluate CD54 expression) or 10 EU/mL (to evaluate CD86 expression), both of which were inhibited by PMB (Fig. 4A and B). PMB (1 μg/mL) was added to OVA, followed by pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr, after which the mixed solution was applied to THP-1 cells for 24 hr. Neither 0.0001% OVA (containing 1 EU/mL LPS) nor 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS) increased CD86 levels above the positive cut-off value of the h-CLAT (Fig. 5A), suggesting no PMB-mediated inhibition. CD54 expression was induced by 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS) to a level above the cut-off value (Fig. 5B); however, CD54 expression was reduced by 87.9% following pre-incubation with CCM at 37°C for 24 hr, with results 200% below the h-CLAT cut-off value. Moreover, pre-incubation with CCM and PMB also inhibited CD54 expression. Effect of PMB on CD86 and CD54 expression induced by OVA including LPS. PMB at 4 μg/mL was combined with to 0.0004% OVA (containing 4 EU/mL LPS) and 0.004% OVA (containing 40 EU/mL LPS), followed by pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr. THP-1 cells were treated with this mixture containing PMB (final concentration: 1 μg/mL) and 0.0001% OVA (containing 1 EU/mL LPS) and 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS) for 24 hr or treated with OVA without pre-incubation and OVA alone with pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr as controls. CD86 expression and cell viability (A) and CD54 expression (B) were evaluated by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown as a percentage of the control. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01, vs. OVA (Dunnett’s post-hoc test). Pre-incubation of LPS or OVA at 37°C for 24 hr with CCM as the solvent suppressed CD86 and CD54 expression (Figs. 4A and B; and 5A and B). Therefore, we investigated the effect of solvent on LPS- or OVA-induced CD86 and CD54 expression using CCM or saline as the solvent to prepare LPS (10 EU/mL), 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS), and 0.1% OVA (containing 1000 EU/mL LPS). After pre-incubation at 37°C for 0 hr or 24 hr, LPS or OVA was added to THP-1 cells for 24 hr. Pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr with CCM but not saline decreased CD86 and CD54 expression induced by LPS (10 EU/mL) (Fig. 6A and B). Additionally, pre-incubation with CCM decreased CD86 and CD54 expression induced by 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS) (Fig. 6C and D), whereas pre-incubation with saline inhibited only CD54 expression (Fig. 6D). Moreover, CCM had a greater effect on CD54 expression than saline (Fig. 6D). Pre-incubation with 0.1% OVA (containing 1000 EU/mL LPS) did not affect CD86 level but decreased that of CD54 following pre-incubation with CCM (Fig. 6E and F). Furthermore, there were no differences between CCM and saline in terms of changes in CD86 and CD54 expression induced by LPS and OVA without pre-incubation (i.e., at 0 hr) (Fig. 6A-F). Effect of solvent on OVA- or LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression. LPS (10 EU/mL) (A, B), 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS) (C, D), and 0.1% OVA (containing 1000 EU/mL LPS) (E, F) were prepared using CCM or saline as solvents, followed by pre-incubation at 37°C for 0 hr or 24 hr. THP-1 cells were exposed to LPS or OVA for 24 hr, and CD86 (A, C, E) and CD54 (B, D, F) expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown as a percentage of the control. The expression levels of CD86 and CD54 induced by LPS (A, B), 0.001% OVA (C, D), and 0.1% OVA (E, F) are shown. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01, 0 hr vs. 24 hr (Student’s t test). Pre-incubation with CCM at 37°C for 24 hr inhibited CD86 and CD54 expression induced by LPS (Fig. 6A and B). Therefore, we investigated whether these conditions could eliminate the effect of LPS in protein samples on allergenicity tests. We used OVA (containing 1017 EU/mg LPS), OVM (containing 2.82 EU/mg LPS), and LYZ (containing 0.234 EU/mg LPS) as the allergenic proteins and CCM as the solvent for preparing the protein solutions. Additionally, we used the same maximum concentration of 1% that was used in our previous study [i.e., 1% OVA (containing 10170 EU/mL LPS), 1% OVM (containing 28.2 EU/mL LPS), and 1% LYZ (containing 2.34 EU/mL LPS)]. After pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr, THP-1 cells were exposed to each protein solution for 24 hr. Without pre-incubation, OVM and LYZ but not OVA increased CD86 expression (Fig. 7A; 0 hr), and all three proteins increased CD54 expression beyond the cut-off level of the h-CLAT (Fig. 7B; 0 hr). Moreover, pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr decreased CD86 expression induced by OVM but not by OVA and LYZ (Fig. 7A; 24 hr), and CD54 expression was reduced by OVM and LYZ (Fig. 7B; 24 hr). Furthermore, we observed decreased CD54 expression in the presence of OVA (Fig. 7B; 24 hr), although the difference between 0 hr and 24 hr was not significant. Elimination of the effect of LPS by pre-incubation with CCM during the assessment of protein allergenicity. 1% OVA (containing 10170 EU/mL LPS), 1% OVM (containing 28.2 EU/mL LPS), and 1% LYZ (containing 2.34 EU/mL LPS) were prepared in CCM, followed by pre-incubation at 37°C for 0 hr or 24 hr. THP-1 cells were exposed to each allergenic protein for 24 hr. Expression of CD86 (A) and CD54 (B) was evaluated by flow cytometry. The mean RFI ± standard deviation of three individual experiments is shown as a percentage of the control. *P < 0.05, 0 hr vs. 24 hr (Student’s t test). In a previous study, we found that h-CLAT was useful for assessing the allergenic potency of proteins, but that LPS in the test proteins contributed to the induction of CD86 and CD54 expression (Tsukumo et al., 2018). In the present study, we aimed to eliminate the effect of LPS in samples of proteins assessed with the h-CLAT and investigated the effect of exposure time and test conditions using inhibitors. A previous study reported that LPS induces a change in expression of a number of inflammation-related genes (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α) at 1-4 hr (Sharif et al., 2007; Chanput et al., 2010) and cytokine production at 6 hr (Yoshimura et al., 1997), which is a short period of time relative to the 24 hr exposure time used for the h-CLAT. Therefore, we investigated the effect of exposure time on CD86 and CD54 expression induced by 0.0001% OVA (containing 1 EU/mL LPS) and LPS (1 EU/mL) in order to eliminate the effect of LPS induced by changes in exposure time. We found that time-dependent changes in LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression were similar to those induced by OVA. Moreover, LPS induced the expression of both CD86 and CD54 to a greater extent than OVA. These data suggested that the activity of LPS might be reduced by the formation of a complex with OVA. This can be explained by the function of albumin, which is a soluble protein that binds and transports fatty acids or lipophilic low-molecular-weight substances (Ghuman et al., 2005; Kragh-Hansen, 1990). These results suggested that changing the exposure time might not eliminate the effect of LPS on the assessment of protein antigenicity. LPS forms the NLRP3 inflammasome in the leukocytes, macrophages (Borges et al., 2017; Liao et al., 2013; Mitachi et al., 2019). Moreover, THP-1 cells used in the h-CLAT reportedly express components of the NLRP-3 inflammasome (Watanabe et al., 2007). The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that activates caspase-1, leading to the processing and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β (Liao et al., 2013). CD54 is upregulated by IL-1β secretion (Chen et al., 2000; Roebuck and Finnegan, 1999; Wang et al., 1995; Yang et al., 2010); therefore, we hypothesized that YVAD, a caspase-1 inhibitor, could overcome the inhibitory effect of LPS by suppressing caspase-1 activation and, consequently, CD54 expression. Our results showed that treatment with YVAD reduced CD86- and CD54-expression levels, suggesting that in addition to its previously reported effect on CD54 expression, caspase-1 activation increases CD86 expression via LPS. Additionally, CD86 levels were reduced after incubation with YVAD for 24 hr, whereas those of CD54 were reduced after 12 hr or 24 hr. CD86 is important for antigen presentation and often used as a marker of skin sensitization (Aiba, 1998; Ashikaga et al., 2002; Caux et al., 1994; McLellan et al., 1995). Moreover, CD54 is not only affected by skin sensitization but also various other stimulants, such as physical stimulation and changes in osmotic pressure (Park et al., 2000; Roebuck and Finnegan, 1999; Takami et al., 1998). Therefore, YVAD might not be the ideal inhibitor for excluding the effect of LPS, given its potential to suppress CD86 expression and function, which might be related to actual protein-specific skin sensitization. PMB blocked the action of LPS by binding to its lipid moiety, which represents the toxic component of LPS (Morrison and Jacobs, 1976). We found that the inhibitory effect of PMB was dependent upon pre-incubation time, with this result possibly associated with increased LPS adsorption by PMB according to increased pre-incubation time. Additionally, pre-incubation without PMB at room temperature for 24 hr or 48 hr decreased LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 levels. Notably, the CCM used in this study contained 10% FBS (i.e., 0.36% protein in medium), suggesting that these protein components might have bound to the lipid moiety of LPS and contributed to the observed decreases in LPS-induced CD86- and CD54-expression levels. Furthermore, investigation of the effect of pre-incubation temperature revealed that inhibition in the presence or absence of PMB was dependent upon pre-incubation temperature. This was not due to an increase in the temperature (approximately 10°C), because the activity of LPS in solution is reportedly stable at 37°C (Tsuchiya, 1990). Moreover, the amount of LPS bound to proteins can be affected by temperature (Komatsu et al., 2016). Therefore, the amount of PMB that binds LPS and, accordingly, its inhibitory effect might increase depending on the pre-incubation temperature. We evaluated CD86 and CD54 expression induced by OVA and in the presence of PMB in order to assess the inhibitory effect of PMB on LPS. We found that neither 0.0001% OVA (containing 1 EU/mL LPS) nor 0.001% OVA (containing 10 EU/mL LPS) increased CD86 expression to a level above the cut-off value of the h-CLAT. This was due to our diluting OVA to a concentration from 1000- to 10,000-fold lower than that used in our previous study (0.01%, 0.1%, and 1%) in order to match the LPS concentration (1 or 10 EU/mL) (Tsukumo et al., 2018). CD54 might be more sensitive to LPS than CD86 based on its expression being increased to a level above the h-CLAT cut-off by 0.001% OVA. Furthermore, pre-incubation with CCM at 37°C for 24 hr decreased CD54 expression to a level that did not necessitate inhibition by PMB. Therefore, these results suggested that pre-incubation with CCM might inhibit LPS-induced CD54 expression to a degree similar to that of PMB. We investigated the effect of solvent on LPS- or OVA-induced activities based on results showing that pre-incubation with CCM at 37°C for 24 hr decreased CD86 and CD54 expression. We found that pre-incubation in CCM inhibited LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression, whereas pre-incubation in saline did not. Moreover, we observed that CD54 expression induced by 0.001% OVA dissolved in saline decreased after pre-incubation for 24 hr, whereas CCM pre-incubation had a greater effect on CD54 expression than saline. These data suggested that LPS or protein pre-incubated with CCM had a greater effect on CD86 and CD54 expression than pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr. Pre-incubation in CCM might inhibit LPS-induced CD86 and CD54 expression to a degree similar to that of PMB. Therefore, we investigated the effect of LPS inhibition by pre-incubation with CCM on the evaluation of protein allergenicity. We used LPS concentrations in each protein solution of 10170 EU/mL (1% OVA), 28.2 EU/mL (1% OVM), and 2.34 EU/mL (1% LYZ), and compared the threshold of LPS-induced CD86 expression, which can be inhibited by CCM to levels below the h-CLAT cut-off (10 EU/mL). Our results showed that LPS concentrations in OVA were 1000-fold higher than the h-CLAT cut-off value, whereas levels in OVM were 3-fold higher, and those in LYZ were below the threshold. These results indicated that LYZ could be evaluated positively in the absence of LPS-specific effects, because CD86 expression was beyond the cut-off following pre-incubation at 37°C for 24 hr. Additionally, pre-incubation of OVA decreased CD54 expression, albeit with non-significant differences in the results due to the high concentration of LPS in OVA (10170 EU/mg) and the variability in CD54 expression. Combination of h-CLAT and pre-incubation for assessing the allergenic potency of proteins in the presence of LPS contamination. 2. In the event of negative results, determine whether the protein in the sample is not considered a cause of skin sensitization. 3. In the event of a positive result, especially based on elevated CD54 expression, consider the possible effect of LPS contamination and pre-incubate the sample with PMB and CCM. 4. If pre-incubation results in decreased CD86 or CD54 expression, this suggests that the protein sample is unsuitable for evaluation using the h-CLAT, and that LPS will need to be removed from the protein sample prior to re-evaluation. 5. If pre-incubation does not result in decreased CD86 or CD54 expression, the protein in the sample is considered a cause of skin sensitization. However, we should note that this protocol cannot be applied if we evaluate the test protein containing LPS with high concentration. We believe that these findings will improve the in vitro assessment of skin sensitization potential of proteins. Aiba, S. (1998): Maturation of dendritic cells induced by cytokines and haptens. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 184, 159-172. Ainscough, J.S., Frank Gerberick, G., Dearman, R.J. and Kimber, I. (2013): Danger, intracellular signaling, and the orchestration of dendritic cell function in skin sensitization. J. Immunotoxicol., 10, 223-234. Ashikaga, T., Hoya, M., Itagaki, H., Katsumura, Y. and Aiba, S. (2002): Evaluation of CD86 expression and MHC class II molecule internalization in THP-1 human monocyte cells as predictive endpoints for contact sensitizers. Toxicol. In Vitro, 16, 711-716. Berin, M.C. and Shreffler, W.G. (2008): T(H)2 adjuvants: implications for food allergy. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 121, 1311-1320. Borges, P.V., Moret, K.H., Raghavendra, N.M., Maramaldo Costa, T.E., Monteiro, A.P., Carneiro, A.B., Pacheco, P., Temerozo, J.R., Bou-Habib, D.C., das Graças Henriques, M. and Penido, C. (2017): Protective effect of gedunin on TLR-mediated inflammation by modulation of inflammasome activation and cytokine production: evidence of a multitarget compound. Pharmacol. Res., 115, 65-77. Cardoso, L.S., Araujo, M.I., Góes, A.M., Pacífico, L.G., Oliveira, R.R. and Oliveira, S.C. (2007): Polymyxin B as inhibitor of LPS contamination of Schistosoma mansoni recombinant proteins in human cytokine analysis. Microb. Cell Fact., 6, 1. Cassel, S.L., Joly, S. and Sutterwala, F.S. (2009): The NLRP3 inflammasome: a sensor of immune danger signals. Semin. Immunol., 21, 194-198. Caux, C., Vanbervliet, B., Massacrier, C., Azuma, M., Okumura, K., Lanier, L.L. and Banchereau, J. (1994): B70/B7-2 is identical to CD86 and is the major functional ligand for CD28 expressed on human dendritic cells. J. Exp. Med., 180, 1841-1847. Chanput, W., Mes, J., Vreeburg, R.A., Savelkoul, H.F. and Wichers, H.J. (2010): Transcription profiles of LPS-stimulated THP-1 monocytes and macrophages: a tool to study inflammation modulating effects of food-derived compounds. Food Funct., 1, 254-261. Chanput, W., Mes, J.J. and Wichers, H.J. (2014): THP-1 cell line: an in vitro cell model for immune modulation approach. Int. Immunopharmacol., 23, 37-45. Chen, C.-C., Chen, J.-J. and Chou, C.-Y. (2000): Protein kinase Cα but not p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase, p38, or c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase is required for intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression mediated by interleukin-1β: involvement of sequential activation of tyrosine kinase, nuclear factor-κB-inducing kinase, and IκB kinase 2. Mol. Pharmacol., 58, 1479-1489. Cooperstock, M. and Riegle, L. (1981): Polymyxin B inactivation of lipopolysaccharide in vaccines of Gram-negative bacteria. Infect. Immun., 33, 315-318. Daubeuf, B., Mathison, J., Spiller, S., Hugues, S., Herren, S., Ferlin, W., Kosco-Vilbois, M., Wagner, H., Kirschning, C.J., Ulevitch, R. and Elson, G. (2007): TLR4/MD-2 monoclonal antibody therapy affords protection in experimental models of septic shock. J. Immunol., 179, 6107-6114. Donnelly-Roberts, D.L., Namovic, M.T., Faltynek, C.R. and Jarvis, M.F. (2004): Mitogen-activated protein kinase and caspase signaling pathways are required for P2X7 receptor (P2X7R)-induced pore formation in human THP-1 cells. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 308, 1053-1061. Ghuman, J., Zunszain, P.A., Petitpas, I., Bhattacharya, A.A., Otagiri, M. and Curry, S. (2005): Structural basis of the drug-binding specificity of human serum albumin. J. Mol. Biol., 353, 38-52. Guha, M. and Mackman, N. (2001): LPS induction of gene expression in human monocytes. Cell. Signal., 13, 85-94. Honda, T., Egawa, G., Grabbe, S. and Kabashima, K. (2013): Update of immune events in the murine contact hypersensitivity model: toward the understanding of allergic contact dermatitis. J. Invest. Dermatol., 133, 303-315. Kanda, Y. (2013): Investigation of the freely available easy-to-use software ‘EZR’ for medical statistics. Bone Marrow Transplant., 48, 452-458. Komatsu, T., Aida, Y., Fukuda, T., Sanui, T., Hiratsuka, S., Pabst, M.J. and Nishimura, F. (2016): Disaggregation of lipopolysaccharide by albumin, hemoglobin or high-density lipoprotein, forming complexes that prime neutrophils for enhanced release of superoxide. Pathog. Dis., 74, ftw003. Kragh-Hansen, U. (1990): Structure and ligand binding properties of human serum albumin. Dan. Med. Bull., 37, 57-84. Liao, P.-C., Chao, L.K., Chou, J.-C., Dong, W.C., Lin, C.N., Lin, C.Y., Chen, A., Ka, S.M., Ho, C.L. and Hua, K.F. (2013): Lipopolysaccharide/adenosine triphosphate-mediated signal transduction in the regulation of NLRP3 protein expression and caspase-1-mediated interleukin-1β secretion. Inflamm. Res., 62, 89-96. Lin, F.S., Lin, C.C., Chien, C.S., Luo, S.F. and Yang, C.M. (2005): Involvement of p42/p44 MAPK, JNK, and NF-κB in IL-1β-induced ICAM-1 expression in human pulmonary epithelial cells. J. Cell. Physiol., 202, 464-473. Liu, S., Tobias, R., McClure, S., Styba, G., Shi, Q. and Jackowski, G. (1997): Removal of endotoxin from recombinant protein preparations. Clin. Biochem., 30, 455-463. Magalhães, P.O., Lopes, A.M., Mazzola, P.G., Rangel-Yagui, C., Penna, T.C. and Pessoa, A. Jr. (2007): Methods of endotoxin removal from biological preparations: a review. J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci., 10, 388-404. McLellan, A.D., Starling, G.C., Williams, L.A., Hock, B.D. and Hart, D.N. (1995): Activation of human peripheral blood dendritic cells induces the CD86 co-stimulatory molecule. Eur. J. Immunol., 25, 2064-2068. Mitachi, T., Kouzui, M., Maruyama, R., Yamashita, K., Ogata, S., Kojima, H. and Itagaki, H. (2019): Some non-sensitizers upregulate CD54 expression by activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in THP-1 cells. J. Toxicol. Sci., 44, 213-224. Morrison, D.C. and Jacobs, D.M. (1976): Binding of polymyxin B to the lipid A portion of bacterial lipopolysaccharides. Immunochemistry, 13, 813-818. Park, C.W., Kim, J.H., Lee, J.H., Kim, Y.S., Ahn, H.J., Shin, Y.S., Kim, S.Y., Choi, E.J., Chang, Y.S. and Bang, B.K. (2000): High glucose-induced intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression through an osmotic effect in rat mesangial cells is PKC-NF-κB-dependent. Diabetologia, 43, 1544-1553. Petsch, D. and Anspach, F.B. (2000): Endotoxin removal from protein solutions. J. Biotechnol., 76, 97-119. Raetz, C.R. and Whitfield, C. (2002): Lipopolysaccharide endotoxins. Annu. Rev. Biochem., 71, 635-700. Reichelt, P., Schwarz, C. and Donzeau, M. (2006): Single step protocol to purify recombinant proteins with low endotoxin contents. Protein Expr. Purif., 46, 483-488. Roebuck, K.A. and Finnegan, A. (1999): Regulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (CD54) gene expression. J. Leukoc. Biol., 66, 876-888. Rylander, R. (2002): Endotoxin in the environment--exposure and effects. J. Endotoxin Res., 8, 241-252. Sakaguchi, H., Ashikaga, T., Miyazawa, M., Kosaka, N., Ito, Y., Yoneyama, K., Sono, S., Itagaki, H., Toyoda, H. and Suzuki, H. (2009): The relationship between CD86/CD54 expression and THP-1 cell viability in an in vitro skin sensitization test--human cell line activation test (h-CLAT). Cell Biol. Toxicol., 25, 109-126. Sakaguchi, H., Ashikaga, T., Miyazawa, M., Yoshida, Y., Ito, Y., Yoneyama, K., Hirota, M., Itagaki, H., Toyoda, H. and Suzuki, H. (2006): Development of an in vitro skin sensitization test using human cell lines; human Cell Line Activation Test (h-CLAT). II. An inter-laboratory study of the h-CLAT. Toxicol. In Vitro, 20, 774-784. Schenck, J.R., Hargie, M.P., Brown, M.S., Ebert, D.S., Yoo, A.L. and McIntire, F.C. (1969): The enhancement of antibody formation by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide and detoxified derivatives. J. Immunol., 102, 1411-1422. Schumann, R.R., Belka, C., Reuter, D., Lamping, N., Kirschning, C.J., Weber, J.R. and Pfeil, D. (1998): Lipopolysaccharide activates caspase-1 (interleukin-1-converting enzyme) in cultured monocytic and endothelial cells. Blood, 91, 577-584. Sharif, O., Bolshakov, V.N., Raines, S., Newham, P. and Perkins, N.D. (2007): Transcriptional profiling of the LPS induced NF-κB response in macrophages. BMC Immunol., 8, 1. Shimazu, R., Akashi, S., Ogata, H., Nagai, Y., Fukudome, K., Miyake, K. and Kimoto, M. (1999): MD-2, a molecule that confers lipopolysaccharide responsiveness on Toll-like receptor 4. J. Exp. Med., 189, 1777-1782. Song, M. and Phelps, D.S. (2000): Comparison of SP-A and LPS effects on the THP-1 monocytic cell line. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol., 279, L110-L117. Takami, S., Yamashita, S., Kihara, S., Kameda-Takemura, K. and Matsuzawa, Y. (1998): High concentration of glucose induces the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Atherosclerosis, 138, 35-41. Talcott, J.A., Ness, D.B. and Grumet, F.C. (1975): Adjuvant effect of LPS on in vivo antibody response: genetic defect in C3H/HeJ mice. Immunogenetics, 2, 507-515. Talmadge, K.W. and Siebert, C.J. (1989): Efficient endotoxin removal with a new sanitizable affinity column: Affi-Prep Polymyxin. J. Chromatogr. A, 476, 175-185. Teodorowicz, M., Perdijk, O., Verhoek, I., Govers, C., Savelkoul, H.F., Tang, Y., Wichers, H. and Broersen, K. (2017): Optimized Triton X-114 assisted lipopolysaccharide (LPS) removal method reveals the immunomodulatory effect of food proteins. PLoS One, 12, e0173778. Tsuchiya, M. (1990): Use of limulus test and its application. J. Antibact. Antifung. Agents, 18, 287-294. Tsukumo, H., Matsunari, N., Yamashita, K., Kojima, H. and Itagaki, H. (2018): Lipopolysaccharide interferes with the use of the human Cell Line Activation Test to determine the allergic potential of proteins. J. Pharmacol. Toxicol. Methods, 92, 34-42. Wang, X., Feuerstein, G.Z., Gu, J.-L., Lysko, P.G. and Yue, T.-L. (1995): Interleukin-1β induces expression of adhesion molecules in human vascular smooth muscle cells and enhances adhesion of leukocytes to smooth muscle cells. Atherosclerosis, 115, 89-98. Watanabe, H., Gaide, O., Pétrilli, V., Martinon, F., Contassot, E., Roques, S., Kummer, J.A., Tschopp, J. and French, L.E. (2007): Activation of the IL-1β-processing inflammasome is involved in contact hypersensitivity. J. Invest. Dermatol., 127, 1956-1963. Yang, C.M., Luo, S.F., Hsieh, H.L., Chi, P.L., Lin, C.C., Wu, C.C. and Hsiao, L.D. (2010): Interleukin-1β induces ICAM-1 expression enhancing leukocyte adhesion in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts: involvement of ERK, JNK, AP-1, and NF-κB. J. Cell. Physiol., 224, 516-526. Yoshimura, A., Hara, Y., Kaneko, T. and Kato, I. (1997): Secretion of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1ra by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in response to lipopolysaccharides from periodontopathic bacteria. J. Periodontal Res., 32, 279-286.

2019-04-21T05:12:26Z

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jts/44/4/44_283/_html/-char/en

June 29, 2005 -- (DENVER) -- The Iliff School of Theology has appointed Sheila Greeve Davaney as Harvey H. Potthoff Professor of Christian Theology and Richard Valantasis as Clifford E. Baldridge Professor of Biblical Studies. "Both of these distinguished professors are strongly supported by faculty colleagues and by leading academic figures in other parts of the country,” said J. Philip Wogaman, interim president. “Both have served Iliff long and well in their scholarship and in preparing generations of graduate students for service in the church and academic world. We are proud that they have accepted these endowed positions." . . . . . . . . The Clifford E. Baldridge Chair of Biblical Studies honors the late Clifford E. Baldridge, a long-time trustee and generous supporter of the school. Valantasis, an ordained Episcopal priest, was dean of Hartford Seminary prior to joining the Iliff faculty as a professor of New Testament and Christian origins. He was elected to the Studiorum Novi Testamentum Societas in 2000, while also serving as a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion, and other academic and professional associations. The Iliff School of Theology is a graduate theological school of the United Methodist Church, serving more than 38 different faith traditions. Founded in 1892, the seminary provides several degree programs, including a joint Ph.D. program with the University of Denver. MINNEAPOLIS (June 17, 2005)— In New Testament Theology: Communion and Community, Philip Esler proposes an entirely new way to integrate historical criticism of the New Testament and its influence on contemporary Christian life and identity. He defends and advocates historical analysis of the texts that is directed towards understanding their original messages as communications from our ancestors in faith. Although these messages are contextualized in ancient cultural settings, we can nevertheless comprehend them and dialogically engage with their authors in a framework of intercultural communication and communion. New Testament Theology proposes a variety of ways to understand this communicative process, including memory and long-standing ideas concerning ‘the communion of the saints.’ The book re-engineers New Testament theology by insisting upon the theological gains that come from listening to the New Testament authors in the full force of their historical specificity and otherness. — Werner G. Jeanrond, Professor of Systematic Theology at Lund University, Sweden. "The whole project fills me with enthusiasm. Philip Esler is developing a genuinely alternative way of carrying out the aims of New Testament theology." "In New Testament Theology Philip Esler tackles questions that most historically-oriented scholars avoid with a passion: how can authors from the past be engaged; what would inter-personal communication with long-dead authors look like; how can the New Testament more fruitfully become a resource for contemporary Christian living? In engaging such foundational but oft-ignored issues Esler utilizes and evaluates a dazzling array of literary, social-scientific, cross-cultural, communications, and hermeneutical theories. His study of such theories is both impressive and useful, especially since he is able to express complex theories in readily understandable language. His dialogue with reader-response criticism is particularly illuminating, as he argues for a form of inter-personal and dialogical communication with the authors of the New Testament documents that is anchored in a reappraisal and rehabilitation of Schleiermacher's hermeneutics. Philip E. Esler is Professor Biblical Criticism at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Among his publications are Conflict and Identity in Romans (Fortress Press, 2003), The Early Christian World (editor, 2000), Galatians (1998), and The Early Christians and Their Social Worlds. The last one is not to be confused with Novum Testamentum. It looks like there's lots of interest in all of the above. I've added them all to my blogroll. MINNEAPOLIS (June 28, 2005)— In Matthew and the Didache, scholars from the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and South Africa analyze the complex relationship between the Gospel of Matthew and the Didache. They discuss the implications not only for scholars' understanding of these two ancient documents but for the development of Christianity, Jewish-Christian relations, and the history of liturgy. To order Matthew and the Didache please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at www.fortresspress.com. To request review copies or exam copies call 1-800-426-0115 ext. 234 or email [email protected]. The Didache: Faith, Hope, and Life of the Earliest Christian Communities, 50-70 C. E. I don't think I've ever gone so long without serious blogging and I'm missing it. I'm still too busy to get to the blog; keeping up with emails is tough enough at the moment. But I am hoping to do some major catch-up blogging soon. No doubt you will have noticed that this blog has stalled somewhat over the last week or so. I fear that that will be a pattern to come over the next few weeks, though I will at least keep a basic update on my move, and will blog on NT items of interest if time does allow. I visited Aberdeen to examine last Thursday and term finished here last Friday, so my time is freed up a little for some all important practicalities, and relatively little for university work. I am asked a lot at the moment about when I will be leaving Birmingham and moving to Duke. At present this is how things stand: my contract over there begins on September 1 and if at all possible I intend to be there to begin on that date. However, that will depend entirely on whether or not our visas have come through in time. The paperwork went in a couple of weeks ago and, my goodness, what hard work it was to get that all prepared. I have been told that it will take at least two months to process, so now it's a waiting game on that front. In the mean time we are hoping to sell up here as soon as possible, and most of my time at present is spent on that process. At the same time we are doing a lot of "virtual" planning for moving to North Carolina and already have a few ideas. But if anyone out there happens to have any good tips concerning housing, areas and schools, I'd be delighted for any suggestions. My student Catherine Smith (old pic here on Paleojudaica) today had her PhD viva, examiners Prof. David Parker and Dr Andrew Wilson, and I am delighted to report that she has passed subject to minor corrections. The topic was Corpus Linguistics and the Synoptic Problem. There was a nice post-viva celebration in the new ITSEE project room, with cake. Well done, Cat! A bright academic future awaits! . . . .When the Bible is made a cartoon- it becomes cartoonish. Even the best scholarship, if bastardized, becomes, so far as the public is concerned, just another bit of trite drivel. I suppose for me it is a question of context. The authors' concern is to reach an audience who would not otherwise be looking at academic Biblical Studies, and to use popular and friendly language and images to do it. My guess is that this material is not aimed even at undergraduate students, but is at a much lower level than that. I'd only recommend the site to my undergraduates if they were looking for a place to spend their first five minutes on the topic, and to have a smile. Its ideal audience would be, I'd say, 14-16 year olds, GCSE students in the UK. Or perhaps just about 16-18 ('A' Level students in the UK), though they might feel a bit patronised by it. In relation to this, I'd repeat my earlier concerns that ultimately this is going to get pretty dated. "Dudes" and the like is already a little passé, I'd guess, and it is language that has never taken off over here (except where people are self-consciously imitating Americans), so it will need servicing in due course to adjust to something more contemporary. Just in case you missed it, Jim West on Biblical Theology, Jim Davila on Paleojudaica, and no doubt others too, refer to an i-Newswire piece on the Gospel of Judas. Thanks to Stephen Goranson on Xtalk for the link. It's everything you've always thought about Powerpoint but have never found time to articulate. One proviso for my support for this and one additional point. First the proviso: I don't think that one should use this kind of effective counter-argument to Powerpoint unless you've first worked with Powerpoint. In other words, I don't like the thought of people who can't be bothered to experiment with technology using some of its drawbacks as an excuse not to experiment with technology. I hope that that makes sense. What I mean is that the strength of the article above is that it is based on intimate acquaintance with Powerpoint and so it is able to appreciate its strengths and where it can work before it is able to launch such a useful attack on its over-use. Second, the addition. I have had several experiences in different contexts of the technology simply not working: the data projector will not make contact with the laptop, the technicians do not turn up, the data does not appear as one would like it to. In fact, I am really unlucky around Powerpoint -- I've had several negative experiences, both when chairing and presenting sessions. And one sure way of killing your presentation is to make it so dependent on Powerpoint that if there is a technological hitch, your presentation dies a horrible and embarrassing death. i just wonder whether anti-powerpointism goes the other way of this snobbish reaction - to appear to be one better than everyone else. "Bullet-points? O dear, they are so last season! Didn't you know we're into the visual now!" Well I can see the point and the missing link session made me think even more. But at times, it is really helpful to have the information up there on the screen - not least because sometimes speakers are so random that it is the only bit that does make sense! And so on. I wish I could find a good excuse to comment on Dr Who, like Pete (see here and here), which was sensational, but I can't. I think that the Gospel of Thomas was written about 20 years after John; my opinion on this is the majority opinion; almost everybody who studies Thomas thinks of it as later than John with a few notable exceptions, including Elaine Pagels. She's the main one, but most people think Thomas was written in the early second century. Ehrman's take on the majority opinion is somewhat different from the impression I have garnered from reading the scholarship of the most vocal (generally North American) investigators of Thomas, but, if Ehrman is right (and he has a better sense of the field than I do), it is a helpful reminder that the majority of scholars are not necessarily the loudest voices. I think that Ehrman is right about where the majority opinion lies, and Stephen's comment that this is a useful reminder is apposite. I was interested by the same paragraph in the Ehrman interview, not least because I find myself in the minority group on this one (nothing new for me there!). The notion that John may post-date Thomas or something very like Thomas seems to me more likely than the reverse given John's too-perfect characterisation of Thomas as coming to belief in the way of the cross and ultimately the resurrection of Jesus' flesh, with the latter the very occasion for the confession of belief in Jesus as Lord and God. This is a powerful and effective counter to the kind of Jesus movement (if you can even call it that) witnessed by the Gospel of Thomas. The full case takes longer to make, and it is in my forthcoming book on Thomas, if I ever get it finished. For some years there has been a group of theologians and philosophers of religion (and similar such people) who have held a monthly Monday night discussion group called "The Open End". It's a group I have occasionally joined in on myself, though the childcare commitments have made it too difficult for me to attend with any regularity. Its most famous member is John Hick [note: website down at the moment] and I count it as one of the privileges of working in the department here that I have got to know him. He has been a friend for years of Michael Goulder, who is also one of the Open End's regular attenders. Imagine giving a paper in front of such august people with such fine minds! Well, tonight I have been invited to address the group. John Hick asked me to avoid anything too nit-picky; he said he did not want something that would be simply of interest to New Testament scholars. So I have decided to present a paper entitled "When Prophecy Became Passion: The Death of Jesus and the Birth of the Gospels", which is the working title for a book I am writing which focuses on the Passion Narrative. I gave a lecture under this title originally back in 2003 at Wellesley College, Boston, as the Elizabeth Luce More Lecture for that year. I then gave a greatly revised and different lecture under the same title as my presentation at Duke University in March as part of my application for the post there. On both of those occasions, I have learnt a lot that is going to help me rework and think about the project as I head towards publication, one day, of the book. I am sure that the same will be true of tonight's session. Update (Tuesday, 10.07): it was an enjoyable evening, especially the wine, cheese and cold meats at the end. I spoke for forty-two minutes and there was then over an hour of discussion, all very wide ranging. It was a good test for me because it forced me to think, mainly on the hoof, about issues I do not usually think about, in particular the implications of New Testament scholarship for theology, religion and Christianity more broadly. It is too easy to go for defensive strategies like "I'm a historian, really", though such strategies are very tempting because I'm much more comfortable talking about history. John Hick asked several questions about the "person in the pew", by which he seems to mean, in this context, those who are ignorant of New Testament scholarship, concerning which I shared my views on the importance of finding ways of communicating Biblical scholarship better to that "person in the pew". I suggested that one of the elements that is involved is to be less disparaging than are some scholars about the challenge of working through the internet and the media. John Hick also asked me lots of interesting questions about incarnation and myth, but I don't think I had anything especially interesting to say on those, and the fact that I remember the questions more clearly than the answers I gave suggests that I should reflect some more on the implications of what I do for the broader theological questions that tend to interest me so much less than the historical ones that I find my more natural hunting ground. David McLoughlin said that he thought my picture of Christian origins and the emergence of the Gospels was rather too friendly an affair and suggested that it was all more aggressive. I said that I suspected that my talk had unduly implied that it was too amicable and that in fact there must have been more fights. Michael Goulder asked me how I dealt with the lack of patristic evidence for the kind of liturgical use of the Passion Narrative that I had postulated, partly following him. I replied that I am more convinced that the features to which I drew attention in the text admitted more of a liturgical origin for the Passion than a continuing liturgical use. The one piece of evidence we have for a kind of 24 hour vigil, in Egeria, is, I suggested, more to do with a rediscovery of the time notes in the Passion Narrative connected with the growth of Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land than it is any actual reminiscence of earlier practice. The review is by John Barton. What's true in Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code' and what's pure historical fiction? . . . . How is your book different from previous "Da Vinci Code" spinoffs? I haven't made a precise study of this, but I think almost all of the other books are written by evangelical Christians who are concerned that "The Da Vinci Code" might lead their people astray. And that isn't my agenda at all. My agenda really is more historical—making sure people understand the historical realities of the life of Jesus, his relationship to Mary Magdalene, how we got our New Testament Gospels, why other gospels were excluded, what the role of Constantine was in the formation of Christianity. These are for me purely historical interests. And people are obviously interested; some are interested in them for religious reasons and some just because they're interested in our culture's past . . . . By contrast, here's what Mark calls "tough" interviewing: "David Shepherd did put the difficult questions, though, and in particular pressed Fulco on the issue of Greek." Mark "wondered whether Alice Bach was a little starstruck; she did not ask any difficult questions ...and she was a little touchy-feely with Fitzgerald as if very pleased to be sitting up there with him." Considering that Alice Bach was the only woman on the panel and the only one of the three interviewers to raise the issues of antisemitism and violence--no doubt she was pushing the boundaries of some list of pre-determined interview topics--this is a deeply unfair, not to mention incredibly disrespectful, description. The opening of this quoted passage is misleading: I do not talk about "'tough' interviewing" so the quotation marks around the word 'tough' are incorrect. The point of what I was saying in context was my surprise that Alice Bach and Clayton Jefford did not really push Fulco and Fitzgerald on what I would regard as the difficult questions. It's something that really surprised me, since Shepherd, as the chair (as it were) I would have expected less to bring up those issues than the specially invited academics. I am sorry that Shawn feels that my description was "deeply unfair, not to mention incredibly disrespectful". It was not intended that way; I was attempting to describe, admittedly somewhat journalistically, what I observed at the session, with no disrespect to any of the participants intended. I suppose what made such an impact on me was the relaxed, too-friendly nature of this session after the vituperative session that immediately preceded it in the Bible in Ancient and Modern Media, with Paula Fredriksen, Adele Reinhartz, William Campbell and others all weighing in. To have witnessed those two sessions back to back, neither of which allowed audience participation, left me reflecting on the remarkable difference between the two. I was the more frustrated with the first, much less well attended session because it was one of the standard SBL sections at which audience participation should have been obligatory, rather than a "special event" like the second of the two. But I do agree with Shawn that this, too, should have allowed audience participation. Update (6 July, 17.08): Peter Chattaway has some useful comments in FilmChat, Passion writers speak. "Gibson may genuinely believe that what he has presented in his film is the same as history, but the claim itself is demonstrably false," she said. "Gibson, in his script, picked and chose from among all four Gospels—an element here, an instance there—creating from his montage a fifth 'gospel' that has never existed." There are two questionable elements (to me) in this line of criticism. The first is the idea that Gibson has claimed historical accuracy for the film. As I have commented before (e.g. in my article in the Corley and Webb (ed.) book), it is possible that this is the case, but if so, I've not been able to find a single documented example. (See further my post Historical Accuracy of the Passion of the Christ). The second is the surprising way in which Fredriksen, along with other NT scholars have criticized the film's harmonizing approach, something that is entirely to be expected in the Jesus film tradition. Again, for more detail, see my article previously mentioned, or an old blog post, The harmonizing tradition in Jesus films. On Ricoblog, Rick Brannan has the latest on Stephen Carlson, The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith's Invention of Secret Mark including a link to the Baylor website (previous link) with a cover pic (as above) and a synopsis. Table of contents and excerpt are promised, but not yet available. "a real-life Da Vinci Code detective story set in academia". (And I'd read Stephen Carlson over Dan Brown any day of the week!). I am reminded of a comment Maurice Casey made to me once concerning Golgotha as the "Place of the Skull". He remarked that it is common to see dogs eating bones of all different shapes and sizes but you seldom see them with a skull in their mouths. Skulls don't fit. He suggested, therefore, that "the Place of the Skull" got its name because it was littered with the skulls left behind by the scavenging dogs. And Ed goes on to make some further useful points. The passage in question also raises other concerns with retroversion (back translation) projects. One difficulty is that any given word might have a variety of words from which it could be alleged to have derived, and this can provide the invitation to the scholar looking to discover puns, alliteration, hidden meanings and the like. When you add this to the fact that there are many passages in the Gospels that do not lend themselves to this treatment even given the variety of possibilities for retroversion, one cannot help wondering whether the choice passages are themselves simply happy coincidences. One bit of data I like to add in to this kind of discussion is the importance of paying careful attention to ways in which the Greek of the passage may in fact show evidence of the redactional tendencies of the Gospel in which it appears. In the discussion of Matt. 3.9 above, it is worth noting that Matthew does in fact have a rather odd use of the term tekna elsewhere in a context where he is clearly discussing sons, 21.28-32, the Parable of the Two "Sons" (always called that, and never "Children"). I'm not sure how this helps the Aramaic retroversion discussions, but I am inclined to think that if Matthew is capable of idiosyncracies in his terminology, e.g. using tekna in contexts where we might have expected huioi, we should be very careful of talking about how a word "would have" been translated, or even how a word is "most likely" to have been translated. One more point: the case for Matthean composition of the passage Matt. 3.7-10 is I think pretty strong; see, e.g., Michael Goulder's Midrash and Lection in Matthew and Luke: A New Paradigm. What Matthew has done is to compose a short speech for John the Baptist in his own style (even using phrases he will repeat in Jesus' mouth later on, like "Brood of vipers!" plus rhetorical question), around the theme suggested by the idea inherited from Mark that John's baptism was one of repentance. PS: it is worth noting that Maurice Wile's Aramaic Sources of Mark's Gospel is on Google Print, and also An Aramaic Approach to Q. Bennema, C 2005. The Sword of the Messiah and the Concept of Liberation in the Fourth Gospel. Biblica 86(1), 35-58. Hatina, T R 2005. Who Will See "the Kingdom of God Coming with Power" in Mark 9,1: Protagonists or Antagonists? Biblica 86(1), 20-34. Neyrey, J H 2005. "First", "Only", "One of a Few", and "No One Else". The Rhetoric of Uniqueness and the Doxologies in 1 Timothy. Biblica 86(1), 59-87. Mel Gibson’s cinematic treatment of Jesus’ death (first screened for the public on Ash Wednesday, 25 February 2004) is not just hateful towards Jews, it is highly incendiary and vindictive. Nevertheless, Jewish reactions have, for the most part, been astonishingly lame, possibly the result of fears that criticism would increase antisemitism. Most of the serious discussions of the film’s historicity have been initiated by Catholics, some of whom have gone so far as to maintain that Gibson’s reading of the Gospels is selective and tendentious. Unfortunately, these reactions have been overshadowed by the positive reception of the film throughout the Catholic world, most importantly by the Vatican. This has undermined not only the achievements of Vatican II, but also the reputation of Pope John Paul II as being sympathetic to the Jews. Many scenes in the film are based not on accounts of Jesus’ suffering in The New Testament, but on private revelations from Catholic visionaries, such as 19th century mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich. Her beatification in October 2004 is a chilling testimony to the Vatican’s acceptance of Gibson’s film as historical fact. There are a couple of other recent new resources on The Passion I'd like to mention in due course. Update (Thursday, 21.21): Tyler Williams comments. The new scholarly trend seems to give Paul a lot of credit for maintaining the theological consistency of Jesus' message, while making it appealing to a new audience and giving it the impetus that would take it to the world. "If you ask me what Jesus would have said to Paul," Crossan said, "I think he would have said, `Thank you.'" It's an interesting enough quotation to bang a "discuss" on the end of it and use it as an examination question. And it contrasts pretty strongly with the confrontation between Jesus and Paul in The Last Temptation of Christ. It's a fascinating obituary. I read a lot of Maurice Wiles when I was in Oxford and occasionally heard him lecture; I think I met him on a couple of occasions, but I was rather in awe of him. I found him somewhat austere compared to others of his Christ Church colleagues like Rowan Williams and John Fenton, who seemed to nervous youngsters like me to be more approachable. A fine Patristics scholar and a brilliant theologian. There's been a useful thread on Xtalk recently on Jeffrey Gibson's work on revising the on-line links on Steven Harris's New Testament Introduction. In fact it's something Jeffrey has been exploring on several lists, something I'm all in favour of. (Thread begins here). I think it an excellent idea to do this kind of thing interactively and drawing on expertise of the various e-lists, a great experiment in a kind of communal building of resources, and I am watching with interest. I dare say that there are plenty of other such guides, but I thought this one pretty much hits the right note. The only things I'd add would be that students ought also to think very seriously about using gateway resources or megasites in which academics have pointed up specific internet sites for them to use. The article in question tends to assume that the student has the library, with pre-selected information, or the internet, with non-pre-selected information, and that comparison is far too simplistic. It is also a bit out of date in its comments on search engines. No one now uses Yahoo! and the like to search the net, do they? Update (2 November 2005): this post had attracted some silly and unfounded allegations that were irrelevant to the content, and one of those mentioned has asked me to remove those comments, and I am happy to oblige. Thanks too to Michael Turton on The Sword for his good wishes; but it sounds like he may be onto us me. First off, are most other PhD's this demanding in terms of languages? Second, How important is German and French? I find in my studies (NT and NT backgrounds primarily) that German is not as prevalent as it used to be. I am seeing less and less footnotes to German works, and many of the significant German works are being translated into English pretty quickly. Is the German requirement fading? I'd say that it is fading in some places, that it is not regarded a seriously as it once was, but that this should not be encouraged. I questioned a student in a PhD viva once about a German work and s/he answered, quite unapologetically, that s/he could not have read the work in question because it was in German. The difficulty here is that if one wants to prepare for the academic life, competence in German is necessary and therefore it is not worth looking to find ways of side-stepping this. French is much less important, but still some competence is desirable. At Duke it is apparently obligatory to have competence: "Students must pass competency exams in German and French before taking their preliminary exams." (Graduate Program in Religion: New Testament). Third, are PhD programs increasingly 'silently requiring' Aramaic or Latin as well? I'd say it depends very much on the topic of your dissertation. I have no Aramaic and very limited Latin. I want to work on both and some time will manage it. But clearly there are some topics where it would be required and others where it would be highly desirable. Fourth, I'd love to hear some blogger opinions for myself and other readers on PhD programs. If someone were interested in NT, where should they aim for? What about OT? Judaica? Theology? . . . . I am not sure if Duke can be beat. As an NT student, Notre Dame is also luring (My sights are narrowed to North America, I simply cannot afford to cross the pond). What are some other opinions? I am afraid that the truth of the matter is that Duke is suffering a great loss to its graduate programme with the retirement of E. P. Sanders, in my opinion the finest living NT scholar, just no question about it. But I would agree that it is a fantastic graduate school; it's one of several reasons that I was absolutely delighted to be offered a post there. If I've understood correctly, the Dept of Religion, where I will be based, and the Divinity School work together in the Graduate Program in Religion. I don't know enough about other American universities to be able to comment; I'm a learner there. In the UK, there are several you could mention and I am nervous of listing them lest I miss anyone out! Update (Tuesday, 23.25): Joe Cathey comments with a focus on Hebrew Bible. Anyone else? My email inbox is now down from 550 to 80 and though there's still some way to go, I turn to the pleasurable task of beginning to catch up with all my favourite blogs. I'm grateful to Joe Cathey for his congratulions on Dr Cathey's Blog, where he calls me "Professor Goodacre", something that I rather like the sound of, but it's not something you'd be called in the UK unless you had a chair. Often there is only one chair in a given department, though here in Birmingham we have several (including Professors Parker and Sugirtharajah in the Biblical / NT studies area). I've always quite enjoyed receiving letters or emails from Americans addressed to "Professor Goodacre"; I knew someone who used to save these to look at to give him encouragement and hope that one day he would attain to this in the English system. I suppose, if I have understood the American system, our "Professor" is roughly equivalent to the American "full professor", our "Reader" and "Senior Lecturer" are roughly equivalent to the American "associate professor" and our "Lecturer" is roughly equivalent to the American "assistant professor". But the difference seems to be that it is acceptable for anyone at the rank of assistant professor / associate professor to be addressed as "Professor X" in the USA and Canada whereas in the UK, no one would ever address a lecturer, senior lecturer or reader as "Professor X". I should perhaps add that I would always say "Please call me Mark". It's interesting that it does get a little more complicated than you've noted, however, when you add in a more basic rank in the North American system, that of "Instructor" or (more here in Canada, I think) "Lecturer." So a Lecturer here is nothing like a Lecturer in the UK, and as you've noted someone here can be called "Professor" when such a thing would be unthinkable in the UK! And I've wondered, does the UK have a tenure system? On the latter question, the answer is broadly yes, but it is not quite as formalised a structure as it seems to be in the USA and Canada. You'll often begin a job with "probationary status" and this will be upgraded to a permanent contract if you perform well, now including also doing a post-graduate higher education certificate. Others might take on a job with a fixed-term contract and then it be upgraded to a permanent contract in due course. My own experience in Birmingham was of a fixed-term contract appointment in 1995, for three years, to act as "teaching relief" for the then new dean of the faculty of Arts, Frances Young. My contract was then changed to a permanent one at the end of that three year period in 1998. So to use the American language, I was granted "tenure" after a three year fixed term contract. It's more common, though, to go the other route, probation and then permanent contract, something resembling "tenure track" in North America, though that term is never used here. García Martínez, F. and G. P. Luttikhuizen, eds. Helmer, Christine and Christof Landmesser, eds. Schaberg, Jane, Esther Fuchs and Alice Bach, eds. Ebner, Martin and Bernhard Heininger, eds. Dempsey, Carol J. and Mary Margaret Pazdan, eds. Grabbe, Lester and Robert D. Haak, eds. Normal service will be resumed . . . . . . . . as soon as I have at least made some dent on the hundreds of emails that have accumulated, and so on. I had a great week away. I'll comment on the "working" part of the holiday later. The restful part, the other six-sevenths, was every bit as good as I had hoped, except that the sun did not shine as much as I would have liked, and that I only got one pasty all week. For those who have asked the question, I meant Cornish Pasty, a delicious meat and vegetable filled bit of pastry, a delicacy of Cornwall, and not women's lingerie or breast implants. You'll find a particularly fantastic one at the southern most part of main-land Britain, the Lizard, Ann's Famous Pasties.

2019-04-26T04:41:14Z

http://ntweblog.blogspot.com/2005/06/

CRONEN, NICOLE MARIE was born 15 January 1996, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4200 54Th Ave S, Box 422, St Petersburg, Florida 33711. Florida voter ID number 123142072. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronen, Paul Douglas was born 19 December 1964, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 518 148Th Ct Ne, Bradenton, Florida 34212-5594. Florida voter ID number 105303517. His telephone number is 1-941-896-6596. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2017 voter list: Paul Douglas Cronen, 518 148th CT NE, Bradenton, FL 34212 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: Paul D. Cronen, 610 Riviera Dunes Way, 305, Palmetto, FL 34221 Republican Party of Florida. Cronen, Samuel Wyatt was born 17 February 1997, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 6916 Turtlemound Rd, New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32169. Florida voter ID number 122983536. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2018 voter list: SAMUEL WYATT CRONEN, 525 RED BIRD PL, GENEVA, FL 32732 Republican Party of Florida. Cronen, Victorie Carol was born 8 March 1942, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 3807 Garden Lakes Ter, Bradenton, Florida 34203-7305. Florida voter ID number 105415192. Her telephone number is 1-941-753-3587. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2016 voter list: Victorie Carol Cronen, 3807 Garden Lakes Ter, Bradenton, FL 34203 No Party Affiliation. Cronenberg, Bobby Rainey was born 11 April 1942, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 310 8Th Ave, Indialantic, Florida 32903. Florida voter ID number 101021464. Her telephone number is 1-321-728-3646. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenberg, Bonnie Irene was born 18 December 1952, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 531 N Ocean Blvd, Apt 810, Pompano Beach, Florida 33062-4635. Florida voter ID number 101574181. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2015 voter list: Bonnie Irene Cronenberg, 531 N Ocean BLVD, APT 810, Pompano Beach, FL 33062 Florida Democratic Party. Cronenberg, Cathy S. born 29 December 1964, Florida voter ID number 114174293 See Sterling, Cathy S. CLICK HERE. Cronenberg, David Allen was born 9 July 1941, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 310 8Th Ave, Indialantic, Florida 32903-4358. Florida voter ID number 101021461. His telephone number is 1-321-728-3646. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenberg, David Forbes was born 15 October 1970, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 106 Harrison Ave, Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920. Florida voter ID number 114174324. His telephone number is 1-321-704-3194. His email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2018 voter list: David Forbes Cronenberg, 310 8Th Ave, Indialantic, FL 329034358 No Party Affiliation. 31 December 2014 voter list: David Forbes Cronenberg, 164 SE 3Rd ST, Satellite Beach, FL 329372157 No Party Affiliation. 31 May 2012 voter list: David Forbes Cronenberg, 960 Golden Beach BLVD, Indian Harbour Beach, FL 32937 No Party Affiliation. Cronenberg, Heather K. was born 18 September 1972, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2251 Hamlet Dr, Melbourne, Florida 32934-7608. Florida voter ID number 100840192. Her telephone number is 1-321-626-6318. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 28 February 2017 voter list: Heather K. Cronenberg, 2645 Corbusier DR, Melbourne, FL 329352757 Florida Democratic Party. Cronenberg, Jacqueline Rose was born 26 November 1993, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1518 Ocean Cove St, Sebastian, Florida 32958. Florida voter ID number 119319368. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenberg, Jennifer Ellen was born 23 January 1970, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 106 Harrison Ave, Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920. Florida voter ID number 123189778. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 March 2017 voter list: Jennifer Ellen Novak, 106 Harrison Ave, Cape Canaveral, FL 329202902 Republican Party of Florida. 28 February 2017 voter list: Jennifer Ellen Novak, 139 Roosevelt Ave, #B, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 Republican Party of Florida. 30 September 2016 voter list: Jennifer Ellen Novak, 3301 Diana DR, Zephyrhills, FL 33541 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenberg, John D. was born 13 October 1966, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 110 Landover Dr, Sebastian, Florida 32958. Florida voter ID number 104634281. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2018 voter list: John D. Cronenberg, 7555 66TH Ave, VERO BEACH, FL 32967 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: John D. Cronenberg, 4055 41ST AVE, VERO BEACH, FL 32960 Republican Party of Florida. CRONENBERG, PATRICIA JEAN was born 29 September 1943, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 355 Kilmer Way, The Villages, Florida 32162. Florida voter ID number 117684137. Her telephone number is 1-513-200-5488. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2015 voter list: PATRICIA J. CRONENBERG, 355 KILMER WAY, THE VILLAGES, FL 32162 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenberg, Rebecca Denise was born 26 January 1974, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 110 Landover Dr, Sebastian, Florida 32958. Florida voter ID number 104636461. Her telephone number is 1-772-501-0776. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2018 voter list: Rebecca Denise Cronenberg, 7555 66TH Ave, VERO BEACH, FL 32967 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: Rebecca Denise Cronenberg, 1507 19TH ST, VERO BEACH, FL 32960 Republican Party of Florida. CRONENBERG, RICHARD LORENZ was born 24 May 1938, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 355 Kilmer Way, The Villages, Florida 32162-5082. Florida voter ID number 117832702. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2015 voter list: RICHARD LORENZ CRONENBERG, 355 KILMER WAY, THE VILLAGES, FL 32162 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenberg, Scott Robert was born 28 February 1973, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 2251 Hamlet Dr, Melbourne, Florida 32934. Florida voter ID number 100843390. His telephone number is 1-321-626-7903. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2016 voter list: Scott R. Cronenberg, 2645 Corbusier DR, Melbourne, FL 32935 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenberg, Taylor Nicole was born 28 March 2000, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 1 U N F Dr, Jacksonville, Florida 32224. Florida voter ID number 123381146. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2018 voter list: Taylor Nicole Cronenberg, 2251 Hamlet Dr, Melbourne, FL 329347608 No Party Affiliation. 28 February 2017 voter list: Taylor Nicole Cronenberg, 2645 Corbusier Dr, Melbourne, FL 32935 No Party Affiliation. CRONENBERGER, JAMIE BETH born 6 March 1976, Florida voter ID number 107384093 See WRIGHT, JAMIE BETH. CLICK HERE. Cronenberger, Karen Linda was born 27 April 1950, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 20862 Gleneagles Links Dr, Estero, Florida 33928. Florida voter ID number 119364640. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2014 voter list: KAREN LINDA CRONENBERGER, 20935 ISLAND SOUND CIR, #202, ESTERO, FL 33928 No Party Affiliation. Cronenberger, Richard Dean was born 4 May 1933, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 20862 Gleneagles Links Dr, Estero, Florida 33928. Florida voter ID number 119364658. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2016. 31 August 2014 voter list: RICHARD DEAN CRONENBERGER, 20935 ISLAND SOUND CIR, #202, ESTERO, FL 33928 No Party Affiliation. Cronenberger, Steven Lyle was born 30 November 1962, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1025 Assisi Ln, Apt 221, Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233-2868. Florida voter ID number 115004639. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2019 voter list: Steven Lyle Cronenberger, 1025 Assisi LN, 220, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: Steven Lyle Cronenberger, 611 Adams St E, Jacksonville, FL 32202 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenbold, Bergman was born 19 February 1971, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 7135 Sw 19Th Ter, Miami, Florida 33155. Florida voter ID number 120499438. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2019. Cronenbold, Claudia born 22 October 1977, Florida voter ID number 120267172 See Jones, Claudia. CLICK HERE. Cronenbold, Cynthia Paz was born 14 February 1963, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2931 Nw 26Th St, Miami, Florida 33142. Florida voter ID number 110251541. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenbold, Esteban was born 23 March 1991, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 11811 Walsh Blvd, Miami, Florida 33184. Florida voter ID number 120106902. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2016 voter list: Esteban Cronenbold, 2931 NW 26Th ST, Miami, FL 33142 No Party Affiliation. 22 October 2014 voter list: ESTEBAN CRONENBOLD, 1349 NORTHGATE CIR, #305-A, OVIEDO, FL 32765 No Party Affiliation. Cronenbold, Olivia was born 12 August 1979, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2473 Bay Isle Ct, Weston, Florida 33327. Florida voter ID number 124339204. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenbold, Timothy John was born 15 October 1995, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 820 W Ohio Ave, Deland, Florida 32720. Florida voter ID number 119344843. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 September 2014. Cronenbold, Walter was born 24 August 1983, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 544 Madeira Ave, Coral Gables, Florida 33134-4237. Florida voter ID number 110333348. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenbold-Melgar, Mauricio Jose was born 23 August 1949, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 710 Bayside Ln, Weston, Florida 33326-3337. Florida voter ID number 102493328. His email address is [email protected]. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: Av. Irala #564 Esq. Cochabamba Santa Cruz BOLIVIA. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONENWALT, MISCHELE IRENE was born 23 October 1943, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 9709 Arbor Oaks Ln, Aot 102, Boca Raton, Florida 33428. Florida voter ID number 114432282. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2015. 30 June 2014 voter list: MISCHELE IRENE CRONENWALT, 9781 ARBOR OAKS LN, APT 103, BOCA RATON, FL 33428 Republican Party of Florida. CRONENWALT, MISCHELE IRENE was born 23 October 1943, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 9709 Arbor Oaks Ln, Apt 102, Boca Raton, Florida 33428. Florida voter ID number 101726206. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 June 2017. 31 March 2015 voter list: Mischele Irene Dixon, 3809 NW 62nd Ct, Coconut Creek, FL 330732129 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenwalt, Mischele Irene was born 23 October 1943, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 6427 Nw 28Th Ln, Margate, Florida 33063. Florida voter ID number 111927454. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2018 voter list: MISCHELE IRENE CRONENWALT, 9709 ARBOR OAKS LN, APT 102, BOCA RATON, FL 33428 Republican Party of Florida. 30 June 2017 voter list: IRENE MISCHELE CRONEWALT, 10201 A MARLIN DR, BOCA RATON, FL 33428 Republican Party of Florida. Cronenwett, Adam Andrew was born 12 November 1974, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 9406 Fulton Ave, Apt 103, Hudson, Florida 34667. Florida voter ID number 106675793. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 March 2017 voter list: Adam Andrew Cronenwett, 9148 Suncoast TER, Hudson, FL 34667 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: ADAM ANDREW CRONENWETT, 5748 BAKER RD, NEW PORT RICHEY, FL 34653 Florida Democratic Party. Cronenwett, Amanda Lynn was born 23 December 1992, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 4725 Robin Dr, St. Cloud, Florida 34772. Florida voter ID number 125899105. Her telephone number is 1-407-952-3192. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONENWETT, ANNA MARY was born 12 March 1928, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 13173 Famiglia Dr, Venice, Florida 34293. Florida voter ID number 104547233. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 November 2015 voter list: Anna Mary Cronenwett, 1458 Whisper Lake Blvd, Sebring, FL 338701202 Florida Democratic Party. CRONENWETT, BRADLEY ALAN was born 10 September 1991, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 6466 Cava Alta Dr, #310, Orlando, Florida 32835. Florida voter ID number 120034660. His telephone number is 1-407-791-7116. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 28 February 2019 voter list: BRADLEY ALAN CRONENWETT, 9702 UNIVERSAL BLVD, APT 217, ORLANDO, FL 32819 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2016 voter list: BRADLEY ALAN CRONENWETT, 2025 DIXIE BELLE DR, APT G, ORLANDO, FL 32812 Florida Democratic Party. 30 June 2014 voter list: BRADLEY ALAN CRONENWETT, 2871 S CONWAY RD, APT 232, ORLANDO, FL 32812 Florida Democratic Party. CRONENWETT, BRENDA SUE was born 20 March 1971, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 101 Inland Seas Blvd, Winter Garden, Florida 34787. Florida voter ID number 106300941. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONENWETT, CAROL DAWN was born 18 November 1964, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 409 E Cowles St, Englewood, Florida 34223. Florida voter ID number 102602986. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenwett, Cassie Jo was born 8 September 1989, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 6001 Anderson Ln, Milton, Florida 32570. Florida voter ID number 124379674. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONENWETT, CHRISTOPHER DANIEL was born 18 July 1961, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 403 S Sapodilla Ave, Apt 201, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. Florida voter ID number 104696898. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 10789 ELDERWOOD LANE SAN DIEGO CA 92131. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2018 voter list: Christopher Daniel Cronenwett, 946 SW Catalina ST, Palm City, FL 34990 No Party Affiliation. 31 December 2013 voter list: Christopher Daniel Cronenwett, 1235 Winding Oaks Cir E, APT 507, VERO BEACH, FL 329634036 No Party Affiliation. 31 May 2013 voter list: Christopher Daniel Cronenwett, 1940 NE 59Th Pl, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33308 No Party Affiliation. CRONENWETT, DALE V. was born 21 February 1933, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 409 E Cowles St, Englewood, Florida 34223. Florida voter ID number 100061190. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2013. CRONENWETT, DUANE was born 24 June 1932, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 532 Anchorage Dr, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408. Florida voter ID number 112274855. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 4336 W LASKEY RD TOLEDO OH 43623. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 November 2017. CRONENWETT, FREDERICK was born 6 January 1934, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2315 Se 175Th Terrace Rd, Silver Springs, Florida 34488. Florida voter ID number 105748122. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 3522 NEWBURG RD FLAT ROCK MI 48134-9646. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. Cronenwett, Janice Lee was born 12 March 1935, is female, residing at 4390 Exeter Dr, I 307, Longboat Key, Florida 34228. Florida voter ID number 105343545. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. CRONENWETT, MEREDITH was born 2 December 1975, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 403 S Sapodilla Ave, #201, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. Florida voter ID number 126474671. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 10789 ELDERWOOD LN SAN DIEGO CA 92131-0000. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenwett, Meredith was born 2 December 1975, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 946 Sw Catalina St, Palm City, Florida 34990. Florida voter ID number 102238255. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 October 2018. 31 December 2013 voter list: Meredith Cronenwett, 1235 Winding Oaks Cir E, APT 507, VERO BEACH, FL 329634036 No Party Affiliation. 31 May 2013 voter list: Meredith Cronenwett, 1940 NE 59Th Pl, APT 305, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33308 No Party Affiliation. Cronenwett, Richard H. was born 4 October 1939, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 8610 Gleneagle Way, Naples, Florida 34120. Florida voter ID number 103041831. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenwett, Robert A. was born 25 November 1931, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 946 Sw Catalina St, Palm City, Florida 34990. Florida voter ID number 104647533. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 July 2017. 31 May 2017 voter list: Robert Alan Cronenwett, 946 SW Catalina St, Palm City, FL 34990 Republican Party of Florida. 30 April 2016 voter list: Robert Alan Cronenwett, 4179 SW Mallard Creek Trl, Palm City, FL 34990 Republican Party of Florida. 31 October 2015 voter list: Robert A. Cronenwett, 4179 SW Mallard Creek Trl, Palm City, FL 349902519 Republican Party of Florida. 31 December 2014 voter list: Robert A. Cronenwett, 1195 WINDING OAKS Cir E, APT 304, VERO BEACH, FL 32963 Republican Party of Florida. CRONENWETT, SHIRLEY MAE was born 4 November 1933, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 532 Anchorage Dr, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408. Florida voter ID number 112272642. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 4336 W LASKEY RD TOLEDO OH 43623. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 November 2017. Cronenwett, William Thomas was born 24 November 1969, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 3860 W Broward Blvd, Apt 205, Plantation, Florida 33312. Florida voter ID number 124461057. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Cronenwett-Coning, Rebecca S. was born 20 April 1949, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1146 Whisper Ln, Sebring, Florida 33870. Florida voter ID number 118762714. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 October 2016. Croner, Aaron B. was born 1 June 1983, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 323 65Th St E, Jacksonville, Florida 32208. Florida voter ID number 115896851. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 5446 Copley Square Rd Grand Blanc MI 48439-8742. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 November 2014. CRONER, BARBARA was born 29 September 1936, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2447 Sawyer Ter, Wellington, Florida 33414. Florida voter ID number 112183081. Her telephone number is 385-9407 (no area code listed). This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2012 voter list: BARBARA SIMMONS CRONER, 1700 PRESIDENTIAL WAY, APT 201, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401 Florida Democratic Party. CRONER, LORRAINE was born 1 March 1931, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 749 Monaco P, Delray Beach, Florida 33446. Florida voter ID number 112033001. Her telephone number is 1-561-637-7564. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONER, MORRIS J. was born 8 January 1924, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 749 Monaco P, Delray Beach, Florida 33446. Florida voter ID number 112032925. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2013. Croner, Nancy D. was born 19 April 1935, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2132 Ashley Lakes Dr, Odessa, Florida 33556. Florida voter ID number 115093847. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Croner, Sandis J. was born 8 December 1951, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1803 Nw 88Th Way, Coral Springs, Florida 33071-6174. Florida voter ID number 101698842. Her telephone number is 1-954-346-8989. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2015 voter list: Sandis J. Croner, 1803 NW 88th Way, Coral Springs, FL 330710000 Florida Democratic Party. Croner, Scott F. was born 24 November 1958, is male, residing at 843 Stonybrook Cir, Port Orange, Florida 32127. Florida voter ID number 108653796. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. Croner, Scott Frederick was born 24 November 1958, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 834 Stonybrook Cir, Port Orange, Florida 32127. Florida voter ID number 124292174. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2017. Crone-Romanovski, Mary Jo was born 5 March 1980, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 13586 Messino Ct, Estero, Florida 33928. Florida voter ID number 120052445. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 November 2013 voter list: MARY J. CRONE-ROMANOVSKI, 17110 TERRAVERDE CIR, #16, FORT MYERS, FL 33908 Florida Democratic Party. CRONER-RODRIGUEZ, NADIA was born 26 October 1976, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 2447 Sawyer Ter, Wellington, Florida 33414. Florida voter ID number 123484813. Her telephone number is 1-561-385-1127. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Crones, Charles George was born 11 May 1938, is male, residing at 15020 Sea Crest Blvd, Fort Myers, Florida 33919. Florida voter ID number 121461246. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 June 2016. Crones, Charles Randall was born 10 January 1977, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1312 Nw 12Th St, Gainesville, Florida 32601. Florida voter ID number 114375332. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2016 voter list: Charles Randall Crones, 3006 SW 23Rd St, APT 73, Gainesville, FL 32608 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: Charles Randall Crones, 1932 NW 35th AVE, Gainesville, FL 32605 Florida Democratic Party. Crones, Jacquelyn Isobel was born 21 August 1934, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 15020 Sea Crest Blvd, Fort Myers, Florida 33919. Florida voter ID number 111422456. Her telephone number is 466-5710 (no area code listed). This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2015 voter list: JACQUELYN ISOBEL CRONES, 14990 VISTA VIEW WAY, #105, FORT MYERS, FL 33919 Republican Party of Florida. CRONEWALT, IRENE MISCHELE born 23 October 1943, Florida voter ID number 111927454 See Cronenwalt, Mischele Irene. CLICK HERE. Croney, Alexis Kamilla was born 6 December 1996, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 114 Sandy Beach Ln, Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233. Florida voter ID number 124010624. Her telephone number is 1-904-887-2639. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, ALVINIA LATESHIA was born 29 October 1975, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 8741 Doveland Dr, Apt A, Pahokee, Florida 33476. Florida voter ID number 112438461. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 1220 N BOULEVARD ANDERSON SC 29621. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 December 2013. CRONEY, AMANDA CHRISTINE born 24 May 1991, Florida voter ID number 120168478 See CSALOVSZKI, AMANDA CHRISTINE. CLICK HERE. Croney, Ashley was born 6 December 1996, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 114 Sandy Beach Ln, Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233. Florida voter ID number 124237311. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, CARL LEON was born 21 May 1975, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 5603 Luckasavage Rd, Plant City, Florida 33567. Florida voter ID number 110908757. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. CRONEY, CELESTE R. was born 1 October 1942, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1029 Pheasant Run Dr, Apt B, Fort Pierce, Florida 34982. Florida voter ID number 108252543. Her telephone number is 1-772-464-0935. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, CHARLES THOMAS was born 4 April 1957, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1035 Leslie Lewis Rd, Havana, Florida 32333. Florida voter ID number 104260023. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Croney, Courtney Anne born 10 June 1991, Florida voter ID number 117822039 See Harris, Courtney Anne. CLICK HERE. CRONEY, DAIJANIQUE RASHENAE was born 1 January 1998, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1169 Madison Chase, West Palm Beach, Florida 33411. Florida voter ID number 123167607. Her telephone number is 1-561-324-3852. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2018 voter list: DAIJANIQUE RASHANAE CRONEY, 370 CYPRESS AVE, PAHOKEE, FL 33476 Republican Party of Florida. 30 June 2016 voter list: DAIJANIQUE R. CRONEY, 1165 GOLDEN LAKES BLVD, APT 121, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33411 Republican Party of Florida. CRONEY, D'AUNDREC ISHMYELL was born 19 November 2000, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 612 Steele Dr, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. Florida voter ID number 125059262. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, DAVE LAMILLE was born 16 August 1994, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 1140 Lake Victoria Dr, Apt J, West Palm Beach, Florida 33411. Florida voter ID number 121240714. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 December 2016 voter list: DAVE LAMILLE CRONEY, 1481 WINDORAH WAY, APT H, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33411 No Party Affiliation. 30 June 2015 voter list: DAVE CRONEY, 8155 BELVEDERE RD, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33411 No Party Affiliation. CRONEY, DAVID ALDEN was born 2 September 1958, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2446 Tall Cedars Rd, Fleming Island, Florida 32003-3200. Florida voter ID number 115892190. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 November 2016 voter list: DAVID ALDEN CRONEY, 2271 HARBOR LAKE DR, FLEMING ISLAND, FL 32003 No Party Affiliation. 22 October 2014 voter list: DAVID ALDEN CRONEY, 2352 OPEN BREEZE CT, GRN CV SPGS, FL 32043 No Party Affiliation. 31 May 2012 voter list: DAVID ALDEN CRONEY, 1974 WESTEND PL, FLEMING ISLAND, FL 32003 No Party Affiliation. CRONEY, DAVID L. was born 15 March 1974, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 300 W 6Th St, Pahokee, Florida 33476. Florida voter ID number 112469451. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: PO BOX 372 CANAL POINT FL 33428. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 July 2016. CRONEY, DAVID LEE was born 16 June 1992, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2551 Ravenall Ave, Orlando, Florida 32811. Florida voter ID number 120664365. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2018 voter list: DAVID LEE CRONEY, 1468 MERCY DR, APT 125, ORLANDO, FL 32808 No Party Affiliation. 28 February 2017 voter list: DAVID LEE CRONEY, 719 S IVEY LN, APT 719B, ORLANDO, FL 32811 No Party Affiliation. 30 September 2016 voter list: DAVID LEE CRONEY, 3728 DUNES RD, PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33410 No Party Affiliation. CRONEY, DONNA MAE was born 19 May 1970, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 10122 Oak Meadow Ln, Lake Worth, Florida 33449. Florida voter ID number 111978717. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2018 voter list: Donna Williamson Croney, 9685 Cobblestone Creek DR, BOYNTON BEACH, FL 33472 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2014 voter list: DONNA WILLIAMSON CRONEY, 7031 VIA LEONARDO, LAKE WORTH, FL 33467 Florida Democratic Party. CRONEY, DOROTHY STROUD was born 12 June 1928, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1248 Kingsley Ave, #8-A, Orange Park, Florida 32073. Florida voter ID number 123785626. Her telephone number is 1-302-598-2951. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Croney, Edward Ernest was born 12 December 1958, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 4008 W San Rafael St, Tampa, Florida 33629. Florida voter ID number 110480967. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, ELEANORA MAE was born 27 October 1990, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 831 Jody Ln, Webster, Florida 33597. Florida voter ID number 116430159. Her telephone number is 1-352-418-5478. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 215 E SEMINOLE AVE BUSHNELL FL 33513. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2016 voter list: ELEANORA MAE CRONEY, 307 N ADAMS ST, BUSHNELL, FL 33513 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: ELEANORA MAE CRONEY, 307 W PALM AVE, BUSHNELL, FL 33513 Florida Democratic Party. Croney, Eloisa Doris was born 17 March 1955, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1239 Seybold Ter, Deltona, Florida 32725. Florida voter ID number 109915928. Her telephone number is 1-386-228-5367. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 March 2014 voter list: Eloisa Doris Croney, 109 Pine Tree Dr, DeBary, FL 32713 Republican Party of Florida. CRONEY, FRANCES R. was born 31 August 1925, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 1081 Palm Ave, #327A, North Fort Myers, Florida 33903. Florida voter ID number 111551874. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2013. CRONEY, GLORIA J. was born 9 September 1958, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 298 Pope Ct, Pahokee, Florida 33476. Florida voter ID number 120290171. Her telephone number is 924-6222 (no area code listed). This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, HEATHER NICOLE was born 25 March 1991, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 475 Dream Lake Dr, Apopka, Florida 32712. Florida voter ID number 116832852. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2018 voter list: HEATHER NICOLE STRONG, 475 DREAM LAKE DR, APOPKA, FL 32712 Republican Party of Florida. 31 December 2014 voter list: HEATHER NICOLE STRONG, 3984 CHERRY APPLE CIR, ORLANDO, FL 32810 Republican Party of Florida. CRONEY, IRVING NATHANIEL was born 14 October 1985, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 298 Pope Ct, Pahokee, Florida 33476. Florida voter ID number 112043861. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Croney, Jasmyne Nicole was born 19 November 1997, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 114 Sandy Beach Ln, Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233. Florida voter ID number 122605931. Her telephone number is 1-561-518-8410. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2016 voter list: JASMYNE NICOLE CRONEY, 490 EILON AVE, SOUTH BAY, FL 33493 Florida Democratic Party. CRONEY, JENIPHER was born 12 January 1984, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 612 Steele Dr, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. Florida voter ID number 105220766. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2018 voter list: Jenipher Croney, 20324 NW 32Nd Pl, Miami Gardens, FL 33056 Florida Democratic Party. CRONEY, JOHN T. was born 26 July 1933, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1029 Pheasant Run Dr, Apt B, Fort Pierce, Florida 34982. Florida voter ID number 108252545. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2014. CRONEY, JUDI G. was born 2 April 1951, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 1035 Leslie Lewis Rd, Havana, Florida 32333. Florida voter ID number 104262116. Her telephone number is 539-1699 (no area code listed). This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. CRONEY, KADARA CHANEL was born 29 May 1993, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 215 E Seminole Ave, Bushnell, Florida 33513. Florida voter ID number 118853661. Her telephone number is 1-352-569-4377. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 August 2016 voter list: KADARA CHANEL CRONEY, 735 NW 6TH ST, WEBSTER, FL 33597 No Party Affiliation. CRONEY, KATHERINE SUZANNE was born 17 January 1961, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 2446 Tall Cedars Rd, Fleming Island, Florida 32003. Florida voter ID number 114481861. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2016 voter list: KATHERINE SUZANNE CRONEY, 2271 HARBOR LAKE DR, FLEMING ISLAND, FL 320037797 Republican Party of Florida. 22 October 2014 voter list: KATHERINE SUZANNE CRONEY, 2352 OPEN BREEZE CT, GRN CV SPGS, FL 32043 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: KATHERINE SUZANNE CRONEY, 1974 WESTEND PL, FLEMING ISLAND, FL 32003 Republican Party of Florida. CRONEY, KAYLA DIANA CLAIRE-ANN was born 2 January 2000, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 10122 Oak Meadow Ln, Lake Worth, Florida 33449. Florida voter ID number 125932428. Her telephone number is 1-561-373-6279. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Croney, Kenrick Grafton was born 7 October 1937, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 11922 Autumn Creek Dr, Riverview, Florida 33569. Florida voter ID number 111240098. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2016 voter list: Kenrick Grafton Croney, 2032 HAWKS VIEW DR, Ruskin, FL 335708011 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: Kenrick G. Croney, 1147 Courtney Trace DR, APT 103, Brandon, FL 33511 Florida Democratic Party. Croney, Kerri E. born 2 October 1988, Florida voter ID number 115127807 See OBERER, KERRI ELIZABETH. CLICK HERE. CRONEY, KERRI ELIZABETH born 2 October 1988, Florida voter ID number 115127807 See OBERER, KERRI ELIZABETH. CLICK HERE. CRONEY, KEVIN ANTHONY was born 23 October 1991, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 475 Dream Lake Dr, Apopka, Florida 32712. Florida voter ID number 118239396. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019.

2019-04-20T22:13:13Z

https://flvoters.com/pages/c112681.html

Over the past two days I've shared a few stories of times when I consciously went against my nature and decided to talk to strangers. Here is another such story (after this I'll shut up about my personality and find something better to talk about). On Tuesday as I went to the FedEx location on S.R. 23 in South Bend to return some rental gear to LensRentals¹ I noticed a man standing out in front of his green Volvo 240 wagon with the hood up, talking with one of the guys from the AutoZone in the strip mall. I've been a fan of 240's for a while now and I thought about going over to say hi, but I decided instead to just take my packages in and drop them off at the Pack & Ship counter. "Maybe if they're still out there when I come out of FedEx," I thought, "maybe then I'll say hi." Well, they weren't there when I came out of FedEx - in fact they were heading in to AutoZone. I decided to drive over next to the 240 just to take a look at the vehicle since, as mentioned, I am a fan of 240's. I found myself getting out of my car and walking into AutoZone. The guy who presumably owned the 240 was just checking out, having purchased a battery terminal cleaning brush. I intercepted him on the way out of the store. "Are you the guy with the 240 out there?" He affirmed that he was indeed that guy. I mumbled something back about how that was cool and how I noticed it because I had a Volvo too. "It was a real nice car until a deer met the front end of it," he mentioned. I agreed that this sort of thing is liable to mess a car up. "So what's going on with it?" I asked, unintentionally (but probably beneficially) using my most helpful OIT Help Desk tone.³ He told me that it was having trouble starting, that he noticed one of the wires going to the starter was frayed down to a thread, that he and a friend of his had hooked up a wire that ran from the starter up to the battery handle, so he could put the key in and then come up front and touch the wire to the battery and get it to start. I told him about Matthew's Volvo Site and how its forums were full of friendly and helpful Volvo lovers from all across the country and even around the world. He asked where the guy was from. I wasn't sure. Colorado, maybe? He told me about his son, who works for Delphi, and about how they work on projects for all kinds of cars including Volvo, and how someone at Volvo flew him out to the factory in... where is it? It's over on the Southwest side, near Denmark. "Gothenburg, maybe?" That sounded right. He kept fiddling under the hood with the wires that now held it in place, twisting them around and around. "Somebody from my church gave me this car, it just keeps going." I asked how many miles it had on it (this is a great conversational starting point for anybody with an old Volvo. We love to know how many miles are on it). He said, "That's a funny thing. The odometer stopped working! It said 129,000 when I got it but who knows how long it's been broke. It's probably a lot more than that now." He mentioned that he was originally from West Lafayette but that he came up here to work construction at Notre Dame. I assumed he meant the Campus Crossroads Project, temporarily forgetting about the thousand other construction projects ND currently has going. I mentioned that I worked in the building next to the stadium and that I sometimes go up and look out the 2nd or 3rd floor windows to watch the construction progress. "Oh, I've got a niece, er, uh... a niece that works at Notre Dame. Her husband works there too." Cool. "Do you know any Colombians?" Uh.... I guess not? No, I don't think so. "Oh. They're both Colombian, she and her husband. They work in, uh.... I guess it's north of the stadium. Are you north of the stadium?" "No," I said, "I'm on the west side there, in the classroom building." At some point the conversation sort of trailed off. I wished him good luck with the car and he said thanks, and then I did another weird thing that sometimes happens because I don't know how to end conversations. I stuck my hand out. "Peter." I'm really bad at remembering to say things like "My name is Peter, by the way." I just get stage fright and remember that it's polite to introduce myself but forget to say the other words and just sort of yell my name at whoever I've just met while attempting to shake their hand. Anyway, what I am saying is that I had a perfectly pleasant conversation with a stranger and nothing bad happened. It wasn't even uncomfortable except for the part where I decided to say hello. If the thought of conversing with a stranger terrifies you like it usually does me, you should still give it a try sometime. You probably won't even have to say much. People love talking about themselves and telling their stories. All you have to do is listen and ask a question or two. My friend Dan is a master at this. He's so good at it that I usually find myself halfway through the conversation thinking, "I am talking way too much. Uh, quick! Come up with something to ask!" and then I end up sort of stumbling back through whatever question he last asked me, trying to get him to answer it too. I'm getting better at it, I guess. ¹Highly recommended, by the way. Excellent selection and even better customer service... and their prices are reasonable! ²For me, anyway. As you may have inferred, I don't really do this kind of thing a lot. ³Imagine a doctor saying "Let's take a look" in that kind of soothing, reassuring way as he lifts a stethoscope to his ears. Scott posted that quote up there on Facebook yesterday and it got me thinking about how things have changed since I was younger, and specifically about how it's easier to be introverted now. I wrote a post about that yesterday, and about a couple of moments in my life where I've chosen to be a little bit extraverted for a particular reason. Last weekend my family and two other families to whom Caitlin is related went on a vacation to Michigan's splendid Upper Peninsula. (Her dad and youngest brother also came along. She is related to them too.) By the time we made it into the U.P. from Wisconsin, my cell phone had lost service and wouldn't regain it until we drove from the U.P. to the Mitten across the Mackinac Bridge.³ As a result, one of my primary methods of avoiding human contact was rendered inert. On our way home, a strange thing happened. I approached pairs of strangers on two separate occasions to ask if they would like me to take their photo. I don't know if it was my good mood, all the practice not looking at my phone, my general desire to be helpful, or memories of gratitude when a stranger offered to take our photo (twice! Once on our honeymoon in Tennessee, and once on a family trip to Houston, TX), but at any rate here I was, walking up to one half of a couple taking the other half's photo, walking up to a person awkwardly holding her arm out to get a two-person selfie, and essentially saying "hey, I would like to be part of your life for a moment." It went well. They seemed happy, I felt helpful, and nobody gave me a sideways look. Maybe it helped that, should they think me weird, I knew I'd probably never see them again. Anyway, it was fine. You should try it sometime. ¹Somebody should make a children's book about psychology called I is for Introvert. It could have intricate coloring pages in the back that take hours to complete. ³The astute reader will note that our outbound and inbound routes differed. Indeed, we circumnavigated Lake Michigan. Hurrah! I am not particularly outgoing by nature, and technology has generally removed any need I might otherwise have had for talking to other people except as it pertains to my job or my family. A song from Sesame Street suggests that there are in fact people in my neighborhood, people that I meet each day, but I have found that this need not be the case. Who might I meet each day? A bank teller? Nope, online banking. A checkout clerk? Nope, the self-checkout lane. A gas station attendant? Nope, pay at the pump. Asking somebody the time? Nope, my cell phone. Small talk in a waiting room? Nope, my cell phone. Directions when I'm out of town? Nope, my cell phone. Friendly strangers while I'm out for a walk? Nope, their cell phone (and earbuds). Whew. At certain points in my life I have made a conscious effort to engage others in conversation where normally I would remain silent. Actually, the first example that comes to mind is not so much about engaging in conversation as it is about opening myself up to conversation, which can be just as terrifying. When I left my high school and the classmates I had studied with for 13 years, I went to Bethel College, where I was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of strangers and barely knew anyone else. I decided that I would probably have a better experience if I met some people, and that probably most other people were not just going to come up and start talking to me. For these reasons I decided to say "Hi" to everyone I met on the sidewalks of Bethel's campus who wasn't already having a conversation. No "how are you" because I hate that most people don't want an answer (or don't give an answer), and no "Hi, my name is Peter" because that's weird and creepy. Just "Hi." A lot of people said "Hi" back, and though I don't remember it leading to any particular conversations, it made me feel a lot less closed off than I would have felt sticking to my nature and silently walking (or rolling) down the sidewalk. I'm sure it allowed me to participate in later conversations that I would have otherwise not been part of, either because I recognized a person from having said "Hi" to them or maybe because they recognized me. The second example I can think of is a few months ago when I was shopping at Meijer by myself. As I passed by the aisle with the snack crackers I saw a man put a box of orange cheese-flavored things in his and his wife's cart, and she said, "oh wait, do we want Cheese Nips or Cheez-its?" This struck me as a perfect example of the mundane conversations we all have all the time - things that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things yet they're still really important to us on a small scale - and I thought it was hilarious and awesome. The inside of me smiled when I felt a weird urge to ask them which they decided on. This is not me. But, I thought, if it made me smile then maybe it would make them smile too. Or maybe they would just think I was weird. Whether I like it or not, I care a lot about what strangers think of me. On the other hand, there's a good chance I'll never see them again. In the end, my curiosity overpowered my shyness and I turned the cart around and felt myself walking back an aisle to where the cracker discussion had taken place. I don't remember exactly how it played out, but I said something like, "Sorry, but I overheard the earth-shattering discussion happening and now I just have to know: Did you go with Cheese Nips or Cheez-its?" It was at this moment that I suddenly realized what was happening. I had just strolled into a stranger's life and asked them a very personal question about what kind of snack crackers they preferred. What was I doing? This is embarrassing and weird! Wait, I think they're laughing. Oh good, at least it was ha-ha weird and not call-the-police weird. It only took about half a second to think all of that so I just kept going. I peeked into their cart and observed, "ah, Cheese Nips, huh? Good choice. Well, have a nice night!" Freed from the situation I had put myself in I wheeled the cart around and walked, maybe a little faster than usual, back toward the front of the store past the tank full of lobsters who thankfully were unable to point and laugh at my fit of social ineptitude. Still, it made me feel good to share my observation with someone else and it felt good that they thought it was funny too. I walked toward the self-checkout with a goofy smile on my face. If we truly believe that God loves us, our reciprocation should be not only to Him but also to our fellow man¹. If we do not have love for the humans around us who have been made in God's image (hint: this is everybody), then we do not have love for God. Our love for others should be a reflection of God's love for us, and He loves us unconditionally. And this commandment we have from [God]: whoever loves God must also love his brother. There are all kinds of current events this could be applied to, but I don't really want to get on a soapbox, so I'm going to leave it at that. God loves all of us more profoundly and more deeply than we can possibly comprehend, and our response should be one of praise, gratitude, and a love for God so boundless that it spills over into unmitigated love for one another. ¹yes, as in 'mankind.' Yes, that includes all of humanity. You know what I meant, no need to fuss about it. These are pieces of 3/4" red-oak-faced plywood which I had cut (a little too long, as it turned out) and stained nearly a year ago. They sat nicely on the cleats and were pretty stable once I installed some small L-brackets to hold them in place, but there was still a notable amount of flex near the middle of the shelves. While they probably would have been okay, I didn't want them to sag over time, so I attached a piece of 1x2 pine to the bottom of the shelves at the front as shown in the photo above. To prevent splitting, I pre-drilled about 10 holes per board (just under an 8' span) and then screwed this reinforcement piece to the shelf above it. This added a lot of rigidity. The final step was to add a face piece to the edge of the shelves in order to clean up the look a little bit. I went back and forth on several options but ended up going with strips of PVC lattice, a little over 1-1/2" wide and around 1/8" thick. I attached them to the shelves using J-B Weld ClearWeld Epoxy. I wasn't sure how well that would turn out but it went much better than I would have guessed. The plastic below is to catch any drips from the epoxy, but that turned out to be a non-issue. ¹okay, fine: mostly complete. That space up above the closet needs to have the sliding doors painted and reinstalled. However, they don't prevent me from using the shelves below which means I can get this office back in order! Excitement abounds. If you happened to follow the rävenfoto blog when it existed, you may recall a post about remodeling one of the bedrooms in my house into an office. It was a fairly big job; we repainted the walls from a weird green to a dark gray, repainted the ceiling and trim from off-white to bright white, pulled up the carpet and refinished the red oak flooring underneath, added several outlets and four network jacks, and replaced the lighting fixture with track lighting that runs all the way around the room. When all of the above was completed, the remodel was probably 90% complete, and I began using the room as my office... at which point nearly all progress on the remodel ceased. A few things got done afterward - we replaced the folding wooden shutter doors on the odd over-the-stairs closet with an aesthetically clean white piece of wood; I finally installed shades on the windows - but one task loitered in the corner, looming over me, leering at me. It was a gaping hole (two, actually) in the otherwise-quite-nice-looking room. It was: THE CLOSET. In the process of refinishing the oak floor, I removed the folding doors which had previously spanned the now-gaping maw of the formidable closet. I decided that an open-front closet would make the room feel a bit bigger, and that having the interior painted bright white would bring a little more light into a room with dark gray walls. Sounds pretty great, right? *pats self on back* The only problem is that I then proceeded to use the closet, in its dreadful state, to hold stuff. Gentle reader, I will let you in on something. Stuff does not like to move. In fact, Newton's first law of motion confirms to us that once you put stuff somewhere, said stuff will stay right there unless somebody¹ does something about it. So you see, the stuff was not taunting me, nor tormenting, nor purposefully blocking my progress on the closet project. It was instead dutifully following the laws of the universe, just waiting for some action on my part to overcome my default state of inaction, to move that stuff out of the way and to keep the project rolling. I found it much easier to just blame the stuff. I did make some baby steps² - by last year sometime, I managed to get some nice 3/4" oak plywood to use for long shelves in the closet (I even cut it to size and stained it), and had removed the ugly/boring wire rack from the closet. Other than that, though, not much changed. Eventually, however, I did make a little progress by getting that stuff out of the closet. As a result, some of that stuff ended up in the main area of my office, where it was (is) in the way all the time. I knocked out the old shelves, and in order to get that stuff back in the closet where it would be out of my way and where I could access it easily, I have to get some shelves back in place. I ran four more network cables, for reasons.³ I finally got that stupid hole patched up. I finally have some new baseboard to go across the back of the closet. I finally got some cleats attached to the wall to help support the new shelves. It finally feels like this thing might get finished soon, after all. A day or two ago, I sat in the closet doing some work but lamenting how long it was all taking - it seemed like as I got closer to the end there were more and more things to do to get it done right. It seemed like I wasn't making progress but there I was, sitting in the closet, doing work. My perspective at that moment was one of defeat, of frustration at the "one more thing" that needed to be done. Instead, I should have realized that showing up to do the work is a win in itself. It's like I forgot for a moment that I have this blog to help me do things by way of sharing them with the internet. The white cleats previously held shelves that went the short way across the closet. All that's really left is to put a bit more trim at the baseboard, paint everything (except the floor - note the [plastic] dropcloth!), and then install the shelves (which still need to be trimmed down by about a half inch, because apparently I can't measure). I guess at that point I'll still need to install the faceplate for the network jacks and swap out the receptacle for a newer style one to match the rest of the office. Okay, so that list got a little longer than I expected, but still - progress! Real progress too, not the kind where you think you're getting stuff done but really you're just staying busy for the sake of busyness. ANYWAY, thanks as always for joining me as I attempt to do stuff and then share it with the internet. I really appreciate your company. ¹ I'm using the term "somebody" fairly liberally here, perhaps more accurately rendered "some body" because really all it takes is an unbalanced force to move the stuff, which could come in the form of a celestial body straying too close to Earth and drawing the stuff in by its gravity (though at that point we've got bigger fish to fry), or by a body of water forming in my office and causing the stuff to float away (though again, bigger fish), or by shifting tectonic plates causing an earthquake that dislodges the stuff from its happy nook (at which point the closet would remodel itself as well, though perhaps not in the fashion desired). The point is, the stuff is unlikely to move unless a person moves it, and I'm the only one who's likely to do that, especially now that Caitlin is pregnant and is not supposed to move stuff. Doctor's orders, you know. ² The term "Baby Steps" is kind of a misnomer unto itself - I mean, what baby can actually take steps? I guess you could classify crawling as step-taking, though that's really a stretch. By the time a baby takes said steps, it is well into the territory of "toddling" at which point the child is by definition a toddler. Get with it, idiom! I did just consider the fact that the "baby" in "baby steps" could itself be a metaphor, referring to the diminutive size of the proverbial steps. On behalf of grumpy linguists everywhere I would like to formally apologize to both the idiom and its mother. ³ Reasons! First of all I just enjoy running network cable to places where it may be needed. In this case I ran four of them because I planned to use two for my wireless access point/router (one coming in from the modem and one heading back down to my 16-port switch), and one for my networked printer. "But wait!" cries the astute reader, "Two plus one equals three! This is a different number from four!" If the astute reader is you, you are correct. It just seemed better to put in four because it's a lot easier to find a four-port keystone plate, and because I've got a 24-port patch panel so why not? It was after wiring up these four ports that I sheepishly realized that my networked printer contains only a wireless adapter, having no ethernet port. Ah, well... reasons. I'm sure I'll find a use for the extra ports sometime. This past weekend was a busy one. On Friday I shot video at a wedding and reception in Portage and Valparaiso, respectively (thanks to Joe for his assistance!); on Saturday I shot video at the recital we held for our music students; on Sunday I got to play along with our worship band after church (I'll be playing occasionally starting soon). The weekend rolled on into Monday when I shot a promotional video for the EZ-Trieve Pen, a product for which I am helping with marketing and launch strategy. (Thanks to Will for his assistance!) After that wrapped up we had a couple of hours before our next thing so we went to Notre Dame and wandered around filming things. This was much fun to shoot and refreshing to edit. Next up will be the recital video because I can knock it out quickly and then the wedding video because I promised a 2-week turnaround time. The EZ-Trieve pen will require another day of shooting further down the road before I have everything I need so it will be on hold for a bit as soon as I get some preliminary work done first. When the recital and wedding videos are complete my next project will be to finish the logo and website for my friend Chelsea, who is an editor (of words, not videos) and you should hire her if you need any words edited. Clearly I could use some help in this area but this is just a silly blog so I think we'll be okay. If you have anything that matters, though - a book, say, or a dissertation, or even a resume/cover letter - you should definitely email [email protected] and she can help you out. Well there we have it. It looks like this blog achieved its stated goal once again, because I made a thing and shared it with the internet. Thanks for being here! Last Monday evening, my daughter got sick. Then my wife got sick. Then I got sick. It was dreadful. Thankfully, my son managed not to show any signs of illness, though he had been sick the previous week so maybe he's the one that handed it off to the rest of us. At any rate, today is the first day I've felt mostly normal in just over a week (though it feels like it was two weeks) so that's why you haven't seen any updates from me in a while. This time around I decided to try my hand at producing a rap-oriented track. I've had this little hook rolling around in my head for months, and now that I've gotten a handle on the basics of Audiotool it proved to be a good way to put some bones on the idea and see how it moved. That was a weird metaphor. Anyway, here it is - I'd love to hear any feedback you might have! Yesterday I talked about Audiotool (a ridiculously cool website for making music) and shared my first Auditool creation, imaginatively titled "Experiment #1". Today I'd like to share my second Audiotool creation, given the increasingly clever moniker "Experiment #2". I'd love to hear your feedback on these first two tracks, whether it's here on the blog, on Facebook, or on SoundCloud! I'm having a lot of fun playing with this website and I'm excited to keep learning with it. Recently, my brother Matt introduced me to a website called Audiotool.com - it's a web app that facilitates music creation and it includes several virtual instruments, a mixer, a multitrack sequencer/editor, and the ability to import your own sounds or samples. Here's the layout of instruments for my completed song, if you can call it that. I played with it for a few minutes the night he showed it to me, and then yesterday I played with it for a few hours. I didn't get super deep into the features available with Audiotool, but it's pretty intuitive and I was able to play with several of the included modules. None of the modules are directly named what they've been designed after, because of course the names are copyrighted. That said, I used a TR-808 and TR-909 (both Roland drum machines), a TB-303 (bass sequencer), and a 3-oscillator synth that seems a lot like a Minimoog. I also used a couple of reverb pedals, a distortion pedal, and two somethings. In Audiotool it's called a Tonematrix but I'm not sure the real-life thing it's modeled on, though it looks more or less like a Novation Launchpad, but with 16x16 buttons. The virtual instrument acts as a sequencer though it can also output its own notes as well which sound a bit like a marimba. Anyway, here's what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it! In case you missed it on Friday, episode 3 of Let's Play Friday is now live! I recently decided to finally try out Dollar Shave Club after first hearing about it several years ago. I don't usually shave that often, but after letting my Novembeard grow all the way through the end of March I decided to go clean-shaven for a while. I'm looking forward to trying the Shave Butter but since it had been so long since my face felt the shave of a razor (probably close to a year) I opted for the shaving gel and aftershave lotion that I had used before. I held a hot washcloth to my face for 30 seconds or so, bathed my whiskers in shave gel, and said goodbye. It wasn't so bad. I will say that the Gillette FlexBall does provide a better shave than the DSC blade, but at a much higher cost. I was lucky enough to get the FlexBall for free a while back as part of a promotional giveaway, otherwise I think it's unlikely that I would have tried it out. I paid for the Dollar Shave Club blades with my own dollars, but if you try it out through my links to their site, I do get a $5 credit for the referral. Well there it is. Shout out to my cousin Joel via the shirt. I've added a new section to this website titled "Buy My Things," which ought to be straightforward enough for you to figure out. I have too much stuff, so I am selling some of it. Right now everything I have listed is new or used skate gear, but I expect to have miscellaneous other stuff up there sooner or later. This section was set up using the Commerce features built into Squarespace, which was pretty easy to configure, but there are two things I don't like about it. 1) Payment processing is required to go through Stripe. I'd much rather just use PayPal, but whatever. 2) Shipping charges are either really smart or really dumb, and I'd like something that falls somewhere in the middle. For example, you can either have it calculate shipping based on total weight of everything (which requires me to know the weights of the things I'm selling) or it can charge a flat rate per order plus an optional flat fee per item. If I were selling a bunch of stuff that was all roughly the same size and weight this might make sense, but since I've got everything from skate wheels to complete skateboards listed up there right now, it doesn't really fit. Using that second method may end up way overcharging people who just buy a set of wheels, or way undercharging people who buy three skate decks. It also doesn't allow for local pickup, though you could set that as an secondary shipping option I guess. Actually, I'm going to add that right now. Okay, so now people can choose "local pickup" if they're going to get the stuff from me directly. The other option, which I was getting to before I got distracted, is labeled "BILL SHIPPING SEPARATELY," which pretty much does as it says on the tin. With this option I'll go ahead and ship the items, send the customer an email with the exact shipping fees I paid, and hope they reimburse me via PayPal or something. If I were running a business I wouldn't really trust people to do that, but since my main goal is to get rid of stuff I figure it's worth the risk of losing out on a few bucks in order to cut down on the junk in my house. Two bits of exciting news regarding Let's Play Friday! 1: I now have a custom channel name on YouTube! You can find me at http://youtube.com/c/LetsPlayFriday instead of the big string of random characters I was previously assigned. Yesterday I described some of the things that have been keeping me busy and away from the blog for the past month or so. ...specifically starting around October of this year. See, that's my sweater on the far left; Caitlin's is next to it, then Elias', then Amelia's, and then... what's that? I'm chuffed to bits to share that the four of us will be welcoming a fifth family member this fall! It's been a while since I posted here, and that has been for one very good and one very bad reason. The good reason: When I wasn't sick, I was doing a lot of stuff! I got a new computer put together, I published the first episode of Let's Play Friday and hosted a launch party for it, I've been working on branding and promotion for a new product a client is bringing to market and doing the same for a friend who's launching her business, I got my office decluttered and rearranged, I got an Arturia Minibrute SE analog synthesizer (tons of fun!), and lots of other stuff too! So, I haven't had a lot of time to post here, but I would like for that to change. Anyway, I hope to be posting more here soon and hope that you'll join me in my adventures! I'm planning another video to document the process of setting up my current (soon to be "old") video editing PC to record video directly from the Atari 2600 and other game systems. Let me know if you found this useful, interesting, etc. Also let me know if there's something you want to see, something I could have done better, or any other suggestions! As I prepare to launch Let's Play Friday, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff to get set up before I record the first show. In my last status update I discussed the webcam I'll be using to record myself as well as the capture card I'll be using to record the gameplay. Another major part of the production process is having a place to store and archive all the raw video as well as the finished products. I do my editing on a desktop computer so it's fairly simple to stick an extra hard drive in there when I run out of space, but a solution I've been wanting to implement for a couple of years now is Network Attached Storage, or NAS. Essentially, this is a box full of hard drives that sits on the network, making it easy to access your data from any connected device (and potentially including access across the internet, similar to Dropbox). I recently purchased a Synology DS415+ 4-bay NAS enclosure, along with two Western Digital 4TB RED drives designed for NAS use. Last night I got everything put together and set up on my home network; it was a shockingly easy and quick setup process. I also recorded a video of the whole process which I'll be editing together over the next couple of days and will post up for anyone who's interested. Coming up after that will be a video showing the install/configuration of my Hauppauge TV Tuner card to capture incoming video and audio from my old gaming systems, along with a build video for my new editing PC, which I'm super excited about. I've been skateboarding about as long as I've been walking. My older brothers (7 and 8.5 years older than me) got me into it because it's what they did. As a kid, skateboarding was just another way to get around and have fun outside, same as a bike or scooter (and I don't mean razor scooters; we had one with 8" inflatable tires we could ride through the yard!). It never seemed unusual to me to skateboard; it never had that outsider status to me because it's just what I did and what my brothers taught me. And yet, there was nobody else I knew of who skateboarded while I was growing up. I was riding in a vacuum, but because my brothers skated sometimes and because I constantly watched the McGee and Me video "Skate Expectations," I never really noticed the lack of community. Don't be fooled into thinking that I'm actually talented as a skateboarder just because I've been doing it so long. I'm not. While other things certainly play into it, I think a big contributing factor to my lack of talent is the lack of community described above. Without other people to skate with, it can be hard to progress. There's nobody to push you forward, nobody whose tricks you can build off of, and nobody to benchmark against. There's a lot more to my skateboarding story moving into high school and especially my college years, but I think we'll stop here for now because I want to spend a little more time on the importance of community in skateboarding. Being a skateboarder: I think it starts with a sense of community; something that we seek - I think all of us as skaters feel a little bit like outsiders. I certainly did, and a lot of my friends feel that way too. And so, in an effort to both be an outsider - that inner sense of not belonging - and yet with a deep yearning for belonging (which I think all human beings have) - how can you do that, how can you find a sense of community? In this sort of multidimensional platform that we have with skateboarding, that we can create on our own terms with never-ending (and I think it’s safe to say never-ending) possibilities. And even atop the possibilities each one has a style through which we can define ourselves through what we do and a voice that we have that’s specific to us. The more we individuate ourselves and separate ourselves, the more we get a sense of belonging, because that’s what the community itself seeks - is to be separate and yet belong. So the more we individuate ourselves through what we do, the more we are embraced by the community around us, and we leverage what the community gives us (that is, the tricks; that is, the ethos imbued through the arts) and when we give that back we are recognized by our peers and that only brings it up higher, and all of this together creates that synergy that really is skateboarding. In this, Mullen sums up the core dichotomy of skateboarding: it is by culture's definition an outsider's sport, yet we all as humans feel a deep need for a sense of belonging. Skateboarding serves both needs - the need for individual differentiation and the need for community acceptance - and in fact these two factors work together to advance the sport. As new tricks are conceived and new innovations are realized, they are fed back into the community and expand the palette shared by all skateboarders. At its best skateboarding is about a group of individuals pushing the boundaries of the sport, each in their own way, in order to constantly redefine and elevate what it means to ride a skateboard. If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment! Your comments help me decide what to write about and help me get better at this blogging thing.

2019-04-25T06:00:22Z

http://www.peter-metzger.com/blog?offset=1436327966324

Section 2. Organization of court of claims. Section 3. Prohibitions as to judges. Section 5. Appointment, duties, salaries and compensation of court officers and employees. Section 6. Seal of court. Section 7. Records of proceedings and reports. This act shall be known as the "Court of Claims Act." 1. The court of claims is hereby continued. 2. Such court shall consist of (a) twenty-seven judges, who shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate; (b) such number of additional judges not exceeding seventeen to and including December thirty-first, nineteen hundred eighty-two, and not exceeding fifteen on and after January first, nineteen hundred eighty-three, as shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate; (c) such number of additional judges not exceeding nineteen as shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate prior to December thirty-first, nineteen hundred eighty-two; (d) such number of additional judges not exceeding thirty-two as shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, prior to December thirty-first, nineteen hundred eighty-six; (e) such number of additional judges not exceeding twelve as shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, provided that no more than five of such judges shall be appointed prior to July first, nineteen hundred ninety. 3. The term of each judge hereafter appointed shall be nine years, provided, however, that the existing terms of present judges shall continue until the expiration thereof. 4. Whenever the term of office of a judge shall expire, or his office become vacant from any cause, his successor shall be appointed for the unexpired term. Notwithstanding the provisions of section five of the public officers law, a judge of the court of claims shall hold over and continue to discharge the duties of his office, after the expiration of the term for which he shall have been appointed, until his successor shall have been chosen and qualified but after the expiration of such term the office shall be deemed vacant for the purpose of choosing his successor. 6. By an order to be filed in the office of the secretary of state, the governor shall designate one of the judges as presiding judge, who shall act as such during his term, and thereafter upon the appointment of his successor, the governor shall designate such successor or any other judge of the court as presiding judge, who shall act as such during his term. 7. A judge of the court of claims must be an attorney and counselor-at-law admitted to practice in the courts of this state, of at least ten years' experience in practice. 8. Whenever in any other statute reference is made to the board of claims or any officer thereof, the same shall be deemed to refer to and mean the court of claims or an officer thereof. A determination of the board of claims heretofore rendered shall have the same force and effect and be subjected to the same procedure as provided in this act for a judgment. A judge shall not during his term of office practice the profession of law or act as referee in any action or proceeding in any court of this state. A judge shall not hold any other office or public trust to which any salary or compensation is attached and shall be subject to the same prohibitions as a justice of the supreme court. 1. The court of claims shall appoint and may at pleasure remove the clerk of the court, one confidential stenographer to the presiding judge, stenographers, typists, attendants and other clerical assistants. They shall perform such duties as the court may prescribe. The number of stenographers, typists, attendants and other clerical assistants employed and the salaries of all employees shall be fixed by the court of claims. Such temporary employees as may be needed shall likewise be appointed. 1-a. The clerk of the court and such other non-judicial personnel as shall be authorized by law, rule or order shall each have the power to administer oaths, take acknowledgments and sign the process or mandate of the court. 2. Any officer or employee of the court shall be paid his actual traveling and other expenses while in the discharge of his duties, elsewhere than in the city of Albany, to be audited by the court and paid from the contingent fund. 3. No charge shall be made against the state by the clerk or the stenographers for copies of minutes, testimony or papers furnished to the attorney general or to the court or filed in the office of the clerk. When copies of minutes of testimony or other proceedings in the court of claims are delivered to the claimant or impleaded parties at their request, the stenographer shall be entitled to be paid in accordance with the provisions of the civil practice law and rules. The court shall adopt and procure an official seal, with suitable device and inscription. A description of such seal, with an impression thereof, shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state. The expenses of procuring such seal shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the court. 1. The court shall keep records of its proceedings, and at the commencement of each session of the legislature, and at such other times during the session as it may deem proper, or as the senate or assembly may request, report to the legislature the claims upon which it has finally acted, with a statement of the judgment rendered in each case. 2. The court shall also furnish to the judicial council of the state such reports and information as may from time to time be requested by it. 3. On the first day of January in each year, the clerk shall report to the comptroller, under oath, a detailed statement of his disbursements made under the direction of the court from its contingent fund during the preceding year. Section 8. Waiver of immunity from liability. Section 8-a. Torts of militia members and military and naval employees. Section 8-b. Claims for unjust conviction and imprisonment. Section 9. Jurisdiction and powers of the court. Section 10. Time of filing claims and notices of intention to file claims. Section 11. Filing, service and contents of claim or notice of intention. Section 11-a. Filing fee (effective 12/7/99). Section 12. Conditions of judgment. The state hereby waives its immunity from liability and action and hereby assumes liability and consents to have the same determined in accordance with the same rules of law as applied to actions in the supreme court against individuals or corporations, provided the claimant complies with the limitations of this article. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to affect, alter or repeal any provision of the workmen's compensation law. The state hereby waives its immunity from liability and action with respect to the torts of members of the organized militia and employees in the division of military and naval affairs of the executive department in the operation, maintenance and control of vehicles, including aircraft, owned by the state or issued or loaned or assigned to the state by the United States for the use of such organized militia or such employees, and in the operation, maintenance and control of armories devoted to the use of the organized militia of the state, while acting within the scope and in the performance of their duties in the military service of the state, except while engaged in the active service of the state pursuant to sections five, six or seven of the military law. The state hereby assumes such liability and consents to have the same determined in accordance with the same rules of law as applied to actions in the supreme court, provided the claimant complies with the limitations of this article. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to effect a waiver of immunity from liability and action or an assumption of liability with respect to the claim of any person in, or formerly in, the military service of the state, arising out of or in connection with such person's military service on behalf of the state; nor shall anything herein contained be construed to affect, alter or repeal any provision of the military law or the workmen's compensation law. The waiver of immunity and the assumption of liability contained in this section shall not in any event apply in circumstances where under the laws of the United States liability has been or is hereafter assumed by the United States, to the extent of such assumption of liability under the laws of the United States. Sec 8-b. Claims for unjust conviction and imprisonment. 3. In order to present the claim for unjust conviction and imprisonment, claimant must establish by documentary evidence that: (a) he has been convicted of one or more felonies or misdemeanors against the state and subsequently sentenced to a term of imprisonment, and has served all or any part of the sentence; and (b) (i) he has been pardoned upon the ground of innocence of the crime or crimes for which he was sentenced and which are the grounds for the complaint; or (ii) his judgment of conviction was reversed or vacated, and the accusatory instrument dismissed or, if a new trial was ordered, either he was found not guilty at the new trial or he was not retried and the accusatory instrument dismissed; provided that the judgement of conviction was reversed or vacated, and the accusatory instrument was dismissed, on any of the following grounds: (A) paragraph (a), (b), (c), (e) or (g) of subdivision one of section 440.10 of the criminal procedure law; or (B) subdivision one (where based upon grounds set forth in item (A) hereof), two, three (where the count dismissed was the sole basis for the imprisonment complained of) or five of section 470.20 of the criminal procedure law; or (C) comparable provisions of the former code of criminal procedure or subsequent law; or (D) the statute, or application thereof, on which the accusatory instrument was based violated the constitution of the United States or the state of New York; and (c) his claim is not time-barred by the provisions of subdivision seven of this section. 5. In order to obtain a judgment in his favor, claimant must prove by clear and convincing evidence that: (a) he has been convicted of one or more felonies or misdemeanors against the state and subsequently sentenced to a term of imprisonment, and has served all or any part of the sentence; and (b) (i) he has been pardoned upon the ground of innocence of the crime or crimes for which he was sentenced and which are the grounds for the complaint; or (ii) his judgment of conviction was reversed or vacated, and the accusatory instrument dismissed or, if a new trial was ordered, either he was found not guilty at the new trial or he was not retried and the accusatory instrument dismissed; provided that the judgement of conviction was reversed or vacated, and the accusatory instrument was dismissed, on any of the following grounds: (A) paragraph (a), (b), (c), (e) or (g) of subdivision one of section 440.10 of the criminal procedure law; or (B) subdivision one (where based upon grounds set forth in item (A) hereof), two, three (where the count dismissed was the sole basis for the imprisonment complained of) or five of section 470.20 of the criminal procedure law; or (C) comparable provisions of the former code of criminal procedure or subsequent law; or (D) the statute, or application thereof, on which the accusatory instrument was based violated the constitution of the United States or the state of New York; and (c) he did not commit any of the acts charged in the accusatory instrument or his acts or omissions charged in the accusatory instrument did not constitute a felony or misdemeanor against the state; and (d) he did not by his own conduct cause or bring about his conviction. 6. If the court finds that the claimant is entitled to a judgment, it shall award damages in such sum of money as the court determines will fairly and reasonably compensate him. 1. To hear and determine all matters now pending in the said court of claims. 2. To hear and determine a claim of any person, corporation or municipality against the state for the appropriation of any real or personal property or any interest therein, for the breach of contract, express or implied, or for the torts of its officers or employees while acting as such officers or employees, providing the claimant complies with the limitations of this article. For the purposes of this act only, a real property tax lien shall be deemed to be an interest in real property. 2-a. To hear and determine a claim of any person, corporation or municipality, against the state for the torts of members of the organized militia and the employees in the division of military and naval affairs of the executive department, providing that the claim is encompassed by the waiver of immunity and assumption of liability contained in section eight-a of this chapter, and providing, further, that the claimant complies with the limitations of this article. 3. To hear and determine any claim in favor of the state against the claimant, or against his assignor at the time of the assignment. 3-a. To hear and determine the claim for damages against the state for unjust conviction and imprisonment pursuant to section eight-b of this article. 4. To render judgment in favor of the claimant or the state for such sum as should be paid by or to the state. 5. To order two or more claims growing out of the same set of facts to be tried or heard together, with or without consolidation, whenever it can be done without prejudice to a substantial right. 6. To order the interpleader of other parties known or unknown whenever necessary for a complete determination of the claim or counterclaim. 7. To provide for the perpetuation of testimony. 8. To open defaults; to vacate, amend, correct, or modify any process, claim, order or judgment, in furtherance of justice for any error in form or substance; before entry of judgment, to reopen a trial and permit submission of further evidence; to grant a new trial upon any grounds for which a new trial may be granted in the supreme court. 9. To establish rules for the government of the court and the regulation of practice therein and to prescribe the forms of procedure before it, in furtherance of the provisions of this act and not inconsistent with law, and except as otherwise provided by this act or by rules of this court or the civil practice law and rules, the practice shall be the same as in the supreme court. 9-a. To make a declaratory judgment as defined in section three thousand one of the civil practice law and rules with respect to any controversy involving the obligation of an insurer to indemnify or defend a defendant in any action pending in the court of claims, provided that the court shall have no jurisdiction to enter a judgment against an insurer pursuant to this subdivision either: (i) for money damages; or, (ii) if the insurer would otherwise have a right to a jury trial of the controversy with respect to which the declaratory judgment is sought. 10. To provide for the regular or special sessions of the court, for such terms and at such places as it may determine and to prepare the calendar of cases therefor. 11. The court and the judges shall have all of the powers necessary to carry out properly the jurisdiction granted and the duties imposed by this act. 12. To hear and determine special proceedings for the distribution of moneys deposited pursuant to subdivision (E) of section three hundred four of the eminent domain procedure law. 13. To hear and determine a claim of any person against the state for a retaliatory personnel action by its officers or employees pursuant to section seventy-five-b of the civil service law or section seven hundred forty of the labor law. No judgment shall be granted in favor of any claimant unless such claimant shall have complied with the provisions of this section applicable to his claim. 1. A claim for the appropriation by the state of lands, or any right, title or interest in or to lands shall be filed within three years after the accrual of such claim, or where title is vested by the filing of a description and map in the office of the county clerk or register, then within three years after personal service of a copy of such description and map and notice of filing thereof or if personal service cannot be made within the state, then within three years after the filing of the description and map and the recording of notice of filing thereof. 2. A claim by an executor or administrator of a decedent who left him or her surviving a husband, wife or next of kin, for damages for a wrongful act, neglect or default, on the part of the state by which the decedent's death was caused, shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within ninety days after the appointment of such executor or administrator, unless the claimant shall within such time serve upon the attorney general a written notice of intention to file a claim therefor, in which event the claim shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within two years after the death of the decedent. In any event such claim shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within two years after the death of the decedent. 3. A claim to recover damages for injuries to property or for personal injuries caused by the negligence or unintentional tort of an officer or employee of the state while acting as such officer or employee, shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within ninety days after the accrual of such claim, unless the claimant shall within such time serve upon the attorney general a written notice of intention to file a claim therefor, in which event the claim shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within two years after the accrual of such claim. 3-a. A claim to recover damages for injuries to property or for personal injuries caused by the negligence or unintentional tort of a member of the organized militia or of an employee in the division of military and naval affairs of the executive department, shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within ninety days after the accrual of such claim, unless the claimant shall within such time serve upon the attorney general a written notice of intention to file a claim therefor, in which event the claim shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within two years after the accrual of such claim. 3-b. A claim to recover damages for injuries to property or for personal injuries caused by the intentional tort of an officer or employee of the state while acting as such officer or employee, or of a member of the organized militia or of an employee in the division of military and naval affairs of the executive department, shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within ninety days after the accrual of such claim, unless the claimant shall within such time serve upon the attorney general a written notice of intention to file a claim therefor, in which event the claim shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within one year after the accrual of such claim. 4. A claim for breach of contract, express or implied, and any other claim not otherwise provided for by this section, over which jurisdiction has been conferred upon the court of claims, shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within six months after the accrual of such claim, unless the claimant shall within such time serve upon the attorney general a written notice of intention to file a claim therefor, in which event the claim shall be filed and served upon the attorney general within two years after such accrual. 5. If the claimant shall be under legal disability, the claim may be presented within two years after such disability is removed. 6. A claimant who fails to file or serve upon the attorney general a claim or to serve upon the attorney general a notice of intention, as provided in the foregoing subdivisions, within the time limited therein for filing or serving upon the attorney general the claim or notice of intention, may, nevertheless, in the discretion of the court, be permitted to file such claim at any time before an action asserting a like claim against a citizen of the state would be barred under the provisions of article two of the civil practice law and rules. For the purpose of this subdivision, a claim against the state arising under subdivision one of this section shall be deemed an action upon an implied contractual obligation. The application for such permission shall be made upon motion returnable at any regular or special session of the court and may be heard and determined by any judge thereof. The claim proposed to be filed, containing all of the information set forth in section eleven of this act, shall accompany such application. In determining whether to permit the filing of a claim pursuant to this subdivision, the court shall consider, among other factors, whether the delay in filing the claim was excusable; whether the state had notice of the essential facts constituting the claim; whether the state had an opportunity to investigate the circumstances underlying the claim; whether the claim appears to be meritorious; whether the failure to file or serve upon the attorney general a timely claim or to serve upon the attorney general a notice of intention resulted in substantial prejudice to the state; and whether the claimant has any other available remedy. 7. For the purposes of subdivision three of this section, a claim against the state which would be governed by section two hundred fourteen-c of the civil practice law and rules if it were asserted against a citizen of the state shall be deemed to have accrued on the date of discovery of the injury by the claimant or on the date when through the exercise of reasonable diligence the injury should have been discovered by the claimant, whichever is earlier. 8. (a) A claimant who timely serves a notice of intention but who fails to timely serve or file a claim may, nevertheless, apply to the court for permission to treat the notice of intention as a claim. The court shall not grant such application unless: it is made upon motion before an action asserting a like claim against a citizen of the state would be barred under the provisions of article two of the civil practice law and rules; the notice of intention was timely served, and contains facts sufficient to constitute a claim; and the granting of the application would not prejudice the defendant. (b) An application by a claimant whose time to commence an action against a citizen of the state would be extended or tolled by reason of any of the provisions contained in article two of the civil practice law and rules shall be considered timely if the application has been made prior to the expiration of the limitation period for filing as extended by reason of the provisions of article two of the civil practice law and rules. 9. A claim of any inmate in the custody of the department of correctional services for recovery of damages for injury to or loss of personal property may not be filed unless and until the inmate has exhausted the personal property claims administrative remedy, established for inmates by the department. Such claim must be filed and served within one hundred twenty days after the date on which the inmate has exhausted such remedy. a. (i) The claim shall be filed with the clerk of the court; and, except in the case of a claim for the appropriation by the state of lands, a copy shall be served personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, upon the attorney general within the times hereinbefore provided for filing with the clerk of the court. Any notice of intention shall be served personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, upon the attorney general within the times hereinbefore provided for service upon the attorney general. Service by certified mail, return receipt requested, upon the attorney general shall not be complete until the claim or notice of intention is received in the office of the attorney general. Personal service upon the attorney general shall be made in the same manner as described in section three hundred seven of the civil practice law and rules. (ii) In any action brought in the court of claims against the New York state thruway authority, the city university of New York, or the New York state power authority, a copy of the claim shall be served personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, upon such defendant, in addition to the attorney general, within the times hereinbefore provided for filing with the clerk of the court, and any notice of intention shall be served personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, upon such defendant, in addition to the attorney general, within the times hereinbefore provided for service upon the attorney general. Service by certified mail, return receipt requested, shall not be complete until the claim or notice of intention is received by the defendant. Personal service upon any defendant shall be made in the same manner as described in the civil practice law and rules. b. The claim shall state the time when and place where such claim arose, the nature of same, and the items of damage or injuries claimed to have been sustained and, except in an action to recover damages for personal injury, medical, dental or podiatric malpractice or wrongful death, the total sum claimed. A claim for the appropriation by the state of lands, or any right, title or interest in or to lands shall include an inventory or itemized statement of fixtures, if any, for which compensation is claimed. The notice of intention to file a claim shall set forth the same matters except that the items of damage or injuries and the sum claimed need not be stated. The claim and notice of intention to file a claim shall be verified in the same manner as a complaint in an action in the supreme court. c. Any objection or defense based upon failure to comply with (i) the time limitations contained in section ten of this act, (ii) the manner of service requirements set forth in subdivision a of this section, or (iii) the verification requirements as set forth in subdivision b of this section is waived unless raised, with particularity, either by a motion to dismiss made before service of the responsive pleading is required or in the responsive pleading, and if so waived the court shall not dismiss the claim for such failure. 1. The clerk of the court of claims shall require for the filing of a claim a fee of fifty dollars. The fee shall be payable in advance, unless a motion, affidavit, or certification pursuant to section eleven hundred one of the civil practice law and rules is filed with the claim, in which case the provisions of such section shall be applicable. 2. The court shall award to a prevailing claimant as a taxable disbursement the actual amount of any fee paid to file a claim. 1. In no case shall any liability be implied against the state. No judgment shall be granted on any claim against the state except upon such legal evidence as would establish liability against an individual or corporation in a court of law or equity. 2. No judgment shall be awarded to any claimant on any claim which, as between citizens of the state, would be barred by lapse of time. 3. Claims shall be heard and judgments thereon rendered by one judge, provided, however, that the presiding judge may order any claim or claims to be heard or determined by more than one judge, but not more than three judges, in which event the judgments thereon shall be rendered upon the concurrence of two judges. All intermediate applications and motions may be heard and determined by one judge. 4. Before any judgment shall be rendered for appropriation of land, the value of which exceeds five thousand dollars the judge rendering or one of the judges concurring in the judgment shall view the premises affected thereby. Section 13. Court rooms for sessions. Section 14. Procedure upon interpleader; when independent claim barred. Section 15. Substitution of assignee or legal representative of claimant. Section 16. Proceedings as to evidence in appropriation cases. Section 17. Examinations before trial. Section 17-a. Examination of notices of intention to file a claim. Section 18. Expense of procuring testimony on commission or deposition. Section 19. Proceeding upon failure of claimant to file claim within six months or to appear or proceed. Section 20. Judgments and payment thereof. Section 20-a. Settlement of claims. Section 21. Compromise of canal claims. Section 22. Determination of ownership of awards for property appropriated. Section 23. Disposition of amount of award deposited. Section 25. Time and manner of taking appeal. Section 26. Case on appeal. Section 27. Taxation of costs, fees and disbursements. Section 28. Allowance for expense of searches in certain cases. Sec. 13. Court rooms for sessions. The sheriff of any county, except Albany, shall furnish for the use of the court suitable rooms in the court house of his county for any session ordered to be held thereat and shall, if requested, attend said session. His fees for attendance shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the court at the same rate as for attending a term of the supreme court in that county. Sec. 14. Procedure upon interpleader; when independent claim barred. Parties interpleaded shall be served with the order of interpleader, personally or by publication in manner provided for the service of a citation in the surrogate's court, except that in the case of a claim for land appropriated publication in one newspaper published in the county where such land is located, once in each of four successive weeks, shall be sufficient unless otherwise ordered by such court or judge. Within three months from the time a party is so brought in he may file a claim independently of the claim to which he has been made a party. If he fails so to do, he may not thereafter file such an independent claim except by permission granted by order of the court, after notice to the attorney-general, pursuant to subdivision five of section ten of this act. Sec. 15. Substitution of assignee or legal representative of claimant. In the event of the death of the claimant or of one of the claimants named in a claim of any nature against the state, heretofore or hereafter filed in the court of claims, and also in the event that by assignment or by operation of law, some person other than the claimant named in the claim has succeeded to the interest of one of the claimants named in such a claim, it shall be the duty of the personal representative of said claimant or of the person who succeeded claimant in interest to said claim or any interest therein within six months after he becomes invested with the title to said claim or any interest therein, to secure from the court of claims and serve upon the attorney-general an order substituting him as party to said claim instead of the party named in said claim, to whose right, title and interest he has succeeded, and in the event that he fails so to do, the court of claims on motion of the attorney-general, on such notice as the court may require, to all parties who have appeared in said action or proceeding or to the assignee or successor of the claimant may dismiss said claim. Sec. 16. Proceedings as to evidence in appropriation cases. 1. Upon the trial of any claim for the appropriation of real property or an interest therein, evidence of the price and other terms upon any sale, or of the rent reserved and other terms upon any lease, relating to any property taken or to be taken or to any other property in the vicinity thereof shall be relevant, material and competent, upon the issue of value or damage and shall be admissible on direct examination, if the court shall find (1) that such sale or lease was made within a reasonable time of the vesting of title in the state, (2) that it was made in good faith in the ordinary course of business, and (3) in case such sale or lease relates to other than property taken or to be taken, that it relates to property which is similar to the property taken or to be taken; provided, however, that no such evidence shall be admissible as to any sale or lease, unless at least twenty days before the trial the attorney for the party proposing to offer such evidence shall have served either personally or by mail a written notice in respect of such sale or lease, which said notice shall specify the names and addresses of the parties to the sale or lease, the date of making of the same, the location of the premises, the office, liber and page of the record of the same, if recorded, and the purchase price or rent reserved and other material terms; or unless such sale or lease shall have occurred within twenty days before the trial. Such notice by the attorney-general shall be served upon all claimants or their attorneys named in the claim; or if served on behalf of a claimant, shall be served upon the attorney-general and upon all other claimants or their attorneys named in the claim. Where the court has received and accepted evidence of the price and other terms upon any sale or of the rent reserved and other terms upon any lease of property in the vicinity of the parcel taken, the court may, in its discretion, view such properties. 2. Upon the trial evidence showing the amount or valuation for which each parcel of such real property taken has been assessed for purposes of taxation on the city, town or village assessment rolls, wherein the real property is situated, for each of the three years preceding the date of said taking shall be received in evidence, such assessed valuation, in case only part of an entire plot in a single ownership is to be acquired, shall include the valuation of all buildings encroaching upon or within the bounds of the taking provided, however, that when offered such evidence shall be subject to objection upon any legal ground. 1. By the state. The attorney-general, upon five days' notice to the attorney for the claimant or to the claimant if there be no attorney, may require any person filing a notice of claim for any cause whatever against the state to be sworn before him or one of his deputies or assistants within the county of the claimant's residence, relating to such claim, and when so sworn, to answer orally as to any facts relative to the justness of such claim. In any such claim brought for personal injuries where the state shall have availed itself of an examination pursuant to section seventeen-a of this article the state shall not be entitled to an examination upon oral questions. Whenever any claim for the appropriation of property is pending or has been determined in the court of claims and the attorney-general is required by law to examine the title of the claimant thereto, prior to the payment of an award, the attorney-general may require such claimant to be sworn before him or one of his deputies or assistants within the county of the claimant's residence, or if the claimant be a corporation within the county where its principal place of business in this state is located, or if the claimant be a non-resident within the county where the property is situated, relating to such title, and when so sworn, to answer orally as to any facts relative to the title of such property. The attorney-general may also require such claimant to file with him an affidavit stating any material facts relating to such title. Wilful false swearing before the attorney-general or his deputy or assistant is perjury and punishable as such. 2. By the claimant. Examination before trial by the claimant shall be available as provided in subdivision (f) of section thirty-one hundred two of the civil practice law and rules. 1. Wherever a notice of intention to file a claim is served, the defendant shall have the right to demand an examination of the claimant relative to the occurrence and extent of the injuries or damages for which claim is made, which examination shall be upon oral questions unless the parties otherwise stipulate and may include a physical examination of the claimant by a duly qualified physician. If the party to be examined desires, he or she is entitled to have such physical examination in the presence of his or her own personal physician and such relative or other person as he or she may elect. Exercise of the right to demand a physical examination of the claimant as provided in this section shall in no way affect the right of a defendant in a subsequent claim brought upon the notice of intention to file a claim to demand a physical examination of the claimant pursuant to statute or court rule. 2. The demand for examination as provided in subdivision one of this section shall be made by the attorney for the defendant or by such officer, agent or employee as may be designated by him for that purpose. The demand shall be in writing and shall be served personally or by registered or certified mail upon the claimant unless the claimant is represented by an attorney, when it shall be served personally or by mail upon his or her attorney. The demand shall give reasonable notice of the examination. It shall state the person before whom the examination is to be held, the time, place and subject matter thereof and, if a physical examination is to be required, it shall so state. No demand for examination shall be effective against the claimant for any purpose unless it shall be served as provided in this subdivision within ninety days from the date of service of the notice of intention to file a claim. 3. In any examination required pursuant to the provisions of this section the claimant shall have the right to be represented by counsel. The examination shall be conducted upon oath or affirmation. The officer or person before whom the examination is held shall take down or cause to be taken down every question and answer unless the parties consent that only the substance of the testimony be inserted. The testimony so taken, together with the report of the examining physician where a physical examination is required, shall constitute the record of the examination. The transcript of the record of an examination, including a copy of the report of the examining physician shall not be subject to or available for public inspection, except upon court order upon good cause shown, but shall be furnished to the claimant or his or her attorney upon request. 4. A transcript of the testimony taken at an examination pursuant to the provisions of this section, including a copy of the report of the examining physician, may be read in evidence by either party, in a claim founded upon the notice of intention to file a claim in connection with which it was taken, at the trial thereof or upon assessment of damages or upon motion. In an action by an executor or administrator to recover damages for a wrongful act, neglect or default by which a decedent's death was caused, the testimony of such decedent taken pursuant to the provisions of this section in respect of such wrongful act, neglect or default may be read in evidence. 5. Where a demand for examination has been served as provided in subdivision two of this section no claim shall be commenced against the defendant against which the notice of intention to file a claim is made unless the claimant has duly complied with such demand for examination, which compliance shall be in addition to the requirements of sections ten and eleven of this chapter. If such examination is not conducted within ninety days of service of the demand, the claimant may commence the claim. The claim, however, may not be commenced until compliance with the demand for examination if the claimant fails to appear at the hearing or requests an adjournment or postponement beyond the ninety day period. If the claimant requests an adjournment or postponement beyond the ninety day period, the defendant shall reschedule the hearing for the earliest date available. When testimony is taken on commission or deposition at the instance of the claimant, the expense thereof including the fees of the commissioner, shall be paid by the claimant; and when taken at the instance of the state, such fees and all expenses incurred by the attorney-general shall be paid by the state. 1. If a claim which bears interest, is not filed until more than six months after the accrual of said claim, no interest shall be allowed between the expiration of six months from the time of such accrual and the time of the filing of such claim. 2. If, when any such claim is reached for trial, the claimant fails to appear or is not ready to proceed to the trial thereof, the court, in its discretion, may proceed forthwith to take proofs and testimony therein offered by the state or otherwise, and may make an award in accordance therewith and cause a judgment to be entered therein. If, in such case, the court shall decide not to proceed with the trial or shall thereafter open claimant's default and restore the claim to the calendar, the court shall not allow interest upon such claim between said date of adjournment or dismissal and the entry of judgment, unless, in the exercise of its discretion, for good cause shown, the court shall otherwise determine. 3. Claims may be dismissed for failure to appear or prosecute or be restored to the calendar for good cause shown, in the discretion of the court. 4. Where an award is made for the appropriation by the state of real property or any interest therein or for damages to real property caused by the state, interest thereon, if any, shall be suspended by the clerk of the court in and by the judgment from the expiration of thirty days after notification in writing by the attorney-general to the claimant or his attorney that the attorney-general is ready and willing to approve title to the property covered by the award upon the presentation to him of proper proofs, instruments and vouchers, to the date of such presentation, unless otherwise ordered by the court or a judge thereof on an application by the claimant or his attorney, made prior to the entry of judgment and on notice to the attorney-general, showing a satisfactory reason why interest should not be suspended. Before the entry of judgment, the attorney-general shall notify the clerk of the court in writing of the period of time, if any, during which interest on the award shall be suspended pursuant to this subdivision. 1. The determination of the court upon a claim shall be by a judgment to be entered, certified and served as provided by the rules of the court. 2. If the claim arises in a case where the state seeks to appropriate or has appropriated land for a public use, the judgment shall contain a description of such land. 3. For all purposes, including filing and docketing, a judgment rendered in the court of claims in favor of the state shall be deemed to have been rendered in the county of Albany, and a transcript of such judgment, certified by the clerk of the court, may be filed and docketed in the clerk's office of Albany county and enforced in the same manner and have the same effect as a judgment of the supreme court. 4. A judgment against claimant on any claim prosecuted as provided in this act shall forever bar any further claim or demand against the state arising out of the matters involved in the controversy. 5. The comptroller upon the consent of the attorney-general may pay such portion of the judgment of the court of claims from which appeal has not been taken by the state. On motion, the appellate division to which appeal has been taken may, pending appeal, by order direct the comptroller to pay such portions of the judgment from which appeal has not been taken by the state. Any such payment shall be without prejudice to the rights of the state or the claimant on such appeal. 5-a. Where an appeal has been taken by either the claimant or the state or by both the claimant and the state from all or part of a judgment of the court of claims, the comptroller, upon the recommendation of the attorney general may deposit in a special account all or any part of the amount directed to be paid in the judgment. Interest on the amount deposited shall not be allowed from the expiration of twenty days after notification in writing by the comptroller to the claimant or his attorney that the comptroller is ready and willing to pay said amount upon presentation of the instruments and vouchers required by law to be filed in his office. Upon presentation of such instruments and vouchers the comptroller is authorized to pay said amount, with interest as herein provided, to the claimant. Any such deposit or payment shall be without prejudice to the rights of the state or the claimant on such appeal. 6. No such judgment shall be paid until there shall be filed with the comptroller a copy thereof duly certified by the clerk of the court of claims together with a certificate of the attorney-general that no appeal has been or will be taken by the state from the judgment or part thereof specified in the certificate, and a release and waiver by the attorney for the claimant of any lien for services upon said claimant's cause of action, claim, award, verdict, report, decision or judgment in favor of said claimant, which said attorney may have thereon under and by virtue of section four hundred and seventy-five of the judiciary law; and where an award is made by reason of the appropriation of land or any interest therein for a public use or for damages to land caused by the state, there shall also be filed with the comptroller, a satisfactory abstract of title and certificate of search as to incumbrances, showing the person demanding such damages to be legally entitled thereto. 7. Interest shall be allowed on each judgment of the court of claims from the date thereof until payment is actually made, provided, however, that interest shall be suspended and shall not be allowed: a. In the event a certificate of no appeal is not forwarded by the claimant to the office of the comptroller of the state of New York within thirty days from date of mailing said certificate to the claimant by the attorney general, then interest shall be suspended from date of mailing to date of receipt of said certificate by the comptroller. b. In the event a satisfaction of judgment and waiver of attorney's lien is not forwarded within thirty days after mailing of said satisfaction of judgment and waiver of attorney's lien by the attorney general, interest shall be suspended for that period of time from the date of mailing the satisfaction of judgment and waiver of attorney's lien to the date that the same is received by the comptroller. 8. The provisions of this section as to limitation of interest shall not apply, however, to judgments paid from the various trust funds or sinking funds of the state, which funds shall be entitled to interest until the twentieth day after an appropriation is available for the reimbursement thereof or until payment, if payment be sooner made. 9. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when any advance payment has been made pursuant to any statute relating to the appropriation of property by the state, the comptroller, on paying the judgment of the court of claims for the real property acquired, shall deduct from the total amount awarded as principal and interest the amount of principal paid under the terms of the partial payment offer and all interest thereon; and only the balance of such judgment shall be payable. 10. On or before January fifteenth the comptroller, in consultation with the department of law and other agencies as may be appropriate, shall submit to the governor and the legislature an annual accounting of judgments and interest paid pursuant to this section during the preceding and current fiscal years. Such accounting shall include, but not be limited to the number, type and amount of claims so paid, as well as an estimate of claims to be paid during the remainder of the current fiscal year and during the following fiscal year. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this act or of the state finance law, the comptroller shall examine, audit, and certify for payment the settlement of any claim filed in the court of claims for injuries to personal property, real property, or for personal injuries caused by the tort of an officer or employee of the state while acting as such officer or employee, provided that a stipulation of settlement executed by the parties shall have been approved by order of the court. No such stipulation shall be executed on behalf of the state without, after consultation with the director of the budget, the approval of the head of the department or agency having supervision of the officer or employee alleged to have caused the injuries and of the attorney general. The attorney general shall cause a review to be made within the department of law of all cases filed in the court of claims to determine which cases are appropriate for possible settlement. Payment of any claim made pursuant to the approval of a settlement by the court shall be made from the funds appropriated for the purpose of payment of judgments against the state pursuant to section twenty of this act. On or before January fifteenth the comptroller, in consultation with the department of law and other agencies as may be appropriate, shall submit to the governor and the legislature an annual accounting of settlements paid pursuant to this section during the preceding and current fiscal years. Such accounting shall include, but not be limited to the number, type and amount of claims so paid, as well as an estimate of claims to be paid during the remainder of the current fiscal year and during the following fiscal year. No claims brought against the state on account of the canal shall be settled or compromised for any amount without the written consent thereto by the commissioner of transportation or his duly authorized representative. 1. In the event there may be adverse and conflicting claims asserted to an award for property appropriated by the state or any part thereof, or if there be any apparent lien or encumbrance on the property so appropriated, or on any interest therein, or any dower or other interest which has been asserted by any party as affecting the rights to an award, or which has caused the attorney general or other official of the state to refuse to make payment of any portion of the award, the court may, upon motion of a party in an action to determine the amount of said award, order the interpleader or joinder of anyone claiming or imputed to have such a claim or interest. The court shall determine the respective interests and rights of the parties to the award and the method of apportionment thereof, and direct to whom the same shall be paid. 2. In the event the court is unable for any reason to determine the various interests in the award for the property appropriated, and in any other case as justice requires, it may, in and by its award and judgment direct the comptroller to deposit the amount awarded as compensation for the property appropriated in any bank in which moneys belonging to the fund from which such compensation is payable may be deposited, to the account of such award. In any case where the court has directed a deposit in accordance with this subdivision, the comptroller may, at his option, deposit such money in a sub-account of the eminent domain account established by section ninety-seven-dd of the state finance law. Any deposits made pursuant to this subdivision shall be paid and distributed to the persons entitled to the same as ordered by the supreme court on application of any person interested in such award. If the amount awarded is deposited, as provided by section twenty-two of this act, any person claiming an interest in the fund may apply to the supreme court in and for the county of Albany, for an order of distribution. Such application shall be made by verified petition setting forth the rights of any and all persons who may have, or claim to have, any interest in or lien or incumbrance on, the property so appropriated and the award therefor, and the names and addresses of such persons, if known. Thereupon, such court shall make an order, describing the property so appropriated, directed to the attorney-general of the state of New York and to all such persons and to any others who may be unknown, who have or claim to have, any right, title, interest, claim or demand in or to said appropriated property or said award, requiring them to appear before such court and to present their claims or demands on account of such appropriation, at a time and place stated in the order, in the city of Albany, not less than thirty days after service of such order, and show cause why a final order of distribution should not be made. If any such persons appear by such petition to be residents of the state of New York, the order shall be served in the same manner as a summons may be served in an action in the supreme court. If the petition states that any are non-residents of the state or that the names or addresses of any are unknown, the order shall require the service of the order by publication as provided by section fourteen of this act. The court may on the return day hear all persons interested and make a final order of distribution or refer any claim to a referee to hear, try and report. The court may likewise on the confirmation of a report of a referee, after eight days' notice to those who appeared on the return day, make a final order of distribution. If all the interested parties are competent and over the age of twenty-one years they may enter into a written stipulation providing for the distribution and the court shall thereupon issue an order which shall implement the stipulation. The determination of the court and final order of distribution shall, unless set aside or reversed on appeal, be final and conclusive upon the owners or other persons claiming any interest in or lien or incumbrance on the property so appropriated and the award therefor. Either party may appeal from an order or judgment of the court of claims, or of a referee to hear and determine of such court, to the appellate division of the supreme court of the department in which the claims relating to the orders or judgments appealed, arose. The appeal from a judgment may be taken upon questions of law or of fact, or both, or for an alleged excess or insufficiency of the judgment. Upon such appeal, the court may affirm, reverse or modify the judgment granting such award and judgment as the court of claims should have granted, or dismiss the appeal or grant a new trial or remit for further proceedings. The provisions of the civil practice law and rules relating to appeals in the supreme court apply, so far as practicable, to appeals from orders or judgments of the court of claims or from orders of its referee, except as modified in this article. An appeal must be taken within thirty days after the service of the order or judgment with notice of entry, or the service by the clerk of a certified copy of the order or judgment, by serving upon the claimant or his attorney, or upon the attorney-general, and upon the clerk, in like manner as in the supreme court, a written notice to the effect that the appellant appeals from the order or from the judgment or from a specified part thereof, and briefly stating the grounds of the appeal. The appellant shall serve upon the adverse party a case containing so much of the evidence as the appellant may deem necessary to present the questions raised by the appeal. The respondent may propose and serve amendments thereto. The case may be settled by any judge who concurred in the judgment. The court shall by rule regulate the time and procedure for the foregoing. The court may also dispense with the printing of the exhibits, in which case the original exhibits or agreed copies may be submitted to the appellate division. Except as provided in section 701 of the eminent domain procedure law and sections 3126 and 8303-a of the civil practice law and rules, costs, witnesses' fees and disbursements shall not be taxed, nor shall counsel or attorney's fees be allowed by the court to any party. The court of claims, whenever the appraised value of the premises appropriated shall be less than two hundred dollars, shall in their award make a reasonable allowance for the expense of procuring the abstract of title and certificate of search as to incumbrances, which the statutes require shall be furnished the comptroller before payment of any damages which may be awarded for the permanent appropriation of land or water. Section 30. When to take effect. Chapter nine hundred and twenty-two of the laws of nineteen hundred twenty and all acts amendatory thereof are hereby repealed. This act shall take effect July first, nineteen hundred thirty-nine.

2019-04-20T23:15:01Z

http://courts.state.ny.us/COURTS/nyscourtofclaims/claimsact.shtml

Protein powders, protein shakes and protein bars – protein has got very popular. For many people, these products are just the latest fad, but for others, getting enough protein in the diet is a critical part of their health and their lifestyle. Of all the options out there, the best hands down is whey protein, and no, it isn’t just for bodybuilders. But, what is whey protein good for? Well, whey protein is a high quality, quickly absorbed form of protein that can contribute to weight loss, muscle gain, improved cardiovascular health and much more. Whey protein has become a pretty big deal in recent years, particularly for bodybuilders and people trying to improve their health. But, it isn’t even obvious what exactly the protein actually is. As the name suggests, whey protein is a mixture of proteins that have been isolated from whey. Whey is found in the watery fraction of milk. In the production of cheese, the fatty parts are used to form the cheese while the watery component is discarded. This is then used to produce the whey powder that is becoming increasingly popular (1). In fact, you may have seen whey itself before, without realizing it. When you open yogurt, there is often a layer of liquid that floats on top. This layer is the whey. While the whey used to be discarded in cheese making, the demand for whey protein has made it a lucrative product (2). The two main reasons for this are the nutritional properties of whey protein along with the functional properties that it offers food. From the nutritional perspective, whey contains important minerals as well as lactose and proteins. Functionally, whey protein works well with food and liquids because of its solubility (3). One of the biggest aspects of taking whey protein is the protein side of things. This isn’t the only answer to 'what is whey protein good for' but it is a pretty major one. Because of this, protein is a topic that we are going to come back to a few times over the course of this article. Not only is protein important, but it is also highly controversial. There are a lot of different viewpoints out there about how much protein you should be having. I will address these controversies later on in the article and provide evidence. For the moment though, take my word that protein is a very important part of the diet – and many people aren’t getting enough. Whey protein is particularly important as a source of protein because the protein is absorbed quickly into the body, more so than most other sources of protein (4). Indeed, whey protein is considered as fast protein, which means that it is absorbed quickly in the body. This may make it particularly relevant for slowing the processes of protein loss that typically occur during aging (5). Whey protein also has a higher protein quality rating than most other proteins (6). This makes it a fantastic choice as a way to include protein in the diet. Whey protein contains a mixture of different proteins. The image below shows how the proportions of these proteins, although the proportions may not remain the same in the final protein powder that is sold. The most prevalent of these is β-lactoglobulin (beta-lactoglobulin) and the second most common protein is α-lactalbumin (alpha-lactalbumin). Other important proteins include serum albumin and immunoglobins (7). These proteins have a range of different potential impacts on health. For example, α-lactalbumin can change the ratio of amino acids, promote increased serotonin activity and improve mood (8). Many of these proteins are branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). This type of amino acid plays a role in increasing muscle synthesis and potentially energy as well (9,10). Research has even indicated that BCAAs may play a role in increasing lifespan overall (11). Other components of whey are also important. One example of this is lactoferrin, which is an important part of the human immune system (12). A pilot study also indicated that lactoferrin could inhibit the progression of the hepatitis C virus in the body (13). Indeed, whey protein itself has been proposed as a viable treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B, although the study did not find significant changes in patients with chronic hepatitis C (14,15). Likewise, L-glutamine is another compound that offers significant health benefits. In particular, L-glutamine can help to improve the gut. This includes helping the intestines in repairing and rebuilding (16), as well as helping to heal ulcers (17). One research study on patients with HIV found that L-glutamine can also help to reduce the severity of diarrhea (18). Indeed, L-glutamine is so significant for health that some people choose to take it as a supplement. Whey contains a significant amount of essential amino acids and these may be critically important for increasing the benefits associated with physical activity (19). This outcome isn’t just beneficial for body builders, but for anyone who is trying to lose weight or get healthier in general. For example, whey protein is high in cysteine, an amino acid. Cysteine is significant, because it has the ability to increase the production of glutathione. Research has illustrated that supplementation with whey protein can indeed increase plasma levels of glutathione (20,21). Glutathione has many key functions. In particular, it is a powerful antioxidant (22,23), helps to regulate the nitric oxide cycle (24) and plays an important role in iron metabolism (25). By its nature, whey is a complicated product and we do not fully understand the biological function and potential benefits of all components of the proteins that make up whey. This means that whey may offer many as-yet undiscovered benefits to health. Within the body, muscle is constantly being built up and broken down. Protein plays a key role in this process and getting enough protein in the diet is needed to build muscles (26). When people try to lose weight, a common approach is to decrease the amount of calories that they take in. This pattern often means that people cut out many good sources of protein. If you don’t consume enough protein, then the process of weight loss will cause you to lose both weight and muscle (27,28). The pattern is a frustrating one, and far from ideal. Realistically, you want to be losing fat while increasing your muscle mass. One reason for this is appearance. Some people lose weight to improve their health, but for most of us, the desire to look good is a major factor in the decision. When you lose weight and muscle, you end up in a situation known as skinny fat. People who are skinny fat might be small and have a good overall weight, but they have a body fat percentage of 30% or above. A second thing to consider is health. There are a lot of health risks associated with being overweight, including metabolic syndrome, increased risk of diabetes and increased risk of heart disease. Your percentage of fat plays a role in the health issues associated with obesity. This means that if you just drop your weight without paying attention to your body composition, you may still be at risk. In fact, many people who look visibly healthy and thin are actually very unhealthy, and may not even be aware of it (29). After all, we live in a society that is obsessed with the idea of being thin. With all that pressure, it is easy to put too much emphasis on weight and not enough on health. Researchers are beginning to strongly emphasize the idea of skinny fat (which they call normal weight obesity). People with normal weight obesity are those who have a normal BMI, but their body fat percentage is high (30). One study looked at data from 6,171 participants on a range of factors, including BMI, body fat and cardiovascular risk factors. The authors then divided the subjects into groups and compared outcomes for the group with the higher level of normal weight obesity versus the lowest level. They found that the group with high levels of normal weight obesity were more likely to have cardiovascular disease (in the females) and hypertension (in the males). Likewise, this group had an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (31). As I mentioned above, protein can play a significant role in helping people to gain muscle (32). This is one of the reasons why bodybuilders frequently supplement with whey protein, as do many people casually looking to gain a bit of muscle. Increasing protein, in general, can help with this process. Whey protein is a common choice because of its other health benefits, along with the fact that it can be easily added to healthy smoothies and consumed without hassle. This makes whey protein a much more practical solution in many cases than increasing protein intake through protein-rich meals. Protein is essential for building muscles - and dieting frequently cuts down on protein, resulting in a situation known as 'skinny fat' or normal weight obesity. Protein is also highly relevant for weight loss. In general, losing weight successfully involves burning more calories than we take in. Of course, this is much easier said than done, as anyone who has tried to lose weight through dieting will know. First, protein can help to boost the metabolism, increasing the amount of energy that is used (33,34,35). For example, one study examined outcomes in 10 females during either a high protein or a high carbohydrate diet. The authors of the study found significant differences in nitrogen balance between the two groups, which indicates a difference in energy expenditure (36). Even though the study was small in scope, it offers an indication of the differences in energy expenditure, something that the other cited studies also indicate. Much of the increase in energy used comes from an increase in gluconeogenesis (37). This process is the metabolic pathway involved in the production of glucose. The second way is even more significant. Eating protein can significantly decrease appetite and help people to feel full for longer. For example, research has shown that people on a high protein diet tend to feel less hungry compared to other diets. In some cases, this can significantly affect the amount of calories that people take in, especially for people who are actively trying to lose weight (38). For example, one study had female participants increase the proportion of protein in their diet from 15% to 30%. The authors of the study found that by doing so, the participants lost weight and ate fewer calories in a day (39). A study in obese men showed that higher protein meals significantly decreased appetite and contributed to improved appetite control (40). These outcomes are particularly important for anyone trying to lose weight, as they mean that eating more protein can potentially make it easier to make good decisions about food. The absolute best way to lose weight is to change your lifestyle in a long-term manner (41). Getting more protein in your diet can be one very good way of making a positive long-term change. The fact that you feel hungry much less often makes it so much easier to stick to a dietary approach. Myself, I have found that having a high protein diet means that I crave sweet foods much less. First and foremost, whey protein is an effective way to get protein into the diet. The bulk of research into the topic of whey protein and health has been strongly focused on protein itself and the role that protein can have on health. Nevertheless, there have been some studies that have directly considered whey protein and its implications for health, muscle mass and weight loss. ​Any consideration of 'what is whey protein good for' really has to start with a consideration of weight loss. After all, weight loss is the reason that many people choose whey protein to begin with. A particularly important study in this area was a meta-analysis that looked at randomized controlled trials considering the impacts of whey protein on body composition and body weight. In total, the meta-analysis included 14 different randomized controlled trials, with a combined total of 626 participants. The authors found that the majority of studies analyzed supported the potential of whey protein to help improve body parameters, both in terms of weight loss and muscle gain (42). One of the key reasons that whey protein is so effective for weight loss may be because of how fast it is absorbed. Additionally, whey protein offers an important way to get protein into the diet without a substantial addition of calories. For people trying to lose weight, this can be important – and it’s one reason that protein shakes, in general, are so popular. Interestingly, whey protein has also been shown to have glucose-lowering properties for people with diabetes (43). However, research into that aspect of whey protein is still in its very early stages. Whey protein is strongly associated with significant improvements in risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Some research suggests that the compounds in whey protein may be the reason that increased dairy consumption is associated with significant health benefits (44). One study considered the impacts of whey protein in a sample of 70 overweight men and women. As part of the study, the participants were broken into three groups. One group received supplementation with casein, one group acted as the control (and received a glucose supplement), while the third group supplemented with whey protein. All groups received supplements that were visually identical and contained the same amount of energy. Both the casein and the whey supplements contained 27 g protein. The authors found that supplementation with whey protein significantly improved vascular function and blood pressure in overweight and obese participants (45). A similar outcome was found in a study that supplemented with fermented milk that contained whey protein (46). Another study found that whey protein was able to reduce blood pressure and also improve measures of arterial stiffness (47). That particular study looked at both whey protein and milk protein in general. Both had an impact on blood pressure, but the whey protein was the only one that impacted arterial stiffness. Some of the bioactive compounds of whey also contribute to improved cardiovascular health. These outcomes suggest that whey protein can reduce the risk of heart disease and other health conditions by reducing risk factors. Whey protein has the potential to play a role in protection against cancer and in cancer treatment (48). A key reason for this is the glutathione antioxidant system, which is an important system for protecting cells (49). For example, glutathione can help to protect against cell death from oxidants (50). Because of this, there has been a substantial amount of research into the impacts of the glutathione molecule. Research suggests that whey protein supplementation may provide a significant anti-tumor impact for some types of cancer because of this system (51). Including protein in the diet, such as adding in whey protein, has also been recommended as a way to contribute to a protective diet that could reduce the risk of cancer (52). How Does Whey Protein Powder Compare? If you go to the grocery store, you will see all types of protein powder. Whey powder is one example, but there are many others as well. This should be an indication that many people already have their own opinions about 'what is whey protein good for'. In fact, the selection is large enough to be extremely confusing, especially to people who haven’t done much research into the different types of powder. This is a particular issue when it comes to weight loss and people often don’t know what to choose. To make matters worse, whey protein tends to be marketed more towards body builders, while other brands are focused on weight loss. One critical example of this is the brand Slim Fast. This is marketed as a ‘protein shake mix’. That isn’t really the same as a protein powder, but many consumers won’t realize the difference. The marketing on Slim Fast makes it one of the more obvious choices for people trying to lose weight, especially as the powder itself is relatively inexpensive. Additionally, the brand has ready-to-drink shakes that also appeal to many people trying to lose weight. Despite all this marketing, the brand is actually a poor choice for weight loss, particularly compared to whey protein and actual protein powders. The first indication of this comes from the ingredients list for the powder. The very first listed ingredient is sugar, followed by cocoa. In fact, protein itself doesn’t turn up until part way through the list. This explains why the powder tastes so good and why it mixes well with milk, but that doesn’t help with weight loss. 10 grams of protein per serving is relatively decent for a protein powder. There are better of course, but that doesn’t sound too bad. There’s a catch though, just look at the text under the claim. So, the 10 g of protein includes the milk you prepare it with (assuming you even prepare it will milk). In reality, the powder itself only contains 2 g of protein per serving. That’s a really low value. In comparison, I want to look at one brand of whey. I’m choosing this one because it is actually what I have in the house at the moment, so I’m not saying that it’s the best in the market or anything like that. In this case, the very first ingredient on the list is the protein (specifically, a blend of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate). Sugar doesn’t even make the list, and instead the brand uses stevia (a natural sweetener). Even then, the sweetener is quite a way down the list. Protein-wise, this brand has 18 g of protein for one serving of the powder. This makes it much more filling. The two powders have roughly the same serving size in terms of weight and are also very similar in calories. The whey protein is 100 calories per serving, while the Slim Fast is 110. However, in terms of volume, you do get more from a serving of the whey (on the left) compared to the Slim Fast (on the right). Despite the similarities between the brands in terms of calories, there is a major difference in where the calories come from. So, with Slim Fast, you are getting most of your calories from sugars and a bit extra from fat. For Designer Whey, most of the calories are coming from protein, which is what you actually want. This means that Slim Fast will do little to affect your hunger, where whey powder can actually be an effective replacement for a meal. Overall, these differences show that many protein products marketed for weight loss don’t actually do well at this task. I know this from my own experience too. A smoothie made with Slim Fast might keep me full for an hour or two if I’m lucky while an identical smoothie made with whey instead will keep me full until it’s time for the next meal. It’s pretty clear which of the two approaches is best for weight loss. Now of course, there are other brands and types of protein powder out there that aren’t as bad as Slim Fast, but there are many like Slim Fast that are marketed as something that they really aren’t. This is a concerning practice and a far too common one. The prevalence of this practice makes it so important to learn about the protein powder that you plan to take and how it compares to other brands and types out there. There are a huge number of options for whey out on the market now. You can find brands in the supermarket, in health food stores, and even from many MLM companies. However, there is a lot of variation between the products. One thing to look out for is the ingredients. A key concept of taking whey protein is the health benefits that it offers. You undermine this benefit if you aren’t careful when you choose what to buy. In particular, a number of companies add refined sugar or other unhealthy additives into their product. This is a concerning practice, because you don’t want added sugar if you are trying to lose weight. In many cases, sugar is actually the second ingredient on the nutritional label. That’s a lot of sugar and all it does is improve the taste of the powder (sometimes it doesn’t even do that). There are better ways to improve the taste, without relying on sugar to do it. In general, whey can be broken down into two key categories: whey concentrate and whey isolate. Whey concentrate is the most common form of whey protein and it is also the least expensive. Because of this, many of the cheaper whey protein products will probably have whey concentrate in it. Whey concentrate contains between 70% and 80% protein, with relatively low levels of fat and lactose. The price makes whey concentrate the most popular type of whey protein. Additionally, it also tends to taste better. Whey isolate, on the other hand, tends to be a more expensive form of whey protein. It is much higher in protein (upwards of 95%) and has fewer other components. Because of this, whey isolate tends to be absorbed faster and is the best approach for getting protein into your body quickly. In general, these differences make whey isolate more desirable. However, whey isolate is also more purified than whey concentrate. This process means that some of the useful compounds in the protein are no longer active, such as immunoglobulins and phospholipids. Nevertheless, the process used to create whey isolate does not change the amino acid sequence of the whey protein, so both types are effective for muscle building. Finally, there is a third type of whey protein that is less common, known as hydrolyzed whey isolate. This is a form of whey isolate that has been broken down further. This results in a similar pattern, where hydrolyzed whey isolate is absorbed faster than whey isolate (and whey concentrate), but contains fewer nutrients. Likewise, whey isolate is absorbed faster than whey concentrate (53). Overall, these differences mean that there is a tradeoff between how fast the protein is absorbed and the nutrients that it contains. It is also worth noting that most of the research into whey protein has focused on the isolate rather than the concentrate form. It is likely that the health benefits are similar across the different forms, but more research is needed to know which form is the most effective. Some companies try to get ahead of this debate by using a combination of two (or more) forms. For example, the brand Designer Whey uses a blend of whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate (although they do not specify how much they use of each). Ultimately, which form you choose is going to depend on your own needs and your budget. If you are trying to get in as much protein as possible, or if you want to reduce calories as much as possible, whey protein isolate is a better choice. In contrast, if you have a limited budget or want more potential health benefits, whey concentrate may be the way to go. For most people, whey protein concentrate (or a product that mixes concentrate and isolate) is probably the best option, especially because of the price and the taste differences. However, if you have problems tolerating whey concentrate, or if you are trying to keep carbs and fat as low as possible, then whey protein isolate, or whey protein hydrolysate, offers a good alternative. There are a lot of whey protein brands out there, and these vary considerably in terms of quality and price. Ideally, you would want to buy the highest quality whey protein possible, with the fewest added ingredients and the highest protein content. In practice, this is easier said than done. When it comes to buying food and health supplements, most people have to find a balance between how good the product is and how much it costs. Whey protein is a very good example of this because even the lowest quality whey tends to be expensive, much more so than some other types of protein powder. For example, it’s pretty common to see tubs of whey protein for upwards of $50 and even the smaller containers are often more than $20. What you end up going with will depend on your own needs and finances. Despite the cost though, it really is worth picking up whey protein and including it in your diet. If the price really is an issue, start off with a small container and go from there. This is a good way to figure out what particular brand and flavor works for you. Typically, whey protein is available as a powder, either flavored or non-flavored. You can simply take the protein powder and combine it with either milk or water and then drink it, but there are also a lot of other options. One common approach is to include whey protein in a smoothie with a range of other ingredients. By doing this, you can make a drink that tastes fantastic. This is a great option to make sure you actually have the whey protein as often as you want to, as people are more likely to do things that they enjoy. Additionally, you can use smoothies as a way to get a number of other healthy ingredients into your diet. For example, here are five quick recipes for smoothies that taste great, are healthy and can get you going. When it comes to smoothies, your options are pretty much limitless. Basically, you want something frozen, the powder and some kind of liquid. Everything else is really up to you. You can even skip the frozen component altogether if you want something that resembles a milkshake. Smoothies can be a great way of getting other healthy components into your diet, like cinnamon, ginger, raw honey and almonds. The best approach for finding good smoothie recipes is simply to experiment. Have a think about the ingredients that you have and what will work well with them. Some of the hacks below can help to give you more options for making smoothies. You can buy bags of frozen berries at the grocery store, or you can freeze fresh berries that you have bought or picked. Frozen berries can be used as-is, without the need to thaw. This means that you don’t have to worry about them going bad in the fridge. Using frozen berries lets you get around putting ice in your smoothie. The berries give the same texture that ice will, but they don’t dilute the taste of the smoothie. Other fruit can also be used frozen, like bananas and mango. Using frozen bananas is actually a very good choice for smoothies, as they tend to become very creamy after they have been frozen. They also make fantastic smoothies with chocolate whey powder and a bit of peanut butter (or almond butter). In this post, we’re talking about smoothies as a good way of using protein powder. However, they’re also a good way of getting vegetables in your diet. In fact, you can include greens in many smoothie recipes without dramatically altering the taste. This lets you get the greens into your diet easily. If you do plan on including greens in your smoothies, one shortcut is mixed packets of greens that some grocery stores offer. One type that I have frequently seen is a ‘power’ mixture, offering a combination of Swiss chard, kale and spinach. This is a fantastic combination for smoothies, as all three offer highly significant health benefits. The site One Green Planet offers useful advice on how to make smoothies taste less 'green'. To get the smoothie texture, it’s best to use ice or something frozen. The most common approach is ice itself or frozen berries, but there are a lot of other options. For example, you can freeze leftover smoothie that you don’t use, or you can freeze milk. All of those approaches give you ice to put in your smoothie that won’t dilute the final taste. Another approach is to freeze coffee that you have made. Along with chocolate whey protein, this can be a good way of making a mocha smoothie that rivals anything you get from Starbucks. Plus, it is much more filling and definitely better for you. A trending idea recently has been smoothie bowls and these are particularly good for breakfasts. Smoothie bowls are essentially smoothies that you can eat with a spoon, so they are a bit thicker. You make them the same way as a normal smoothie, just focus more on frozen and dense ingredients while including less liquid. Smoothie bowls are often topped with healthy additions, like nuts, seeds, oats and berries. They're not hard to make either. In fact, Minimalist Baker offers a 5-minute recipe that's perfect for getting started. You can vary these bowls up just as much as a smoothie and they are fantastic if you have the time to sit down and eat breakfast. You also tend to eat a smoothie bowl much slower than you would drink one and this can make the smoothie more satisfying overall. By far, smoothies are the most common way that people include whey protein in their diet. They are a fantastic option, but you can also use whey protein in other food. One really good example is protein bars. Of course, you can buy protein bars from the grocery store, but you can also make your own protein bars – ones that are less processed and much healthier. Like smoothies, making your own protein bars gives you more control over what goes in them, and you can tweak their taste to what you find appealing. Making your own protein bars can be a bit of work. However, you end up making a decent amount of bars at one time. This means that later in the week they are there simply ready for you to grab and go. In general, the recipes for protein bars tend to be more complex than smoothies, so I’m not going to include any in this post. However, Daily Burn offers a list of some protein bar recipes, as does Desserts with Benefits. There are many other lists online too. The great thing is that you don’t have to look for recipes that contain whey protein powder. Whey protein powder will work fine in any recipe that calls for protein powder in general (such as ones looking for soy protein). There are also other recipes that you can use protein powder in. This includes baking, sweets, pancakes and desserts. You can actually make really good food with whey as long as you are careful with the recipes. You can buy whey protein as a powder or as ready-to-drink shakes. The ready-to-drink shakes can be appealing because they are easier to use and you can take them on the go. Most of the time, the ready-to-drink shakes don’t need to be refrigerated until they have been opened. This adds to their convenience. However, you have a lot less control over these prepackaged shakes. For the most part, ready-to-drink protein shakes taste good. Part of that is a marketing approach, especially as the drinks are often targeted towards more casual consumers, many of whom don’t bother to check the ingredients. The drinks often tend to be promoted as very healthy and nutritional, and they are often targeted at people trying to lose weight, to gain muscle or get all of the vitamins and minerals that they need. Yet, the marketing isn’t always all that accurate. For example, this is the ingredients list from a ready-to-drink soy protein product (specifically, a Boost High Protein Rich Chocolate shake). You can see similar patterns with whey ready-to-drink products too. A key thing to note is the sugar (which I highlighted). Sugar is right at the top of the ingredients list (second only to water). Indeed, the entire 8 fl oz bottle of protein shake contains 27 g of sugars. This might be okay if you were using the protein drink after an intense workout or if you were having it instead of a meal, but people often end up turning to these shakes as ways to ward off hunger between meals. There are some decent ready-to-drink protein shakes out there, but you have to take the time to look for them. Many of them are like Boost and may end up sabotaging your efforts to lose weight or gain muscle. On average, pre-mixed protein drinks tend to be higher in fat, preservatives and sodium, making them a less healthy choice (54). Still, some options are better than others. However, when you make shakes yourself, you can find healthy ways of making them taste good. You don’t have this option with pre-made shakes and you have to rely on whatever the company does instead. If you are careful with your selection, ready-to-drink whey protein shakes can be a good way of getting whey protein into your diet. But, if you aren’t out and about, I’d suggest focusing on making protein shakes yourself. Ultimately you have more control over what goes into them. Protein bars are immensely popular. They are easy to carry with you, faster than making a protein shake and very easy to eat on the go. But, there is also a lot of debate around protein bars. People often end up eating protein bars as snacks or replacements to meals, but many protein bars don’t work as well in this role. Additionally, many protein bars aren’t all that healthy to start off with. One major issue with protein bars is that they tend to be heavily processed and are often high in fat and calories (55). In many cases, protein bars have a lot of hidden sugar. Protein bars can be useful, but it is extremely important to choose them carefully and to pay attention to what the bar for. In fact, if you choose protein bars off their product claims alone (which often include the concept of ‘healthy’), you may find yourself eating bars that are little better than candy (56). Protein bars also vary considerably in their protein levels. For example, protein bars in the Slim Fast range offer around 10 g of protein, along with 190 calories. The bars are also small, weighing around 45 g. In contrast, a protein bar from the MET-Rx range is around 85 g, and contains 29 g of protein. The bar also contains 300 calories. Perhaps the most telling difference between the two bars is that the Slim Fast one has 9 g of sugars, while the MET-Rx one has 3 g, even though the latter is a bigger bar. This means that for the MET-Rx bar, most of the calories are coming from the protein while this is not the case for the Slim Fast bar. There are various recommendations out there, but at the very least you want to find a protein bar with more than 12 g of protein, preferably 20 g or more. Picking a lower protein bar will not satiate you for long, and you will probably end up adding more sugar to your diet than you want to. Protein bars that specifically use whey are less common than general protein bars and you will have to shop around for them. However, even with whey protein bars, you will find that many are loaded with sugar. A side issue is that the bars with high amounts of protein and low amounts of sugar don’t always taste that great. This is why protein shakes often work better because you can make them taste great without having to worry about lots of added sugar. It is also worth noting that high protein bars often come with a recommendation that ​you drink a full glass of water while you are eating them, which helps address any dehydration and makes the bar a bit easier to digest. At the same time, low sugar bars will sometimes use sugar alcohol. This ingredient can cause gastrointestinal discomfort for some people and even diarrhea in some cases. One recommendation for how much whey protein to have is to use the serving size from the manufacturer as a guide. This can be effective in many cases, and can stop you from overdoing it with whey protein. However, it’s only ever a very rough guide, especially as companies vary considerably in how much protein their powder contains. The most significant reason for having whey protein in your diet is to increase your protein intake. Because of this, the amount of whey protein that you should be taking is directly related to how much you already have in your diet, as well as what you are doing. For example, if you eat few high protein foods, you might need more whey protein than a person who frequently eats high protein foods. Likewise, athletes need more protein than non-athletes and active people need more protein than people who are sedentary. The best way to figure out how much protein you get in a diet is to record everything you eat for a period of a few days to a few weeks. You can then calculate your rough protein intake from that information. If you already have a substantial amount of protein in your diet from whole food sources, then you might not even need whey protein. After all, whole foods will tend to contain more nutrients than whey protein, which is more processed. If you’re using protein for weight loss, your approach might be a bit different. For example, some people choose to substitute one meal in a day with a whey protein smoothie. Because protein is satiating, a high protein smoothie can be a substitute for a meal without leaving a person feeling hungry. A common approach is to have a whey protein smoothie for breakfast, as people are often in a hurry then anyway. While it might be better to have a full breakfast, it is certainly better to have a protein smoothie instead of skipping breakfast. If you are replacing a meal with a smoothie, then you might not need to calculate out your protein. However, a whey protein smoothie doesn’t contain all of the nutrition that you need, so it is still important to have whole food for your other meals and make sure your diet is balanced. There has been considerable interest in finding the optimal amount of protein per day for the average person. The official Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for protein, is 0.36 grams per pound (or 0.8 grams per kilogram) of body weight (57). This calculates out to somewhere around 56 grams of protein per day for the average male and 46 grams per day for the average female. This is a relatively easy level of protein to hit, however, some people are still deficient in protein. If you are trying to gain muscle, then your aims might be different. For example, one study found that levels of protein up to 0.8 grams per pound were beneficial for muscle gaining (58) while another study indicated that levels just above 1 gram per pound were most effective (59). It’s important to note that these are very rough estimates, especially as the outcomes of research vary considerably and there is so much variation between people. Nevertheless, the modest DRI recommendation shouldn’t be taken too seriously, as it is only focused on avoiding deficiency and does not consider the health benefits of protein. There is actually very little evidence for harm from too much protein (despite the popular myths), so aiming for the high end of protein intake may make sense for many people. When Should You Take Whey Powder? The most common consumption patterns for whey powder are first thing in the morning and either before or after a workout (with afterward being more common). If you are using whey protein as a meal replacement or to stop you from being hungry for a while, the timing doesn’t matter too much. Basically, you just want to pick what works for you. Breakfast seems to be the most common meal picked, and this is probably because people often run out of time for breakfast or just want breakfast to be quick and easy. However, other times of the day works just as well. Some people also recommend having whey protein first thing in the morning, because some muscle breakdown occurs overnight (60). For building muscle, taking whey protein after exercise is an important approach to get the most out of your exercise (61,62). However, this approach is mostly limited to bodybuilders and people engaging in intensive resistance exercise. It can still be beneficial if you are trying to get toned, but it isn’t as necessary. Likewise, there are some recommendations for drinking whey protein prior to exercise, to help promote muscle development. This is partly connected to how quickly protein is digested, meaning that it can play a role as you are exercising. It is important to note that the recommendations of taking whey protein first thing in the morning, before exercise and exercise are focused specifically on body building. If you are just trying to lose weight or get toned, taking whey protein all of these times might not be beneficial because of the calories that you would be taking in. Because of this, you should choose when to take whey protein based on your own needs and what you are trying to get out of the supplementation. Some people may find that they need considerably more whey protein than the normal population. The most common example of this is body builders, who need to take in more protein than normal to build muscle. However, there are other groups of people who may need to take in more. For example, people who are obese can often be deficient in protein, especially if they eat primarily processed food (63). Additionally, the recommendations for protein intake are based on weight. This can mean that the recommended protein dose for obese people may be considerably higher than they are taking in. People who have had bariatric surgery can also face challenges with protein intake, as they are often unable to tolerate many normal sources of protein (64). There are other reasons why people may need to take in more protein, such as medical or genetic factors. However, if you feel that you need to take in high amounts of protein, you should talk about this with your primary care provider. They can help you figure out how much protein you should be taking and whether whey protein is a good way to go. Having specialized dietary requirements can be challenging enough when you are eating whole foods, but it gets even more confusing when you consider things like whey powder. One of the challenges with whey powder is that there is often considerable variation in the ingredients used. Pure whey protein is gluten free. However, you do have to check the ingredients of any whey powder that you plan on trying. In particular, some brands of whey protein contain peptide bound glutamine, which comes from wheat protein (65). Any whey powder with this addition should be avoided by anyone on a gluten free diet. As whey protein is produced from milk it cannot be part of a vegan diet. However, its status in a vegetarian diet is a little more complex. Generally speaking, food cannot be included in a vegetarian diet if it is a byproduct of the slaughter of animals (although individuals have their own variations of the diet). In some cases, the processing may use a product from animal slaughter to separate the whey, which would make the powder non-vegetarian. In other cases, this may not be an issue. Manufacturers don’t tend to offer this type of information on their labels, so you would probably have to contact the manufacturer directly to find out. It is kind of a gray area and some vegetarians do choose to go with whey protein while others avoid it. However, some manufacturers specifically choose to develop their whey in a way that does not use slaughter products, and this whey is sometimes labeled as vegetarian-approved, or as kosher and halal approved. Whey protein labeled in this way does not pose any ethical concerns for vegetarians. Alternatively, there are a number of other types of protein powders that are plant-based (such as soy protein). While these do not offer all of the benefits that whey protein has, they are still beneficial for health. Soy is the most common example of a vegan protein powder, although there are a number of others out there. If you are lactose intolerant, you need to be very careful with whey protein. The protein is derived from cow’s milk, and because of this it still contains lactose. However, whey protein isolate contains very little lactose because of how it is processed. This means that most people who are sensitive or intolerant to lactose can take whey protein isolate (but not whey protein concentrate). Despite this, you do need to be aware of how your body responds to the whey protein and see whether you get any symptoms from trying it. While most people can consume whey protein isolate without issues, some do experience reactions, especially in cases of athletes who end up consuming much more whey protein than non-athletes. If you are intolerant or sensitive to lactose, some of the reactions to watch out for include large amounts of gas, bloating, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Does Too Much Protein Cause Weight Gain? Perhaps the most common quoted side effect for too much protein is weight gain. Protein itself doesn’t tend to do this, at least, not on its own. In many cases, protein can contribute to weight gain because of its high-calorie content. This is why some people use protein shakes in addition to meals to gain muscle or to gain weight. However, as long as you keep your calories in check, the protein itself isn’t going to contribute to weight gain. Multiple studies have indicated that a high protein diet contributes to weight loss and increase satiety versus an isocaloric (same calories) diet with lower protein (e.g. 66,67). An ironic thing about this is that people claiming high protein diets cause weight gain cite articles like this one from Time. This article basically says that in a study where everyone overate, the people on high protein diets gained more weight than those on low protein diets. That’s hardly surprising when high protein foods are often higher in calories than low protein foods. In general, whey protein will not make you gain weight, nor will protein itself (I’m referring to fat here, as you might gain weight from muscles, but that’s just semantics). However, with whey protein you are typically taking in protein and calories in the form of a liquid. This tends to be less satisfying than consuming the same amount of calories in a meal (which is one reason for trying smoothie bowls). Because of this, it is easy to eat too much food. For example, whey protein smoothies are commonly used as meal replacements, and they work well in this role. However, if you find yourself eating the same amount of food either way, then you will gain weight instead of losing it. To avoid this, you need to pay careful attention to what you are eating and the calories in your whey protein (as well as in anything you add to a smoothie, like milk). Another example is the recommendations that surround whey powder consumption. Typically, the containers and many websites recommend taking the powder when you first get up, before and after exercise. Having whey protein that often if you are trying to lose weight may be detrimental, and you are likely to end up having far too many calories. You also need to avoid whey protein powders that contain added sugar. In many cases, the amount of sugar added is significant and can sabotage your efforts to lose weight. There are some concerns that too much protein may be damaging to health. Much of this perspective comes from the recommendations for how much protein people should be consuming. For example, a common estimate is around 15% of your daily calories as protein, a goal that most people are already hitting (68). However, this recommendation is based on how much protein you need to avoid being deficit. Another estimate is that people need 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram they weigh, every day. This translates to 0.36 grams of protein per pound per day (69). This is a really low amount and most people probably already get this in their diet. Once again, the recommendation is based on how much protein you need in your diet to avoid the loss of muscle. The recommendation doesn’t provide any information about how much protein you need to boost weight loss, to build muscle or to be healthy in general (70). For example, a person weighing 200 pounds would need 72 grams of protein per day under this calculation. That’s easy to meet. But, it doesn’t mean that having more than this level will harm you. In fact, active people should be consuming higher levels of protein, especially if they are trying to build muscle. Research also indicates that current recommendations for protein intake are not adequate for some groups of people, particularly for older adults (71). Additionally, many discussions on this topic focus on bodybuilders using protein powders. Because of these factors, discussions on how much protein you should be having tend to pay little attention to the role that protein can play in weight loss and in health in general. In fact, many people who are trying to lose weight inadvertently end up cutting down the amount of protein in their diets in an effort to decrease calorie intake. In general, there is little evidence to suggest that healthy people should limit their protein intake. In relatively rare situations, too much protein may be a significant issue. However, this largely applies to situations where people are consuming large quantities of protein. For example, if you are getting substantial amounts of protein from meat and other sources, then you probably don’t need to use protein powders as well. In fact, if you are already getting a lot of protein elsewhere, whey protein powder won’t really do anything for you. The other thing to consider is overall calorie intake. If having a lot of protein means that the amount of calories you take in is higher than desirable, then yes, it will have negative impacts on your health. It will even contribute to weight gain and additional stress on your body. Nevertheless, this isn’t really an indication of risks associated with protein. Instead, it is a reminder that we need to be aware of what we are eating. If you are trying to lose weight or build muscle, you should already be paying close attention to your diet. There are concerns that a high protein diet can increase the strain on kidneys and the liver, causing significant damage. This claim isn’t all that accurate. Instead, research on the topic has indicated that people who currently have kidney disease experience health issues when they have high protein diets (72,73). The same isn’t true for people with healthy kidneys. In fact, there is no evidence that high protein diets have any impact on healthy kidneys (74). Realistically, all the articles online that claim protein damages kidneys, either cite those two articles about kidney disease, or they just cite each other. The idea that protein can harm healthy kidneys doesn’t really make sense anyway. Yes, protein does make kidneys have to work a little bit harder. However, the kidneys are responsible for sifting through around 200 quarts of blood every single day (75). This is a huge amount of effort, and increasing your protein intake is kind of like adding a cup of water to a lake, it’s not going to do a whole lot. Instead, protein intake may be indirectly beneficial to the kidneys because of the mechanism behind kidney disease. Two key risk factors for kidney disease are diabetes and hypertension (76). Protein can significantly decrease the risk of high blood pressure (77,78) and it can also improve glucose control for patients with diabetes (79). As such, protein acts to improve key risk factors associated with the development of kidney disease. In the end, increased protein intake may slightly increase the work that the kidneys have to do, but not in a significant manner. The balance of evidence strongly indicates that protein benefits rather than harms the kidneys. Another myth about high protein diets concerns osteoporosis. The claim is based on the idea that high protein increases acid within the body, forcing your body to use calcium from your bones to neutralize it. There is some evidence for the short-term loss of calcium, but not for long-term loss of calcium (80). Instead, protein may help to improve bone health, rather than harm it (81). A review on the topic indicated that protein may work with calcium to improve bone metabolism and calcium retention (82). Protein intake has also been positively associated with bone mass in women (83) and a decreased risk of fracture for some groups (84). These outcomes directly contradict the idea that too much protein can damage the bones. In fact, protein can be considered an essential nutrient for good bone health, in the same way that calcium and vitamin D are (85). Some people restrict protein based on myths like this, and this might actually decrease their bone health. This is especially true in the elderly, who often consume less protein than other age groups (86). Often people claim that high protein diets are hard on the body and can contribute to poor health outcomes. Honestly, it’s a bit of a general claim, and it feels like people are just grasping at straws. For example, an article in the Huffington Post lists three side effects of too much protein. One is weight gain, which we refuted above. One is kidney problems, but the cited information just claimed that high protein diets can cause kidney problems in people with kidney disease. I’ll come back to that one more in a bit, it is true, but only for people who already have kidney problems. The last one was being dehydrated. However, the point the article makes about this is just that you need to drink more water as your protein intake increases. That doesn’t mean that dehydration is a sign you are eating too much protein. After all, I get dehydrated after a good run too. Does that mean I’m running too much? One of the challenges with claims about high protein diets is that they often make assumptions about the diet and the people who consume lots of protein. Sometimes people will assume that a high protein diet means that you are eating high amounts of fatty meat and are avoiding fruits and vegetables. But, for many people, that isn’t true at all. In fact, if you’re trying to lose weight on a high protein diet, your eating habits are probably quite healthy. In reality, there isn’t much support for claims about the dangers of too much protein. Most of the articles on the topic just cite one another or cite research that has very little to do with the topic at hand. For example, many articles on the topic cite this post at the Mayo Clinic. The post talks about the risk of certain high protein diets, including ones that lead to nutritional deficiencies and ones that rely heavily on red meat (however, see my post on red meat for relevant information). The post also says that any effective high protein diet should be healthy and focus on making sensible choices. It doesn’t actually say anything negative about high protein itself. The number of myths surrounding protein intake is concerning. In most cases, there is very little evidence for these perspectives and often plenty of evidence that they aren’t true. Yet, the myths continue to prevail and even reputable sites and groups, like the American Heart Association, suggest that high protein diets offer health risks (87). The worst part about this is that high protein diets can offer significant health benefits, especially when it comes to weight loss. Additionally, there are many more proven negative health outcomes from being overweight than there are from having too much protein. Despite this, the myths surrounding protein consumption mean that people avoid high protein diets. For many people, this can lead to the typical yo-yo pattern of dieting. In contrast, high protein diets tend to make people feel full more of the time, which makes them easier to follow. In general, whey protein tends to be well tolerated and can be considered safe for both adults and children (88). However, as with any significant change or addition to the diet, there are some factors that you need to consider. One area to be aware of in relation to protein is the potential for dehydration. Some research indicates that high protein diets can cause dehydration (89). The study in question was on athletes, but it does suggest that similar effects might occur for non-athletes eating high protein diets. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eat a high protein diet. Instead, it suggests that people should be careful to keep their water intake up when they are eating this type of diet. While whey protein is safe and well-tolerated by most groups of people, there are some exceptions to this rule. As I mentioned above, if you have kidney disease, then you should avoid whey protein. Indeed, with kidney disease, you should be avoiding high protein diets in general. Likewise, if you are sensitive to lactose, you may have to avoid whey protein. Many people in this situation can have whey protein isolate as it has almost no lactose in it. However, some people cannot even tolerate the isolate. It is also possible to be allergic to whey specifically. If this is the case, then you would be unable to consume any type of whey protein. The recommendations for protein in the diet tend to be on the low side, but it is still possible to have too much protein. Having too much whey protein can result in some negative side effects, including cramps, bloating and headache. These can be easy to spot and don’t cause long-term harm. So, if you find side effects from whey protein, you should look at making changes to your consumption. This might include decreasing how much whey protein you have, changing when you have it, swapping brands or even stopping with whey protein altogether. How Accurate are the Ingredients Labels? The nutritional labels on whey protein provide important information about the form of the protein, what added ingredients are present and how many calories you are consuming. However, ingredients labels are rarely 100% accurate. Instead, companies may over- or under-estimate the amount of different elements. For example, one company conducted lab research on 73 different protein products (including some whey protein products). They found that some nutritional elements were very different than their labels suggested. In particular, sodium was often much higher than the label estimated and calcium was often lower (90). With whey protein isolates, there is also an additional factor to consider. Whey protein isolates are much higher in protein content and they are also more expensive to produce. There is always the risk that companies fill out whey protein isolate using whey protein concentrate, without marking it on the label. When it comes to product labels, there is always some risk that the product is different than what they claim. Sometimes this might be an honest mistake, other times it might be intentional. As consumers, we have little way of knowing when a label is accurate or inaccurate, and this is true for any product. If you do have problems with whey protein, the simplest approach is to try a different brand. Often you will find that any issues are brand specific, rather than the result of whey protein itself. Whey doesn’t have a particularly good taste on its own and most powders are flavored to get around this. Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla are all common flavors, and there are other less common ones, like double chocolate, vanilla almond and white chocolate. There isn’t much of a health difference between the flavors, so pick whatever flavor suits you. Unflavored whey is also available. This might be preferable if you plan to mix the protein in with something that has a strong taste of its own. For example, many people chose to use whey protein in berry-based smoothies or in green smoothies. The flavor of these types of smoothies will tend to mask the flavor of the whey. Unflavored whey is also a good choice if you are trying to reduce the amount of added ingredients as much as possible. Some Say That Whey Protein is like Mother’s Milk, is That True? The protein in milk from cows is around 20% whey and 80% casein. Human breast milk also contains both whey and casein proteins, but the ratio is different. With breast milk, there is around 40% casein to 60% whey (91). This ratio of protein means that breast milk is digested quickly. This difference does mean that whey protein is more like mother’s milk than it is like cow’s milk, but regardless, whey protein is present in both. What about Other Types of Protein Powder? As you may know, whey protein is just one type of protein powder readily available. Soy protein is a fairly common type of protein powder, and other types include casein, hemp, pea and brown rice powders. Additionally, some of the cheaper protein powder brands don’t reveal the source of their protein. This is particularly true for powders that are targeted at weight loss. Many of the advantages of whey protein are also present with other protein powders, but not all of them. Ideally, you want to match the powder you choose to your needs. For example, endurance protein powder blends often combine soy and whey protein. This approach can provide sustained energy for athletes and for people doing endurance activities. In some cases, the product mightn’t even make it clear what sources the protein comes from. If you are trying to lose weight, it is best to stick to 100% whey powders. One reason for this is that soy powder is relatively high in calories. This is great if you are burning that off with exercise, but if you aren’t an athlete, then whey protein is a better choice. What about Whey Protein and Body Building? Whey protein is often used as a supplement for people trying to build substantial amounts of muscle, especially in relation to body building. Advice about using the powder in this way often focuses on having the powder either before or after a workout. This is something that I haven’t covered in much depth as part of this article, nor do I plan to. Bodybuilding is an entirely separate topic and people who are actively trying to build muscle in this way have to consider a wide range of factors about their health and nutrition. They also have additional factors to be aware of. For example, body builders might need to have more whey protein and often need to be very specific in what they eat and don’t eat, as well as the timing of their food intake. If you are planning to get into bodybuilding, I’d suggest taking the time to research the topic in depth and find out ways of doing it safely and effectively. I’ve chosen to focus on whey protein for health and for weight loss in this article, because my expertise does not extend to bodybuilding, and because health and weight loss are key areas that this site focuses on. What’s With All the Ingredients? Even though whey protein offers a considerable number of health benefits, it isn’t the most natural compound out there. To start off with, whey is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing and it goes through a number of steps before it gets to the form of whey protein that we recognize and use in drinks. Because of this, the end product does tend to have a rather large ingredients list, which can seem a little off-putting. For example, this is the ingredients list for French Vanilla powder from Designer Whey. How complex the ingredients list is really depends on what product you are going with. For example, the more expensive and higher quality protein powders do tend to have fewer ingredients. As you can see though, even the more expensive products tend to have a number of ingredients, including artificial and natural flavors. If you are concerned about this, the best approach is to look for products that are as natural as possible and are unflavored. For example, many grass fed whey brands just contain whey and nothing else. However, most of the ingredients that you see in whey protein are important for its function and contribute to health, rather than take away from it. As with food or supplement, the single-most important approach that you can take is to examine the ingredients list, look up anything you aren’t familiar with and make sure it meets your needs. Whey protein is a big topic – and I haven’t even covered all of it. The protein is fascinating – and some people love it, while others don’t want anything to do with it. Whey protein really is a great way of getting protein in your diet, especially if you are trying to lose weight. It's also very relevant for the older population and for anyone else at risk of losing muscle mass. If you can get enough protein in your diet through good, healthy, whole foods, then that really is the best way to go. However, for people on the go, for people looking for weight loss solutions and for people who don’t get enough protein otherwise, whey protein really is worth trying. Finally, whey protein is a great choice for anyone trying to increase their lean muscle mass, a practice which offers many health benefits. That’s awesome. I’m glad I could be of service.

2019-04-24T22:42:47Z

https://nutritionyoucanuse.com/whey-protein-the-definitive-guide-to-the-protein-powder

The cry for an expanded Superman album began about two days after the release of the generous 78-minute 2 LP set in 1978. After the rabid fans of Williams' score saw the movie, they realized that the editors had omitted enough material for another entire record. Warner obviously cared little - this was already twice as long as their typical releases of the period like The Swarm, Poltergeist, and Twilight Zone: The Movie. Thus, soundtrack collectors thirsted for 22 years for the remainder of the score. In 1998, Varese Sarabande came to the rescue (no pun intended) with an 82-minute rerecording. Although it finally released several of the wanted cues like the Helicopter Sequence, it maintained many of the cuts heard on the Warner LP, and the performance, while well intentioned, remained woefully slow and mistake-laden. But to the eternal joy of Williams die-hards, the film score community has been blessed with a mostly complete release. The saints at Rhino ventured back to the Warner Archives and rescued the 6-track film mix from oblivion, presenting the full versions of all the cues heard in the film, as well as a few alternates and source music. The new material should greatly appeal to Williams fans - there are innumerable noteworthy sequences, especially those like The Big Rescue and Star Ship Escapes that showcase his Star Wars-esque action music. The score, of course, remains one of Williams' magnum opuses, probably the most complex yet listener-friendly of his Star Wars period. The most blatant of Superman's intricacies is its diversity - Williams actually composed three completely unique movements for the film, the first of which provides material for the Krypton scenes and becomes the most complex of the trilogy, utilizing dissonance, modernistic orchestration, and exhilarating sci-fi music. The second movement is the shortest, using Coplandesque Americana to underscore the Smallville scenes. Finally, Williams dedicates the bulk of the album to the third movement, home of the trademark comic book superhero music and love theme. Each movement is nearly self-contained, usually relying on its own thematic material, only revisiting leitmotivs of the previous sections to maintain a sense of continuity. Williams composed his usual smorgasbord of themes - 3 different melodies for Superman, the love theme, a fanfare for Krypton, a triplet chromatic figure to represent Kryptonite, a quirky march for the villains, a haunting ode for Smallville, and an oft-neglected theme for Clark Kent. These effective aural calling cards manage to transcend their traditional filmic role of instant recognition and instead reveal subtle shades of the plot, character psychologies, and emotional depth. As with other Rhino releases, this includes a huge 32-page booklet and lavish packaging. Unfortunately, the liner notes are not quite as detailed and informative as those for the Star Wars Special Editions, but instead cater more to the film-going masses more interested in the scenes that the music underscores than the subtle nuances of composition. Superman's inferior recording quality and preservation unfortunately presented a monumental challenge to the album producers, who managed to remaster the score with an absolute minimum of tape hiss and distortion so that, while the sound quality rarely reaches the pristine clarity of Star Wars and some of Williams' other period scores, it never delves into the realm of damaged tapes and unlistenable flaws that characterize most of the older session tapes. Overall, no self-respecting film score aficionado should deny themselves the splendor of Rhino's sumptuous release and one of John Williams' crowning achievements. The first theme is full of major seventh chords and racing string runs. However, it soon quiets into a version of the noble cluster theme, augmented by a subtle woodwind and string reference to the ostinato. This gradually builds, adding virtuoso runs, until it finally erupts into the Fanfare with rapid accompaniment. Then the key changes to F, and the love theme makes one of its only entrances in CD1. Although it has fewer clusters, he modulates it several times, which, along with the upward tonal shape and rapid woodwinds, gives an atmosphere of flying. After an innocent woodwind climax, it modulates once again, this time into B flat Major. Theme 1 blazes back in its full glory with a new variation of the march rhythm - possibly one of the most rousing passages of the score. Once again it modulates, now into G major with a return of the fifth-interval fanfare. A stylized fanfare forms the postlude, along with a building crash. It should be noted that in the alternate, a short, 4-bar brass fanfare was originally written in the middle of the thematic introduction, which ties it to the main theme. The introduction of the trial sequence features a clarinet solo of the Force theme from Star Wars (I think this would have to be some sort of in-joke on Williams' part.) as well as a quieter horn statement of the Krypton theme. This segues into one of the most surreal and atonal passages of the score, a 23-bar section scored exclusively for arp synthesizer, harp, the lowest register of the piano, bass drum, muffled drum, and a log. After a few bars of impressionistic rumblings, a new, dissonant idea for strings enters. This builds into a piercing E flat for trombones, which leads into the next section. (The remainder of the cue is previously unreleased.) This is even more disconcerting - a mixed-meter section with sudden outbursts from piano, harp, chimes, and trombone. In the final bars, an unnaturally low, lumbering horn theme enters on top of the FX. The final cue, titled "The Dome Opens," introduces a dissonant combined brass fanfare over a bed of creeping, chromatic string tremolos. After a few minutes of this, a huge, complex string/woodwind line enters - a lumbering, passionless monster of chromaticism at first, but soon introducing a modernistic technique - 9th interval chords. The track ends with a major seventh brass fanfare, a mysterious woodwind scale, and a farewell to the dissonant chromaticism. In the score, Williams originally composed a finale based on the idea that opened the cue. This isn't on the Rhino CD, but Williams wrote and recorded an alternate version of The Dome Opens, which is much more modernistic than its new counterpart (it features hardly any of its counterpart's themes.) Its opening features ominous trills all over the low registers of the orchestra. Later there are several impressive brass fanfares and a return to the trills. As the Phantom Zone appears, a series of dissonant triplet figures enters, almost like the opening of Star Ship Escapes. However, it also has a synthesized "white noise" cluster above it all. After another atonal brass fanfare, the major 9th runs of the film version make a quick appearance along with the ascending flute scale. The closing returns to the trills heard earlier. Notice how the Kryptonite theme chromatically suggests the Krypton fanfare, yet mutates it into an ominous specter of the unknown. This moment of tranquility is shattered, though, with a series of piercing dissonances throughout the orchestra. After a seemingly endless B natural in the brass, 2 pages of racing, cacophonous action music appear. Then, after an impressionistic, pleading ascent for triadic strings, the epic ending begins, which is arguably a highlight of the entire score. It contains fortissimo brass triads and racing triplet violin arpeggios, as well as one of the most tragic fanfares ever heard in film music. The only downside to this is that it was inserted over another ending, and the edit isn't very clean, creating a jarring increase in tempo and sound quality. However, it remains a definitive highlight of the score. In the final bars, he uses several nearly impossible woodwind 16th note runs accompanied by frenzied string triplets. All of this climaxes in a lengthy timpani solo and low C cadence. It opens with a short woodwind section made of extremely difficult chromatic trills and runs. The string theme is next introduced under these runs, as well as an evocative horn triad ostinato. In the second section, a new pattern based on the previous material appears, along with a few impressionistic trumpet versions of the fanfare accompanied by harp glissandi and a subtle melody in the woodwinds above the runs. A chromatic viola ostinato takes over, and an extremely high version of the cue's theme appears in the strings. The music proceeds to get more fragmented and frenzied, almost like a tribute to Bernard Herrmann with its rapid string movements, the usual harp and woodwind runs, and a few startling brass outbursts. A recapitulation of the theme forms another section with more evocative woodwind accompaniment and hints of the fanfare from muted trumpet. A content postlude concludes this exciting track. Another of Williams' alternates to be excluded from Rhino's release, this presents the composer's fascinating first thoughts on the flight sequence, which was evidently much shorter. It opens with a huge D major chord in strings, which mutates into F, then back to D as the planet explodes. Williams mutates these fanfares into various keys, much like Wagner's Magic Fire Music, accompanied by woodwind scales. The "main theme" of this cue is one of the most interesting in the score, used in conjunction with the main fanfare at points. It's usually played on woodwinds, and continually mutates between B flat major, G flat major, and F# minor. He uses it almost like the trilled motif in the original, but I find this much more exciting. This begins Part II of the Superman score, underscoring various events in Smallville. "Baby Makes an Entrance," the first cue here, begins with ominous bass, but soon introduces a quiet, wistful version of the Superman fanfare. "Baby Lifts Lorry" is almost an exact duplicate of the previous cue. The alternate (:29), features Clark Kent's motif, but evidently Williams thought the original fanfare underscored this more effectively. "Racing The Train" comes next, which begins with ominous string glissandi, but soon turns into an upbeat scherzo based around a charging idea for French horn, later expanded upon in the strings, with various outbursts of the Superman fanfare. This alternate, again not on the Rhino release, is almost identical to the film version, but the first version of the horn idea features a more ominous chromatic triad harmony much like the desert music of Star Wars. Williams apparently decided to go with the Americana sound throughout the cue. This is a heavy '50s rock piece for a band. Features tenor sax improvisation. Another '50s rock piece for the same ensemble as the previous cue. Lots of guitar improvisation. It also has the weirdest tempo marking I've ever seen in my life - "Heavy Bubble Gum ala the Dragon Lady" This poignant cue introduces the Coplandesque Smallville theme, one of Williams' simplest yet most moving. It first appears in a simple flute arrangement, which segues into a bittersweet string section with alternating accompaniment. For the actual death, the composer uses a stretch of ominous, high string chords, followed by a horn presentation of the theme. Various orchestral Americana meanderings form the next minute, and the cue ends in one of the most heartwrenching moments of the score - a powerful brass cluster chord version of the Smallville theme accompanied by continually ascending strings and a powerful resolution. This was a short, 16-bar organ piece that sounds almost like Williams writing a hymn. Exactly what it sounds like. It uses the same ensemble as the other rock source cues, with the tempo marking as "Nashville Shuffle." Out of all the cues in the Williams action-adventure canon, this is arguably the most mature and poignant. It opens with ominous female choir, dissonant harp runs, and a return of the Kryptonite flute theme. The orchestra continues to surge, and climaxes in a dissonant resolution of the theme. Soon, however, the Coplandesque strings return, playing a bittersweet elegy, followed by an innocent, masterful oboe presentation of the Smallville theme. Williams then passes it to the strings, which add a cluster-laden postlude. A solo clarinet appears with the melody a final time, before allowing thunderous strings to take it over, climaxing in a C# major chord. Then the horns perform it a final time, marking a defining moment in the composer's career as it resolves into one of the most moving climaxes to ever grace a scoring stage. This lengthy sequence actually belongs in Part I with the other dissonant orchestration rather than Part II. Williams uses a conglomerate of his most sublime and multitextured writing here, as well as some of the most atonal material to escape from his pen. It begins with ominous woodwind triads and celeste arpeggios, along with the return of the ethereal female choir. A minor string chord then blends with several minor-key, depressed renditions of the original Krypton fanfare. The composer originally wrote a part for arp synthesizer, but it was eventually discarded. After a short climax, the Kryptonite theme appears briefly, before rushing into a rapid showpiece for trilled strings and gradually-ascending choir. Soon, after more Kryptonite, an ominous low string idea and horn fanfare enters, which later hits the most dissonant material of the score - a slow string/woodwind glissando that becomes almost earsplitting. Huge, almost Biblical-sounding major chords take over, and the Krypton fanfare finally resolves itself into a major key surrounded by content woodwind arpeggios. A short idea for celeste enters briefly, followed by more of the fanfare, rudely interrupted by Krypton. Shimmering synths, ethereal chorus, tremolo high strings, and several quiet versions of Krypton's fanfare coalesce into a vibrant soundscape, sometimes interrupted by dissonant brass outbursts. "Father's Instruction," the second cue, includes a variation of the Krypton music played by arp synthesizer with various ethereal string tremolo chords. A short section was omitted on the original recording, which is fully restored here. The arp's part is quite interesting - it blends both of the Krypton themes into a whole at various intervals, making one of the most peaceful sections of the score. "Father's Instruction Part II" continues this idea with a bucolic string melody (again based on the newly-transformed Krypton material) played against more of Williams' impossibly peaceful, ethereal accompaniment. Part III of the full score actually begins with the finale of this cue, which resurrects the main fanfare in its march form for the first time since the main title, bringing it to a rousing finish. As you might have guessed, Williams wrote a shorter alternate of Fortress which didn't make the Rhino album. This shares very little with its film-version counterpart, although it does utilize many of the Krypton themes. Whereas the film version had ethereal strings, this uses warm brass fanfares. It's a fascinating to hear the composer's original thoughts on this lengthy sequence. By now, Part III of the score has begun in earnest. The first musical Metropolis sequence occurs as Clark and Lois are mugged. Williams' underscore begins with an abrupt string note and dissonant brass chord. The tone becomes somewhat more comedic with oboe and clarinet meanderings, as well as a loud section with a large orchestral tone cluster. The cue ends as the love theme makes its first appearance amidst a section for pizzicato strings and part of the main fanfare. This unreleased alternate is quite close to its film version counterpart in sound and orchestration, but almost a minute shorter. It is somewhat more dissonant and fragmented in parts. This lengthy cue could almost be called a 5-minute concert arrangement of the Villains' theme, usually played on pizzicato strings. It features a fragmented melody for sordini trombones much like parts of the Jabba's palace music from Return of the Jedi. A section in the middle is quite impressive - it sets the theme as an action cue with cluster chords all over the orchestra (marked "with weight" in the score). More comedic strains of the theme round out most of the rest of the cue, with a trademark Williams cue ending. Arguably the greatest action material of Part III (and the score in general), "The Helicopter Sequence" opens with a vicious motif for piercing woodwinds and horns that will eventually become the foundation of most of the track's material. Upon further inspection, this melodic idea shares an unnatural similarity with the main motif from "Star Ship Escapes." Could Williams' have been attempting to draw a correlation between these two sequences? Following the introduction of this scathing figure and the rapid horn riff, Williams introduces a series of modernistic trombone and horn sequences that contain some of the most dissonant material of the cue. This continues to develop, climaxing in a racing 3/4 ostinato for horns and strings that again builds into a series of desperate variations on the track's main material. Williams continues this technique, intercutting the scathing trumpet figure with the dance-like ostinato that seems to set the stage for his later action music in films like Raiders of the Lost Ark. A new section appears for mid-range strings performing a tense, chromatic triplet theme that again reaches an ugly shriek of the triplet action theme. This becomes the cue's climax, since the Superman ostinato and fanfare soon make a triumphant entrance. Most of the cue's second section melds the anxious, piercing action music with grandiose fanfares based on Superman's main fanfare and unimaginably extravagant statements of the love theme. Williams' finale contains a haunting set of variations on the love theme for woodwinds, leading to a final reminiscence of the thematic material. The album producers should be applauded for this accomplishment - apparently the sequence had to be reconstructed from at least 50 different recording snippets. Composed of two cues, "Super Crime Fighter" presents a variety of the most diverse and exciting music of the score. "The Burglar Sequence" remains rather comedic and lackadaisical for the majority of its running time, characterized by a meandering figure for low clarinets and bassoons, as well as mischievous passages for pizzicato cluster chords in the strings. The cue's climax returns to reminiscences of "The Big Rescue" with desperate rising minor chords in the strings and hints of the fanfare. A playful version of the super hero theme for woodwinds and low strings rounds out the track, which segues directly into "Chasing Crooks." This serves as the antithesis to "The Burglar Sequence," becoming an unimaginably powerful action cue with an energetic reprise of the 3/4 ostinato from "The Big Rescue," now in 4/4. Whereas this remained the main attraction during its appearance in the earlier track, it now serves only as a foundation for even more exciting action music, usually based on the traditional dissonant brass chords. At one point, the strings introduce a fortissimo series of syncopated minor chords over the ostinato, giving this cue strong remembrances of the more intense material from Star Wars. Again, the Superman fanfare serves as a victory symbol, and the track fades into a deep C in the low basses. Two more cues comprise "Super Rescues," which serves as a conglomerate of the more light-hearted material from Williams' urban rescue section of the score. "The Cat Rescue" presents a playful version of Superman's cluster chord theme in one of its first appearances since the main titles, accompanied by light flourishes in the strings and harp. The second part contains a series of idle descending string cluster chords, a lively pizzicato arpeggio, and a slow clarinet run. "Air Force One" quickens the tempo slightly with a diabolical chromatically descending figure for low brass and various desperate permutations on the main themes. Finally, after the fanfare rings out strongly in a brass cluster chord, the ostinato enters, and the rest of the cue hovers around playful variations on the fanfare in woodwinds. Thankfully the only piece of source music to be included on the album, this is a fluffy easy listening piece for cheesy Hawaiian guitar, meandering electronic bass guitar, ukulele, vibraphone, and jazzy piano chords. It contains at least one redeeming factor, though - it's quite easy to program out of the track sequence! We now venture back to Part I of the score with this fascinating alternate of The Planet Krypton, the only alternate underscore take to be included on Rhino's release. It contains only one true difference from the film version - its opening, which maintains an awkward segue from the G Major of the opening titles to a D major version of the Krypton fanfare rather than the G Major that was finally used. The orchestration of this fanfare is verbatim to the film version, although several nuances of performance differ. The rest of the cue, the version used on the original soundtrack album, presents a fascinating study in contrasts between film and OST versions. Besides the cuts of material, the primary difference is the mixing - the low piano and synthesizer rumblings have much more weight and bearing than the film version presented in track 2. Perhaps the most intriguing of the march alternates, this was the very first recording of Williams' main title, which Varese Sarabande interestingly chose to use as their guide for reorchestrating the main title for their 1999 recording of the score. Evidently, the prologue was originally much shorter, and Williams uses a fascinating variation on the thematic material that would later define the film-version prologue, as well as the wistful, heroic version of the fanfare that opened the concert arrangement. This version has several other quirks as well - it is much shorter, leaving out one rendition of the cluster chord theme and half of the love theme. Its orchestration is completely unique as well, with such quirks as a trombone presentation of the love theme, a quieter section leading into the finale, and a series of convoluted fanfares for the ending. Williams remains in his modernistic mode here, with a shifting tonal center that only vaguely hovers around Db Major, much like the lighter music of Prokofiev. The basis for the suite lies in an alternating figure for string cluster chords over which Williams places continually developing variations of the main motif. It begins with a typical arrangement for bassoons, moves to oboe and tuba, and undergoes a lengthy development with virtuoso string and woodwind lines, always over the cluster ostinato. Williams continues to expand the orchestration of the theme, finally doubling the ostinato, and presenting a full arrangement of the theme for brass with an array of virtuoso woodwind lines and string flourishes. A series of quieter resolutions rounds out the remainder of the track, and the piece ends with a pianissimo run for oboes, clarinets, and piccolos, followed by a final B-flat pizzicato cadence. Williams originally wrote another source cue for Lois' radio, and it features a simple, inane easy listening melody with cheesy accompaniment. Although this piece has no real bearing on the final outcome of the score, it contains several of Williams' finest permutations of the love theme. Clark Kent's motif makes a welcome return in the introduction of the cue, accompanied by sweeping tremolos in the strings. The majority of the track, however, centers around potent orchestrations of the love theme under a bed of lush string cluster chords, intercut with passages of Williams' trademark brand of Americana. A moog synthesizer makes a brief one-measure appearance on the last page after a glissando, apparently to symbolize the effects of X-Ray vision. In the end, this serves as a masterful prelude to one of the score's crowning moments. Undoubtedly the highlight of Part III and one of Williams' magnum opuses, "The Flying Sequence" can be described as a ten-minute concert suite based entirely on the love theme, which is one of the composer's most original inventions, creating an illusion of complexity around a series of fundamentally unadorned arpeggios and turns based on the key of G major, eventually modulating in a modernistic fashion into other keys. The entire sequence actually contains four cues. "I Like Pink" serves as a perfect introduction to the grandiose proceedings with uncertain, bashful renditions of the love theme. Williams modulates several times, with each change of key elevating the music higher and higher into the stratosphere, finally climaxing in a fortissimo glissando that segues into the next cue. The introduction's most noticeable attributes are its luxuriant cluster chords in the strings that continually add an unmistakable air of Americana to the love theme. In "I Can Fly," the signature piece of the Flying Sequence, the love theme threatens to consume the orchestra with its ravishing beauty. The composer begins with a foundation of A Major clusters and an ostinato in the woodwinds, over which he places an intensely moving rendition of the theme in the highest registers of the strings, conjuring images of the most memorable Golden Age film scores. As horns perform the rapturous refrain, the strings join the ostinato, and the orchestration continues to develop into a glorious monstrosity of brass fanfares, changing the key to C Major. Cellos now receive the euphoric melody, the ostinato continues to expand in the string section, and a new woodwind accompaniment based on the previous brass fanfares appears. Again, Williams broadens the melodies into magnificent brass cluster chords, now almost consumed by rapid flourishes in the strings. After a playful version of the refrain with intoxicating pizzicato arpeggios, the cue finally climaxes into quiet string cluster chords. "To the Moon" introduces a vibrant 12/8 rhythm in the harps, over which Williams places the most impressionistic material of the cue - rubato cadenzas for a solo flute over quiet, nostalgic D major renditions of the love theme. A broad, rapid 3-bar string passage leads into "Flying Part III," which contains perhaps the jazziest material of the score (although nothing close to the slaughter of good taste found in the original version, found at the end of the disc), introducing a subtle backbeat and accompaniment for Fender Rhodes synthesizer to the orchestra. In the film, this was the cue that Margot Kidder and the producers absolutely marred with hideous vocals that unfortunately made their way to the soundtrack album. Rhino's release presents for the first time the full orchestration of the cue in its virgin beauty, unscathed by the hideous vocals, showcasing Williams' sumptuous orchestral accompaniment and more versions of the love theme in its most tender variations of the score. A short postlude resolves the theme and introduces a subtle hint of Superman's fanfare in E major in the horns. Titled "Clark Loses His Nerve" in the score, this brief cue serves as a perfect companion to The Flying Sequence with a concise treatment of the rarely-heard theme for Clark Kent in woodwinds followed by quiet reminiscences of the climax of Superman's fanfare. Subtle hints of the love theme end the cue. Although it has no real bearing on the score as the whole, this collection of three cues serves as a glance into the future of John Williams. The first cue, "The Truck Convoy," introduces the syncopated, dissonant brass sevenths that would later define sequences like "Desert Chase" in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Following this, the strings perform a brief fantasia on this idea with a collection of tense, broken, syncopated sevenths. Soon, however, the March of the Villains seizes the music, and a few straightforward performances of it in tuba and woodwinds round out the cue, which ends with a collection of tense octaves in the low strings and a percussion cadence. The second cue, "Navy Missiles," was actually cut together from various elements of "The Truck Convoy," reprising the arrangements of the Villain March and the tense action music. "Miss Tesmacher Helps" functions mainly as a tense suspense cue with a sustained C# and low pizzicato murmurings in the strings and suspense cadences in woodwinds. Perhaps one of the most entertaining action cues of Part III, this blends Williams' leitmotivs with a completely unexpected cameo. Titled "To the Lair" in the score, it begins tensely with dark chromatic tones in the low strings, over which the composer inserts subtle references to the main Superman fanfare in woodwinds. This pattern continues to grow in intensity, and Williams now intimates at the heroic ostinato by placing devious allusions to its rhythm in horns and timpani over the constantly shifting bass line. As this reaches a fever pitch, the strings receive a rapid melody rich in chromaticism that presents an ingenious musical cameo - this is actually a derivative of Richard Wagner's light music for the apprentices in Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg, a joke that only a select few moviegoers probably noticed. This motif provides a terrific backdrop for several exhilarating fanfares of the Superman leitmotivs. A minor motif of alternating muted cluster chords in the horns as well as a decrescendo of the flurrying strings ends the cue. This alternate plays almost verbatim to the film version - the only difference is that it repeats the introduction of the Meistersinger motif and omits several measures. Two of the more disturbing cues from Part III, these mutate the familiar motivs into malevolent, dissonant entities that bear little resemblance to their heroic forms. "Misguided Missiles" ("Trajectory Malfunction" in the score) begins with a piercing D in the low bass, over which Williams places a mostly-unchanged rendition of the love theme. However, a diabolical blend of uncertain harp triplets and militaristic string dissonance plays directly beneath the theme, robbing it of its passionate character. In fact, this short section ends with the love theme resolving to a diminished chord. The remainder of the cue continues this brand of bitonal string wanderings, which climax in a Holstian dotted figure for high violins and woodwinds. "Kryptonite" features an ominous return of the Kryptonite motif in flutes and its characteristic female chorus, below which the composer continues the incessant, unshakeable dissonances of the strings. A central passage for voices, strings and muted horns foreshadows one of the more tragic sequences in The Empire Strikes back with a low, tremolo, dissonant figure for violins and cellos and a return to the ominous alternating motif that ended "Sonic Greeting," now for voices and muted horns. After an abrupt pizzicato and harp glissando, the March of the Villains inserts an air of slapstick into the proceedings, although now nearly consumed by atonal flutes and cellos. Superman's fanfare makes a brief appearance, but the true climax of the cue involves an intensely disturbing variant of the hero's ostinato, performed now by bitonal brass. A Herrmannesque woodwind dissonance ends the track. Again comprised of two cues, "Chasing Rockets" subtly alludes to the future of John Williams, particularly The Empire Strikes Back. "Miss T's Rescue," the first cue, begins tensely with hints of the fanfare in the horns over a shifting bass accompanied by impressionistic cadenzas for flutes and clarinets. Following a murky section with trombone clusters and unstable harp figures, a short period of uncertainty grips the orchestra with Herrmannesque chromaticisms and grinding, modernistic moans of muted trombones, both of which recall sections of the Star Wars score. The cue's second part contains rapturous love music for silky string cluster chords that eventually became a Williams staple. Crescendoing variations of the Superman fanfare lead into the second cue, titled "Chasing Rockets" in the score. This kinetic action spectacle becomes a precursor to the Hoth sequences of The Empire Strikes Back with its electrifying blend of virtuoso orchestral cadenzas and pealing brass fanfares. The cue begins energetically with a frenzied alternating eighth-note ostinato for brass and a pounding B flat sequence in timpani. In the fourth measure, Williams sets the tone for the entire piece with an absolutely overwhelming brass fanfare for triadic brass. Robust variations on the various leitmotivs comprise the next few minutes - the foundation is a creative, pulsing offshoot of the march ostinato, and there are several almost subliminal statements of the March of the Villains and the love theme, along with uneasy adaptations of the main Superman fanfare and cluster theme. Williams promptly interrupts this air of tension at several points with more of his trademark large-scale cluster chord fanfares, now with cascading woodwind runs (i.e. the introduction of Hyperspace from Empire Strikes Back). Surprisingly, one of the central sections features a return of one of the virtuoso string motivs from Trip to Earth, although Williams promptly eclipses it with his seventh-interval brass material. The climax of the piece features discordant triplet figures in the brass that ingeniously mutate into the Superman ostinato, followed by a fortissimo pedal point in the bass and recoiling string figures. In this final section, the composer introduces a brilliant nod to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with a brutal motif for muted trumpets and horns over the variant of the march ostinato that began the piece. Overall, this masterful action opus becomes one of Part III's many highlights. Apparently Williams "composed" a short, 1-page rock piece to be played on the school bus's radio. I for one am elated that Matessino and Co. could not locate this source music - everything except the organ piece is absolutely horrendous, at least in the context of the score. "The Rescue of Jimmy" follows without pause, continuing many of the ideas from "Golden Gate Bridge," including the dark brass interplay. One of the score's most innovative sections appears 26 seconds into this cue with a lengthy modernist sequence for seemingly improvisatory piano clusters, random dissonant piccolo glissandi, and assorted moanings from the harp, glockenspiel, and vibraphone. Tradition ultimately takes over, however, with a return to the contemporary horn and brass fanfares and breakneck pace from the previous cue. Other aspects include a continuation of the train ostinato and several instances of the fanfare. The last of the source music pieces, this was a heavy rock song designed to be played in Lois' car. With this suite of two cues, Williams meanders back into his stride with a collection of some of the best action music to appear in the score. "Pushing Boulders" adds a tragic spin to the proceedings with diminished versions of the ostinato, an uneasy triplet figure, periods of gruesome dissonance, and a catastrophic virtuoso string motif that assaults the upper registers of the instrument in a way only Gustav Mahler could previously achieve. Following this comes an ugly recoiling, dissonant figure for horns, various cannibalized versions of the march, cluster chord theme, and love theme, and a final onslaught of dissonant woodwinds. "Flying to Lois" continues this world-breaking rampage of tension with a series of harrowing variations on the love theme throughout the entire orchestra as Lois dies. The final section of the cue presents a wistful, haunting horn performance of her theme over a bed of unresolved woodwinds. In the final bars, an arp synthesizer effect joins the orchestra. The climax of the score begins with cry of anger from the trumpets and winds, followed by a final return to the celestial orchestration of Part I and a brief reprise of the Krypton fanfare. The midsection contains a stunning sequence for dizzying shrieks from the piccolos and a dissonant descending motif for horns. Following a massive orchestral accelerando and crescendo, the music surges with triumphant swells of the love theme amidst a lush bed of vibrato strings and trilled woodwinds. Finally, following a brief return to the descending horn figure, triumph overtakes the orchestra with vibrant violin renditions of the love theme. Superman's Finale remains surprisingly understated, with final tender statements of the love theme, playful woodwind renditions of the fanfare, and a triumphant alternating figure for strings, later mirrored by celeste, clarinets, and flutes. The end credits present a final performance of the traditional concert arrangement of all the themes, at times with new orchestrations and a faster tempo. As a perfect encore to Superman's score, Williams presents a fully-developed concert arrangement of the love theme. An innocent, undulating figure for horns provides the foundation, on top of which the composer presents ever more complex and sweeping variations of the theme, always with celestial flourishes and countermotivs from strings and woodwinds. The interludes possess a strong Baroque sensibility, which Williams eventually imparts to the theme itself, preserving the melody from the hideous pop arrangements elsewhere in the score into a more timeless concert piece. Prepare yourself for this. Williams originally recorded a heavy pop rendition of "Can You Read My Mind" for blatant '70's disco synthesizers, which Rhino presents here, complete with the cringe-inducing Kidder vocals. This plays verbatim to the original Flying Sequence from earlier on this disc, but now with Kidder's hideous lyrics reinstated. Apparently she was originally supposed to sing them, but was reportedly completely tone-deaf, so she resorted to speaking them. Be afraid. Be very afraid. As if any collector cared, Rhino's release presents the alternate disco "Can You Read My Mind" without the vocals so that all can admire its virtuoso command of synthesizers and backbeats. To please the nostalgic and to maintain a perfect finale for the release, Matessino and Co. include the original concert arrangement of the Superman march that became so engrained into the psyches of thousands of collectors on the original LP set. It plays like the main titles, but now with an introduction of the Superman fanfare as its prelude and with a few of the thematic repetitions shortened. In 1978, John Williams raised the precedents set in Star Wars to an even higher level with Superman: The Movie, creating one of the pinnacles of modern film scoring. The score conveys an exceptional spectrum of emotion, such that it could almost be separated into three unique works. Williams fights this tendency, however, with a library of nearly a dozen unifying leitmotivs, which manage to follow the Wagnerian standard and jump beyond their typical, banal function as aural calling cards, instead conveying indescribable nuances of emotion and character psychology. With a performance by the virtuoso London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer, as well as lavish packaging, improved sound quality, and nearly the complete score, Rhino's and Michael Matessino's release of this monument preserves its brilliance for the ages. Superman: The Movie is Copyright 2000 by Rhino/Warner Archives. Article Copyright 2000 by Andrew Drannon. All Rights Reserved. One of the best of the new cues, this serves as a dramatic postlude to the Destruction of Krypton. Among other things, look for a return to the bitonality of The Planet Krypton and the introduction of the Clark Kent motif. Visit CDNOW's Superman page for sound clips of every track and a hefty discount! Superman Poll In the great scheme of things, where does Superman belong in the canon of John Williams? It is the best score of all time.Maybe not the best score of all time, but it blows away that horrible Star Wars series!Maybe not the best score of all time, but it blows away Williams' 1990's scores!I think it's pretty good, even outstanding - just as good as any other John Williams score.I think it's serviceable, but absolutely forgettable in the great scheme of things.I think James Horner could write a better score than this - and it wouldn't be so noisy and dissonant!If I have to hear that march one more time...Please don't ask me to rank it! Suffice it to say that I love this score!John Williams is a hack!I hate this site! Why am I even reading this?

2019-04-18T10:57:03Z

http://scoresheet.tripod.com/ScoringStage/Superman/SupermanExpanded.html

I precisely needed to say thanks again. I’m not certain the things that I might have created in the absence of these smart ideas discussed by you over such a area of interest. Previously it was an absolute daunting situation in my circumstances, but witnessing a new skilled manner you resolved that forced me to cry with gladness. Now i am happy for this advice and then believe you are aware of a great job you are accomplishing instructing most people thru your web page. More than likely you’ve never encountered any of us. I am also commenting to make you know what a magnificent discovery my friend’s princess undergone studying the blog. She discovered so many issues, with the inclusion of what it is like to have an ideal coaching heart to let many others quite simply understand specific complex subject matter. You really exceeded her expected results. I appreciate you for giving such warm and helpful, dependable, revealing and also easy guidance on that topic to Lizeth. My wife and i have been so satisfied that John managed to finish off his homework through the ideas he obtained from your own site. It’s not at all simplistic to just always be giving freely tips and hints some people may have been selling. And we grasp we now have the writer to thank because of that. The illustrations you’ve made, the straightforward site menu, the friendships you aid to instill – it’s got many fabulous, and it’s really facilitating our son and us reckon that this content is awesome, which is certainly exceedingly serious. Many thanks for the whole lot! I’m writing to let you be aware of what a awesome encounter my cousin’s daughter found going through your blog. She came to find such a lot of things, including what it is like to have a marvelous teaching mood to have a number of people really easily know some advanced subject areas. You truly surpassed visitors’ expected results. Thanks for giving these good, trustworthy, revealing not to mention cool thoughts on your topic to Emily. My wife and i have been glad when Emmanuel could carry out his investigation from the precious recommendations he obtained in your blog. It is now and again perplexing to simply happen to be giving for free guides that other people might have been making money from. And we all fully understand we have the blog owner to thank for this. The most important illustrations you made, the straightforward site navigation, the friendships you make it easier to instill – it’s got everything spectacular, and it is aiding our son in addition to our family recognize that the subject is exciting, which is rather pressing. Many thanks for the whole thing! I wish to get across my respect for your generosity for people who really want guidance on in this question. Your personal dedication to getting the message all around became unbelievably practical and have frequently helped individuals much like me to arrive at their aims. This warm and helpful guidelines implies so much a person like me and still more to my office colleagues. Warm regards; from all of us. Thanks for your whole hard work on this blog. Debby really loves engaging in research and it’s obvious why. Many of us learn all relating to the powerful ways you convey vital techniques by means of this blog and attract participation from some other people about this theme then our favorite daughter is truly starting to learn a lot. Take advantage of the remaining portion of the year. Your conducting a fantastic job. I in addition to my buddies happened to be taking note of the great guides located on your web page and then then got a horrible suspicion I had not expressed respect to the blog owner for them. Those boys had been for this reason glad to read through all of them and have surely been making the most of them. Thank you for really being indeed helpful as well as for finding this form of decent ideas millions of individuals are really needing to understand about. My personal sincere regret for not saying thanks to earlier. Thank you for each of your effort on this blog. My mum take interest in managing internet research and it’s obvious why. We know all relating to the compelling form you make efficient items via your web blog and even increase participation from website visitors on the article so our favorite daughter is always starting to learn a lot. Enjoy the rest of the year. You have been performing a glorious job. I’m just writing to make you know of the nice discovery my wife’s princess found viewing the blog. She even learned such a lot of things, which included what it’s like to have a wonderful coaching mindset to get most people smoothly grasp some specialized things. You really surpassed her expected results. Thanks for rendering such useful, trustworthy, informative as well as cool tips about your topic to Janet. I would like to point out my affection for your generosity for folks that really want assistance with the idea. Your real dedication to passing the message all-around was definitely invaluable and have specifically enabled individuals like me to achieve their ambitions. Your new insightful guide entails this much to me and substantially more to my colleagues. Best wishes; from all of us. I would like to express some appreciation to this writer for bailing me out of this dilemma. As a result of scouting throughout the world wide web and getting techniques that were not powerful, I thought my entire life was done. Living without the presence of approaches to the problems you’ve solved by way of your good guide is a serious case, as well as ones which might have in a negative way affected my career if I had not noticed your web site. Your own ability and kindness in touching a lot of stuff was vital. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I hadn’t encountered such a subject like this. It’s possible to at this point relish my future. Thanks a lot so much for your impressive and results-oriented help. I won’t hesitate to endorse your web page to any person who should receive guidance about this topic. I and also my friends have already been checking the great points on your web site then at once I got a horrible suspicion I had not expressed respect to the website owner for those strategies. Those young men appeared to be for that reason glad to study them and have in actuality been using these things. Thanks for really being quite considerate and also for selecting this form of important information most people are really wanting to understand about. My honest regret for not saying thanks to you earlier. Thank you so much for providing individuals with an extremely pleasant opportunity to read critical reviews from this web site. It is always so pleasant and jam-packed with fun for me and my office co-workers to visit your site at minimum 3 times per week to learn the fresh items you have got. Of course, I am just certainly astounded with your remarkable things you serve. Some two points in this posting are undoubtedly the most efficient we’ve had. I wish to point out my gratitude for your kindness for those people that should have help with this idea. Your very own commitment to passing the solution around has been extremely productive and has specifically enabled those like me to attain their ambitions. Your new warm and friendly facts denotes a lot a person like me and even more to my mates. Regards; from each one of us. Thanks a lot for providing individuals with such a memorable opportunity to discover important secrets from this web site. It is usually so ideal and full of a lot of fun for me and my office peers to visit your site really three times in a week to study the fresh things you have got. And lastly, I’m also always astounded with the magnificent concepts you give. Selected 2 ideas in this article are particularly the most beneficial we have all had. I am just commenting to make you understand what a fantastic encounter my cousin’s child went through going through the blog. She figured out such a lot of pieces, which include how it is like to possess an amazing teaching mood to make others just know just exactly certain problematic matters. You really exceeded her expectations. I appreciate you for supplying the productive, trusted, informative and in addition fun tips on your topic to Ethel. I wish to express my appreciation to the writer for bailing me out of this type of condition. Because of checking through the the web and finding suggestions which are not powerful, I assumed my entire life was well over. Existing minus the strategies to the issues you’ve solved all through this short post is a serious case, as well as ones that could have adversely affected my career if I had not encountered your blog. Your personal understanding and kindness in handling a lot of things was priceless. I am not sure what I would have done if I had not come upon such a solution like this. I can now look forward to my future. Thank you very much for this expert and result oriented guide. I won’t think twice to recommend your blog to anybody who would need tips on this subject. I intended to create you that little observation to be able to thank you so much once again on the magnificent basics you have shown at this time. It has been particularly generous of you to present freely what exactly a number of us could have advertised as an e-book to end up making some profit for their own end, particularly considering the fact that you could possibly have done it if you ever considered necessary. The strategies as well acted to provide a easy way to fully grasp that someone else have similar interest similar to my own to understand a whole lot more when considering this issue. Certainly there are many more enjoyable occasions in the future for those who browse through your blog post. I must express my appreciation to you for rescuing me from this incident. Because of exploring through the search engines and meeting notions which were not beneficial, I was thinking my entire life was done. Living minus the strategies to the issues you have sorted out through your entire posting is a serious case, as well as the kind which might have in a wrong way affected my career if I had not discovered your blog. Your primary ability and kindness in dealing with a lot of stuff was very useful. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I had not encountered such a point like this. It’s possible to at this time relish my future. Thanks so much for the expert and effective help. I will not be reluctant to endorse the sites to anybody who would need guide about this subject. I together with my buddies have been checking the nice tactics located on your web site and so all of a sudden I had a horrible suspicion I never thanked the blog owner for them. All the people are actually glad to study all of them and have really been using those things. We appreciate you indeed being considerably helpful as well as for picking out varieties of outstanding subject matter millions of individuals are really desirous to understand about. My very own honest regret for not saying thanks to sooner. Thank you for all your efforts on this web site. Kim really likes working on investigations and it’s really easy to understand why. All of us hear all about the compelling form you produce helpful guidelines on this blog and as well recommend participation from other individuals on that idea then my child has always been starting to learn a lot of things. Have fun with the rest of the year. You have been performing a really great job. I simply desired to thank you very much again. I do not know what I would have made to happen in the absence of the actual creative ideas shown by you on such a theme. It had become a very fearsome difficulty in my circumstances, but being able to see a well-written technique you resolved the issue took me to cry for fulfillment. I am happy for your guidance and then believe you really know what a great job your are carrying out teaching the mediocre ones through the use of a site. I’m certain you’ve never come across all of us. Needed to send you this very small note to give thanks over again considering the marvelous secrets you’ve shown here. This is so remarkably open-handed of you to give freely what most of us would’ve marketed as an electronic book to make some dough for their own end, primarily given that you could have done it if you decided. These things likewise served to become a fantastic way to realize that some people have similar eagerness the same as my very own to grasp a good deal more related to this issue. I am certain there are many more enjoyable situations up front for folks who scan your blog. I simply wanted to send a brief message to be able to thank you for those nice tips and tricks you are giving out here. My extensive internet look up has now been paid with really good details to talk about with my family and friends. I would suppose that many of us readers actually are undoubtedly fortunate to live in a perfect community with very many outstanding people with beneficial tricks. I feel really blessed to have discovered the weblog and look forward to many more cool minutes reading here. Thanks once more for everything. I in addition to my pals happened to be analyzing the great tips and hints found on the website while suddenly developed a horrible feeling I had not thanked the site owner for those tips. My ladies are already happy to read through them and have now in reality been using those things. Many thanks for really being considerably accommodating and then for picking out this form of decent guides most people are really desirous to understand about. My honest regret for not saying thanks to you sooner. I precisely had to appreciate you all over again. I am not sure the things that I would have followed without the actual creative concepts provided by you regarding my field. This has been a frightful matter for me, nevertheless being able to see this skilled tactic you managed it made me to jump over joy. Extremely happier for this advice and pray you find out what a great job you are carrying out teaching men and women via your blog post. Most likely you have never got to know any of us. I am only writing to make you be aware of of the remarkable encounter our princess encountered using yuor web blog. She even learned a wide variety of details, most notably what it’s like to have an ideal giving mood to let other folks with no trouble completely grasp various impossible topics. You truly did more than people’s expectations. Thanks for coming up with the important, dependable, educational as well as easy guidance on that topic to Jane. A lot of thanks for every one of your labor on this website. My mother delights in conducting internet research and it’s really easy to understand why. My spouse and i know all about the powerful ways you convey reliable suggestions via your web blog and even welcome participation from people on the article then our favorite girl has always been discovering a great deal. Enjoy the remaining portion of the year. You are always performing a tremendous job. I want to show my appreciation to this writer just for bailing me out of this type of dilemma. Just after looking through the the net and coming across ways that were not powerful, I assumed my life was well over. Living without the solutions to the issues you’ve resolved through your entire guide is a crucial case, and the ones which might have adversely damaged my career if I had not discovered the blog. The mastery and kindness in controlling the whole thing was excellent. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t discovered such a point like this. I am able to at this time look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time so much for the professional and results-oriented guide. I won’t be reluctant to propose your web page to any individual who needs direction about this subject matter. I precisely wanted to thank you very much yet again. I do not know the things I could possibly have done without the creative concepts revealed by you on that subject. It has been an absolute frustrating difficulty in my circumstances, but considering the specialised form you processed the issue forced me to cry for delight. I will be thankful for the guidance and then believe you comprehend what a powerful job that you are providing educating others through your blog post. I know that you’ve never encountered any of us. A lot of thanks for each of your effort on this web page. Debby enjoys making time for internet research and it’s really easy to understand why. I notice all concerning the dynamic ways you produce useful strategies through the web site and therefore improve response from website visitors on that topic while our princess has always been understanding so much. Take pleasure in the remaining portion of the new year. You’re doing a really great job. I intended to draft you the very little remark to help say thank you over again considering the splendid opinions you’ve provided on this page. It’s certainly surprisingly open-handed with people like you in giving without restraint what a lot of folks could have supplied as an e-book to get some bucks for their own end, principally now that you could have done it if you ever wanted. The thoughts in addition served as the fantastic way to realize that other people have the identical interest just as my own to learn more and more when it comes to this issue. Certainly there are numerous more pleasurable instances ahead for individuals that read your blog post. I enjoy you because of all of your work on this web site. Gloria really loves conducting investigations and it’s really easy to see why. We all notice all regarding the lively tactic you provide priceless information through the blog and therefore attract response from other people on the subject then our favorite girl is always discovering a lot. Have fun with the rest of the new year. You’re carrying out a glorious job. I in addition to my friends ended up viewing the great things located on your web blog and then instantly I had a horrible feeling I had not expressed respect to the website owner for those strategies. Most of the ladies appeared to be as a consequence thrilled to read through all of them and have now seriously been enjoying these things. We appreciate you indeed being simply accommodating and also for making a decision on these kinds of helpful issues most people are really desirous to be informed on. My very own sincere regret for not saying thanks to you earlier. I not to mention my buddies came analyzing the excellent pointers located on your web site and then at once I had a terrible feeling I had not expressed respect to the site owner for those tips. Those men appeared to be totally stimulated to read through all of them and have now definitely been taking pleasure in those things. Thank you for getting considerably helpful and then for getting variety of really good resources millions of individuals are really desirous to be informed on. Our own honest regret for not expressing gratitude to sooner. I must express appreciation to the writer for bailing me out of this type of setting. Because of surfing around through the world-wide-web and obtaining recommendations which were not powerful, I figured my life was done. Being alive minus the strategies to the issues you’ve solved through this blog post is a crucial case, as well as those that could have in a negative way damaged my entire career if I had not discovered your web site. Your own personal talents and kindness in taking care of every part was excellent. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I hadn’t come across such a stuff like this. I can at this time relish my future. Thanks very much for this impressive and effective help. I won’t be reluctant to propose your blog post to any individual who needs to have guide about this matter. Thanks for your entire hard work on this website. My aunt really likes managing investigation and it is easy to understand why. A lot of people notice all about the compelling way you offer reliable things via your website and therefore boost contribution from others on the area of interest and our favorite daughter is discovering a great deal. Enjoy the remaining portion of the new year. You are conducting a fabulous job. I’m commenting to let you be aware of of the wonderful discovery my wife’s princess gained checking the blog. She learned several details, which include what it’s like to possess a great teaching heart to have many others clearly thoroughly grasp some specialized matters. You truly did more than her desires. Thank you for producing those helpful, healthy, informative not to mention cool guidance on your topic to Janet. I must express my appreciation to the writer for rescuing me from this type of predicament. Just after exploring through the search engines and seeing recommendations which were not beneficial, I believed my life was gone. Living devoid of the strategies to the difficulties you’ve sorted out through the article content is a serious case, as well as the ones which may have in a negative way damaged my entire career if I had not discovered your site. Your main talents and kindness in dealing with all the details was very useful. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I had not discovered such a solution like this. I can now look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time so much for your impressive and result oriented guide. I will not hesitate to propose the sites to anyone who desires support about this matter. I needed to post you the very small word to thank you over again for the great tips you have featured on this site. This is quite pretty generous with you to provide openly what many of us would’ve sold as an electronic book in making some cash on their own, principally considering the fact that you might have done it if you ever wanted. These tips likewise worked to become a easy way to understand that many people have similar dream like my very own to see more when it comes to this matter. Certainly there are several more pleasurable sessions up front for those who view your blog. I simply had to appreciate you yet again. I do not know the things I might have accomplished without these aspects revealed by you relating to that subject. It became a real frightening situation for me personally, however , viewing this specialized approach you treated it made me to leap with fulfillment. Now i am thankful for your advice and wish you comprehend what a great job you are undertaking educating the rest with the aid of your blog post. I know that you haven’t encountered all of us. I and my buddies have been reading through the best tips and tricks from your web page then unexpectedly developed a terrible feeling I never thanked the website owner for those techniques. These people came so thrilled to read all of them and now have really been having fun with those things. We appreciate you truly being really kind as well as for making a decision on this kind of awesome issues millions of individuals are really needing to know about. My personal sincere apologies for not expressing gratitude to earlier. Thanks a lot for providing individuals with a very remarkable opportunity to read from this web site. It can be so pleasant plus full of fun for me personally and my office acquaintances to visit your web site minimum 3 times weekly to read the new tips you have. Not to mention, I am always satisfied for the fantastic guidelines you serve. Selected 4 ideas in this article are surely the very best I have had. My wife and i ended up being satisfied when Albert managed to round up his preliminary research by way of the ideas he got through your web site. It’s not at all simplistic to just happen to be offering concepts that many others have been making money from. And we all keep in mind we now have the website owner to give thanks to for this. All of the illustrations you have made, the straightforward site menu, the friendships you can help create – it’s got many astonishing, and it’s really assisting our son and our family know that the content is fun, which is certainly rather important. Thank you for the whole lot! Needed to draft you that very small observation so as to say thank you again over the beautiful basics you’ve discussed on this site. It was simply wonderfully generous with people like you to allow easily just what a few individuals would have offered for an electronic book to earn some profit for themselves, most notably seeing that you could possibly have done it in case you wanted. Those tips as well worked to be a easy way to realize that many people have the identical zeal just like my very own to realize many more in regard to this problem. I am sure there are many more fun instances up front for those who looked over your blog post. Needed to write you this bit of remark to finally thank you so much over again for all the spectacular tricks you’ve documented above. It’s really incredibly generous with people like you to provide freely precisely what many individuals might have sold for an ebook to end up making some bucks on their own, chiefly since you could have tried it if you wanted. Those creative ideas also served to be a great way to know that other people online have similar eagerness much like my own to realize a good deal more related to this condition. Certainly there are numerous more fun moments in the future for people who view your site. I am glad for writing to let you be aware of what a remarkable experience my wife’s girl encountered using your web site. She mastered a good number of details, most notably what it’s like to possess a great giving mindset to let other people quite simply fully grasp various tortuous things. You actually did more than our own expected results. Many thanks for coming up with such practical, safe, revealing and even cool tips on that topic to Lizeth. I in addition to my pals have already been following the good key points located on your web blog and then unexpectedly came up with a horrible feeling I never expressed respect to the web blog owner for them. The boys ended up for that reason passionate to learn them and have in effect surely been enjoying these things. I appreciate you for really being quite accommodating and then for figuring out varieties of magnificent guides most people are really eager to be informed on. Our own honest apologies for not expressing appreciation to sooner. I and my buddies were found to be reading through the great tips and hints on your site and the sudden I got a horrible suspicion I had not thanked the website owner for those strategies. All the young men had been as a consequence very interested to learn them and have now in reality been loving them. Many thanks for genuinely well considerate and for going for this sort of extraordinary topics millions of individuals are really desirous to understand about. My very own sincere apologies for not expressing gratitude to earlier. My spouse and i got very thankful that Albert could deal with his reports from the precious recommendations he received through your web site. It’s not at all simplistic to just be giving out steps which often people today may have been selling. We really discover we now have the writer to thank because of that. Most of the explanations you’ve made, the easy site menu, the relationships your site assist to create – it’s got everything overwhelming, and it’s really leading our son and the family recognize that that subject matter is fun, and that is incredibly indispensable. Thank you for all! My spouse and i ended up being absolutely ecstatic that Michael managed to finish up his homework via the precious recommendations he discovered through the blog. It is now and again perplexing just to possibly be giving for free ideas which other people could have been making money from. And we all already know we have you to be grateful to for that. The specific illustrations you made, the easy blog menu, the relationships your site help instill – it’s all great, and it is leading our son in addition to us imagine that that article is pleasurable, which is certainly rather vital. Thanks for all the pieces! Thanks for all of your efforts on this web page. Kim loves managing research and it’s really easy to see why. I know all concerning the dynamic mode you render very important tips and hints by means of this web blog and strongly encourage contribution from others on the area of interest while our own princess has been understanding a whole lot. Enjoy the remaining portion of the new year. You have been carrying out a glorious job. My spouse and i have been so happy when Peter could deal with his homework with the ideas he discovered through the blog. It’s not at all simplistic just to find yourself giving away tips that many others might have been trying to sell. Therefore we already know we need the website owner to thank for that. These explanations you made, the easy website menu, the relationships you make it possible to engender – it’s got all overwhelming, and it is assisting our son and the family imagine that that subject is pleasurable, and that is quite indispensable. Many thanks for all the pieces! I precisely wished to say thanks once again. I do not know what I would have taken care of in the absence of the actual tricks discussed by you regarding that subject. It was before a challenging case in my position, but being able to see the specialized mode you solved that made me to cry over contentment. Extremely grateful for your information and then wish you find out what an amazing job you are always putting in training people through your websites. Most probably you haven’t come across any of us. I as well as my friends came studying the best secrets and techniques located on the blog then immediately got a horrible suspicion I had not thanked the site owner for those strategies. My people are already as a result glad to see them and have in effect really been taking pleasure in these things. I appreciate you for turning out to be quite considerate and for considering some important topics most people are really wanting to be informed on. My very own honest apologies for not expressing gratitude to earlier. I must show some thanks to this writer just for bailing me out of such a circumstance. Just after surfing around throughout the internet and getting methods which are not beneficial, I assumed my life was over. Living devoid of the answers to the problems you’ve sorted out through your main write-up is a critical case, and the kind which could have in a negative way damaged my career if I hadn’t encountered the blog. Your main know-how and kindness in playing with all the pieces was important. I am not sure what I would have done if I had not come across such a solution like this. I am able to now relish my future. Thanks very much for the high quality and sensible guide. I won’t hesitate to propose the sites to anyone who would like counselling about this issue. I simply wished to thank you very much again. I do not know the things that I would have gone through without the type of techniques provided by you over such problem. This has been an absolute challenging concern in my opinion, but observing the skilled way you treated it took me to jump over happiness. I’m thankful for this guidance and as well , sincerely hope you know what an amazing job your are providing instructing many others via your web page. Most probably you haven’t met any of us. I and also my guys appeared to be checking the best thoughts found on your site then unexpectedly developed a horrible suspicion I never expressed respect to the web blog owner for them. These young men appeared to be consequently very interested to learn them and have truly been loving those things. Thanks for being quite helpful and for considering such wonderful themes millions of individuals are really desperate to be informed on. My honest regret for not saying thanks to earlier. I and also my guys have already been studying the good pointers located on the website and so at once I got a horrible feeling I had not thanked you for those strategies. Most of the boys are actually totally stimulated to learn them and have in effect undoubtedly been tapping into them. Appreciation for being well accommodating and then for finding varieties of smart subject matter millions of individuals are really needing to understand about. Our honest apologies for not expressing appreciation to sooner. My spouse and i were absolutely delighted when Louis managed to carry out his researching through the entire ideas he discovered using your weblog. It’s not at all simplistic to just be offering information which often many others might have been making money from. And now we fully grasp we need the website owner to give thanks to for that. The type of explanations you have made, the simple blog menu, the friendships you will aid to create – it’s got all powerful, and it is letting our son in addition to the family recognize that that theme is enjoyable, which is certainly extraordinarily indispensable. Thanks for all! I wish to express thanks to you for rescuing me from this particular matter. Right after looking through the internet and getting basics which were not beneficial, I was thinking my life was done. Living without the presence of solutions to the difficulties you have resolved as a result of your main blog post is a crucial case, and those which may have badly affected my career if I had not discovered the blog. Your main training and kindness in controlling all the pieces was very helpful. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I hadn’t come upon such a solution like this. I can also at this point look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time so much for this professional and sensible guide. I will not think twice to suggest the blog to anybody who requires direction on this subject matter. I and my guys appeared to be reading through the nice secrets located on the website while quickly I had a horrible suspicion I had not thanked the site owner for those tips. All of the people were consequently excited to study them and now have in reality been using these things. Thanks for genuinely considerably considerate as well as for considering this kind of cool areas most people are really desperate to discover. Our honest regret for not expressing appreciation to you earlier. I am just writing to let you be aware of of the fabulous experience our child went through checking your blog. She came to find numerous pieces, most notably what it’s like to possess an incredible teaching spirit to have most people clearly master selected specialized topics. You undoubtedly surpassed our expectations. I appreciate you for distributing these useful, trusted, informative not to mention easy tips about your topic to Lizeth. Thanks a lot for providing individuals with an extremely special opportunity to check tips from here. It can be very great and jam-packed with amusement for me and my office acquaintances to search your site no less than 3 times weekly to read through the fresh tips you have. Not to mention, we’re at all times astounded considering the special ideas you serve. Selected 4 points on this page are honestly the most effective I have ever had. Needed to post you a little note just to say thanks a lot the moment again with the breathtaking pointers you have provided on this site. It is strangely open-handed of people like you giving unreservedly precisely what many of us could possibly have advertised for an e-book to end up making some cash on their own, specifically now that you might well have done it in the event you wanted. The techniques as well served like the easy way to be sure that other individuals have the identical eagerness just like my personal own to grasp good deal more when it comes to this problem. I believe there are many more enjoyable occasions in the future for individuals that looked at your blog. A lot of thanks for every one of your efforts on this website. Gloria delights in working on research and it’s really simple to grasp why. All of us notice all concerning the lively method you present efficient guidance via your web blog and inspire contribution from other ones about this subject matter plus our simple princess is actually discovering a lot. Take pleasure in the remaining portion of the new year. You’re the one conducting a useful job. I just wanted to send a simple remark to be able to say thanks to you for all of the marvelous guidelines you are showing here. My incredibly long internet look up has now been honored with incredibly good strategies to share with my friends. I would point out that many of us website visitors actually are rather endowed to live in a wonderful website with many brilliant people with very helpful points. I feel quite happy to have used your entire web pages and look forward to so many more exciting times reading here. Thanks a lot once again for a lot of things. I and my guys appeared to be reviewing the best information and facts located on your website and then all of a sudden got a horrible feeling I had not thanked the web site owner for them. These young boys happened to be for this reason warmed to see them and have now without a doubt been loving those things. Thanks for simply being really accommodating and for obtaining this sort of great information millions of individuals are really eager to know about. My very own sincere regret for not expressing gratitude to earlier. I wish to express thanks to this writer for bailing me out of such a challenge. Because of scouting throughout the the web and meeting proposals which were not helpful, I figured my entire life was over. Existing without the presence of approaches to the problems you’ve resolved all through the report is a crucial case, as well as those that could have in a wrong way affected my career if I had not encountered your web page. Your personal natural talent and kindness in dealing with every item was crucial. I am not sure what I would have done if I had not come across such a point like this. It’s possible to at this moment relish my future. Thanks for your time so much for your high quality and result oriented guide. I won’t hesitate to propose the website to any person who requires support on this situation. I would like to show some thanks to this writer just for rescuing me from such a incident. Right after researching throughout the search engines and coming across techniques that were not powerful, I thought my entire life was done. Existing without the answers to the issues you have solved by way of the short article is a crucial case, and the kind which might have adversely affected my career if I had not come across your website. Your main ability and kindness in touching all the stuff was valuable. I am not sure what I would have done if I had not discovered such a step like this. I can also now relish my future. Thanks a lot so much for this impressive and results-oriented guide. I won’t think twice to propose your web page to anybody who should receive guidelines on this subject matter. Thanks so much for giving everyone such a breathtaking chance to read articles and blog posts from this website. It really is very amazing and as well , stuffed with amusement for me personally and my office peers to visit your site more than thrice every week to read the latest items you have. Of course, I am also at all times fascinated with your good solutions you give. Some 4 facts on this page are in reality the most impressive we have all ever had. I needed to post you the tiny observation in order to say thanks a lot once again for those superb basics you’ve provided on this website. This is simply seriously generous with people like you to convey openly what exactly many people would have sold for an ebook to generate some profit for themselves, and in particular considering the fact that you might have done it if you ever wanted. These tricks also served as a good way to recognize that many people have the identical desire the same as mine to see good deal more when it comes to this problem. Certainly there are many more fun times up front for individuals that see your site. Needed to send you the tiny remark in order to give many thanks once again about the marvelous opinions you’ve contributed on this website. It has been so tremendously generous with people like you to provide freely all that a number of people would have distributed for an e-book in making some bucks for their own end, certainly considering the fact that you could have done it if you decided. The tips likewise worked like a easy way to comprehend the rest have the same desire like my own to learn a good deal more concerning this matter. I am certain there are millions of more enjoyable sessions up front for people who look over your blog post. My wife and i got really more than happy Peter managed to complete his studies through the entire ideas he made from your own weblog. It is now and again perplexing to just continually be giving freely helpful hints that many the others might have been selling. We really discover we have the website owner to give thanks to for that. The type of explanations you have made, the straightforward site navigation, the friendships you will make it possible to promote – it’s got mostly incredible, and it is facilitating our son and our family do think that subject is excellent, and that is rather essential. Many thanks for the whole lot! Thank you a lot for giving everyone an exceptionally remarkable chance to read from here. It is always very pleasing and also jam-packed with a great time for me personally and my office fellow workers to search your blog nearly 3 times a week to study the new tips you have got. And lastly, we are certainly pleased considering the special hints served by you. Some two tips in this article are in fact the finest we have had. I want to convey my affection for your kindness for folks that really want guidance on your field. Your real dedication to passing the solution throughout appears to be extraordinarily productive and has consistently encouraged professionals just like me to achieve their pursuits. Your entire useful suggestions means a great deal to me and somewhat more to my office colleagues. Thank you; from everyone of us. I enjoy you because of all your labor on this web page. Kim enjoys doing internet research and it’s really obvious why. Most of us learn all regarding the dynamic method you create advantageous secrets on your blog and as well as encourage participation from the others on that issue plus our own daughter is truly studying a great deal. Enjoy the rest of the year. You’re the one conducting a wonderful job. I must express my appreciation to this writer for bailing me out of such a matter. Just after surfing around throughout the search engines and finding solutions which were not beneficial, I assumed my life was gone. Living devoid of the approaches to the issues you’ve resolved all through your good website is a serious case, as well as those which could have in a negative way affected my career if I had not noticed your site. Your actual understanding and kindness in handling all the things was vital. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t come upon such a step like this. I’m able to at this point look ahead to my future. Thanks a lot very much for the expert and effective help. I will not hesitate to refer your web page to anybody who should have recommendations about this problem. I wish to show my thanks to this writer for bailing me out of such a circumstance. As a result of browsing through the world-wide-web and finding notions which were not pleasant, I assumed my life was over. Existing without the presence of approaches to the difficulties you’ve resolved as a result of this report is a crucial case, as well as the kind which could have adversely damaged my career if I had not noticed your web page. The skills and kindness in touching a lot of stuff was excellent. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I had not discovered such a thing like this. I can at this time relish my future. Thank you very much for the professional and results-oriented guide. I will not hesitate to recommend the website to anybody who would need assistance about this situation. My spouse and i felt absolutely satisfied that Raymond could carry out his reports out of the precious recommendations he was given out of your site. It’s not at all simplistic to simply happen to be freely giving steps the rest could have been trying to sell. We do know we need the website owner to be grateful to for that. Those explanations you made, the straightforward web site menu, the friendships you can make it possible to promote – it is most overwhelming, and it is facilitating our son and us feel that this content is fun, which is certainly tremendously fundamental. Many thanks for all! Thank you so much for providing individuals with remarkably memorable possiblity to check tips from here. It can be so amazing plus full of a lot of fun for me personally and my office mates to visit your web site no less than three times in one week to read the latest stuff you will have. And definitely, I am just certainly fascinated concerning the amazing opinions served by you. Some two tips in this article are undoubtedly the simplest I’ve ever had. I would like to convey my respect for your kind-heartedness in support of those people that really want help on that concept. Your special dedication to passing the solution across ended up being rather important and has made associates like me to attain their objectives. Your warm and helpful publication can mean much a person like me and far more to my peers. Thanks a ton; from each one of us. I intended to draft you a little bit of note in order to say thanks over again on the breathtaking tricks you have provided here. It’s certainly extremely generous of people like you to supply unhampered precisely what a lot of folks might have supplied as an ebook in making some money for their own end, most importantly since you might well have done it if you decided. The creative ideas likewise worked as a fantastic way to recognize that some people have a similar desire much like my personal own to realize significantly more in respect of this matter. I’m certain there are numerous more pleasurable opportunities in the future for folks who looked at your website. I simply wanted to type a small message so as to say thanks to you for all the amazing tips and tricks you are giving out at this site. My long internet search has now been honored with professional facts and techniques to write about with my visitors. I ‘d believe that many of us website visitors actually are really endowed to exist in a good place with very many brilliant professionals with good methods. I feel rather happy to have discovered the webpages and look forward to some more amazing times reading here. Thanks again for everything. I wanted to type a quick word so as to say thanks to you for all of the fabulous tips and tricks you are posting at this website. My long internet search has now been recognized with incredibly good concept to share with my contacts. I ‘d state that that most of us website visitors actually are unquestionably endowed to be in a useful network with many special professionals with very helpful hints. I feel very much blessed to have discovered your entire website and look forward to tons of more pleasurable minutes reading here. Thanks a lot once more for everything. I have to express my passion for your generosity giving support to those who really want help with this one matter. Your very own dedication to getting the message around came to be extremely good and has constantly allowed those like me to reach their desired goals. Your helpful guideline entails a great deal to me and even more to my colleagues. Thanks a ton; from everyone of us. I want to convey my affection for your kind-heartedness in support of all those that really want help on this theme. Your personal commitment to passing the solution all around became particularly helpful and have surely helped many people much like me to reach their dreams. The useful help and advice means a whole lot a person like me and even further to my mates. Thanks a ton; from all of us. I must get across my love for your kind-heartedness for those who require guidance on your field. Your special commitment to passing the message all-around had become exceptionally advantageous and have without exception allowed individuals much like me to get to their endeavors. Your new invaluable hints and tips entails a great deal to me and much more to my peers. Many thanks; from everyone of us. I intended to create you the very little remark to help say thanks again on the precious secrets you have shown on this site. This has been surprisingly generous with people like you to deliver without restraint just what a number of us could have offered for sale for an e book in making some dough for themselves, primarily since you might have tried it in the event you wanted. The pointers in addition acted as the good way to recognize that other people online have the same eagerness really like my personal own to understand a whole lot more in terms of this condition. I think there are thousands of more fun instances in the future for those who look over your website. I intended to write you one tiny word to help thank you very much as before for all the precious tips you have shared on this site. It’s so unbelievably open-handed of you to deliver easily precisely what most people might have offered for sale for an e-book to make some money on their own, specifically considering the fact that you could have done it if you ever wanted. The inspiring ideas in addition served as a fantastic way to understand that other people have the identical passion really like my personal own to know significantly more with reference to this problem. I know there are a lot more enjoyable periods ahead for folks who look over your blog. Thank you for all of the efforts on this blog. My mum enjoys going through investigations and it’s obvious why. Most people notice all relating to the dynamic way you give simple tips and hints through the web site and in addition encourage participation from others on this area of interest plus our favorite princess is certainly learning a great deal. Have fun with the rest of the year. You are conducting a superb job. I and also my pals were actually following the best techniques found on your site then all of the sudden got a horrible suspicion I had not expressed respect to the blog owner for those tips. The women became as a consequence stimulated to study all of them and have in effect very much been loving those things. I appreciate you for indeed being so helpful and also for selecting varieties of quality areas most people are really eager to discover. Our own sincere regret for not expressing gratitude to you earlier. Thanks a lot for providing individuals with such a wonderful possiblity to discover important secrets from this web site. It is always so superb and as well , jam-packed with a great time for me and my office acquaintances to search your web site not less than 3 times in 7 days to find out the fresh things you have. And indeed, we’re usually amazed for the surprising solutions served by you. Certain 1 facts in this post are in fact the most effective we have ever had. Finals very last season, Arsenal’s performance [url=http://www.kdshoes.us.com]kevin durant shoes[/url] is just not very ideal, although the info well, but the efficiency isn’t high, and his returning pass error, defensive irvine was built key 3 points have grown to be a “black spots” minute, apparently, in hope that with this to prove himself. Zero, after the opening, the three points from the database and didn’t strike two shots, on the actual contrary, the knight about three points would hit many over there. Garage or target defense, he para which includes lebron, Irwin, JR., has become people already, also have successful prevention. In moving, did well in this Treasury, the ball into a teammate are fed appropriately, but Mr Chu in a number of opportunity attack. 04 seconds left within the first quarter, garage dribble towards the frontcourt, rhythm, but he or she is confident the take a couple of steps away from the three-point line and necessary to make [url=http://www.curryshoes.us.com]curry shoes[/url] movements, the ball! This is also the warriors in the primary 3-pointer today. Soon, the Treasury and using second chances about the right side of the camp again in a 3 things! It is worth mentioning which the opening, the garage right arm was wearing some sort of black gear, it is additionally because his right elbow inside the game before the old injury includes a relapse, however, with the game, he has to lose protective devices. Gear, this indicates, has affected the cope with, before he took off after i feel much better. In against lebron James, the defense has been doing very well in their Arsenal, but after he was lebron was an adolescent knocked out, the referee offers [url=http://www.stephencurryshoes.us]stephen curry shoes[/url] blown the garage blocking foul, garage on the soil is various, make action on the referee said lebron shoulder. In breakthrough, garage is also a difficult moves, all kinds of people all the technique up his defense, including lebron, but Treasury first in all sorts of dazzling dribble move Thompson, soon after air and rival crash cases, the hard to score. I and also my guys came looking at the best thoughts found on your site and then the sudden I got an awful feeling I had not thanked the site owner for those strategies. All of the boys had been happy to see all of them and have now sincerely been taking pleasure in them. We appreciate you really being well accommodating and then for obtaining this kind of superb areas most people are really desperate to learn about. My personal honest regret for not expressing appreciation to you sooner. Thanks so much for giving everyone an extremely breathtaking opportunity to read critical reviews from this blog. It is usually so lovely and jam-packed with fun for me personally and my office colleagues to search the blog not less than three times weekly to see the new guides you have got. Of course, I’m just at all times happy with all the incredible tricks you give. Selected 1 areas in this article are completely the best I’ve ever had. I enjoy you because of all your hard work on this blog. Ellie take interest in setting aside time for investigation and it’s easy to understand why. A lot of people notice all regarding the compelling way you produce powerful ideas on the website and therefore improve participation from the others on the matter so our girl is discovering a whole lot. Have fun with the remaining portion of the year. You’re the one conducting a glorious job. I simply wanted to type a small message so as to say thanks to you for all of the nice information you are showing at this website. My time-consuming internet lookup has at the end been paid with beneficial strategies to talk about with my colleagues. I would assert that most of us site visitors are unequivocally endowed to exist in a decent site with so many awesome professionals with useful tricks. I feel extremely grateful to have used your entire site and look forward to many more enjoyable moments reading here. Thank you once more for a lot of things. I not to mention my guys were actually taking note of the good items on your website while instantly came up with an awful suspicion I had not expressed respect to the web site owner for those techniques. Most of the young men are already as a consequence warmed to read them and now have in reality been having fun with them. Thank you for genuinely so kind and then for considering certain smart things millions of individuals are really wanting to know about. Our honest regret for not expressing gratitude to earlier. My wife and i got joyous that Edward managed to finish up his inquiry by way of the ideas he got from your own web site. It is now and again perplexing to simply always be offering guides that some others might have been making money from. So we already know we have you to thank for that. The entire explanations you’ve made, the easy blog menu, the relationships your site help create – it is many amazing, and it’s helping our son in addition to us reckon that this theme is thrilling, which is certainly really fundamental. Thanks for the whole lot! I simply needed to say thanks once again. I’m not certain the things that I would have tried in the absence of the actual information revealed by you concerning my theme. It was before an absolute frightening situation in my opinion, however , coming across the very specialised way you managed that made me to weep over joy. I’m just thankful for this service and then hope that you comprehend what a powerful job you were providing educating many others via a blog. I am sure you’ve never come across all of us. I needed to create you this very small note to be able to say thanks once again just for the marvelous solutions you’ve shared in this article. It’s quite unbelievably open-handed of you to offer freely exactly what a few people could have advertised for an ebook to earn some cash on their own, notably since you could have done it if you considered necessary. These good tips also worked as the fantastic way to know that other people have the identical passion much like my own to learn more and more in respect of this matter. I know there are numerous more pleasant instances in the future for people who examine your site. I needed to send you one tiny observation just to give many thanks the moment again over the breathtaking solutions you have discussed on this page. It has been simply remarkably generous with people like you to make without restraint just what a few people could have made available for an electronic book to end up making some cash on their own, primarily given that you could possibly have done it if you ever wanted. Those good tips in addition served as the great way to know that someone else have the identical dream similar to my own to know more and more in regard to this condition. I am sure there are several more enjoyable occasions in the future for folks who check out your site. I’m commenting to make you know what a fine encounter my friend’s girl encountered using your blog. She picked up lots of issues, with the inclusion of what it’s like to possess an awesome teaching spirit to get many people without difficulty comprehend selected impossible topics. You really exceeded our own expectations. Thank you for imparting the invaluable, dependable, educational and also cool tips on your topic to Janet. I wanted to post you one little bit of remark to help give thanks once again considering the magnificent techniques you have discussed in this case. It was quite particularly open-handed with people like you giving freely precisely what a lot of folks would have made available as an ebook in order to make some profit on their own, most importantly given that you could possibly have done it if you desired. The smart ideas in addition worked to become a fantastic way to fully grasp that some people have a similar desire like my own to know the truth much more related to this matter. I know there are lots of more pleasurable occasions in the future for those who look into your site.

2019-04-22T16:24:32Z

http://jordanwclark.com/portofolio/modeling/j1/

Form of Third Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement Among Jones Lang Lasalle Income Property Trust, Inc., Jllipt Holdings Lp and Lasalle Investment Management, Inc. by Jones Lang LaSalle Income Property Trust, Inc. THIS FORM OF THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED ADVISORY AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of [ ], 2018 (the “Effective Date”), is by and among Jones Lang LaSalle Income Property Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), JLLIPT Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”) and LaSalle Investment Management, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Advisor” and together with the Company and the Operating Partnership, the “Parties”). Capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in Section 1 below. WHEREAS, the Parties now desire to amend and restate the Second Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement to include the Operating Partnership as a party pursuant to the terms hereof. Acquisition Expenses. Any and all expenses incurred by the Company, the Operating Partnership, the Advisor, or any of their Affiliates in connection with the selection, acquisition, origination, making or development of any Investments, whether or not acquired, including, without limitation, legal fees and expenses, travel and communications expenses, costs of appraisals, nonrefundable option payments on property not acquired, accounting fees and expenses, title insurance premiums, and the costs of performing due diligence. Person hired or retained by LaSalle Investment Management, Inc. to perform sub-advisory or property management and related services for the Company or the Operating Partnership that is not hired or retained to perform substantially all of the functions of LaSalle Investment Management, Inc. with respect to the Company or the Operating Partnership as a whole shall not be deemed to be an Advisor. Advisory Fee. The fee payable to the Advisor pursuant to Section 10. Affiliate or Affiliated. With respect to any Person, (i) any Person directly or indirectly owning, controlling or holding, with the power to vote, 10.0% or more of the outstanding voting securities of such other Person; (ii) any Person 10.0% or more of whose outstanding voting securities are directly or indirectly owned, controlled or held, with the power to vote, by such other Person; (iii) any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with such other Person; (iv) any executive officer, director, trustee or general partner of such other Person; and (v) any legal entity for which such Person acts as an executive officer, director, trustee or general partner. Affiliated Director. A Director who is also a director, manager, officer or employee of the Advisor or an Affiliate of the Advisor or any corporate parent of an Affiliate. Annual Total Return. As further described in Section 11, the investment return provided to Stockholders, which shall be calculated independently for the Class A Shares, the Class D Shares, the Class A-I Shares, the Class M-I Shares and the Class M Shares, and shall be equal to, for all such Shares outstanding during the calendar year (or such other applicable period), (i) Distributions declared and accrued per Class A Share, Class D Share, Class A-I Share, Class M-I Share or Class M Share over the calendar year (or such other applicable period) plus (ii) any change in Class A NAV per Class A Share, Class A-I NAV per Class A-I Share, Class D NAV per Class D Share, Class M-I NAV per Class M-I Share or Class M NAV per Class M Share over the calendar year (or such other applicable period). Articles of Incorporation. The Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended from time to time. Average Invested Assets. For a specified period, the average of the aggregate book value of the assets of the Company invested, directly or indirectly, in Investments before deducting depreciation, bad debts or other non-cash reserves, computed by taking the average of such values at the end of each month during such period. Board. The board of directors of the Company, as of any particular time. Business Day. Any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for unrestricted trading. Class A NAV. The portion of the NAV allocable to Class A Shares, calculated pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Class A Shares. Shares of the Company’s $0.01 par value common stock that have been designated as Class A. Class A Stockholders. The registered holders of the Class A Shares. Class D NAV. The portion of the NAV allocable to Class D Shares, calculated pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Class D Shares. Shares of the Company’s $0.01 par value common stock that have been designated as Class D. Class D Stockholders. The registered holders of the Class D Shares. Class A-I NAV. The portion of the NAV allocable to Class A-I Shares, calculated pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Class A-I Shares. Shares of the Company’s $0.01 par value common stock that have been designated as Class A-I. Class A-I Stockholders. The registered holders of the Class A-I Shares. Class M-I NAV. The portion of the NAV allocable to Class M-I Shares, calculated pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Class M-I Shares. Shares of the Company’s $0.01 par value common stock that have been designated as Class M-I. Class M-I Stockholders. The registered holders of the Class M-I Shares. Class M NAV. The portion of the NAV allocable to Class M Shares, calculated pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Class M Shares. Shares of the Company’s $0.01 par value common stock that have been designated as Class M. Class M Stockholders. The registered holders of the Class M Shares. Company. Company shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement. Dealer Manager. LaSalle Investment Management Distributors, LLC, or such other Person or entity selected by the Board to act as the dealer manager for an Offering. Dealer Manager Fee. The dealer manager fee payable to the Dealer Manager for serving as dealer manager for an Offering as described in the Prospectus or Private Placement Memorandum for such Offering. Director. A member of the Board. Distributions. Any distributions of money or other property by the Company to owners of Shares, including distributions that may constitute a return of capital for federal income tax purposes. Effective Date. Effective Date shall have the meaning set forth in the Preamble. Fixed Component. The non-variable component of the Advisory Fee as described in Section 10(b). Gross Proceeds. The aggregate purchase price of all Shares sold for the account of the Company through all Public Offerings, without deduction for Selling Commissions, volume discounts, any due diligence expense reimbursement or Organizational and Offering Expenses. For the purpose of computing Gross Proceeds from the sale of any Shares in a Public Offering, the purchase price of any Share for which reduced Selling Commissions are paid to the Dealer Manager or a Participating Broker-Dealer (where net proceeds to the Company are not reduced) shall be deemed to be the full amount of the offering price per such Share pursuant to the Prospectus for such Public Offering without reduction. Independent Director. Independent Director shall have the meaning set forth in the Articles of Incorporation. Independent Valuation Advisor. A firm that is (i) engaged to a substantial degree in the business of conducting appraisals on commercial real estate properties, (ii) not Affiliated with the Advisor and (iii) engaged by the Company with the approval of the Board to appraise the Real Properties pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Investment Guidelines. The investment guidelines adopted by the Board, as amended from time to time, pursuant to which the Advisor has discretion to acquire and dispose of Investments for the Company without the prior approval of the Board. Investments. Any investments by the Company or the Operating Partnership in Real Property and Real Estate Related Assets. Joint Ventures. The joint venture or partnership arrangements (other than with the Operating Partnership and including in the form of limited liability companies) in which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a co-venturer, general partner, limited partner or otherwise, which are established to acquire Real Properties. NAV. The Company’s net asset value, calculated pursuant to the Valuation Guidelines. Net Income. For any period, the Company’s total revenues applicable to such period, less the total expenses applicable to such period other than additions to reserves for depreciation, bad debts or other similar non-cash reserves and excluding any gain from the sale of the Company’s assets. Offering. A Private Placement or Public Offering. Operating Partnership Agreement. The Limited Partnership Agreement of the Operating Partnership, as amended from time to time. Organizational and Offering Expenses. All expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the preparation, qualification and registration of an Offering, and the subsequent offering and distribution of Shares, whether incurred before or after the date of this Agreement, which may include but are not limited to: total underwriting and brokerage discounts and commissions including fees of the underwriters’ attorneys; expenses for printing, engraving and mailing; salaries of employees while engaged in sales activity; telephone and other telecommunications costs; all advertising and marketing expenses (including the costs related to investor and broker-dealer sales meetings); charges of transfer agents, registrars, trustees, escrow holders, depositories and experts; and fees, expenses and taxes related to the filing, registration and qualification of the sale of the Shares under federal and state laws, including accountants’ and attorneys’ fees and expenses. Participating Broker-Dealers. Broker-dealers who are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or that are exempt from broker-dealer registration, and who, in either case, have executed participating broker-dealer or other agreements with the Dealer Manager to sell Shares in an Offering. Performance Component. The variable component of the Advisory Fee as described in Section 10(b). Primary Offering. The portion of an Offering other than the Shares offered pursuant to the Company’s distribution reinvestment plan. Priority Return Percentage. Priority Return Percentage has the meaning set forth in Section 10(c). Private Placement. An unregistered sale of Shares pursuant to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and state securities laws. Private Placement Memorandum. A memorandum utilized for the purpose of offering and selling Shares in a Private Placement. Prospectus. A “Prospectus” under Section 2(10) of the Securities Act, including a preliminary Prospectus, an offering circular as described in Rule 253 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Act or, in the case of an intrastate offering, any document by whatever name known, utilized for the purpose of offering and selling securities to the public in a Public Offering. Public Offering. The public offering of Shares pursuant to a Prospectus. Real Estate Related Assets. Any investments, directly or indirectly, by the Company in interests in real property of whatever nature, including, but not limited to (i) mortgage, mezzanine, bridge and other loans on Real Property, (ii) equity securities or interests in corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and other joint ventures having an equity interest in real property, real estate investment trusts, ground leases, tenant-in-common interests, participating mortgages, convertible mortgages or other debt instruments convertible into equity interests in real property by the terms thereof, options to purchase real estate, real property purchase-an-leaseback transactions and other transactions and investments with respect to real estate, and (iii) debt securities such as collateralized mortgage backed securities, commercial mortgages and other debt securities. Real Property. Real property owned from time to time by the Company, the Operating Partnership or a subsidiary thereof, either directly or through Joint Ventures, which consists of (i) land only, (ii) land, including the buildings located thereon, (iii) buildings only or (iv) such investments the Board and the Advisor mutually designate as Real Property to the extent such investments could be classified as Real Property. Registration Statement. A registration statement on Form S-11, as may be amended from time to time, of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to the registration of Shares for a Public Offering. Selling Commission. That percentage of Gross Proceeds from the sale of Shares in an Offering payable to the Dealer Manager and reallowable to Participating Broker-Dealers with respect to Shares sold by them as described in the Prospectus or Private Placement Memorandum for such Offering. Shares. The Class A Shares, Class D Shares, Class A-I Shares, Class M-I Shares and Class M Shares. Stockholders. The Class A Stockholders, Class D Stockholders, Class A-I Stockholders, Class M-I Stockholders and Class M Stockholders. Sub-Advisor. Sub-Advisor and Sub-Advisors shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5. Total Operating Expenses. All costs and expenses paid or incurred by the Company, as determined under GAAP, that are in any way related to the operation of the Company or its business, including the Advisory Fee, but excluding (i) the expenses of raising capital such as Organizational and Offering Expenses, legal, audit, accounting, underwriting, brokerage, listing, registration, and other fees, printing and other such expenses and taxes incurred in connection with the issuance, distribution, transfer and registration of securities, (ii) interest payments, (iii) taxes, (iv) non-cash expenditures such as depreciation, amortization and bad debt reserves, (v) incentive fees paid in compliance with the NASAA REIT Guidelines; (vi) acquisition fees and Acquisition Expenses, (vii) real estate commissions on the sale of Real Property, and (viii) other fees and expenses connected with the acquisition, disposition, management and ownership of real estate interests, mortgages or other property (including the costs of foreclosure, insurance premiums, legal services, maintenance, repair, and improvement of property). The definition of “Total Operating Expenses” set forth above is intended to encompass only those expenses which are required to be treated as Total Operating Expenses under the NASAA REIT Guidelines. As a result, and notwithstanding the definition set forth above, any expense of the Company which is not part of Total Operating Expenses under the NASAA REIT Guidelines shall not be treated as part of Total Operating Expenses for purposes hereof. The Company and the Operating Partnership hereby appoint the Advisor to serve as their advisor on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and the Advisor hereby accepts such appointment. 3. DUTIES OF THE ADVISOR. (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Company and the Operating Partnership to comply with all applicable laws. (a) Pursuant to the terms of this Agreement (including the restrictions included in this Section 4 and in Section 8), and subject to the continuing and exclusive authority of the Board over the management of the Company, the Board (by virtue of its approval of this Agreement and authorization of the execution hereof by the officers of the Company) hereby delegates to the Advisor the authority to take, or cause to be taken, any and all actions and to execute and deliver any and all agreements, certificates, assignments, instruments or other documents and to do any and all things that, in the judgment of the Advisor, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the Advisor’s duties described in Section 3, including the making of any Investment that fits within the Company’s investment objectives, strategy and guidelines, policies and limitations as described in the Prospectus or Private Placement Memorandum and within the discretionary limits and authority as granted to the Advisor from time to time by the Board. (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any investment in an Investment that does not fit within the Investment Guidelines will require the prior approval of the Board or any duly authorized committee of the Board, as the case may be. (c) If a transaction requires approval by the Directors, the Advisor will deliver to the Directors all documents and other information required by them to properly evaluate the proposed transaction. (d) The prior approval of a majority of the Independent Directors not otherwise interested in the transaction and a majority of the Directors not otherwise interested in the transaction will be required for each transaction to which the Advisor or its Affiliates is a party. (e) The Board may, at any time upon the giving of notice to the Advisor, amend the Investment Guidelines or modify or revoke the authority set forth in this Section 4; provided, however, that such modification or revocation shall be effective upon receipt by the Advisor and shall not be applicable to investment transactions to which the Advisor has committed the Company or the Operating Partnership prior to the date of receipt by the Advisor of such notification. The Advisor is hereby authorized to enter into one or more sub-advisory agreements with other investment advisors, including any Affiliate of the Advisor (each, a “Sub-Advisor”), pursuant to which the Advisor may obtain the services of the Sub-Advisor(s) to assist the Advisor in fulfilling any of its responsibilities set forth under Sections 3(e) and 3(g) hereunder, subject to the oversight of the Advisor and the Board. (a) The Advisor and not the Company shall be responsible for any compensation payable to any Sub-Advisor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall reimburse the Advisor for any expenses properly incurred by the Sub-Advisor, to the extent such expenses would be reimbursable if incurred by the Advisor pursuant to the terms of Section 11 hereof, in order for the Advisor to timely reimburse the Sub-Advisor for such out-of-pocket costs. (b) Any sub-advisory agreement entered into by the Advisor shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Articles of Incorporation and other applicable federal and state law. The Advisor may establish and maintain one or more bank accounts in the name of the Company and the Operating Partnership and may collect and deposit into any such account or accounts, and disburse from any such account or accounts, any money on behalf of the Company or the Operating Partnership, under such terms and conditions as the Directors may approve, provided that no funds shall be commingled with the funds of the Advisor; and the Advisor shall from time to time render appropriate accountings of such collections and payments to the Directors and to the auditors of the Company, as applicable. The Advisor shall maintain appropriate records of all its activities hereunder and make such records available for inspection by the Directors and by counsel, auditors and authorized agents of the Company, at any time or from time to time during normal business hours. The Advisor shall at all reasonable times have access to the books and records of the Company and the Operating Partnership. Anything else in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, the Advisor shall refrain from taking any action which, in its sole judgment made in good faith, would (a) adversely affect the status of the Company as a REIT, (b) subject the Company to regulation under the Investment Company Act, or (c) violate any law, rule, regulation or statement of policy of any governmental body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or its Shares, or otherwise not be permitted by the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company, except if such action shall be ordered by the Directors, in which case the Advisor shall notify promptly the Directors of the Advisor’s judgment of the potential impact of such action and shall refrain from taking such action until it receives further clarification or instructions from the Directors. In such event, the Advisor shall have no liability for acting in accordance with the specific instructions of the Directors so given. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Advisor, its directors, officers, employees and members, and partners, directors, officers, members and stockholders of the Advisor’s Affiliates shall not be liable to the Company or to the Directors or Stockholders for any act or omission by the Advisor, its directors, officers, employees, or members, and partners, directors, officers, members or stockholders of the Advisor’s Affiliates taken or omitted to be taken in the performance of their duties under this Agreement except as provided in Section 21 of this Agreement. Subject to Section 8 of this Agreement and to restrictions advisable with respect to the qualification of the Company as a REIT, directors, managers, officers and employees of the Advisor or an Affiliate of the Advisor or any corporate parent of an Affiliate, may serve as a Director or officer of the Company, except that no director, officer or employee of the Advisor or its Affiliates who also is a Director or officer of the Company shall receive any compensation from the Company for serving as a Director or officer other than (a) reasonable reimbursement for travel and related expenses incurred in attending meetings of the Directors or (b) as otherwise approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Directors, and no such Director shall be deemed an Independent Director for purposes of satisfying the Director independence requirement set forth in the Articles of Incorporation. For so long as this Agreement is in effect, the Advisor shall have the right to nominate, subject to the approval of such nomination by the Board, three Affiliated Directors to the slate of Directors to be voted on by the stockholders at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that such number of director nominees shall be reduced as necessary by a number that will result in a majority of the Directors being Independent Directors. Furthermore, the Board shall consult with the Advisor in connection with (i) its selection of each Independent Director for nomination to the slate of Directors to be voted on at the annual meeting of stockholders, and (ii) filling any vacancies created by the removal, resignation, retirement or death of any Director. (b) The Advisor shall receive the Advisory Fee as compensation for services rendered hereunder. (c) The Advisory Fee will be comprised of two separate components: (1) a fixed component in an amount equal to 1/365th of 1.25% of NAV for each day (the “Fixed Component”); and (2) a performance component (the “Performance Component”) that is paid annually and calculated based on the Annual Total Return allocable to each class of shares of the Company’s common stock. Class D Shares, Class A-I Shares, Class M-I Shares or Class M Shares pursuant to this Section 10(c), the Advisor will be entitled to such payment even in the event that the Annual Total Return to Class A Stockholders, Class D Stockholders, Class A-I Stockholders, Class M-I Stockholders or Class M Stockholders, as applicable (or any particular Stockholder), expressed as a percentage on a cumulative basis over any longer or shorter period has been less than the Priority Return Percentage. The Advisor shall not be obligated to return any portion of any Advisory Fee paid based on the Company’s subsequent performance. The Performance Component may be earned in a given period for one or more of the Company’s classes of common stock. (e) The Advisor shall, on a daily basis, (i) accrue a liability reserve account equal to the amount due for both the Fixed Component and the Performance Component, such accrual to be reflected in the NAV per share calculations for such day; and (ii) calculate the Annual Total Return allocable to Class A Shares, Class D Shares, Class A-I Shares, Class M-I Shares and Class M Shares, prorated as of the end of such day and, based on such calculation, adjust the balance of liability reserve accrual to reflect the estimated amount due on account of the Performance Component. (f) The Advisory Fee will accrue daily and is payable in cash. The Fixed Component is payable monthly in arrears (after the close of business and NAV calculations for the last Business Day for such month). The Performance Component is payable promptly after the audited financial statements for each calendar year become available, provided that if this Agreement or its term expires without renewal prior to December 31 of any calendar year, then the prorated Performance Component for such partial year shall be payable promptly after the Company files (i) its unaudited financial statements on Form 10-Q for the calendar quarter that includes the Termination Date, or (ii) in the case of a Termination Date that occurs during the fourth calendar quarter of a calendar year, its audited financial statements on Form 10-K for the year ended that includes the Termination Date. The Performance Component shall be payable for each calendar year in which this Agreement is in effect, even if the Agreement is in effect for less than a full calendar year. In the event this Agreement is terminated or its term expires without renewal, the Advisory Fee will be calculated and due and payable after the calculation of NAV on the Termination Date. If the Advisory Fee is payable with respect to any partial calendar month or calendar year, the Fixed Component will be prorated based on the number of days elapsed during any partial calendar month and the Performance Component will be prorated based on the number of days elapsed during, and Annual Total Return achieved, for the period of such partial calendar year. (g) In the event the Company or the Operating Partnership commences a liquidation of its Investments during any calendar year, the Company will pay the Advisor the fixed component of the Advisory Fee from the proceeds of the liquidation and the performance component of the Advisory Fee will be calculated at the end of the liquidation period prior to the distribution of the liquidation proceeds to the Stockholders. (a) As required by the NASAA REIT Guidelines, the cumulative Selling Commissions, Dealer Manager Fees and Organizational and Offering Expenses paid by the Company attributable to any Public Offering will not exceed 15.0% of Gross Proceeds from the sale of Shares in the Primary Offering of such Public Offering. (xvii) all such fees incurred at the request, or on behalf of, the Board, the Independent Directors or any committee of the Board. (c) Expenses incurred by the Advisor on behalf of the Company and the Operating Partnership and payable pursuant to this Section 11 shall be reimbursed no less than monthly to the Advisor. The Advisor shall prepare a statement documenting the expenses of the Company and the Operating Partnership and the calculation of the Advisory Fee during each quarter, and shall deliver such statement to the Company and the Operating Partnership within forty-five (45) days after the end of each quarter. (d) Organizational and Offering Expenses incurred by the Advisor with respect to a Public Offering prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement relating to such Public Offering shall be reimbursed by the Company to the Advisor over a period of 36 months following the date such Registration Statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should the Board request that the Advisor or any director, officer or employee thereof render services for the Company and the Operating Partnership other than set forth in Section 3, such services shall be separately compensated at such rates and in such amounts as are agreed by the Advisor and the Independent Directors, subject to the limitations contained in the Articles of Incorporation, and shall not be deemed to be services pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. 13. REIMBURSEMENT TO THE ADVISOR. such excess was justified, then, within sixty (60) days after the end of any fiscal quarter of the Company for which total reimbursed Total Operating Expenses for the Expense Year exceed the 2%/25% Guidelines, the Advisor, at the direction of the Independent Directors, shall cause such fact to be disclosed to the Stockholders in writing (or the Company shall disclose such fact to the Stockholders in the next quarterly report of the Company or by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission within sixty (60) days of such quarter end), together with an explanation of the factors the Independent Directors considered in determining that such excess were justified. The Company will ensure that such determination will be reflected in the minutes of the meetings of the Board. All figures used in the foregoing computations shall be determined in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis. (a) Relationship. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Advisor or any of its Affiliates from engaging in or earning fees from other activities, including, without limitation, the rendering of advice to other Persons (including other REITs) and the management of other programs advised, sponsored or organized by the Advisor or its Affiliates; nor shall this Agreement limit or restrict the right of any director, officer, member, partner, employee, or stockholder of the Advisor or its Affiliates to engage in or earn fees from any other business or to render services of any kind to any other partnership, corporation, firm, individual, trust or association and earn fees for rendering such services. The Advisor may, with respect to any investment in which the Company is a participant, also render advice and service to each and every other participant therein, and earn fees for rendering such advice and service. Specifically, it is contemplated that the Company may enter into joint ventures or other similar co-investment arrangements with certain Persons, and pursuant to the agreements governing such joint ventures or arrangements, the Advisor may be engaged to provide advice and service to such Persons, in which case the Advisor will earn fees for rendering such advice and service. (b) Time Commitment. The Advisor shall, and shall cause its Affiliates and their respective employees, officers and agents to, devote to the Company such time as shall be reasonably necessary to conduct the business and affairs of the Company in an appropriate manner consistent with the terms of this Agreement. The Company acknowledges that the Advisor and its Affiliates and their respective employees, officers and agents may also engage in activities unrelated to the Company and may provide services to Persons other than the Company or any of its Affiliates. (c) Investment Opportunities. The Advisor shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to present to the Company a number of potential investment opportunities appropriate for the portfolio of the Company consistent with the investment policies and objectives of the Company, but neither the Advisor nor any Affiliate of the Advisor shall be obligated generally to present any particular investment opportunity to the Company even if the opportunity is of a character that, if presented to the Company, could be taken by the Company. In the event an investment opportunity is located, the allocation procedure set forth in the Prospectus shall govern the allocation of the opportunity among the Company, on the one hand, and other clients of the Advisor, on the other hand; provided any changes to the procedure shall be presented in advance and approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Directors. The Company and the Operating Partnership, on the one hand, and the Advisor on the other, are not partners or joint venturers with each other, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to make them such partners or joint venturers or impose any liability as such on either of them. This Agreement shall continue in force for a period of one year from the Effective Date, subject to an unlimited number of successive one-year renewals upon mutual consent of the parties. It is the duty of the Directors to evaluate the performance of the Advisor annually before renewing the Agreement, and each such renewal shall be for a term of no more than one year. 17. TERMINATION BY THE PARTIES. This Agreement may be terminated (i)immediately by the Company or the Operating Partnership for Cause or upon the bankruptcy of the Advisor or upon a material breach of this Agreement by the Advisor; provided, that such material breach is not capable of being cured or has not been cured within sixty (60) days after the giving of notice thereof by the Company to the Advisor; (ii) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice without Cause or penalty by a majority vote of the Independent Directors; or (iii) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice by the Advisor. The provisions of Sections 19 through 22 survive termination of this Agreement. 18. ASSIGNMENT TO AN AFFILIATE. This Agreement may be assigned by the Advisor to an Affiliate with the prior written consent of the Company or the Operating Partnership, it being agreed that such consent shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed by the Company or the Operating Partnership. The Advisor may assign any rights to receive fees or other payments under this Agreement to any Person without obtaining the consent of the Company or the Operating Partnership. This Agreement shall not be assigned by the Company or the Operating Partnership without the consent of the Advisor, except in the case of an assignment by the Company or the Operating Partnership to a corporation, limited partnership or other organization which is a successor to all of the assets, rights and obligations of the Company or the Operating Partnership, in which case such successor organization shall be bound hereunder and by the terms of said assignment in the same manner as the Company and the Operating Partnership are bound by this Agreement. 19. PAYMENTS TO AND DUTIES OF ADVISOR UPON TERMINATION. (a) After the Termination Date, the Advisor shall not be entitled to compensation for further services hereunder except it shall be entitled to receive from the Company or the Operating Partnership within thirty (30) days after the effective date of such termination all unpaid reimbursements of expenses and all earned but unpaid fees payable to the Advisor prior to termination of this Agreement, subject to the 2%/25% Guidelines to the extent applicable. (iv) cooperate with the Company and the Operating Partnership to provide an orderly management transition. 20. INDEMNIFICATION BY THE COMPANY AND THE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP. The Company and the Operating Partnership shall indemnify and hold harmless the Advisor and its Affiliates, including their respective officers, directors, partners and employees (the “Indemnitees,” and each an “Indemnitee”), from all liability, claims, damages or losses arising in the performance of their duties hereunder, and related expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, to the extent such liability, claims, damages or losses and related expenses are not fully reimbursed by insurance, and to the extent that such indemnification would not be inconsistent with the laws of the State of Maryland, the Articles of Incorporation or the provisions of Section II.G of the NASAA REIT Guidelines. The Advisor shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the Operating Partnership from contract or other liability, claims, damages, taxes or losses and related expenses including attorneys’ fees, to the extent that such liability, claims, damages, taxes or losses and related expenses are not fully reimbursed by insurance and are incurred by reason of the Advisor’s bad faith, fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its duties; provided, however, that the Advisor shall not be held responsible for any action of the Board in following or declining to follow any advice or recommendation given by the Advisor. During the period commencing on the Effective Date and ending one year following the Termination Date, the Company shall not, without the Advisor’s prior written consent, directly or indirectly, (i) solicit or encourage any person to leave the employment or other service of the Advisor or its Affiliates, or (ii) hire, on behalf of the Company or any other person or entity, any person who has left the employment within the one year period following the termination of that person’s employment the Advisor or its Affiliates. During the period commencing on the date hereof through and ending one year following the Termination Date, the Company will not, whether for its own account or for the account of any other Person, intentionally interfere with the relationship of the Advisor or its Affiliates with, or endeavor to entice away from the Advisor or its Affiliates, any person who during the term of the Agreement is, or during the preceding one-year period, was a tenant, co-investor, co-developer, joint venturer or other customer of the Advisor or its Affiliates. Any party may at any time give notice in writing to the other parties of a change in its address for the purposes of this Section 23. (b) Modification. This Agreement shall not be changed, modified, terminated, or discharged, in whole or in part, except by an instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto, or their respective successors or assignees. (c) Severability. The provisions of this Agreement are independent of and severable from each other, and no provision shall be affected or rendered invalid or unenforceable by virtue of the fact that for any reason any other or others of them may be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part. PARTIES TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ALL RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT. (e) Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes and replaces all prior and contemporaneous agreements, understandings, inducements and conditions, express or implied, oral or written, of any nature whatsoever with respect to the subject matter hereof, including the Second Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement. The express terms hereof control and supersede any course of performance or usage of the trade inconsistent with any of the terms hereof. (f) Indulgences, Not Waivers. Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of a party to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any other right, remedy, power or privilege, nor shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted such waiver. (g) Gender. Words used herein regardless of the number and gender specifically used, shall be deemed and construed to include any other number, singular or plural, and any other gender, masculine, feminine or neuter, as the context requires. (h) Titles Not to Affect Interpretation. The titles of Sections and Subsections contained in this Agreement are for convenience only, and they neither form a part of this Agreement nor are they to be used in the construction or interpretation hereof. (i) Execution in Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original as against any party whose signature appears thereon, and all of which shall together constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement shall become binding when one or more counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, shall bear the signatures of all of the parties reflected hereon as the signatories. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Third Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement as of the date and year first above written.

2019-04-19T10:18:49Z

https://www.lawinsider.com/contracts/5Mj9e4E6MEOhic2UZgv6tm/jones-lang-lasalle-income-property-trust-inc/1314152/2018-01-12

Established in 1998, G.e.t. Casa has now become one of the most successful companies in the industry of imported tiles and parquets. G.e.t. Casa is also determined to becoming the best provider of building decorative materials in the world. Providing quality services and products in the last decade, G.e.t. Casa has gained industrial recognition to become the sole distributor of many international brands of ceramics, parquets, and the market leader in the world of imported building decorative materials in Chinese market. As a market leader, every year G.e.t. Casa selects the hottest products directly from Europe, in order to inspire you with the hottest trend and the unique experience. Today, G.e.t. Casa has 28 showrooms in 24 different cities in China; Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanning, Dongguan, Suzhou, Nanchang, Xiamen, Kunming, Fuzhou, Guiyang, Changsha, Taizhou, Chongqing, Shaoxing, Cixi, Chengdu, Wuhan,Xuzhou, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, Haerbin and Dalian. Along with the direct showrooms, G.e.t. Casa has also owned a completely developed network of franchisee and distributors, providing high-quality services and products throughout the country. G.e.t. Casa guarantees and commits to providing you with the 100% Italian-Made, the best-quality and the most stylish building decorative materials. All products provided are awarded annually with "No Fakes Pledge" Scheme issued by Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department, and “Quality Tourism Services” Scheme issued by Hong Kong Tourism Boards. It has revolutionized the world of Architecture, Interior Design and Household Customers in Qualities and Brands. Technical assurance is another aspect that G.e.t. Casa values. Partners of G.e.t. Casa are internationally famous and certified by the industrial standards. Products by G.e.t. Casa are respectively certified by Industrial Certifications. Different certificatons are granded for different types of products. Generally, certifications granded include but not limit to: the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Green Building Council (GBC), etc. G.e.t. Casa is the sole agent and provider in Asian world, of a number of historical and listed brands from Europe for quality tiles, parquets and wallpapers. Tiles - G.e.t. Casa has been partnering with Coem, Cerdisa, Cisa, Gardenia, Iris, FMG, Ceramica Sant’ Agostino, Floorgres, Viva, Fioranese and Tonalite etc. Given the combination of history and advanced technology, it results in the stylish design, unique-ness and durability of the products, providing you with an amazing interior appearance and a long-lasting living place. Parquet - G.e.t. Casa is the sole distributor of Gazzotti, who is the sole supplier of wood parquet for the Italian Royal Family. Given the advanced technologies, supreme quality of products and more than 100 years of history of making parquet, Gazzotti is a leading producer and brand in the market of wood parquet. Wallpaper - G.e.t. Casa shares values of creativity with Inkiostro Bianco. As the sole distrobutor of Inkiostro Bianco, G.e.t. Casa brings high-quality fiber glass wallpapers and graphical creativity into living place. For more information and story behind each partner,please click here. Modernity and simplicity are the foundations of G.e.t. Casa showroom deisgn. Through designs of the interior and presentation of products, G.e.t. Casa is aimed at inspiring people with the quality of living and style. G.e.t. Casa applies the same design concept to create showrooms in different cities to create a strong brand identity, and allow people anywhere to experience the inspiration of a quality living and style, whereby G.e.t. Casa is able to create a better place for the Asian world. The presentations of products in showrooms have been created by a team of well-equipped interior designers with more than 10 years of experience. Illustrating the products with an actual appearance and decorated with decent exhibits, you could have an incredible journey in the world of quality ceramic tiles, parquets and wallpapers in the simplest and the most direct way. During our twentieth anniversary, G.e.t. Casa once again receives recognition from our society, awarded the "Most Outstanding Enterprise Award 2019" and the honour of “Greater China's Most Reputed Building Decorative Materials Distributor”. Thank you for your support and recognition of our efforts, our product and service. In the future, G.e.t. Casa will stay true to our mission and keep moving forward! G.e.t. Casa will actively into social activities held by the "caring company" in the business, to promote business and social service sector cooperation, jointly foster a culture of innovation, caring and sharing, construction, care and share the achievements of social sustainable development. Weiguan Interior Design hopes to use the snow white, look for undefiled and natural, and show the quality connotation of elegance and entry luxury. The project is white as the main tone, white wall, embedded lockers, presenting distinguished and extremely beautiful simple style. G.e.t. Casa and Ricchetti Group hosted design forum in Salone de Mobile Milano. It is part of the charity based Architectural Design Award Competitions. We have honor to invite the prestigious international panel of jury: Barrie Ho MH, Sylvia Yammine, Gaby N. Khoriaty and Zhu Jingxiang. With the benefits of our close relationship, G.e.t. Casa invited Chief Executive Officer of Ceramica Sant’Agostino, Filippo, to have an interview to discuss the development of Italian ceramic tiles in China market. This project is a luxury apartment in North Point, Hong Kong, owned by a young couple. To satisfy the clients’ need for grey color tone and consider the need for a pair of young children, the designer considerably selects the high-quality tiles in softy grey tone. It is a new design located Wenling District, Taizhou. Light is the source of everything on earth. Time, space and life are the non-stop current, and closely related to lights. Designer of this project delicately brings light into the interior, allowing light to dissolve, spread and dye, while creating the inspiration for and leaving the marks of lives. What are you awaiting? A Wonderful Italy Trip will belong to you! The Registration & Submission Deadline of Architectural Design Awards Competition is now extended to 28.2.2018! Regarding to the response and the motto of the campaign, G.e.t. Casa now extends the registration and submission deadline to 28.2.2018 in order to promote the message to more design experts. They feel insufficient care. Hence, with the intention of giving a home and lots of love to these poor left-behind children, “G.e.t. LoveIN築動愛 2017” has been launched and targets to build a “Child Care Centre” to the left-behind children in Maozishan Village. Annual limelight of architectural and design field “G.e.t. LoveIN築動愛2017 – Architectural Design Awards Competition” is now ON! In order to bring out the flash news of competition to the audiences, G.e.t.Casa has launched a series of touring conferences to introduce the campaign. "G.e.t. LoveIN 築動愛 2017—Architectural Design Awards Competition” is now open for application! As mentioned in Great Learning: “to cultivate the moral self, regulate the family, maintain the state rightly and make the world peaceful”. The family, as the starting point to make outstanding achievement in society, is just like a number of concentric circles with love as the common circle center and different tolerance abilities as their radiuses. The family is also the starting point of our life. On 15th Dec 2017, "G.e.t. LoveIN 築動愛2017" was grandly kicked off in Cimen International Brand Building Materials Centre at Shanghai. Uplifting the child development via "Child Care Centre", "G.e.t. LoveIN 築動愛2017" also aims to launch the Architectural Design Awards Competition. The charity project “G.e.t. LoveIN 筑动爱 2017” will be launched on December 15, 2017. Throughout this project, the “Child Care Centre” is targeted to be built and meanwhile, the “Architectural Design Award” is grandly promoted. On the 28th Oct 2017, an opening cocktail party which theme was “Venice Night” was grandly launched at G.e.t. Casa Cixi branch. Shanghai OSTRA is high-end restaurants serving precious original marine ingredients. Coming through the door, you can see the fresh that are neatly stacked, including chefs` choice French oysters, Spanish Red shrimp, wild Iranian caviar, and all those from the original taste of the sea around the world. Sitting at the bar offers you an interesting dancing show of lobsters and oysters. “Understated luxury with connotation”, is a well-deserved description for OSTRA. On 18th Oct 2017, G.e.t. Casa was pleasure to take part in 30th anniversary of CERAMBATH which was grandly held in Foshan. Presenting up-to-the-date, high qualified and trendy Italian building decorative materials, G.e.t. Casa was eager to lead the customers entering the world of Italian art culture and tasting the motto “Beyond Living, Beyond Lifestyle”. Poly YunXi is located in Bai-yun district of Guangzhou, near the famous Bai-yun Mountain. Embracing the scenery panoramic view of this natural oxygen source, the outdoor environment is beauty as heaven; we can imagine how exquisite the interior design is. This year, International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings (CERSAIE) would be the limelight of the city during 25 to 29 September 2017. Thousands of branded experts flocked to the exhibition to explore business opportunities. There was no exception to G.e.t Casa which was as usual to attend the grand occasion. This case is a residential unit located in Shenzhen Mangrove West Coast, a place designed for a young couple with two children. The owner advocates to the simple sense of elegant atmosphere, low-key style but rich connotation. The overall design is full of the echo of "nature", highlighting respect to "moral", as well as the owner’s strong deep love to his wife and children. When thinking about italian coffee, espresso is the first word that comes to one's mind. In Italy, it is not just a type of coffee; when you order un caffè in Italian, you will automatically be served an espresso. If you prefer your coffee a bit less strong, you will have to order a caffè americano (american coffee), an espresso to which hot water has been added, resulting in a drink that will still be stronger than the coffee usually served in the States or in the UK. The motorcycle industry has a saying: "America sells culture, Japan sells product, and Italy sells individuality". When talking about Italian design, the famous Italian writer and art critic, Umberto Eco proudly said: “If other countries have a kind of design theory, Italy is a set of design thought system, integrating both traditional and commercial. On the other hand, the American harley-davidson is on a different path, which is purely cultural. This interior design project is an office space located in the Da Biao International Building. With the height of 5.8 meters on every level, majority office areas have applied the interlining to improve space utilization, except keeping the reception area the original height. There’s just so much to see in Italy: museums, castles, churches and landscapes, etc, the list goes on and on. But let’s be honest – a trip to Italy isn’t just about sightseeing. It’s also the perfect reason to indulge in some of the best shopping in the world. In Italy, fine craftsmanship is everywhere, and the opportunities to pick up luxurious goods – as well as beautiful budget-friendly trinkets – are literally around every corner. This project is a luxury house located in Malaysia, with an area of 800 square meters. In this case, the designer switches between the sedate and leap from the vivid range of colour, and creates the atmosphere of different functional areas. The sedate colour is applied to sitting room, dining-room, family hall, while the kitchen, toilet, master room, guest room, children room are adopted with concise active colour. On 13th August, 2017, a new G.e.t. Casa showroom has opened in Yuyao Redstar Macalline. With plenty guests’ witness, including architects, interior designers and working partners, G.e.t. Casa Yuyao has shown her charm on the stage of fashion and stylish. JOY BOX is located in Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li, Chengdu, a salad paradise for families, lovers and friends to explore healthy food. With the aim of providing the guests unlimited experience, JOY BOX not only focuses on delicious and healthy food. Comfortable environment is another important reason for a customer to stay. Holding a Swiss Pass gives you a privilege of using all public transport vehicles in Swiss, including trains, cruise ships, long-distance buses, and city buses, for a duration within the valid period. It is also free to visit more than 400 museums around the country, including popular tourist attractions such as the Olympic museum in Lausanne and West Yong Castle. In Europe, only Switzerland has a pass that covers public transport across the country. Take it, and the traffic and attractions in Switzerland won't bother! Dining is always a big part of travelling. Wherever we travel, we should always pay attention to the rituals and rule of local dining, in order to have a wonderful dining experience and hence a memorable journey. The following will tell you some of the Italian dining etiquette. Besides being able to enjoy local lovely foods, hope you will also be able to have a wonder dining experience with your families in Italy. Located in an ecological area in Chengdu, China, it is actually an elegant design project for a luxurious mansion. The tension and contrast between the contemporary elements and the classical Chinese environment are the features of the design, which give people the feeling of time travel. No more limits! Visit G.e.t. Showrooms through VR technology. Modernity and simplicity are the foundations of G.e.t. Casa showroom design. Through designs of the interior and presentation of products, G.e.t. Casa is aimed at inspiring people with the quality of living and style. G.e.t. Casa applies the same design concept to create showrooms in different cities to create a strong brand identity, and allow people anywhere to experience the same inspiration of a quality living and style. In early July of this summer, G.e.t "2017 Franchise Strategic Conference" was held in Phuket, Thailand. G.E.T. has invited the representatives of franchisees all around China, and brand partners: Ceramica Sant'Agostino, Cerdisa & Cisa and Cambria, all gathered in this picturesque scenery, to share with each other, and further explore the business strategy. "Less is more." is always recognized and advocated in the world of design. However, there are too many outside factors that limit and strain designers to input “MORE” rather than creating a design in accordance with the original concept. The Riviera is one of the luxurious residential properties in Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou. In this project, not only emerging the Chinese and Western elements, the designer creates a modern environment of style. This penthouse is built at an area that is so close to nature: Mountain, beach, country park, horse-riding, golf club, you name it. Owner of this house adores cleanliness and nature, as simple as it sounds the concept of this house is based on the color and use of natural materials. Italy is named as the capital of design. In the past, the architectures across the ancient Europe had been greatly inspired by the ancient Italian architectures. However, after a number of historical and cultural moves that led to the revolution of other styles of European architectures, the phenomenon of the Italian architectures had also been affected. In the coming paragraphs, we will disclose several styles employed in Italy after the Roman period. In the Milan Road, Tea Garden, Nan’an District, Chongqing, China, there is a project in which the designer uses a modern design language to illustrate the pursue for the perfection of arts. By not making any exaggeration, pursue of nature is achieved by simplicity, providing a quiet yet comfortable living area for modern people. Just being simple in every aspect of our lives. This project is a luxurious 3-room apartment in Island Resort which is a high-end residential property located in Chai Wan, Hong Kong.G.e.t. Casa provides a wide range of tile elements. The Mamocrea Collection by Sant’ Agostino Ceramica is used for the flooring. Its clear and detailed pattern of the natural marble enriches the visual details and elegant ambience of the space. This project is located in Jianye Region, Nanjing, confronting Jiajiang River and Yangtze River. The whole property of Tian Zheng Bin Jiang is positioned as a rather high-class property in the region. In this project, simplicity plays as the main concept for the interior design. The color combination of black, white and grey provides new inspiration for the interior. The depth of colors defines the freshness and complexity. Given the needs for the satisfaction of functions, it has also connected everything, from space, human and objects into something relatively remarkable and meaningful. G.e.t. Casa is proud to provide flooring tile products for the integration between the interior and the exterior of the resort. In the area of a Chinese restaurant, tiles by G.e.t. Casa is laid on the floor, which symbolic pattern and colors add a dramatic and filmlike sensation into the area. On the contrary to the brick wall, it creates a strong sense of integration of the western and eastern colors. G.e.t. Casa is honored with the “2017 Famous Brands Hong Kong” at April, and being invited to attend the “2016 Famous Brands Hong Kong Awards Presentation and 2017 1st round Selected Brand Announcement” event, held at Hong Kong Domain Mall on 20th April 2017. Mr. Kim Cheng, the Associate Partner of Hong Kong district, represented G.e.t. Casa to accept the honor on stage. The project is the first operating shop for LePur, a young Beijing based brand focused on producing high quality fresh yogurt. The client was asking to design something related to the traditional image of a yogurt shop, white and clean, and yet reveals the values of health, fresh and natural with a more contemporary, young and innovative image. “2016-17 GSDA Ceramic Art Innovation”, a world-wide design competition co-run by G.e.t. Casa and the Italian Ceramic Manufacturer – Ceramica Sant’ Agostino, has been accomplished in last year. Following the creativity sowed on the tiles, today it is a flower blossoming time in the early spring at Milan Salone Del Mobile Design Week. Some people perceive that “Interior Design” is simply about fully or partially removing, reseting and placing any new furniture and accessories to decorate, etc. However, “Interior Design” is more than just that. In fact, it is a knowledge that covers a wide range of fields. Those fields include Arts, Construction and Architecture, etc. Furthermore, sometimes and somehow “Interior Design” is no longer only about the interior, but also about the emergence of the interior and outdoor surroundings. It allows the interior to absorb the outdoor ambience and extend the interior sensation to the outdoor environment. It enables us to feel the preset ambience even in the surroundings of the interior. The linear site originally fosters a linear narrow architectural block with a juxtaposition gesture. However, the 180 degree sea view fosters a stronger Superimposition setting by opening up the architectural massing to create a central void for both airiness and openness as well as creating a strong visual linkage around the interior of the Lodge. Grey was traditionally regarded an uninteresting color. However, if used carefully and skillfully, grey color is able to create different gradient style with different visual effects. In the world of colors, Grey has a neutral characteristic. When used alone or as the main tone, it is able to provide a comfortable vision and sense. While matched with other colors or used as a transition, it is able to loosen the contrast between colors, softening the edges and corners between tones. Located midway between the Forbidden City and Beijing Capital Airport, Poly International Plaza occupies a prominent position in a new business district adjacent to the Capital Airport Expressway. The project site comprises a main tower and two smaller supporting towers. The elliptical footprint of the three towers frees the buildings from the rigid geometry of the adjoining urban fabric, allowing the landscape of surrounding parks to continue seamlessly through the project site. The landscaping covers garage ramps and egress stairs, minimizing their visual impact while creating a tranquil, undulating topography with pedestrian paths. As an international manufacturer, Gardenia Orchidea is devoted to designing and producing supreme and styled Italian ceramic products. Gardenia has gained a long-lasting reputation and history in China. G.e.t. Casa is now gladly cooperated with this renowned Italian Ceramic Brand. The latest Supreme Ceramic collection – Taste is now available in G.e.t. Casa, and only in G.e.t. Casa. Try a new way to experience the same premium quality of Italian brand. A famous Chinese Litterateur, Mr. Yu Qiuyu, once sighed that the culture of Europe is great and mature. The European people combine and integrate their histories, modern civilization, personal freedom and moral standards. Before flying to Hungary, I believed in this claim. However, after my arrival in Budapest, my mindset is reset. The East Europe may be seriously affected by the ruling of Soviet Union in the past. Being compared to the West Europe, it is little bit behind in terms of urban development. Although there is a tiny lack of delicacies and a language barrier (most people in Hungary are not able to speak English), when you dig deeper and discover more, you will soon realize that facts are different from what we might expect. Generally, People in Hungary are passionate, city is in orders, architectures are of special styles, views are fascinating, and Laws are completely set up, etc. The 5th Edition of G.e.t. Magazine is now available. G.e.t. Magazine is designed for all professionists in world of design & architecture, widely recognized by the lovers of design & architecture, designers and architects. Having the brand concept of “Beyond Living．Beyond Lifestyle” , G.e.t. Magazine is positioned to talk about the latest and coolest building decorative materials, projects and even some of Italian cultural topics. In the Spring Cleaning, only cleaning is not enough for the New Year. Protection is the last resort for the big day. But the question is how we could preserve the surface or covering for the best outcome. G.e.t. Casa is able to provide you with the bestand yet easy solution for any difficulties in cleaning, keeping our places in the best shape. According to the Chinese Traditions, people should clean their living or working place thoroughly before the Chinese Lunar New Year. However, a wide kind of dirt & stains in different places and corners post a serious headache to many people. To help people with a thorough cleaning, a detail-oriented company like G.e.t. Casa launches a series of effective products to remove all kinds of dirt and stains, and protect your places for the New Year! After the great designs and organizations, G.e.t Casa showroom in Changzhou is now to show you the latest and hottest designs，styles and different kinds of constructional materials from Italy .We look forward to seeing you in our new showroom! This year is a milestone for G.e.t. Casa, while G.e.t. Casa is now working together with one of the biggest manufactures of tiles and ceramics in the world – Ricchetti Group, to create new chapter for the Chinese and Hong Kong markets. Profilpas is an internationally famous brand of metal profiles products from Italy. The 23rd of November in 2016 is not only the grand opening for The Wing of Imported product of Fusen-Noble House in Chenghua District, Chengdu; but also the grand opening of the 2nd showroom of G.e.t. Casa in Chengdu. The second round of “2016 – 17 GSDA Ceramic Art Innovation” has been completed. Thank you for your waiting and supports! It is time to announce the winners of “Best Product Design Award” and “Most Creative Design Asia Award”. From 26th Sep to 30th Sep, the mega 5-day event of "Cersaie 2016 Bologna" has already ended with a splash in the world. This year, it has attracted more than 100,000 visitors from around the world; and all exhibitors have shown their finest and latest products and designs. G.e.t. Casa takes you to enjoys some of the highlights. “2016 – 17 GSDA Ceramic Art Innovation” by G.e.t. Casa & Sant’ Agostino Ceramica, has raised a wide awareness in the country. After an exciting national voting of 2 weeks, let’s find out the most popular voted painting tiles! New showrooms of the Innovative building material brand G.e.t. Casa launched in Tianjin and Xian in March and May this year! As usual, G.e.t. Casa designers adopt the luxurious construction material showcase design and showroom space to enhance the visualizing experience for the architects and designers. The natural and elegant parquet flooring is the global and latest trend in interior design, to fulfill the high-end aesthetic and quality needs, G.e.t. Casa vigorously introduces the Italian Royal parquet flooring – Gazzotti. The first 2 showrooms will be launched in Hong Kong and Shanghai soon, providing variety of choices for designers who are seeking innovative building materials. For the design of the VIP room in Jiaxing, the Design Director of Fei Fan construction materials company creates an extraordinary interior style with luxury products by G.e.t Casa. G.e.t. Casa Guangzhou showroom was officially re-launched on 28th April, 2015 following the renovation, it marked a milestone for the development in the high-end interior design in Guangdong. Woods Bagot is the biggest architectural consultancy from Australia, having studios around the globe. It is honorable for G.e.t. Casa to invite a talented Architect from Woods Bagot – Billy Ip , to express their corporate concept and designing philosophy. One of the greatest annual events in the world of designs, The 2014 Guangzhou Design week has been completed on December 5-7, 2014, at the Guangzhou Poly World Trade Centre Expo which is able to accommodate few 10 thousands people everyday. G.e.t. Casa is very pleasant to have the international Architectural Designer - Mr. Barrie Ho on the initial “Beyond Living . Beyond Lifestyle”. This project is an apartment of 2 stories with more than 400 square feet. To create a nice home for a young couple, the designer puts FMG Marmi Statuario Venato Extra for the living room’s floor. G.e.t. Casa is the sole agent for a number of the historical and listed brands in Asian world, which includes Coem, Cerdisa, Cisa, Gardenia, Ceramica Sant’ Agostino, Floorgres, Viva, Fioranese and Tonalite etc. Given the combination of history and advanced technology, it results in the stylish design, uniqueness and durability of the products, providing you with an amazing interior appearance and a long-lasting living place. “Natural” and “Elegant” should be used to describe this collection. With the slip-resistant arrangement of the surface, Lanstone collection is suitable for all spaces of the interior, providing safety for the people and an elegant style for the design. Emerging with different style and interior elements, it is able to create a modern and minimal design that likes no others. A sense of cement craftsmanship is added into the colored base to enhance the charm of the design, intensifying the taste and ambience of the space. The availability of different colors is able to satisfy the chase for innovation in design, while the feature of different dimension allows it to go into different environment to innovate and create any vivid and unique design. Collection preserves the natural surfaces and textures of steamed woods, as well as the uniqueness of lives. The random and vivid patterns of wood creates specialty for both vision and texture. The modernity and warmth of the collection make it easy to match with different elements, and creates comfort and yet innovation. Besides the natural patterns of old woods, it also puts oxidized colors to imitate the image of those old shops in Modena. The HD digital printing with 3D effects creates a series of non-repeated patterns of 5 square meters, illustrating the appearance of the genuine woods without being artificial. The rectified arrangement allows the perfect installation and matching to create more perfect interior designs. Innovation has no limits. Blue sky is to be the paper when clouds and rainbow are to be the inks. The advanced HD Digital printing technology instills metal and cement elements, turning blue sky into an artistic laboratory. The emergence of different elements creates different styles of specialty. In addition to the rich texture and color of the marble, our greediness keeps pursuing its immaculate and extraordinary. The designer traces back to the 16th century European style of Palladian architecture, and falls in love with history through pioneer production techniques. Walks/1.0 provides an abstract yet precise interpretation of the aesthetic properties of quartzite in a perfect synthesis of nature and technology. Aesthetical precision, rigor and formal cleaning distinguish the color choices that characterize the series, accentuating its unconventional simplicity. Naturalness is one the elements that modern designs always feature. Wild collection reinterprets the genuine naturalness of natural rocks and stones. Having different colors and natural textures to illustrate the true touch of natural rocks and stones, Wild collection is able to provide a unique experience of extraordinary sensation of the wild. Graph or millimeter paper, which the aim of being adopted by designers and end users as a drawing tool for vertical and horizontal surfaces, is printed with fine lines making up a regular grid used for precision drawings. This is where the Graph Collection comes from. With its micro patterns and color contrasts, the Graph collection makes its mark on any room. With the clear aim of arousing amazement and distinct architectural styles, the provocation of the No-Code Collection lies in having combined two different materials: wood and leather. This effort is an unprecedented, audacious and powerful combination. The Patchwork Collection through graphic styles and color combinations, this collection which in small sizes (20x20cm) recalls and reinterprets the tradition in a contemporary key. The Venetian terrazzo was invented in the 16th century by the Italian. Because of its high plasticity, the Venetian terrazzo could be found in different design styles. And now this vintage design of terrazzo is transforming from ordinary building materials into a stylish design element. In the past, the color and the design of terrazzo were quite conservative: the fundamental choices were always dark green and blue. Whereas the new generation of terrazzo is more innovative in its color: simplicity and elegance. The Corrispondenza collection is inspired by a collection of old, folded and yellowed letters that had been preserved like origami artworks from times gone by. At the meantime, as a project that entirely by hand pained, this latest creation is dedicated to a romantic and compelling ritual, the art of “writing”. Woods are the living elements. The Barkwood Collection is the art of moving warmth by wood in a room. This collection recalls the fruity essences of wood that makes the internal environment alive and vivid, with its warm chromatic or neutral shades, the smooth motion of the graphics, and the light surface texture. The Seventy Thirty Collection with its soft structures and modern matte colors represents the very last trend, and it gives a taste of modern and classic at the same time. In this wall-tiling collection, the size of 7.5x30 cm presents all its beauty and simplicity. Soft structure with matte colors gives this collection a unique touch without being too extreme. Soap stone is a metamorphic rock that mined in Italy, the United States and Brazil. Depending on where the soap stone is mined from, it has different colors run from grey to green and to black. This kind of stone is extremely hard and extremely, as a result, it is widely used to create cooking implements and kitchen tops at its origin. Given a unique pattern and a strong resistance to pressure and corrosion, quartzite is widely used in architecture and interior design. Inspired by this kind of rock, the new Quarzite Collection gives you the quartzite a remarkable natural pattern and texture. Marble effect is a popular building material because of its natural and unique appearance. There is no identical pattern between any piece of natural marble while every piece has their own remarkable pattern like fingerprint, allowing creativity in the interior. The Highstone Collection is the latest stone effect porcelain collection. This collection draws inspiration from a Nordic limestone, starting from the color range to achieve the natural finish of surface. Pure, Natural, Elegant, Flow has been designed to enhance environments valuable and is addressed to those end-users who love interior design. The “tailoring” of Ceramica Sant’Agostino is the pioneering company and leader of this current trend in weaving ceramic surfaces. Through the unique and original collection DIGITALART already on the market, Ceramica Sant’Agostino completes with the FINEART Collection, one more innovative fabric porcelain collection which inspired by the art of sensitive weaving fabrics. This collection highly presents the delicate soft tones and the fine texture of fabrics. A reference to modernism, Linea 40 collection is to use chromatic tone as the background and regular geometric shapes that bring styles to the environment. The design stands out in the infinite potential of a highly versatile cladding element of unique character. Available in 2 finishes, warm and deep colors, Linea 40 offers creative inspiration for designing any space with originality. The Decorline Collection, including plain color design and wealthy graphic patterns, tells many fantastic fairy tales on the wall. Rock collection emerges the natural texture and sensation of rocks with the needs for great designs anywhere. Even though rock is perceived as a hard and tough material which is always used in outdoor area, but Rock collection allows designers and architects to create a natural rock-looked effect for any space. The range of dimensions and colors enable Shadebox to go into different spaces and match with different styles of designs. For either project or household designs, it is always one of the best choices for the best layout of walls and floors. Shadestone collection with linear grain surface is one of the most elegant and unique products in the interior design industry. THEMAR is the research of marble perfection through the ceramic surface. The name of the collection is self-explanatory: “The Mar-ble”: Four sources of inspiration: the expressive power of the Statuario Venato; the delicate shades of Lasa marble - also known as “white gold” -; the universal warmth of Crema Marfil and colour depth of Grigio Savoia. The visual characteristics of the original stone are reproduced with so much material wealth and perfection in the details, so as to give unique beautiful and natural features to these slabs. The essential synthesis of aesthetics and quality of materials, TIPOS is the latest evolution in the ceramic travertines, chosen among some of the rarest and most noble in nature along with other invented, with a profound aesthetic design, and an emblem of the artistic and artisan value by Ceramica Sant’Agostino. The collection finds its full expression in the slabs of Travertino Rigato presented in the 60x120 cm - 24”x48” version and designed to achieve a perfect tiling “in the continuous vein”, which enhances the richness of the most precious travertine. Lacca collection makes use of the natural beauty to reflect the texture of the stage, and the dedication to arts by artists and dancers. By combining the modern colors and marks of stages, Lacca collection considerately creates an imperfection, and hence gives a familiar yet warm sensation for different spaces. The natural arrangement of the surface allows Lacca to match with different design styles to create a natural and relaxing interior environment. Chalet collection emerge the advantages between woods and tiles. The genuine wood patterns are achieved with the ceramic bodies. It preserves the natural sensation and beauty of woods, and even enhances the durability of the surface. Generally, Chalet collection brings the beauty and charm of Alps into different spaces. This collection is generally clean and suitable for the creation of different spaces. The availability of a wide range of colors and non-patterned design provide boundless creativity, from the residential to public area, from the wall to floor. The production process makes use of internationally certified green element and, recycle and energy facilities; the system is even granted with LEED certification. Along with different finishing and sizes in all available sizes, it is able to satisfy the needs of different projects. The raw and natural pattern reflects the actual travertine, while the naturally disordered pattern creates a special visual effect. The minimal colors of black, white and silver illustrate the perfect combination of creativity and elegance. There are three main elements of Balsamic Vinegar which have been immersed into TASTE – the oak barrel, the wax and the white fine gauze. Just like the traditional Balsamic Vinegar, the pattern and tone of Taste collection are expressing the historical story and unique mellow feeling. Wood Mood is the interpretation of wood in porcelain stoneware inspired by the elegant and strongly contrasting colours of antique floors made from original woods, reclaimed and given new life: the wood shades blend randomly to create sophisticated settings with a strong personality. With a considerably dimensional cutting, arrow collection is able to create different layouts and hence different designs. Terre Nuove integrates advanced digital-printing technology and modern colors to illustrate the natural variation of rustic tiles in appearance and authenticity of styles, creating unlimited inspirations for outstanding three dimensional designs. By combining the characteristics of painted wood and tiles, Blendart is suitable for the contemporary architectural needs and designs. This collection recreates the charming veining of wood in a new version. The unfading aesthetics Inspired by the essence of nature wood, Charmwood collection brings the unfading and aesthetic appeal of the antique wood. Marmocrea Collection takes the most unique and special colors and patterns of the natural marble to form a shiny surface and a matte surface, turning the environment into a 6-star club and creating a 6-star elegance. Arabesque Collection is inspired by the ballet swings and moves, bringing the elegance in curve into the environment. Satin Collection is inspired by the true feeling and texture of sand. Shade is the collection which showcases all these features in a single product, allowing designers and architects to decorate environments in an aesthetically balanced way, without compromising resistance, durability and the anti-grip features. Shade provides an all-round solution for any environment. Linea 40 collection is able to fit into any space, from bathroom to kitchen, from corridor to feature wall. With the transformation from the raw into the soft, 99 volte grants a new life with an artistic characteristics to cement. The historical, the contemporary Native collection is featured with an extraordinary effect of “natural wear” for both indoor and outdoor, bringing the tactile softness inside out of the timeless surface. It transmits a sense of “eternal beauty”. Statale 9 brings civil and industrial elements into the slabs, making it outshine the ordinary wooden tiles in the world of modern design. Cement is a necessary architectural material. Given a unique texture and appearance, cement is able to transform and bring special characteristics into the interior design, giving a sensation of rough and muscularity. The colors used in this collection all are the vivid ones that bring the whole collection to life. The History and The Future The Urban Wood collection has a shabby design, bringing histories and telling stories for space, enriching its charm and driving it forward. The simple but special design makes Ferro Collection suitable for different indoor and outdoor environments. Along with the Minimalist and Modernity, the special surface of Ferro Collection brings the out beauty of details toward people. Concrete collection is able to create a sensation of being wild and original out of the contemporary design, enriching the content and imagination of the space. Cottage wood inherits the classical wooden pattern and transforms it with a dusty shade, making it more historical and so legendary. Modern architecture finds a new ally in Reside collection, the latest generation series featuring originality and elegance to create new design possibilities. Strong graphics and delicate nuances are the distinguishing marks of Reside, gracing any room with modern elegance, conferring each its own style. Pietra di Basalto is the synthesis of technological research and nature, faithful to the original material, a slightly off-tone stone which combines the technological performance of porcelain stoneware with the emotion of the stone’s surface. A taste of the natural fusion Reverse collection recreates the structural mass of concrete while merging with the impressed timber formwork to create a fusion taste of nature and texture. The interpretation of nature Geotech combines the markings on the fossil Madeira Woods and the texture of the fossil Madeira Rocks, with unique colors. When style is a natural attitude With the KRYSTAL Technology, a glossy and glazing surface has been created, making Jungle Lux as bright as crystals. Identical Inspiration．Different Feeling Walks/1.0 provides an abstract yet precise interpretation of the aesthetic properties of quartzite in a perfect synthesis of nature and technology. Simple . Practical . Eco E-wood is an eco-friendly collection. It conforms to the specifications for modern eco-sustainable buildings and is made of solid porcelain stoneware. Kreo is a modular surfaces system with a series of modular decorations, to enhance floorings and wall tiles for residential and public areas. The Pure, the Natural Jungle collection brings to the stage the evolution of ceramic wood effect. The Muse collection evokes the sophisticated lifestyle of the past, an elegance that lies in unique characteristics, sought-after materials and details. The transformation of traditions Featured with elegant graphics and patterns, Victoria architectural style traditionally stands for elegance and nobility. The contemporary tradition Maiolica, contemporary tradition. Ceramic reinvents itself by creating a new living style in which tradition becomes a source of inspiration for a contemporary look. Enhanced with refined decorative elements, Bellagio Collection interprets the classic taste in a chic and sophisticated style. Sensory Art The collection of MA.DE shows a combination of matters and design aesthetics, creating a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere, and a sense of art with different styles in design. Concept is a collection inspired by hand-applied resin floors which nowadays are heavily in demand both in architecture and in interior design. Treasure that lasts Accademia Collection is inspired by the Historical Artistic Floor "VENETIAN TERRAZZO". Simple．Modern Quarziti features a wealth of elements that are always different yet complementary, ideal for the creation of timeless design schemes. The royals of modernity Melt collection is inspired by the eternity of marble and its veins created by the passing of time, enriching the surfaces with sumptuous decorations in liberty style that create a pattern on the coating. Tradition becomes modern design Terre collection is able to give a fresh, extraordinarily natural twist to traditional floor and wall coverings. The modernity of the marble Marble Arch, the preciousness of marble. Refined and elegant shades take centre stage, thanks to unique and precious details that make the rooms full of character and personality. Soul is a collection of wall tile that captures all the intensity and the emotional power of colors. Revolutionary sensation Tamita is a modern classicism, which underlines the sensuality of ceramic coverings by rendering them strongly tactile. Nature 2.0 is inspired by most fascinating side of the ocean. The slabs have a background shade from blue to green in colour, recalling the sea-bed and water tints. Nature 2.0 not only creates a sense of pure nature in designs, but also an ocean of light and shade. Maxfine gives free reign to the creativity of architects and interior designers, providing the environments with a high technical quality and a new aesthetic pleasantness. The natural marble has a wide range of natural colors and patterns. FMG Marmi Classici captures the elegance and beauty of the valuable marbles. FMG Graniti comes with a wide range of natural colors and the natural texture of natural Granites, making it suitable for any design and architecture. Chromocode 3D is based on the concept of a brand that identifies color and texture, lending variety, strength, and depth to any architectual work, including interiors. Sensation of wildness Wild collection reinterprets the genuine naturalness of natural rocks and stones. Noble．Natural An amazingly shiny and glossy surface makes Viktoria outshine any other ceramic tiles in the modern design industry. Romantic collection represents the aesthetics of linearity, combined with the traditional beauty of designs, to create a masterly fashion for spaces. The classical collection S.Wood is one of the most demanding collections. The Contemporary Alabaster The name “Luxor” evokes the charm of ancient times and the preciousness of those materials that history brought us. Luxor preserves and transforms in the contemporary way that takes the environment into the next level. The collection of Travertini Imperiali represents nobility and elegance. The diamond in rooms The extremely sophisticated finishing, which is shiny and smooth, enables this collection to characterize the modern design for different spaces. Rays collection stands out from classic interpretations to visions of intensely modern projects in which design presents a pictorial grace of craftsmanship. Porcelainwood Active collection is inspired by the look and colors of fossil wood, illustrating the beauty of the combination of nature and modern designs, bringing an evolutional aesthetics into the space. Inspired by the monumental architecture of Tuscan square, Piazze Toscane collection combines the historical craftsmanship and the pattern of natural marbles to create an elegant sensation for the modern design. Paving Collection extends the wild style of rocks and the modernity of contemporary design into the exterior, providing harmony and practicality throughout spaces. Once Ocean collection is put in the space, the overall feeling and style of the space are harmonized with a well-being atmosphere. Neobarocco collection is fused with the sophisticated, elegant aesthetic hallmarks of classicism with the latest trends in furniture and interior design, exalting the dynamism of the collection’s forms and decorative elements. Inspired by the natural beauty of marbles, Elegance collection refines the aesthetic of modern designs. By merging the aesthetic appeal of natural marbles and geometry graphics, a new definition of spatial elegance is born. My Wall collection is a choice of eight modern and refined colors for tailoring walls to one’s personal taste in mono-chrome or any new combination of colors. Marmi Imperiali collection integrates the traditional marble working and the latest ceramic tile technologies to create a contemporary yet traditionally elegant products. Landscape collection merges the texture of clay with the natural pattern of rocks, giving a strong country feel to the space. Thanks to a great attention to details and different stone looks, I Marmi Italiani is perfectly reproduced to give charm and naturalness to these ceramic slabs designed for unique spaces and atmospheres. Flows is a collection of flooring with soft and modern aesthetics that is characterized with a natural movement of graphics that vary from piece to piece. Active Life Collection is designed for both indoor and outdoor environments. Given the patterns and textures of natural woods, this collection is able to create contemporary designs with style and providing a green and safe environment for the world. The products of Active Stone are designed for both indoor and outdoor environments. Featuring with the solid texture of natural rocks, Active Stone creates a style of modernity and simplicity. Roads Collection allows styles to travel throughout spaces, extending the beauty and design of the modern simplicity style. Travertini inherits the fibrous and concentric appearance of the natural travertine. The surface of Metal Line collection shines with its environs. Brightness and heat are absorbed and returned in the form of energy and movement. The environment is now animated and the interior mood is warmed by the play with light and reflection. Pure is inspired by the world of design, featuring the RAL colors and offering modern designs a chromatic adaptability that only a material created by the nature and man can offer. Pietre collection is aimed at creating a vivid style of simplicity and modernity. It is featured with a wide range of colors and textures of different kinds of natural stones which allows people to experience the natural in a contemporary way. Abita is able to grant emotional experience out of the ordinary, by changing the space into an intimate place to live in peace and harmony. The environment becomes an emotional space, fondling the sense of beauty in a unique way. Wood is an absolutely unique and beautiful product of nature and is never manufactured to consistent specifications. Its natural imperfections are part of its appeal and character. Every piece of wood can be slightly or noticeably different in color, texture and grain from every other piece, even pieces from the same tree. Gazzotti is the sole supplier of wooden parquet for Italian Royal Family. Gazzotti has more than 100 years of history of producing parquet. Gerko Flooring Industries is a Belgian Boutique manufacturer of high end French oak flooring. They have been specialized in producing, structuring and coloring the oak floor since 1993, to make them look like real reclaimed wood with most modern machinery. Gerko guarantees their own 100 % Belgian manufacturing, which reflects the very high quality standards. When building wooden house, ancient wood materials is one kind of precious elements in western countries. Gerko discovered a great source to produce flooring from reclaimed oak beams and planks that come from old Belgian and French barns. This is the Barn Collection, retaining the unique cracks and wood eyes that are created by the years. Inspired by the wood that you find along the beach in French, the Driftwood Collection can be recognized by their weathered, uneven surfaces and looks. The Antique Collection is a unique collection of distressed old looking floors. The distressed edge and surface in this collection have been especially developed to create the look of a 100-years old looking floor. The Design Collection is a French, white oak floorboards collection. Oiled, smoked, brushed, micro-beveled edges … This collection fits perfectly in a more modern interior. Vintage is the wood floor that has revolutionized the definition of Home. Life collection especially designed for those searching for a prestigious floor, in a high concern of the details with an extremely natural appearance. Inkiostro Bianco (I.B.) is a company specialized in the production of continuous and decorative artistic and customizable thin coverings.　It is a brand, an ambitious project and a workshop of ideas applied to the design and production of decorative graphics, whose goal is to reinterpret the interior wall coverings for all surfaces. Pictorial art and digital graphics converge in the Inkiostro Bianco range to form original creations with a strong personality. This results in exciting canvases that transform surfaces into avant-design accessories. Inkiostro Bianco (I.B.) is a company specialized in the production of continuous and decorative artistic and customizable thin coverings. An attitude in line with the traditional critical role of most of collage and décollage as an artistic technique of denunciation, to Andrisano, it is a complex investigation of identity, identification and gap between generations. Smooth and intersected grain for a wood that can be carved with the ease with which it fills the room. Fascinating, alluring, sought-after: the stylistic and linguistic choice tends towards classiness with a strong personality. author has been able to develop a path which , rereading syntactic and visual elements of mass communication , active approach creative artistic representation in the direction of a "New Italian Pop Art " . The change is expressed through an ease uninhibited that dares the combination of baroque and eighteenth-century re-enactments, country scenes and ladies figure. Stylized floral weaves spotted emerging from a background as wall tattoos. Collection: Burnt Ichiama a simple story, that of the earth, the origins of the family. The paper shows the signs of the ancient Japanese art, without revealing the complex and fragile form from which it was released. Designer: Barbara Varini From 1996 to 2011 he worked first as a creative graphic, then as an art director in two advertising agencies, experiences that give way to confront commercial areas, very different needs and communication tools. The unbreakable bond with the beauty the door to an interest in furniture, art, photography and to keep alive the wonder of all that brings itself an aesthetic value. Collection: Backyard A beating of wings transforms the environment. Pinned on the fabric, woven in floral pattern, butterflies are drawn on the fabric with perfection. Fragile and happy, light as a petal, like a thin anddiscreet decoration. Collection: Brera The heart of the city, enclosed in your room.Neighborhoods, streets, buildings: a map of the path of everyday existence that redesigns the environment and perhaps even the lives of those who walk. Collection: My dam A damask decoration material stealing the colors of nature, in shades of sand, the clay, through the plant and the intense blue green. Combined with a wooden bottom follows the natural grain for a draped effect. The effect is a soft tissue in seven shades for modern -classic environments. L’Opificio Collection Fabric and paper amalgamate, creating contrasts between materials, blending lively and profound shades and bringing to life unprecedented captivating atmospheres. Fabric decoration and weave find a new space for expression and environments take on a warmer and more sophisticated dimension. All graphics have been inspired by fabrics of Turin-based manufacturers of furnishing fabrics and velvets. Collection: Palace The Seletti objects, the recognized brand and proven throughout the world for a series of collections that have launched design classics, come on saved thanks to the collaboration with Inkostro White. Creativity and artistic ideas come together to overcome the limits imposed by the object and embark on a new journey of design and beauty. Collection: Eggs of Columbus The Seletti objects, the recognized brand and proven throughout the world for a series of collections that have launched design classics, come on saved thanks to the collaboration with Inkostro White. Creativity and artistic ideas come together to overcome the limits imposed by the object and embark on a new journey of design and beauty. Designer by well-known designers across the globe. Designer collection is aimed at providing the most stylish and charming art to dress up and improve the environment. Designer: Dany Vescovi Dany Vescovi was born in 1969 in Milan , the city where he currently lives and works . For several years Bishops pursues and goes on a floral theme that has become a personal standard . The dark colour, the solid consistency and the fine grain. An ideal textured surface for floors or walls, in unexpected associations with other materials. Collection: Cerere Earth, plants and air. The design of nature becomes color, food and design are mixed on the surface with warm tones of a summer camp. Collection: Tin Can The Seletti objects, the recognized brand and proven throughout the world for a series of collections that have launched design classics, come on saved thanks to the collaboration with Inkostro White. Creativity and artistic ideas come together to overcome the limits imposed by the object and embark on a new journey of design and beauty. Matter, in its most natural form, meets décor. The wood, marble and concrete reveal intrinsic elegance in the details of their grain. Designer: Piero Cane In 1994 she opened her first personal and significant in Casale Monferrato , followed by solo and group exhibitions . Intense colors , neon , colorful paints and contrasts for a decoration from unexpected symmetries , with references to nature and objects of the past lingering charm . Quality wood, in its various tones and textures, takes on a new dimension in a hypnotic game of shapes that gives the surface an elaborate three-dimensional effect. The decor meets the stone for a contemporary reinterpretation of the ancient earthenware. Collection: Chateaux Glitzy and opulent. On graph paper the project is meticulous. The fineness of detail suggests the luxury inherent in the realization. Collection: Avenue Canestro The Opificio by Inkiostro White: all the graphics in the collection start from the tissues of the Opificio, Turin manufacturer of fabrics and velvet furniture, reworked graphically in collaboration with Inkiostro White for digital printing on vinyl or EQ -Decor. Seletti collection Objects by Seletti, a successful brand well-known throughout the world for a series of collections that launched design classics, have now become décor thanks to the company’s collaboration with Inkiostro Bianco. Creativity and artistic inspiration come together to surpass the limits of the object and embark on a new journey in the pursuit of design and beauty. Innovative graphics completely cover the room, enhancing its charm. Freed from all constraints, the images jump out from the surfaces, their size and impact expanding, captivating the gaze and magnifying every sensation. Designer: Carlo Cane Miniaturist and goldsmith for several years . These are not just images impressed onto paper, but sensations expressed on surfaces, bringing exclusive value to environments. All the graphics have been designed by Inkiostro Bianco’s creative workshop. Incidentally, broken, color, cut and assembled: so compact, so flexible. Collection: Chysan Almost a quilt.Cushioning effect for the brown skin from unexpected nuances. The temptation is to lean on the soft. Collection: Paralume The Seletti objects, the recognized brand and proven throughout the world for a series of collections that have launched design classics, come on saved thanks to the collaboration with Inkostro White. Creativity and artistic ideas come together to overcome the limits imposed by the object and embark on a new journey of design and beauty. Fabric and paper amalgamate, creating contrasts between materials, blending lively and profound shades and bringing to life unprecedented captivating atmospheres. Nicoletta Ceccoli invites us to slip into the dream of her diaphanous protagonists. Geometric figures playing in symmetry with the scales giving flexibility to austerity inherent in leather and creating dynamic coatings and extremely elegant. Flowers stand out against the rock, bringing a touch of lightness to the solidity of the material. In mass production, the stone surface is shown their true nature. An army of tiny robots vintage flavor engraved on the wall. Designer: Francesco Botti In the field of fine art he has planned and designed the pediatric ward of the hospital in Modena, achieved anatomical illustrations for the school district and produced designs for various publishing projects. Collection: Costura Almost a quilt.Cushioning effect for the brown skin from unexpected nuances. The temptation is to lean on the soft. Objects by Seletti, a successful brand well-known throughout the world for a series of collections that launched design classics, have now become décor thanks to the company’s collaboration with Inkiostro Bianco. It is impossible to miss the connotation, just a microgeometric Greek pattern to give the surface flexibility. Natural like wood, soft as the shades of the sea and sand. recovery and light decorations material for a color contrast marked by a letter enigmatic and symbolic. Designer: Barbara Varini From 1996 to 2011 he worked first as a creative graphic, then as an art director in two advertising agencies, experiences that give way to confront commercial areas, very different needs and communication tools. Collection: Dioniso Intense and ruby as the berry pulp, like the rose that intertwines the lives, like wine, like the lips of which flows, like passion. Designer: Cosimo Andrisano An attitude in line with the traditional critical role of most of collage and décollage as an artistic technique of denunciation, to Andrisano, it is a complex investigation of identity, identification and gap between generations. Designer: Giuseppe Linardi In the present is a polyvalent artist who, in addition to the decoded pictures, creates installations and sculptures with plans in the future to also deal with video , convinced that every idea has necessarily its half. Charmant collection Fascinating, alluring, sought-after: the stylistic and linguistic choice tends towards classiness with a strong personality. The decorations are more three-dimensional and independent than ever before. Paper becomes fabric, leather, paintings, matter and art. Collection: K`op Strong as stone, is designed like a geometric overlap . Who says that is good only for the floor? Fine fabrics with soft and rich decorations that appear to emerge in relief like rugs, real damasks or brocades. Collection: Lapislazzulo Naming precious and vintage flavor for the composition of tiles available in the versions on blue or gray shades. A revival in marble base. Inkiostro Bianco collection Innovative graphics completely cover the room, enhancing its charm. Freed from all constraints, the images jump out from the surfaces, their size and impact expanding, captivating the gaze and magnifying every sensation. Elegance and geometry backdrop to the large still lifes of Noblesse Oblige range on refined brocade appear similar inserts tiles which focus attention on the details of the composition. Collection: Match A stone carved in geometric structure of cardboard effect, ideal for an unusual floor on the gray shades. Designer: Susanna Mandelli Philip Stecconi, graphic since 1995, began his career working with the internationally renowned architect and designer Massimo IosaGhini. Collection: Faba Like a treasure chest that hides a treasure, like a room that borders shared intimacy, as a pod enclosing her legume. It protects it and brings it to maturity. As the most natural of nursing acts. Collection: Saloon Like recycled material, as if the wooden boards had been nailed together to divide the space temporarily. Effect coffered oak in two colors: natural or gray smoke. Collection: Freetime Fragments of memories on the cabinets. Moments of victory and effort, moments of competition and shared joy, a sports metaphor. Designer: Dany Vescovi For several years Bishops pursues and goes on a floral theme that has become a personal standard. Precise lines, tone-on- tone shades, coatings glazed, three-dimensional facets. Collection: Traces The decor is structured to effect the color game is geometrical and the reference material is cooked. no perfect time for a stylish and comfortable floor a classic style. Collection: Karoi Sketches, scribbles and strokes: on the lines of the book the author's hand comes from afar. From an East that prefers the soft decoration, where the seabed, marine animals and corals can be glimpsed and overlap furnishing with discretion. Designer: Stefano Fioresi Thanks to its experience in the advertising industry, passing through a particular and innovative reinterpretation of elements of the Pop Art of the Seventies and Eighties. Collection: Ville Lumiere That you admire the banks of the Seine or from the top of the Eiffel Tower, its skyline remains special. Is that unique and magical city that illuminates everything. Even an ironic composition of plaster, electrical wires and illustration. Collection: Koan Creativity and artistic ideas come together to overcome the limits imposed by the object and embark on a new journey of design and beauty. Fabrics with an antique flavour bring to life impressive settings, in which the surfaces acquire a warm and stylish three-dimensional quality. Collection: Floral Waves A wall of bleached axes and work with delicate laser engraving for a natural effect and live panel. Collection: Damasco Mild and delicate, yet imprinted on the stone. Porphyry appears on a damask decor in soft shades, ideal for both walls and floors. Designer: Dany Vescovi The artist combines figurative and abstract geometric painting with photographic precision, in compositions with a strong dynamism . Collection: Strange World A portion of the world in your room. The hemisphere is designed to stretch the fabric enhanced by a minute of geometries game. Designer: Dany Vescovi The artist combines figurative and abstract geometric painting with photographic precision, in compositions with a strong dynamism. Reliefs and ripples to form the impressive graphics frame but never heavy. A strong palette of shades of red and brown living, is coupled to hot and tribal neutral, on a background of abundant shades of gray and beige. Collection:ToraTora A trip, a map, a mountain, a plane.Definitely a project that deserves to be realized. Designer: Carlo Cane In 1994 she opened her first personal and significant in Casale Monferrato, followed by solo and group exhibitions. Collection: White Raw Work in progress: almost finished, almost ready to welcome you. Just like your story. Designer: Stefano Fioresi the author has been able to develop a path which, rereading syntactic and visual elements of mass communication. Collection: Zee Stone, fabric and light blue. The raw material is mixed with color in soft and wavy shapes. A texture that immediately recalls the sea, the primary source of life and inspiration, for a poetic suggestion of the wall. Designer: Nicoletta Ceccoli Nicoletta Ceccoli invites us to slip into the dream of her diaphanous protagonists. Collection: Urban Rose A written, maybe a poem, a rose and on the bottom the city that fades. Perhaps a dedication, perhaps a memory. Artists collection covers the original artistic works of many internally famous artists from Italy. Collection: Box 6 A factory, perhaps a workshop.Abandoned atmosphere, hints of experienced, serial and intensive work. A retro urban perspective that gives new value to the room. Collection: Bye ByeDargonfly A sweet farewell between flowers, dragonflies and cloth.Contrasting styles of illustration as the character of the protagonists of the scene. Designer: Jeanie Leung he wants to touch people's hearts deeply with her drawings and paintings. Collection: Candywall colored tiles ? colorful mosaic ? No, a colored paper and modular can liven up any room with its sweetness . Collection: Dreamland The roots well sunk in the clouds, frames pinned to the sky waiting for a subject and a suspended cabin: is the space of your dreams, fill it. A country of rusty metal watercolors in which to get lost. Collection: Fuzzy Foam Carved like a beehive, a geometric superposition of stone that touches the effect tile. In simplicity, the class that never tires. Collection: Happy Terry In search of the wings : a race between robot , butterflies and cloth . Contrasting styles of illustration as the character of the protagonists of the scene . Designer: Barbara Varini Barbara in 2011, acquired extensive and versatile experience, starts its design studio and began to work even styling of virtual environments and to wallpaper graphics. Special attention to the color, harmony and elegance are features common to many of his projects. Collection: Merry Go Throughout childhood enclosed in an image, cheerful and sweet moments like the slow whirlwind of carefree carousel. It's time to have fun. Collection: Pink Metal As a watercolor on metal slides, it widens to compose an indefinite decorum and iridescent. Pink effect on etched glass for a sharp contrast between the soft brushstroke and the coldness of the metal sheet. Designer: Davide Lovatti His work is a relentless pursuit interested in conjunctions, connections, relationships between idea and form, between tracks and decipherment . Collection: Poem Immortalala and let her go. A photo, a written, a page to fix that memory, a wall would not forget it. The profile of a woman, a sailboat, a sentence and a stamp: a glimpse of concrete that leaves room for interpretation . Collection: Postcard Light as the brush that defines it, the hummingbird is a decoration in watercolor on a stone finely engraved. A painting hanging in time and matter. Collection: R Hobby Like a scribble on a vintage saved . Irresistibly out of place and out of time. Collection: Separe Elegant, graceful and soft shapes, light and bright colors, in a single supplement is all the charm of a century by the contrasting styles . Refined and noble, the screen is the 800 original, with its wooden carvings, decorations on cloth and paintings on paper. Designer: Stefano Fioresi Author has been able to develop a path which, rereading syntactic and visual elements of mass communication, active approach creative artistic representation in the direction of a "New Italian Pop Art ". Collection: Sigh On tiptoe for a sigh. Light as the breath that in an instant the room and free your mind of all that is superfluous. It is a silhouette from the fifties inkling that stands out on the concrete wall intent to remove words, thoughts and objects. Collection: Sizeless The right fit ? What you decide. A notch on the wall for each milestone, a calculation for each objective, a number for each thought. Designer: Aura Zecchini Clear and enveloping lines that reveal a microworld underground made with great attention to detail and great compositional skill. Collection: Skin in bloom The energy of spring , skin refinement, for a wall flower in earthy tones . Collection: Slip out Fleeing from the past, by the immobility of a picture too close. Outside those limits, to freedom, down a staircase designed to stretch rope effect on a soft bottom wool bouclé . Collection: timeless The time has stopped, the hands are still as butterfly wings. Faded color, ripped the fabric, perhaps the remains of an ancient precious box is saved. Collection: Almati Eastern taste and corroded, hypnotic geometry and strong colors that characterize strongly the environment. Collection: Ancient Melody Warm tones and elegant, inspired by the flock. Thin graphic elements taken from antique fabrics and damask from painting for a backdrop suitable for any environment . Designer: Stefano Fioresi Author has been able to develop a path which, rereading syntactic and visual elements of mass communication. Collection: Breath As light as a breath, soft like a flower, like a breath on a wall in neutral paper shades. Through the artistic graphics and patterns, this collection is able to create an environment which is full of colors and personality. Collection: Caelestis Simply heavenly. Pregnant, intense and delicate. The immortal charm of sculpture for luxury environments where minimal is synonymous with refined and elegant. Designer: Piero Cane In 1994 she opened her first personal and significant in Casale Monferrato, followed by solo and group exhibitions . Collection: ClaCla The strength and the charm of an old bark confer authority and sophistication to the wall and to the environment. Collection: Crazy Flowers Seems to be able to perceive the scent, an eccentric flower alone furnishes the room. Collection: Cuisine Sucree An absolute pattern made from old vintage-inspired dishes and an exclusive seal by the sweetness fifties. Designer: Aura Zecchini The art of Aura Zecchini: ethereal and sinuous as reeds in the wind, fragile as rice paper, furniture and floating like butterfly wings. Collection: Enchanted forest Like a vision in the mist, the trunks are those of an enchanted forest. Collection: Flamingos A strong presence that watches silently and the environment fills with color. Collection: Floral Waves Stylized floral weaves spotted emerging from a background as wall tattoos. Light weight is not always easy. Collection: Free States Around the World on a wall. graphic overlays and background scratched for an innovative and vibrant décor that borders on three-dimensionality. Collection: Iceflor So icy so delicate, like a white flower in the snow. Collection: You and Me You and I, on my wall. An indelible statement on memories surface. Collection: Wood cut Sectioned and combined, show the lines of their own lives. Each with its size, each with its own history. Collection: My King Witty and irreverent, ironic illustration in black and white. The protagonist does not need any introduction. Collection: Tartan The symbol of a people on cloth, a defined pattern that is repeated to form a distinctive interweaving of elegance and pride. Collection: Mystic Garden In the balance between the exotic and the vintage, watching the bamboo reeds you dive into a mysterious garden. Collection: Tangle The TajMahal, Humayun's Tomb , the inspiration comes from the most famous Indian monuments. Frames around ports like arabesques in a candidly oriental composition. Collection: Stave Cement and geometry for a composition of decidedly urban slabs. Collection: Slate Solid and refined, a large mosaic slate to be placed in the brightest room. Collection: Silverware For special guests or for the most exclusive rooms. Get out the silverware. Collection: Shabby Chic A small decoration of flowers, paper and bubbles for a wall of great effect that makes even the most minimal chic environment. Collection: Pluma de pavo The most regal animal feather, an indelible touch of elegance and sophistication to any room. Collection: Secret Door An ancient secret passage and into the unknown. The mystery of the ancient wall decorations and charm of carved wood doors for an irresistible vintage appeal. Collection: Rusty Gate The charm of the experience, of the consumed by time and wear. A rusty grate and abandoned, a rough surface that gives the room a strong urban connotation. Collection: Reinassance A sophisticated on marble bas-relief, a frame for the noblest dreams. Despite material, shape, furniture, lighting and many other aspects, the experience of space should be mixed with circumstance and nature. Depend on the food products, all of these could bring customers immersive consuming experience. In this case, the host is a city planning designer and the hostess is a jewellery designer. At the very beginning, the internal designer already found that there were a lot of common interests between him and the owners, which made the project went smoothly. Throughout the project, the owners gave a lot of room to design and good advice. The master bedroom continues the coolness of the living room. The dark space is surrounded by iron plates, shimmering sandstone walls, and a starry sky top. The study room is also a computer room. This project takes the modern simplicity as the theme.Black,white,grey and wood are coordinated as overall tone,simple but do not lose warmth.Also because the owner likes the natural thing,especially the animal,so the designer creates a space that is full of natural breath and humanistic flavor for the owner. This is a traditional layout in Huarun City with an entrance garden of 4.5 square meters. For the Native Collection and these kinds of tiles in vintage style, grout is very important. The colour of the grout was selected directly by the owner. With clean and modern lines and material technology as well as the space partition formed by polished metal shapes, this design uses polished panels, custom brass and geometric pattern for decoration, aiming to make a home that rich in art deco style with a luxurious atmosphere. Through the combination of elegant marble texture, elegant and noble metal line, and natural and stable wood veneer, it gives the guests an elegant and quiet indoor atmosphere. The project is white as the maintone, white wall, embedded lockers, presenting distinguished and extremely beautiful simple style. Toilet with light color tileof Pietra di Basalto collection and Digitalart collection, is consistent with the overall tone. But white make people feel cold, in order to increasing warm feeling, designer use wood flooring from Gazzotti Smile collection and Life collection in several ground, which have a highly captivating flooring for elegant spaces. This project is a renovation project for an old penthouse, aimed at satisfying theneeds of the owner by increasing the comfortability and making a better use ofthe space. Designer chooses Viva Statale 9 by G.e.t. Casa to create the inspirational flooring for the living room and kitchen. The natural sensation by Statale 9 merges with the natural landscape and lighting around the house, to intensify the harmony and conformability in the area. This project is a luxury apartment in North Point, Hong Kong, owned by a young couple. Surrounded by a wonderful lake-view, Liuhua Royal Apartment is the renowned luxury mansion in the town. Imagine you are sitting on the spacious sofa at the sitting room, embracing the Liuhua lake picturesque scenery through the window, and now you can realize the perfect fusion of indoor and outdoor, artificial and natural, modern and classic, fashion and luxury, that will never fade. At the right side of a large reception hall, is a whole-wall bookshelf neatly stored the rich professional knowledge; on the left is a French window welcoming the sunlight from outside. This project is a luxurious penthouse project in Taizhou, China. The main theme of simplicity is throughout the whole space, along with the ambience of elegance. In wardrobe showroom, G.e.t. Casa Gazzotti`s Life and Vintage series wooden floor are selected, adding a rich natural atmosphere of the hall. The flooring has used Marmocrea Collection by Sant` Agostino, G.e.t. Casa. Given the mild and concise color tone, and the crisp marble pattern of the products, the designer has created an elegant base to match with different furniture and accessories to build up a character for the design. A number of Italian quality tiles by G.e.t. Casa have been selected. For the flooring of the whole area, Iris E-wood collection in white is used to fit for the main design theme. Its natural wood pattern has enhanced the natural and warm sensation for the area. With the integration of objects and details, and the contribution of the designer and client, it is more than just an interior project, but an artpiece. By carrying the power of creativity and ideas, the whole project now has become a HOME for the family. Under the arrangement by the designer, all common areas are connected by Sant` Agostino Concept Tile collection in Grey color, resulting in an enhancement of design tone and ambient. Not only for foods and services, Goji Kitchen & Bar has been chasing for quality interior ambient and decorations. To cope with the ordinary high traffic of customers and in-house logistics, and even the overall ambient and visual sensation, the interior design team has specially selected FMG Roads Collection by G.e.t. Casa. FMG has a high hardness and stylish texture. The designer selects the Floorgres Walks Collection by G.e.t. Casa for its quality function of hardness, raw and muscular sensation of the surface, to create a visional and sensational contrast between floor and wall. The designer has selected a significant amount of Italian tiles by G.e.t. Casa. Iris Melt Collection has the natural pattern of igneous rocks. With the selection of different colors, this collection is a good fit for both Modern and Classical Style. As a typically local and private enterprise in Guangzhou, Times Property takes "The Artist of Life" as its brand concept. They appreciate the personalized way of life instead of being satisfied with mediocre rules and the trend of homogenization; they commit to the life and career, and deliver values through the unremitting concentration and creation. For the living room in black and white tone, the skillfully decorated flooring adds feature to the design. The tile of Sant’ Agostino Flow collection by G.e.t. Casa is chosen to decorate the flooring. Designer thoughtfully selects FMG Marmi Classici Collection by G.e.t. Casa on the floor to match with the main design concept, while the white color and the humble yet elegant pattern of marble intensify the elegant sensation without any exaggeration. In contrary to the natural elegant surroundings, the overall design is simple but contemporary; which is the feature and visual sensation that the designer intentionally creates. The Floorgres Walks collection by G.e.t. Casa is selected for the flooring. Given the contemporary sensation by the pattern of natural rocks, it reinforces the design`s modernity. In addition to Walks collection, pieces of genuine parquets with traditional Chinese patterns are added to deepen the Chinese style of the design. Ma.De Tile Collection by G.e.t. Casa is used on the external wall. Ma.De collection has a vivid color tone and a shimmering surface like no others. Along with LED lighting effect, it intensifies the contemporary of the design and the sense of movement and motion in the sky. Sant Agostino Flow and FMG Roads Tile Collections by G.e.t. Casa are used in the entrance lobby. This new tower is an attempt to redefine the New Generation of Hi-Tech Telebet Centre and the Telebet booths for thousands of staffs to serve the ever-increasing demands. It is comprised of 3 floors, each covering 55,000 sq.ft., including a wide range of function rooms. The FMG Chromocode 3D by G.e.t. Casa is put in bathrooms. Providing an aesthetic effect for the interior, Chromocode 3D also provides slip-and-shake-resistance and Mohs' scale of hardness of 9, to suit the needs of bathrooms. Certificated by LEED, Chromocode 3D creates a world class environment with quality and comfort. The Re-Modelling of Plaza 2000 is an exploration to transform the existing structure and skin into a more Breath-Taking Iconic Chic which performs as an major Iconic Landmark of the Russell Street in Causeway Bay. Ma.De collection by G.e.t. Casa is used for the external wall. In the area of a Chinese restaurant, tile of Iris Terre by G.e.t. Casa is laid on the floor, which symbolic pattern and colors add a dramatic and filmlike sensation into the area. Iris Pietra Di Basalto of G.e.t. Casa is used for the flooring. Featured with the refined patterns of basalt and its R11 anti-slip function, this collection provides a combination of aesthetics and functions for the area. Floorgres Reverse is used as the flooring, while Iris E-wood is chosen for the flooring on the second and third floors. Having different natural tones and patterns of real parquet, Floorgres Reverse and Iris E-wood create different sensation for different areas of the project. FMG Roads Tiles by G.e.t. Casa is selected for the flooring. The white purity and matt finishing of the tiles provide a modern yet elegant sensation for the corner to match with the mall`s image, it also provides a high level of durability and non-slip feature, which is essential for high traffic areas. The designer selects Iris Pietre Di Basalto collection as the flooring and wall. The natural pattern of woods of Iris E-wood collection creates other kind of natural sensation for the project. Tonalite Satin collection is used for its distinctively sandy texture of the surface puts details into the natural feature of the design. Designer selects a luxury tile product from G.e.t. Casa – Sant` Agostino Luxor, for the flooring of living room, bedroom and kitchen. The timeless and elegant surface of Luxor has a rich volume of marble pattern. With the crystal-liked surface, Luxor is able to create a special character for the design. Matching the elegant setting of furniture, the designer successfully creates a modern and elegant style with the precious sensation of Luxor. For the bedroom flooring, Iris E-wood by G.e.t. Casa is selected for its wood-liked surface. In the bathroom, Iris Melt collection is selected for the wall, and Pietra di Basalto collection for the floor. The natural marble and rock surfaces together create special characteristics for the space. Designer chooses Viva Statale 9 by G.e.t. Casa to create the inspirational flooring for the living room and kitchen. The natural sensation by Statale 9 merges with the natural landscape and lighting around the house, to intensify the harmony and conformability in the area. JW Marriott Hotel aims at being the finest hotel in the region. One of the moves is to make their interior design as the most distinctive and impressive one. They put a lot of elegant elements into different spaces to boost up the hotel image. In the president suite, FMG ROADs Tile Collection by G.e.t. Casa are put on the floor to create a breath-taking view, giving a feeling of the precise and nobility. In the two-storey structure, each section is personalized. The whole design uses a number of tile products by G.e.t. Casa, including FMG Roads, Sant Agostino Flow and Sant Agostino Jungle Lux, etc. The vintage wall, 3D cutting structure and those dimensional lines represent the past and future. Designer instills the emergence of the past and future throughout the design. The victoria collection by Sant` Agostino is used in the living room, dining room and corridor areas, the petrified-wood-like surface is precious and the color is profound, together creating a beauty of mysterious and a directional interaction in vision. The Reverse collection by Floorgres is used on the floor of kitchen while Terre collection by Iris on the wall. The tile collection – Tamita, by G.e.t. Casa, has a strong modern sensation of classical design. A vigorous texture is reflected by the sensation of tiles. Having unique geometry graphics and colors, the unique texture and the aesthetic surface creates a touchable beauty and harmony for the space. Tiles of Sant` Agostino Luxor collection is used on the floor on the 2nd floor. The contemporary elegance of marble surface creates a modern and dynamic emotion for the design. For the bedrooms, the designer selects Viva Nr. 21 collection for the floor. Life is not only about running and striving. Settling and resting sometimes will allow people to discover the special beauty of simplicity and purity. Regardless of pressure and negative emotion, simplicity is definitely the best option. FMG Marmi Classici Collection and Horn Collection by G.e.t. Casa add extraordinary features into the designs. The special “Shine” surface of FMG Marmi Classici Tile Collection and the elegant characteristics of Horn Tiles Collection match with the image of The Phoenix Hill and take the interior design to the next level. The lobby is the centre of the design, in which the designer creates a unique and astonishingly elegant area with the wavy-shine surface of FMG Nature 2.0 tile collection of G.e.t. Casa. The application of French Windows enables the penetration of light throughout the space, and reduces the tension but enhances the comfort. FMG Marmi Classici by G.e.t. Casa has a white background and is selected to create a sensation of purity for the design. Along with the transparent design of the staircase and the special lighting arrangement, a vivid interaction between different sections is created, which connects and centralizes the beauty of the design. LAXDN is a fashionable appeal brand, originated from Paris, France. The Interior Design for the head quarter in Guangzhou, China, uses FMG products by G.e.t. Casa. The designer selects a number of Italian made tiles by G.e.t. Casa to create the design, including Viva NR.21, Sant Agostino Paving, Iris Quarziti and E.wood, as well as Floorgres Reverse. Sant Agostino Ferro Tile Collection and Iris Quarziti Tile Collection by G.e.t. Casa are selected to be the base of the design. Under the special arrangements by the designer, the remarkable colors and patterns of the tile products enrich the visual depth. The space now is granted a new visual order and a perfect atmosphere for the family. A wood-styled tile of Fioranese Cottage Wood collection by G.e.t. Casa is used for the flooring. The dusty shade of the tile transforms the historical feeling of the design into a sensation of old fashion, deepening vintage image of the space. The interior of the North Garden Chinese Restaurant is in a Simplicity Style with Modernity. Having the vivid colors and a series of the preserved furniture with ancient floral patterns, the designer puts a symbolic pattern in the ancient Chinese Style on different ceiling areas. Viva Nr.21 tile collection with cement style by G.e.t. Casa is used on the floor. The detailed color and pattern of the tile offer a detailed sensation into the design, deepening and intensifying the visual experience. The designer puts FMG Marmi Statuario Venato Extra for the living room’s floor. The exclusive “Shine” finish and the great resistance to dirt and compact create an aesthetic and practical result. As a part of the renovation project, the “FMG Pietre “ products from G.e.t. Casa are used in the changing rooms and corridors in the swimming pool area. The flamed surface has taken the environment into the next level. The main idea of the interior is to integrate the style of modernity and classical elegance. The sense of modernity is illustrated by simple and clear color tone. In the flooring of the living room, FMG Marmi Classici Statuario ven. Shine collection by G.e.t. Casa creates an elegant sensation with its natural marble pattern, while its shiny-wavy texture matches with the deliberately selected furniture to create a unique spatial interaction. Ceramic Tiles of MA.DE is one of the masterpieces by G.e.t. Casa. Having the unique texture and the shining colors, MA.DE has made itself a perfect match with the luxurious, romantic and vivid images of high-end automobiles. It has also illustrated the history and passion of the Italian Design. Promoting the European Modern Styles across China, G.e.t. Casa welcomes any merchant and investor to join our Marketing and Franchising Team, to promote the 100% Italian-Made tiles, parquets and wallpapers. Along with 35 showrooms, G.e.t. Casa has also had a number of franchisees in different regions and districts in China. G.e.t. Casa provides franchisees with showroom designs, image designs, assistance for business opening, product training and selling techniques, and the national marketing campaigns etc, ensuring franchisees being able to provide the quality services for clients in an effective way. For more enquiries about franchise' of G.e.t. Casa, please feel free to contact franchise otline at 4000 132 001, or by email: [email protected]. G.e.t. Casa Trading Company Limited.

2019-04-21T01:08:38Z

http://get-casa.com/

Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. Contact the webmaster here. Test, Test Copyright? The following article has been kindly written for the site by Len Charlton - to add to his many other site articles. Len has provided many of the images also, some of which are visible in a larger size with a click of your mouse. Otherwise, image sources can be found at the foot of the page. The term 'spa' originates from the Belgian town of that name famed for its chalybeate (iron-rich) springs. Many towns and cities owe their origin to such springs and to the pleasures of taking baths in their warm waters. In 1326, an eminent physician had shown that drinking from the spring also cured iron-deficiency - & 'taking the waters' became a regular annual event for the wealthy in Edwardian times. Social groups met one another to stay at one of the great spa hotels in Europe where they strolled around planning their day's appointments (which might well involve the ladies) while sipping the waters from the handles of highly decorative spa cups. There are several spa towns in the U.K. and indeed Bath, Somerset, takes its name from its old Roman Baths now restored in the city centre (above at right & lower left). Here, though you cannot today enter them, the waters are warm & relaxing, but as hydropathy became an accepted medical treatment in the mid 1700s, it was argued that cold water douches, fresh air and exercise were a better treatment and where better than the sea? This treatment, though much colder, could still be enjoyed according to Rev. William Buxted of Brighton, who, in 1736 wrote of his pleasure in 'sunning myself on the beach and bathing in the sea'. No doubt many genteel spa users would think this behaviour most vulgar. To bring Sunderland into this picture seems absurd but we must appreciate that in the early 1700s the Industrial Revolution was decades away, Sunderland, Bishopwearmouth and Monkwearmouth had a total population of less than 10,000 with trading and fishing on a small personal scale and largely restricted to the river banks, Here the sounds were of hammer, pick axe and shovel, the smells were of fire, timber and tar and away from the river the land was essentially agrarian with horses, windmills and watermills providing the power. Windmills of different types were numerous, the mills on Hendon Lonnen being of the larger tower design which stood on a brick or stone base used for inspection and loading. Most of the town was on the south bank of the river which, running towards the sea, became ever more densely populated until it reached the town moor into which the town was growing. The parish church of Holy Trinity pushed into the moor from the end of Church Street in 1719. But we must start even earlier in this history when there was no church there and the north east corner of the moor was known as Coney Warren. This was an area of scrub and sand dunes where the grassland merged into the sand and rocks and where the numerous rabbits at one time provided skins for local hat makers as well as meat for their table. On the large wild moor were three ponds & several streams crossed by simple footbridges. As they ran down to the sea the larger streams had formed cuttings & ravines in the clay subsoil and amongst these streams and cuttings a well had formed some time in the past which being used for drinking and bathing had acquired the name 'The Spaw' (spa well). The building of the parish church and burial grounds, adjacent to the moor in 1719, saw a drive to oversee and maintain the moor properly to which end 'grassmen' were appointed. Hedges, bridges & fences were checked - many were removed - & 'The Spaw' was enhanced with stone steps and a brick arch facing the sea. The well, shown below as x, is close to the sands in this 1737 map by an unknown artist - also marked are M (the moor itself), W (warren), S (sand banks), C (Holy Trinity church) & L (coble landing). Holy Trinity Parish Church was built in 1719 on the edge of the moor to serve the ever expanding population. In it's burial ground lie many of Sunderland's notables. It was built as a plain red brick building with a tower to which clocks were later fitted. There was a peal of 8 bells and a well-stocked library with writing desks & space set inside for a council chamber and magistrates court with new buildings for council offices built in Church Street. Later the town's first hospital and almshouses were built nearby with a fine assembly hall used for balls, theatricals and public meetings. These were all large buildings set in gardens, the assembly hall being a symmetrical brick building, with four tall arched windows and a central doorway approached by a flight of stairs guarded by iron railings on either side Together they formed a compact town centre alongside the moor which itself covered 48 acres. Sunderland was then a wealthy town with fine hotels and grand town houses in High Street East used or owned by land and colliery owners. Photos now available show many of these buildings in sorry state and most have now been demolished so one can only imagine the traffic of carriages & sedan chairs past Coronation Street to the hub of activity and pleasure around the Parish Church in the mid 1700s. Life was very different for those living behind the great houses in High Street East - where Low Street ran down to the river. Here were the crowded artisan areas and quays & an ample supply of lodgings and pubs, some of low repute, patronised by seamen awaiting their next voyage. Many well known local rogues and thieves, with their female followers, made their favourite haunt in the notorious Lowther's Hall Inn on the town moor. This pub was positioned high on a clay ridge alongside Lowther's Dene, one of three ravines running down to the sea - the ravine coming in useful as route by which to escape the attentions of the police and revenue men. High on the police list was highwayman John Drummond, who kept a mistress & his horse in Bears Head Inn, (later Ryhope Hall), a more suitable area for his activities. His apprehension for burglary at Lowther's Inn, some five years prior to his being hanged in 1730 for murder at Tyburn in London, pins the great days of the Inn to the first quarter of the 1700s. Lowther's Hall Inn was eventually closed by the police before its final dramatic and watery end (see 'The Legend of Lowther Hall' below). The wealthy old town attracted �a goodly number of visitors' including the Countess of Darlington, who often came �to enjoy the salubrious sea-borne breezes and take the healing chalybeate waters'. It was a busy scene perhaps even matching the season at Brighton, (left below), where some of the town's fishermen and their families even turned to bathing visitors for a living. Ladies were bathed by so called 'dippers' and gentlemen by 'bathers'. In both cases the subject was repeatedly lifted into and out of the water by the bather or dipper. This 'dunking' became very popular in Brighton (perhaps more for entertainment then medical benefit) and bathers and dippers continued to do very good business for many years. History does not relate whether the fishermen of Sunderland ever took to this odd sport (right above). Sunderland was however facing a serious problem. To prevent sands silting up the harbour, a south pier had been started in 1723, but this was causing the frequent heavy seas to attack the shoreline, submerging rocks and land under sand and water and, as the pier was extended, the problems increased. High tide waters were reaching ever further inland while storms periodically eroded into the higher grounds at the edge of the moor. Burnett's 'History of Sunderland' tells us that 'In 1771 there was a great flood in all the rivers of the north of England; at this time Newcastle Bridge was carried away and great damage done to the pier at Sunderland' and it seems most likely that this was the storm that broke up the cliffs and inundated both the Spaw and Lowther's Hall. Certainly in 1785, when John Rain drew his Sunderland 'Eye Plan', a portion of which is above, the coast line had moved back a long way. His map shows two gun batteries which had been built to protect the harbour from the French but not the Spaw which had been adjacent to these batteries. The guns were often inundated and rebuilt and one feels for the militia on duty who must have been very wet on occasion. Even more public ground was lost, in 1795, when the barracks were built on Coney Warren and by 1817 the Spaw and Lowther�s Hall, along with one of the ponds, and a herdsman�s house near what would become Barrack Street, had long been gone and the assembly rooms themselves had been moved to the Exchange building in High Street. Visitors were beginning to use Hendon as a spa and Burnett records 'As a bathing place, Sunderland, in the summer season, is a place of great resort. Numbers from the interior of the country embrace the opportunity of enjoying the benefit of sea-bathing. Lodgings are not dear, and easily obtained. A set of metallic and hot baths were established in the year 1821, near the moor: and at Hendon there are the most excellent hot baths, and a number of machines for sea-bathing, conducted and attended by Smith Graham'. The newly built Hendon Bath Hotel with its hot baths was south of the old moor but here were the beaches suited to bathing machines ( image of such machines, likely in Canada or Newfoundland). Hendon had become more of a seaside resort than a spa but the writing was on the wall. The world was changing as industry took over and the final blow came in the 1850s when the south docks were built on land reclaimed from the sea. As fully described in page 013, walls were built at low tide to hold back the sea, and excavated soil was dumped to form the new Hendon docklands. The east side of the town moor was now closed off with staiths, railways and dock walls and Hendon rapidly changed from a resort to densely packed housing for the workers flooding in while a completely new Sunderland town was taking root up-river at Wearmouth bridge. Way back in the early 1700s, when Regency Sunderland was developing as a resort, Roker was just an area of sand & rock adjacent to the Ham Sands, a major hurdle for shipping entering the harbour. The south pier had aggravated the build up of sand & river deposits & in 1786, after many temporary measures, a north pier was started to try to prevent this. A water colour dated 1839, (left below), shows fishermen on Roker sands with the pier now being extended even further out from the first cast iron lighthouse. (This is the lighthouse now preserved on cliff park). The picture is drawn looking southwards from the rocky outcrop on the sands called Holey Rock. On this rock a gun battery was mounted to protect the port, and a drawing of 1819 (right below) shows a very different picture of the beach as seen from one of its caves - perhaps it was a wet and windy day. Further up-river, Monkwearmouth village, which had originated around the ancient monastic church of St. Peter's, was slowly growing seawards. Roker and the lands further north were still just open ground apart from the occasional hovel but the village finally reached Roker in 1842 and the first terrace of houses to face the sea was built on the cliffs overlooking the sands. Here was an obvious place for an hotel to compete with Hendon Baths and part of Roker Terrace soon became the Roker Baths Hotel complete with hot and cold vapour baths and showers using water pumped up from the sea. The new hotel was also advertised as a spa hotel hoping to attract the gentry for the pleasures Jane Austen describes so well in her novels of that time. But it was not that easy, the gentry at Bath being of a somewhat different breed to the hard living industrialists of the northern counties and one cannot really see them taking the sea waters at Roker or strolling round Sunderland in a typical easterly gale. At the time there were, after all, no promenades, shops or parks to parade in, just a slope down to the beach on to which in a drawing of that time some 20 people have ventured showing little interest in the two bathing machines that were no doubt supplied by the hotel. Although visitors to the hotel could get to the beach down the ramp cut into the cliffs, Roker Terrace itself was a dead end apart from a path leading to a wide deep ravine through which Roker Gill, a stream originating in Fulwell hills, ran down to the sea. The ravine was a spectacular sight with its steep limestone walls riddled with caves and one side extending across the beach to form Holey Rock, entered by the sea at high tide. There are endless stories of hidden passageways and very early cave dwellers as well as later smugglers and occasional hermits setting up no go areas. The spelling of Holey varies but these stories do not suggest that the caves were particularly blessed. Pristine sands waiting development stretched from Roker past Holey Rock to Whitburn on the horizon (image below is 1857) yet little was done for 30 or so years and they remained largely unused (inset below) - until 1879 when the first horse tram route started a 16 minute service to Roker Terrace. The ravine was in land owned by Sir Hedworth Williamson who, now seeing a huge opportunity, donated it as a public park to the Corporation - on the condition that they would build a bridge over the ravine to extend Roker Terrace into a coast road. This would open up the resort & beaches towards Sea Lane & even further northwards towards Whitburn. Agreement was reached. The park & bridge across the ravine opened in 1880 as part of a major building project to use Roker Terrace as an upper promenade & build a new lower promenade running below the cliffs alongside the beach. New north and south piers had previously been planned to protect the old small harbour entrance & this alone required some of the beach to be turned into work areas with railways. It all took some 20 years & the photo at left clearly shows the north pier under construction & the upper and lower promenades, balustrades and steps completed with Lockhart's Cafe centre. The unfinished roadway (bottom) runs under the new bridge (off photo right) into the landscaped ravine in Roker Park & several visitors are strolling round to see the work in progress. It all seemed to make sense when, in 1900, Sunderland's first electric tram route was opened from the town centre to Roker and in the following year was extended to Sea Lane over the new bridge. In 1902, in an imaginative move, one of those brand new tramcars was festooned with 'electric globes' and decorations to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII the large front destination board stating SUNDERLAND LEAD. The celebrations reached their peak the following year when the last stone was laid on the pier & the channel fleet gathered off Roker to celebrate the piers opening in September 1903. This was no small honour, the channel fleet's history went back 200 years and it was now being strengthened with the Majestic class battleships one of which, HMS Majestic itself, led the fleet to Roker. Sunderland's Mayor and dignitaries boarded the flagship to welcome the visit and no doubt felt both deeply honoured and very disturbed by this portent of the future. In fact there was a sad end to the visit when, as the fleet left Sunderland, the cruiser HMS Sutlej ran down a schooner the Charles Chalmers with the loss of four of her crew. The final ceremony on the pier ended three days of celebration with the decorated tram, now carrying the destination ROKER GALA, vying for attention with the firework displays and a great fair by the pier. Charabancs and special trains brought in thousands of visitors to see the fleet and marvel at the transformation of a small harbour into a major port and a deserted coast line into an attractive seaside resort. The 'Roker Baths Hotel' overlooked it all but, while prospering mightily, quietly changed its name & became the 'Roker Hotel'. With the advent of WW1, came sightseers interested in the naval guns & searchlights now positioned on the cliff tops as well as the frequent ship strandings. Many of these were caused by ships having first to enter the harbour through the new piers & then navigate the narrow old pier opening. Restricted wartime lighting did not help & many ships ended up on Roker Beach. And in the continual flow of dreadful war-time news from France, the 1915 loss of HMS Majestic, which had so enthralled Sunderland, was hardly noticed. The great days of Sunderland as a seaside resort really started after WW1. The naval guns were removed in 1922 and the site is today a seated resting area. Although the section of the old Roker Beach enclosed by the new piers was a warmer place to bathe, it collected dirt and refuse from the river outflow and the beach at Sea Lane now attracted more bathers although Roker promenade was still popular for entertainment, tea gardens stalls and shows with Holey Rock and its caves as a backdrop. Under the bridge was Roker Park with a fine Victorian bandstand and stage, a boating lake and bowling greens all set in fine gardens. Sadly Holey Rock, with its exciting caves, had become unstable after continual sea attack, and, after many caves were bricked up, the whole outcrop had to be demolished in 1936. In effect this increased the size of Roker Beach by adding another length of sand running to an old pathway down the cliffs named the cat and dog steps because, it was said, they gave easy access to the sea to drown unwanted pets. Here too was an area of rocks named the cannonballs, so called because of their very rare volcanic ball cluster formation which attracted great geological interest & school visits. A curious old photo shows the rocks with a group of four white dressed Edwardian ladies (one a child) all reading books (or sketching) & apparently attended to by three dark dressed teachers (or nannies). A photograph of the author as a schoolboy standing against a section of the cannonball rocks - which boys greatly enjoyed because at high tide the waves against the rock face forced periodic jets of water and air from a blow hole on the rock top. With luck this was accompanied by a rather loud 'farting' noise which caused much boyish glee and much discomfort to passing grown-ups. The cliffs here extended out to low tide mark with a promenade running round them to the fine long beach at Sea Lane which in the early 1930s was little more than a cafe in open fields. By 1935 'Sea Lane' which had been just a lane leading down from Fulwell to the beach had become 'Seaburn' & this year also saw the start of Roker's Annual Illuminations. As Seaburn beach became more & more popular, holidays or hot weather would see an explosion of hired tents , picnics & 'paddling' in the shallows, swimming in the cold north sea being for the occasional enthusiast. Facing the sea, the old cafe disappeared, replaced by a block of shops alongside the Seaburn Hotel (at left), which hotel opened in 1937, and which became as popular for people going to the town centre on business as it was for holiday makers. Adjacent to the hotel, the road was widened to form a large roundabout and tracks were laid to enable the trams to go around in a continuous flow rather than queue to change tracks at the terminus. Close to the block of shops, Sunderland Corporation owned land on which they built Seaburn Hall - to be used for meetings, social services and dances. While a mixture of outside entertainments including roundabouts, stalls, miniature golf, children's railways and pools and, occasionally, full size circuses provided ever varying attractions. The trams were now in such demand that the Corporation opened a second tram route running down from Fulwell to a terminus adjacent to but not connected to the roundabout terminus. It all made for a very busy scene indeed in the late 1930s. The finest illuminations ever, claimed to be larger than Blackpools', were set up for August 1939 but were never switched on after war became imminent. A curious episode that August was the 'Goodwill' visit of the brand new German Airship Graf Zeppelin II which flew up and down the eastern coast. Although kept secret, it was a failed spy mission - the airship was carrying electronic equipment to search for radiolocation stations which although not identified were indeed in operation and tracking it. The following week the RAF demonstrated a new Sunderland Flying Boat over Roker and Seaburn which seemed a fitting response to the author who recalls his astonishment at the sheer size of the aircraft and who then little knew that two years later he himself would be in the army training as a radiolocation (later to be radar) engineer. After the war, council priorities were to clear up the heavy bomb damage in the town centre but a natural demand for some pleasure after the grim war years had to be met and the seaside soon re-awakened. Saturday night dances at Seaburn Hall started and were packed with demobbed ex-service men and women taking advantage of the free bus transport back to the town. It was the time of formal dancing to big bands and to Glen Miller melodies. Soon the illuminations' set pieces were brought out of storage, (at right), the annual shows were restarted and the funfair both rejuvenated and extended with new attractions including a miniature railway using a makeshift engine built from an old bus engine mounted on a tramcar bogie. The image below (to be added in) shows the train with Seaburn Hall and fairground on the right and the recreation grounds packed out with holiday makers - some of them in tents brought over from the beach. Posters, now combining the resorts of Roker and Seaburn, attracted visitors from further afield and the Seaburn Hotel expanded with new rooms and bars but still became jam-packed in fine weather. The hotel was also welcoming many new guests including the top stars performing at the Empire Theatre and the painter Lawrence S. (Stephen) Lowry who took several lengthy holidays there while drawing coastal and industrial scenes. He painted the (below) Sunderland river scene, 'River Wear at Sunderland', here & here, much later however, in 1961. However it all proved to be just a dream when during the late 1900s the collieries, shipbuilders and heavy industries began to close down, unemployment soared and the economy collapsed. Services were reduced & withdrawn. Seaburn Hall became a supermarket and the illuminations were stopped with the set pieces sold off. By the early 1980s, unemployment had reached some 20% of the workforce and increasing poverty & social problems including break-ins, theft and wide-spread vandalism became virtually out of control. Sunderland's fine parks, including Roker, suffered greatly in this very bleak period, and the image of a resort was forgotten --- this was the very end of Old Sunderland. Some two decades later Sunderland, now a City, started to regain its feet but it was a new very different world. Motorways, private cars and air travel moved people en masse to sports events, pop festivals and leisure parks and the old idea of 'a week at the seaside' in England was losing out to a cheap flight to sunnier climes. To survive, resorts needed to support these 'events' and Sunderland picked up the challenge and now organises many festivals of widespread interest one being the annual International Air Show at Seaburn which attracts thousands of visitors over two days every July. A slide-show of the 2011 event, with the image at right below, used to be accessible via this page. But no longer, it would seem. There are videos etc. available via this page, however. but not the 2011 slide show. It is no longer the Roker and Sea Lane of many older folk. But although they must miss Holey Rock, the coast is still there and if the weather happens to be fine at Roker and if you look VERY hard you may still see some children joyously paddling in the sea or looking for crabs on Cannonball Rocks. Len, we thank you for another fine article! Offered via eBay in Dec. 2012 were two souvenir programmes from the Sunderland Flying Club's air shows of 1967 & 1968 - i.e. 'Airday 67' & 'Airday 68'. The 1967 edition contained, I read, a history of Sunderland airport. It would be good, some day, to be able to show on site, cover to cover, all of the pages of such or similar programmes. And now we can show you on site, cover to cover excluding the blank pages, the 1967 programme shown at left above. The cover page is here. Move forward & backward via the buttons at the top of each page. All of the pages can be viewed in a larger size, by clicking each image. The two page history of Sunderland airport, penned by 'R. Henderson' (whom I invite to be in touch re my use of the text) & referred to above, has been diligently transcribed & follows. In the Airday 67 programme itself, it commences on this page. Many visitors to our Annual Air Day may be surprised to learn that Sunderland Airport formerly R.A.F. Usworth has been in use for over 50 years. The History of the field prior to 1930 is obscure, but permanent buildings were in existance during the 1914/18 war. In 1930, the R.A.F. began forming new Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons and Usworth aerodrome housed No. 607, County of Durham Squadron. 607 was a light bomber squadron, formed on the 17th March 1930 and didn't receive its full compliment of aircraft until the summer of 1933. These were Westland Wapitis single engine biplanes, powered by 550 h.p. British Jupiter engines. They became a familiar sight to Wear and Tynesiders, especially on the Empire Airdays and were popular with the week-end flyers of 607 squadron. 607 squadron operated the Wapitis until September 1936 when they were re-equipped with the Hawker Hart. On the 23rd, September 1936, 607 Squadron was re-designated to County of Durham (F) Fighter Squadron, still operating the Demon as a two-seat fighter aircraft until they received the highly manoeuvarable Gloster Gladiator in 1938. The Gladiators went to France in November, 1939, along with 615 Squadron and between them destroyed some 72 German aircraft. Whilst in France, the Squadron was requipped with Hurricanes. The squadron's losses were heavy in France, both as regards men and machines. In May 1940, they were brought back to Croydon to re-equip and then moved to Usworth, which in the meantime had been provided with concrete runways. It was from Usworth, that 607 squadron together with Spitfires from Ashington repelled the Germans big air raid on Tyne and Wearside. On August 15th, 1940, the Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept what was thought to be a small raid. It was mid-day and in company with other squadrons, 607 met not twenty, but over a hundred enemy Heinkels, escorted by seventy ME. 110's. In a running fight from Whitley Bay to south of the Tees, 607 Squadron destroyed ten German Bombers, and probably destroyed or damaged a further eight. All this without loss of aircraft or pilots. Usworth also operated Avro Ansons to train AI Operators in the new night fighter role, and pairs of these were often seen in the area, one acting as a target and the other as interceptor, as the trainee operators scanned their radar sets. At the end of the war Usworth reverted to a training role. No. 21 Reserve Flying was formed equipped with D. H. Tiger Moths and in 1947 Durham University Air Squadron moved in also equipped with "Tigers". Until the R.A.F. left Usworth in 1957, a remarkable variety of units used the airfield, including a Bombing and Navigational School (Airspeed Oxfords) and an Army Observation Unit (Austers). No. 31 Gliding School who trained many local A.T.C. cadets, Newcastle Gliding Club and even a balloon unit for the benefit of the T.A. Parachute Regiment. After 1957 the fate of Usworth hung in the balance until it was acquired by Sunderland Corporation. It now continues its service to the North East as a licenced Airport and the long tradition of Flying training is maintained by the very active Sunderland Flying Club. I understand that the airfield closed in the early 80s to make way for a Nissan car factory, a major employer in the area. And that the Sunderland Air Show has been scaled down somewhat in recent years due to its cost. The vendor of the 2011 edition of the Air Show programme (next paragraph) stated in his listing that the Sunderland Air Show is, in 2014, in danger of falling victim to budget cuts by Sunderland Council. Is that truly so? Tell me if you know. A copy of the 68 page 2012 Sunderland Air Show Programme was offered for sale via eBay in Mar. 2013, but did not sell. But it had a fine listing image! At right below. A copy of the 2011 edition was eBay available in late Jan. 2014. The listing image of its cover is at left below. A fine image indeed of the Royal Air Force 'Red Arrows' performing at the Sunderland Air Show of 2012. The image, which features prominently in Sunderland's events promotions, is, in fact, the work of Jonathan Kinnair, Assistant Media Officer of Sunderland City Council. Thank you Jonathan! I show below a portion only of the original image which was attached to a City of Sunderland Press Release. A half size version of the original image is here. And 'hot off the press' when this image was first placed on site - an image taken at the 2013 Sunderland Air Show on the weekend of Jul. 27/28, 2013. Of a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat flying low over the sea at Roker. We thank Ray Hutcheon for providing this beautiful copyrighted image, a larger original of which can be seen here. The Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s & 1940s - one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of WW2. THE LEGEND OF LOWTHER HALL. From the knights of Normandie. That sails o'er Hendon Bay. With blood of Norman race. But who can gauge affection's power ? Low boy and high-born maid. Beneath the moon's pale glow. With nought but love on earth. Aye, long and long before. Rode slowly o'er its breast. Like foam, all in his wake. Was ever his mind before. Gleams on the lovers' sight. Across the deep blue wave ! The steel of a naked glave. His form cast in the sea! With shells of pearly white. In calm and soft repose. My call must be obeyed. Gather, each league, in strength and force. Avenge me for the slain !" Was heard the storm-wind's roar. The banks 'neath Lowther's Hall. Lay buried in the bay ! This legend of a Lowther family living in 'Lowther Hall' on Sunderland's Town Moor has the ring of truth in its very detail but it should be read as a legend. Certainly 'Lowthers Hall Inn' and ravine are well enough documented as is the fact that its criminal clientele nicknamed the disreputable landlady, who had also served time, as 'Lady Lowther'. Eventually closed by the police, the inn became derelict, and when it collapsed into the sea it was described as a 'derelict pub' and a "notorious inn". We cannot relate this to a great hall on the moor. There is indeed a Lowther family dating back to the mid 11th century whose family seat in the 1700s was 'Lowther Hall' - but this was in Lowther village in Cumbria near Penrith where the hall, later rebuilt as a castle, still exists on their extensive estates. Although at one time derelict, it was certainly never engulfed�by the sea nor was it the site of the bloody murder of the 'fair-hair'd fisher boy of Hendon Bay' and the revenge of the sea nymph who loved him so dearly. John Green wrote the legend in 1885 and his expressive poem has surely become intermixed with what actually happened in that big storm of 1771. SOURCES, where known to the webmaster or otherwise indicated, of images within 'Sunderland by the Sea'. The webmaster tries hard to find the very best images to illustrate the many articles on this site. I trust that it is in order for the images which are shown above, to be included in this informational & non-profit website. But .... if you are the copyright owner of any of the material included in this page, & would wish it removed, do please be in touch & I will gladly remove it. But probably with some regret! And probably I would wish to try to replace the material from a source which is acceptable. You can contact me here. 1, 2, 3 (a fine present day image of the Roman Baths at Bath, Somerset - do see it in full size), 4, 5 (donkey riding at Brighton), 6 (an engraving of bathing at Bridlington, Yorkshire - published in 1814 in 'The Costume of Yorkshire' by George Walker. See also here & here), 7 (a section only of John Rain's 'Eye Plan' of Sunderland. We thank Brian Hubbard for the fine image), 8, 9 ('Taken from the rock under Smithson's battery', an H. Collins print published in 1819 ex 'Pictures in Print'), 10, 11 (a print of Roker Baths Hotel, ex 'Pictures in Print', dating from the 1840s, modified by the webmaster), 12 (a tiny portion of a 'Birds-eye view of Sunderland', artist unknown, published in 1857, ex 'Pictures in Print'), 13 (ex 'Pictures in Print', of Roker, dated Feb. 12, 1858), 14 (a print 'The Cave of the Holy Rock, near Sunderland.', dated Feb. 12, 1858, ex 'Pictures in Print'), 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (an image of a 'Charles Dixon' 1901 painting of HMS Majestic), 20, 21 (a Wikipedia commons image of the sinking of HMS Majestic, at the Dardanelles, on May 27, 1915), 22 (a magnificent photograph of what would appear to be a public sign, see also here), 23 (a 'Roker Beach' postcard ex the Sunderland Libraries collection, much modified by the webmaster however. Believed to date from c.1900), 24 (Len Charlton family archives), 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 (a 1972 British Railways Poster, ex 'Science Museums Group' collection), 30 (Lawrence S. Lowry 1961 print ex BBC 'Your Paintings'), 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 (A splendid 'Mark Avey' image taken at the 2007 Seaburn International Air Show. Do not miss it in a larger size here), 36 (an image taken at the 2011 Seaburn International Air Show, thanks to 'The Journal' of Newcastle. But the image is not there any longer), 37 (a fine artwork by Robert G. Hutchison), 38 (bathing machines & the Herring Boat Fleet - image here), 39 (ex 'Pictures in Print' - a portion of a 1737 map by creator unknown), 40 (Holy Trinity Church, built in 1719, ex 'The Friends of Sunderland Old Parish Church'. Lots more to be detailed yet, but I am at the end of my knowledge as to the sources. A truly magnificent 'atmospheric' image of unknown origin. The webmaster found the image posted by Ray Hutcheon on the Facebook 'Sunderland in Pictures' pages - but enlarged the image for better presentation here. I cannot tell you where it was taken or when. Chris Herring comments that the photograph was taken at 14 Bridge Street. While Ronald Wilson suggests that it might have been taken at the bottom of Bedford Street with the Argo Frigate pub on the right next to the Sunderland Echo van. It may well be that by the time you view this page, more comments will have been added to that 'Facebook' posting. The image is simply splendid! Enjoy!

2019-04-23T20:01:51Z

http://www.searlecanada.org/sunderland/sunderland007.html

David McKirdy's mixed media works draw on repetitive mark-making as a way of measuring the passage of time. He illustrates an astonishing level of patience and self-awareness achieved through skillfully meditative states of endurance, and the resulting objects are monochromatic masterpieces in the study of optics. Larry Allen's ceramic vessels feature delicately carved designs inspired by the iconographic patterns found in African and Native American art. Both artists bring a mechanical precision to their craft, presenting awe-inspiring patterns that are elegant, subtle and sublime. In conjunction with the 2019 Glass Art Society Conference, the Leslie Curran Gallery @ ARTicles and the EDGE Business District Association present a Public Art Unveiling and Sculpture Exhibition, JAMES BRENNER | ON EDGE. This event celebrates a solo exhibition of sculpture by artist James Brenner in conjunction with the unveiling of the newest St. Petersburg public art installation “ON EDGE” by James Brenner for the EDGE District Gateway Project. The public art project consists of 10 sculptures made of glass and steel, installed throughout the EDGE District. Twisting towers of jade glass are contrasted with the natural rust surface of weathered Corten steel to create powerful and iconic identifiers of one of the city's most exciting districts. The Leslie Curran Gallery, the EDGE District's award-winning fine art gallery, will feature an array of monumental sculptural works by Brenner featuring his signature combination of glass and metal elements. The unveiling ceremony and ribbon cutting will be hosted by the EDGE District and City officials at the site of one of the sculptures. The artist will be in attendance at the unveiling and the following reception at the Leslie Curran Gallery. James Brenner owns JAMES BRENNER SCULPTURE in Northeast Minneapolis and produces work that ranges from large-scale, steel, glass and light sculptures; to community driven, site specific, public art projects; to synergistic iron casting events. In the more than 20 years of his professional career, Brenner has served as a Core Artist for the Chicago Public Art Group, the Director of Chicago Sculpture Works, and the Director of the Columbus Area Arts Council’s Annual Cast Iron Event and Artist Residency Program in Columbus, IN. Brenner has participated as a visiting artist on over 20 occasions nationwide and internationally. He has completed over 40 public and corporate arts commissions, and his work has joined numerous public and private collections across the country and abroad. Brenner has received MSAB Artist Initiative Grants in 2014 and 2017, an Open Studio Fellowship at Franconia Park, an Art as Energy Grant in 2013, and the Northeast Minneapolis Vision Award for leadership and commitment in the service of the arts, artists, and culture in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in 2017. Brenner received his Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. A national search by the EDGE District Gateway Marker Committee resulted in a remarkable number of submissions followed by a rigorous selection process. The project was spearheaded by the EDGE District Main Street as part of its new district improvement plan, with goals to enrich the landscape with public art that engages its visitors and embodies the district’s character and heritage. Winning artist James Brenner is the recipient of the prestigious $249,000 award. An intertwining of medium and message permeates the artwork of Helen Gotlib and Patrick Dragon, in both cases offering us intimate views of densely fantastic alternative worlds. Their juxtaposition in the gallery setting presents 2D and 3D environments full of dreamily aqueous fields, a deep color palette, and a zen-like celebration of nature. HELEN GOTLIB was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A life time interest in art led Helen to study at the University of Michigan’s School Of Art And Design where she divided her time between printmaking and scientific illustration. This lead her to develop a process oriented drawing style characterized by extreme detail. Gotlib's travels in Europe, Asia and the Middle East have influenced her work, manifesting itself in the vast body of drawing, painting and printmaking she has produced over the course of the last decade. Most recently Gotlib has made an extensive exploration of a deceptively nuanced subject of flowers. By following the life cycle of flora, she has managed to create images of unexpected beauty and emotional power. Gotlib’s work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows across the country. She currently lives and works in Dexter, Michigan. PATRICK DRAGON is a nationally known ceramic artist with twenty years as an educator. He has over forty years experience of exhibiting his work, and over three hundred awards. His ceramic work is in numerous national and international collections including The White House Collection of American Crafts, the City of Higashiomi, Japan, Maitland Art Museum, Gulf Coast Museum of Art, City of Ann Harbor Michigan, and City Hall Orlando, Florida. Dragon was featured on the Ceramic Monthly and articles about his work have been published in numerous publications. He has juried numerous shows such as A.C.C. Baltimore, American Craft Exposition, and the Disney Festival of the Masters. This exhibition is full of sumptuous textures, elegant details, and surfaces that are not what they seem. Much of the work has a three dimensional quality, from freestanding sculptures by Nin McQuillen, Janos Enyedi, and Jerry Meatyard to Joyce Scalzo's porcelain wall pieces and Irina Moldovan's deeply textured gold leaf paintings. Akiko Kotani's silk stitched works appear flat from afar, but closer inspection reveals a beautifully tactile stitched design on highly textured hand woven silk fabric, and Michael Crabb's paintings are all about depth, with numerous layers revealed through his unusual painting technique. Joyce Scalzo's porcelain sculptures defy gravity, with thin layers that ripple and fold, they look more like paper than clay. The surface of Janos Enyedi's sculpture maquettes is breathtaking, but viewers are always taken aback when they realize the objects are made of paper and Illustration board, not the Corten steel that they mimic. Many of the works are small in scale. All are elegant, thoughtful, contemplative pieces with richly layers surfaces, delicate nuances, and a certain peaceful balance. "The Leslie Curran Gallery’s physical space is great for displaying a wide variety of art, colorful or stark, minimal or complex, large-scale or miniature. It’s not a large space, but the combination of light that pours in from the front windowpane and its crisp white walls make it feel airy. The team there is talented not only at curation but also at displaying work in a way that never feels crowded. The current exhibition, Petit Four, is a testament to how beautifully a mix of textures, surfaces and scale can be shown all at once. During the holiday season, the inclination can be to pack in as much work as possible, but with “Petit Four,” just seven artists were selected. Many of the works are small in scale, gifts for an art lover. Even against the white walls, Joyce Scalzo’s creamy porcelain wall sculptures make a statement in delicacy, resembling folded paper. In the center of the gallery, Janos Enyedi’s sculpture maquettes look like his large-scale, richly patinated industrial metal sculptures, yet they’re paper. Speaking of maquettes, a number were discovered in the studio of the late sculptor Jerry Meatyard. Cleaned up, they look meant to be paired with Akiko Kotani’s elegant silk stitched “drawings,” pictured. Michael Crabb’s abstract paintings arranged with his graphite and ink drawings is a delicious juxtaposition. Nin McQuillen’s minimalist sculptures remind us why less is more, while Irina Moldova’s grids of rich color and gold leaf make the case for extravagance." PASSIONATE: Heike Mueller, is an exhibition of paintings inspired by vintage family photos, a source material she discovers in flea markets, antique shops and used book stores. The Swiss artist returns to the U.S., exhibiting a series of paintings inspired by leisure. The series of “painted snapshots” captures moments of pleasure, reviving and reclaiming them into modern paintings. Continuing the theme of her 2016 solo exhibition at Leslie Curran Gallery, the artist takes inspiration from the oddly comforting fragments of photo albums. Many of her source photos document family vacations long past—circa early 20th century—moments of leisure, on the beach, at a picnic, or on a hike, with archetypal scenery and visual cues that evoke the quintessential family vacation. Her compositions on paper and canvas transform these anonymous, informal, and often incidental snapshots into new narratives that seem strangely familiar. Thus, the resulting paintings feel like déja vu. One might almost recognize a figure in one of Heike's paintings as a beloved relative from childhood, with all the warm emotions that evokes but none of the specificity. Faces are often obscured or left blank to reiterate this ambiguity. Mueller's strength lies in her expression of the excitement she feels about discovering these open narratives, then breathing new life into stories lost to time. By recontextualizing the imagery, fragmenting the composition, adding her signature color and pattern, and obscuring some details, she creates new stories that express a certain distinct energy that is difficult to describe, but not unlike meeting Heike herself—simultaneously joyous and reserved, casual and enigmatic. Each painting holds its own story, and the viewer's own memories and associations are an important part of unraveling the mystery. After studying art education and painting in Basel and Amsterdam, Heike Mueller continues to teach and maintain a rigorous studio and exhibition practice while building a family. Widely represented in Germany and Switzerland, Mueller has exhibited extensively in galleries and art fairs throughout Europe for the last 20 years. She now lives and works in Basel with her husband and three sons. OTHER WORLDLY examines the places, simultaneously real and imagined, as they are perceived and processed within an artist’s creative mind. The exhibition features two artists who work within the boundaries of a monochrome palette, traveling the world to discover landscapes full of magic and mystery. Both artists compose within neutral fields of space, making “marks” utilizing unlikely media—Henthorne using a camera and Akiko Kotani, thread. The contrast of materials results in surprisingly complimentary bodies of work. Photographer Henthorne recently captured the unique culture of the stilt fishermen of Sri Lanka, an island located off the southeastern coast of India. These men, bare-chested but wearing turbans and sarongs, jig for the catch-of-the-day using crude fishing poles consisting of nothing more than a long stick, a bit of line and a baited hook. Rarely is photography identified with mark-making, but Henthorne’s newly published collection relies heavily on the vertical black lines recorded by his camera as both subject and composition floating in an abyss of grey. Kotani’s stitched paper works suggest landscapes from above. Teetering in the realm of complete abstraction, these “drawings” bridge the span of record and myth. Delicate, tactile, and fragile are words that come to mind when examining her work closely—a pairing of elegant fine art paper pierced by hundreds of stitches of black silk thread. No mark is reversible, so every gesture is recorded and an integral part of the resulting composition. Both Kotani and Henthorne have chosen subject matter that suggests spiritual awakening, memorializing of experience, and an effort towards sharing the sublime. London-based artist STEPHEN BROOK presents new paintings focused on impressionistic views of iconic urban street scenes. Special guest DAVID DAVID FIGUEROA, whose minimalist metal sculptures hint at abstract architectural forms, reinforces the exhibition's study of the cityscape in both two & three dimensions. STEPHEN BROOK was born in London in 1957 and after leaving school began working as a commercial artist in an art studio in London designing ad's for newspapers including hand drawn illustrations. In 1977, Brook had a drawing accepted for a group show at the prestigious Whitechapel Gallery in London, which marked a pivotal moment in his early career as an artist. Since that time, Stephen has exhibited in numerous galleries both in the UK and the U.S. and his work has appeared at Art Expo and the Affordable Art Fair in New York. Since that time, the artist's sculptures have become a favorite at art festivals around the United States, and he has been honored with multiple Best of Show awards. His celebrated work is in numerous public collections, including the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, the Museum of Florida Art in Deland, the College of Central Florida in Ocala, and private collections in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Curacao, and South America. ARTicles partners with local collectors to showcase much-loved works that are back on the market! Highlights include iconic works from some of the most recognized artists in the region. Many haven't been on public view for decades, including great examples from the early careers of several well-established artists. The coolest part is all works are available for purchase ~ Even collectors need to purge sometimes! To make room for exciting new pieces of art, area collectors are choosing to rotate works and share great artwork made near and far. The exhibition introduces the latest in a long list of art services provided by ARTicles, an opportunity for our clients to buy/sell/trade works of art, earning cash or credit for your masterpieces. The selection upholds the quality standards you've come to expect from ARTicles. Stay tuned for details and an official announcement about our next endeavor. An additional location for great art offerings in St. Petersburg is COMING SOON! NOUVELLE VAGUE [new wave]: Jeannine Hascall & Robin Perry Dana, a two-person exhibition featuring new work by the artists. Jeannine Hascall's latest work is a minimalist combination of radically romantic, cascading textiles complimented by elegant acrylic paintings. Robin Perry Dana's lush and penetrating videos and photographs focus on the essential serenity of our upland watershed. The exhibition delivers a tranquil vision of enigmatic beauty. Jeannine Hascall's art has radical intentions embodied in its torn edges and shadowy expressionist themes. The result is a striking body of work with a bold color palette, richly layered texture and pattern, and hints of her intellectual journey through life and art-making. These mixed media works primarily constructed of fabric appear like apparitions, a combination of distortion and deterioration that read more so as psychological probing than narrative plot. Robin Perry Dana's Watershed series explores the lush colors, organic forms, and primordial layers she finds in wetland habitats. Through the medium of photography, she emphasizes the strange beauty and wild grandeur of these isolated places. Her abstracted and decontextualized compositional strategies result in images full of chaos and mystery. Jeannine Hascall spent much of her life in Southern Illinois and earned a BFA in painting and an MFA in fiber from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. Since moving to St Petersburg, she has continued to explore new media and ideas in her studio at The ArtLofts in downtown St. Petersburg, with exhibitions at ARTicles Art Gallery, Florida CraftArt, and the Mirella Cimato Gallery at Opera Central. Robin Perry Dana, a native of Georgia, resides in St Petersburg, Florida where she serves as Gallery Director of Articles Art Gallery and Curator of the Leslie Curran Gallery. She earned a BA in Studio Art from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta and an MFA in Photography from the University of Connecticut. She has exhibited her work up and down the east coast, taught photography in the US and abroad, curated art exhibitions, written on contemporary artists, and worked in book and magazine publishing. Frank Strunk III grew up in Rockville, Maryland. Raised by Appalachian parents, his formative years were defined by a strong work ethic and a passion for music. As an introverted child, he worked in his father’s printing business, first sweeping up and eventually running the presses. He was mesmerized by the sound of the gears and the movement of the machinery. Strunk's trademark kinetic sculptures revel in the excitement he first felt surrounded by the mechanical energy of the presses. What is always startling about these works is the delicate simplicity of the resulting motion from such a complex mechanical system. In Exit Strategy, a moth gently flutters, a persistent yet futile effort towards escape. The self-taught artist moved to St. Petersburg over 20 years ago, developing his signature industrial style through years of hard work and self-reflection in the studio. His striking and recognizable work combines the brute qualities of welded metal sculpture with the profound message of an introspective philosophical pursuit. "My art is often about the things that I feel matter most. Every great piece of art was fueled by love. It's just garbage metal. I burnish it. I polish it. I want to make things that are beautiful out of things that are nothing." Influenced by his interest in a diverse array of writings on comparative religion, mythology and the human condition, including Eckerd Tolle, Eric Hoffer, Joseph Campbell and Sam Keen, the artist creates structures that explore themes of masculinity, work, and love. Innovation and breakthroughs occur for the artist following long periods of solitude in the studio, and the results reflect his own trials and tribulations, his ideas on life and how to live it, and his continuing pursuit of happiness and beauty. A new series of mixed media works read like reliquaries containing sacred vessels of mysterious substances. Adorned with beautifully intricate ornamentation and a richly textured patina, they feel simultaneously contemporary and ancient. The artist offers a hint of a powerful metaphysical energy collected within by ascribing titles to the objects such as Truth Serum and Love Potion No. 9. Parkhill's monumental sculptures made primarily of reclaimed materials embrace the color, grain, old paint, dents, scratches, and nail holes of its previous use while transforming them into remarkably harmonious and sublime forms. With a background in carpentry, Parkhill is known for creating elegant, abstract objects, both freestanding and mounted on the wall. "My work has always come out of whatever kind of salvaged wood comes into my studio. The work that evolves depends on the size, species, condition and so on. Oak bends readily and yellow pine barely bends at all without breaking." Parkhill graduated from the USF in 1972. After completing a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Utah, he decided to buy a house in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa and converted the detached garage into a woodworking studio. Parkhill's return to Tampa Bay has had a significant impact on the area arts community. His work is regularly featured in exhibitions and festivals, and he is the recipient of multiple Best in Show awards at St. Petersburg's prestigious Mainsail Art Festival. His art can be found in numerous public, corporate and museum collections. This solo exhibition of sculptures by the critically-acclaimed Tampa artist remains on view until Feb 17th, 2018. This exhibition is co-curated by Bridget Elmer, Coordinator of the Letterpress and Book Arts Center at Ringling College of Art And Design, and Robin Perry Dana, Curator of Exhibitions at the Leslie Curran Gallery. Into the Fold surveys the contemporary field of book art, with a focus on collaborative editions produced in the state of Florida. From historic woodcuts and previously unpublished manuscripts to laser cut bindings and experimental structures, the work in this exhibition expands our understanding of the book as an art form and celebrates the artists working in our region. Book art is, according to the majority of contemporary theorists, a 20th century art form that encompasses many related fields, including artists’ books, altered books, fine press books, sculptural books, zines, and even performance and installation. The unifying factor in all of these practices is that the artists making the work approach the book, in and of itself, as a work of art. Book art often interrogates the traditional identity of the book and it is, by nature, an interdisciplinary practice, integrating the fields of visual art, literature, graphic design, and more, depending on the project at hand. Accessibility is another common theme for book art, as artists often engage the book form with intentions to reach a wider audience with their work. Tactility is also a defining characteristic of book as an art form. Most books must be held and manipulated by the reader to be fully experienced, and this kind of direct physical interaction with an art form is an exciting and rare experience to which many artists and viewers are drawn. Just as there is a broad continuum of practices housed under the umbrella of book art, there are a wide variety of contexts in which the work is made. For this show, we focus in on the practice of producing collaborative editions of book art in an institutional setting. This studio-based practice finds its routes in printmaking and the model of the atelier, where a master printer and their apprentices or interns work with visiting artists to realize editions of original prints. In the case of book art, it is often an academic institution that hosts this kind of collaborative production, organizing faculty, students, and staff to assists artists in the creation of editioned bookworks. The state of Florida has recently experienced an marked growth in the number of these opportunities. With this exhibition, we hope to shine a light on a selection of the resulting editions and the exciting array of artists making book art in our region. When considering an artist's work, most people tend to compare it to another artist or categorize it by style. It is more comfortable to relate to something familiar instead of experiencing a completely new and possibly innovative work of art. Jack Barrett is difficult to classify and yet his style is instantly recognizable. Lennie Bennett, a St. Petersburg Times art critic once wrote, "We see the roll call of recurring images: jesters, clowns, doves; the mysterious tangles of people; the bold fields of color that isolate or contain the figures. But just when you think you have him pegged, he breaks out another trick from his immense stylistic bag and you stop thinking of Matisse or Chagall and begin considering Schiele or De Kooning, or any number of other artists whose influence might flicker through by never dominate Barrett's unique vision and visual vocabulary." Jack was adept at using texture and color to create a totally unique composition while at the same time retaining his individuality. He was fond of experimenting and trying new techniques, but always retained the Barrett signature. He could be abstract or capture the exact likeness of a subject; he was comfortable a either end of the spectrum. His paintings are playful and masterfully executed works of color, composition, shapes, forms and, almost always, figures. Jack's wife Louise loves to relate tales of Jack's vivid imagination and describes the various creatures that would inhabit the house or the studio and eventually end up on his canvas. Jack's characters are unmistakable. Always dancing, playing, flying or creating pandemonium, wearing strange hats and outrageous clothing, they animate much of his work and are a joy to behold. On February 3, 2008, the world became a little less colorful, a little less whimsical and a little less wonderful, Jack Barrett passed away. An admired artist for over 40 years, Jack left behind a huge collection of paintings, drawings, pastels and sketches. What followed were posthumous exhibitions at the Morean Arts Center (2008), the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art (2014), and the Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg (2017). The complete collection of Jack Barrett's works are now represented by ARTicles Art Gallery and an exhibition of selected paintings and drawings, Legendary Beauty, has been organized for their special exhibition space, The Leslie Curran Gallery. The Leslie Curran Gallery presents TEKTONIC, an exhibition featuring the paintings of Robert Ross and the sculptures of Nin McQuillen. Ross's paintings reveal the alluring geometry of alleyways, construction sites, rooftops and other overlooked places. McQuillen's intimately-scaled sculptures in aluminum, steel, bronze and brass are a synthesis of line, shape and surface that evoke the harmony of standing stones and totems. Robert Ross's paintings convey the quiet stillness often found in abandoned places with the beautiful light and shadow of an early morning walk. "My paintings reveal the beauty, mystery and hidden life in ordinary, overlooked places. Good design is always my starting point. I strive to capture that moment of first perception, when I see how sunlight, shadows and color give shape to what I encounter," explains Ross. Nin McQuillen begins with dense, solid aluminum block and rod, found and salvaged, marked by years of weathering. Close examination reveals more than monochrome metal assemblages. The hand-sanded and polished surfaces display a variety of luminous tones, from gentle planar gradations to highly reflective accents. Shown together, these works share a passion for creating dynamic compositions from complex geometric relationships. "The installation juxtaposes the loose, expressionist style of Ross's two-dimensional works and the finely-honed solidity of McQuillen's three-dimensional sculptures, while also emphasizing the minimalist aesthetic and complimentary formalist strategies they both utilize to create energy and tension in space," explains gallery curator Robin Perry Dana. Robert Ross earned an M.A. from the University of Michigan and B.A. from Oakland University followed by classes at Crealde School of Art in Winter Park, Florida. In 2016, Ross was Artist-in-Residence with the Glen Arbor Art Association and is a member of the McRae Art Studios Collective in Orlando. Nin McQuillen grew up in St Petersburg, maintains an active studio in St Petersburg, and has been represented by Leslie Curran for over a decade. He earned a BS in Broadcasting from the University of Florida. He spent 1972 studying theatre and art history in London, followed by extensive travel to art museums throughout Europe. Varied careers in broadcasting, advertising, teaching and mental health all served as investigations in human behavior, which continue to inform his 40 years of exploration in art-making. With a fresh perspective on the Florida landscape, Sarah Hull presents beach crowds from a fascinating view high above. Replete with colorful umbrellas and bathing beauties scattered across the composition, her large-scale paintings show us a familiar subject from an unlikely and captivating angle. “I first began to photo document beach scenes from the top floor of hotels, later in an airplane, and eventually introduced drones into my work practice to capture reference material for this bird's eye perspective,” Hull explains. Multi-disciplinary artist Catherine Woods, known for her large public art installations, presents unique table-top and wall-mounted sculptures. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to experience the artist's delightfully transformative glass work on an intimate scale. Using an unusual and highly complex process for cast and laminated glass, Woods achieves perfection through skillful craftsmanship. A combination of elegant lines and alluring colors result in objects of substance and depth. One can clearly see that these artists are inspired by our sunny climate. Shown together, these lively works share a cheerful quality, both sophisticated and joyful. The installation juxtaposes the pictorial style of Hull's two-dimensional works and the atmospheric sentiment of Woods three-dimensional sculptures made even more vibrant by the sunlight flooding in the windows of the gallery. "Catherine Woods' sparkling, crystalline glass sculptures composed of abstract geometries and complimentary colors are the perfect accompaniment to Sarah Hull's vibrant, dreamy, and impressionistic paintings of populated beaches from above, and the perfect antidote to the doldrums of summer," says gallery curator Robin Perry Dana. Sarah Hull has been included in numerous national juried exhibitions and was featured in a recent article: "Femme Visuale: Sarah Hull", in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Among her many accomplishments and accolades, Hull received Honorable Mention at International Art Olympia 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the New York Studio School and currently maintains and active studio in Tampa, Florida. Catherine Woods is a nationally recognized sculptor working primarily in architectural glass and metal with installations across the country. She studied at the University of MD, College Park and The Portfolio Center, Atlanta, GA as well as Brychtova Forum, Craft Alliance, Penland School of Crafts, and the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. The St. Petersburg artist's award-winning work has been featured in “Sculpture Review” and “Public Art Review” magazines and recognized by Americans for the Arts prestigious public art competition “Year in Review”. She is the founder and director of C Glass Studio, specializing in large-scale installations for the public sector. Multimedia artist, designer, and celebrated curator of countless exhibitions Chad Mize, who has been instrumental in helping generate much of the energy in St Petersburg’s creative community, presents a new body of work inspired by major creative moments throughout his 43 years of life. Come see what this amazing artist, notable for his years as the curator of Bluelucy and designer of the iconic World Tour (Paris, London, Tokyo, St Pete) t-shirt, has been up to lately in this solo exhibition, 4D3. This solo exhibition features La'ford's celebrated series of stain-dyed paintings, with an earth-toned color palette derived from self-made pigments and paints. Her striking compositions echo the patterns and marks found throughout human history, including warrior masks, traditionally adorned fabrics, and aerial views of unearthed neolithic proto-cities. The artist's installation will also feature several objects from her own collection, gathered from cultures around the globe, including domestic textiles, ceremonial and religious icons, and ornamental objects. Lissa Hatcher's award winning photographs are highly conceptualized and choreographed productions full of fantastic characters in imaginary places. This exhibition focuses on places in between, worlds that are and are not, and the epic journeys of the characters navigating through. Working as a photographer, art director, and editor, it is often whispered that her shoots look like tiny movie sets where characters play out scenes like actors. Expect to see some of these characters live on opening night, along with objects and ephemera from her sets, with equal parts magical photography and performance. Paired with the equally thoughtful cast silver sculptures of William Joseph III, this exhibit quietly makes a deep impression. Each delicate piece is painstakingly handcrafted and magical to behold. In this exhibition, Cervenka's ongoing exploration of movie film as sculptural material is paired with the wildly gestural mixed media works of Thomas. Both artists use unconventional materials to create strong linear marks that defy 2 and 3 dimensional picture planes. The internationally known collaborative artists' new installation combines iconic imagery of water and the moon. As an installation, the work reminds us that our world, as do we, moves in intimate concert, and the artists create an opportunity to sit in an environment ready for quiet reflection. Steven Kenny's celebrated paintings of the human figure paired with elements found in nature are full of symbolic juxtapositions that often make reference to journeys of self-exploration and discovery. David David Figueroa's monumental sculptures are studies in power and restraint made from minimalist combinations of wood, steel, bronze, stone and found objects. into striking visual representations of her challenging observations on familial and societal issues. Terry Brett's large black and white compositions have the immediacy and power of action paintings that express more raw emotion than pointed narrative. This exhibition pairs Richard Seidel's lively figurative paintings inspired by coastal trips and artist residencies in Venice, Madrid, and the French Riviera with Alison Sigethy's innovative kinetic glass sculptures, Sea Cores, which combine water, light, bubbles and glass to reflect the dazzling visual array of deep sea environments. Rabideau focuses on the exploration of discarded materials found in the urban landscape and how these materials can be utilized to create a connection between the forgotten/past to the new/now. By using found/salvaged pieces of wood and discarded furniture, he creates works that have direct connections to the these urban neighborhoods while also referencing ideas of history, gentrification, cultural wastefulness, and hidden beauty. Hudson's solo exhibition, inspired by modernism, minimalism, and pop art movements, features large-scale abstract geometric paintings full of bold color and pattern. See works on paper and canvas by the artist, accompanied by a sampling of art that inspired the series - selected sculptural works from his remarkable collection of 20th Century Art. This highly anticipated showcase of more than 30 of the area's premiere photographers features selections juried by Robin O'Dell (Museum of Fine Arts), Beth Reynolds (Morean Art Center), and Chuck Vosburgh (Morean Art Center + Tappa). Moldovan's acrylic paintings combine richly colored backgrounds with gold leaf laid in grid-like precision. Paired with Oleson's heraldic animalia made of metal, the exhibition emphasizes the colors, media, and symbology often associated with royalty, magic, and other forms of power. The artist presents a series of atmospheric paintings inspired by the mysterious and extraordinary experience of seeing a massive flock of starlings twisting and turning in unison. The Swiss artist returns to the U.S., exhibiting a series of paintings inspired by source material gathered during her sabbatical in St. Petersburg in 2015. After studying art education and painting in Basel and Amsterdam, Mueller continued to teach and maintain a rigorous studio and exhibition practice while building a family. Widely represented in Germany and Switzerland, Mueller has exhibited extensively in galleries and art fairs throughout Europe for the last 20 years. She now lives and works in Basel with her husband and three sons. This is the first solo exhibition of Heike Mueller's paintings in the U.S. Parkhill's monumental sculptures made primarily of reclaimed materials embrace the color, grain, old paint, dents, scratches, and nail holes of its previous use while transforming them into remarkably harmonious and sublime forms. This exhibition features the large-scale abstract paintings of Ummarid "Tony" Eitharong and the ceramic works of Robert Lawarre. Eitharong has been a mainstay and multiple Best in Show award winner in fine art festivals around the country for more than 30 years, creating an expansive body of work that reflects his own personal and spiritual evolution. Robert Lawarre's richly textured ceramic works are full of rich texture, vibrant color, and storybook narrative. Neumann's encaustic paintings are inspired by the raw, primitive energy of the wetlands, as well as the vast cosmic night sky of her home in Aripeka, Florida. Erdman's sculptures of luxurious wood, informed by studies in architecture and a successful career as a yacht designer, evoke the elegantly flowing lines of wind in sails. Nathan Beard's new series of pastels on paper, Pond's Edge, depicts the commingling of water and plant life by contrasting celebratory gestures with a soothing color palette. Nin McQuillen's intimately scaled sculptures are a synthesis of line, shape and surface that evoke the harmony of standing stones and totems. With these bodies of work, both artists explore new media in pursuit of beauty.

2019-04-21T08:51:06Z

http://articlesstpete.com/events/view/1254

With the world watching Myanmar’s unfolding political transition, watershed national elections were held on November 8, 2015.2 Observers reported the elections to be freer and fairer than international skeptics feared, and results were overwhelmingly in favor of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD).3 The NLD won 255 seats in the Lower House (Pyithu Hluttaw) and 135 seats in the Upper House (Amyotha Hluttaw), giving it absolute majorities in both houses. Meanwhile, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was reduced to only 30 seats in the Lower House and 11 seats in the Upper House. Myanmar is now in a post-election political process to determine who will fill crucial leadership posts. The new parliament should convene sometime in February 2016, when a presidential electoral college comprising representatives from the upper house, lower house, and the military will elect Myanmar’s president and first and second vice-presidents. Myanmar’s domestic political transition is thus complex in terms of its changing institutions and the interaction of stakeholders — including the NLD, military, and ethnic minority groups — with different interests and policy preferences. This dynamic raises questions about the trajectory of Myanmar’s foreign relations, particularly with China. China was the main external partner for Myanmar’s former military regime and will continue to be a prominent part of Myanmar’s diplomatic and economic portfolios.7 However, Myanmar-China relations have been significantly strained8 to the point of speculation about a fundamental shift in bilateral relations.9 In this issue brief, we examine how China’s relationship with Myanmar has developed since the latter’s reforms, focusing on trends in bilateral diplomacy, border security, and economic relations. While we agree with other assessments that China’s influence in Myanmar is more constrained now than during the 1988-2010 period,10 we do not believe that China’s relations with Asia’s newest emerging state have declined in importance. To avoid zero-sum geopolitical perceptions of Myanmar’s reform and opening, and for interactions with China to improve the lives of the Burmese people, Myanmar-China relations should be brought in line with international standards of mutual respect, transparency, and social accountability. From the beginning of Myanmar’s rule by the State Law and Order Restoration Council/State Peace and Development Council (SLORC/SPDC)11 in 1988, China’s role in Myanmar’s diplomacy, trade, and security grew apace. This role emerged from necessity rather than affective connection — both sides’ proclamations of a special paukphaw (“kinship”) relationship notwithstanding. The SLORC/SPDC needed an economic and diplomatic lifeline to mitigate international sanctions and condemnation over its human rights violations. China provided that lifeline by trading with and investing in Myanmar, and by holding a veto over UN Security Council scrutiny of Myanmar’s human rights. In return, China gained access to Myanmar’s rich reserves of petroleum, natural gas, timber, and minerals, as well as its potential for hydroelectric power, all of which promised to help fuel Chinese economic growth and especially the development of Yunnan Province. Myanmar’s location also makes it strategically important, both as a crossroads among China, India and Southeast Asia, and for its access to the Bay of Bengal, an alternative route to the Strait of Malacca for China to import Middle Eastern oil. The reforms President Thein Sein initiated from 2011 provided Myanmar with more diplomatic options, most significantly with the United States. While U.S. officials and leaders of other countries welcomed the reforms with cautious optimism, the scale and scope — including allowing Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD to run for parliamentary seats and relaxing press and civil liberty restrictions — soon convinced them that Myanmar’s leaders were serious about pursuing transformative policies. Consequently, many economic sanctions were suspended and a steady stream of international dignitaries traveled to Myanmar to meet with Thein Sein, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political leaders. In 2014, Myanmar chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the first time, giving it the opportunity to host numerous high-level regional meetings — including the ASEAN Summit, ASEAN+3 meetings, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the East Asia Summit — and interact with a wide range of diplomatic partners. Despite expressions of anxiety from some quarters about Myanmar’s international opening, Chinese officials tend to maintain measured, positive language about relations with Myanmar.25 Beijing has refrained from explicitly criticizing Nay Pyi Taw’s reforms, taking a cautiously supportive position or at least claiming non-interference. However, the long-simmering tensions between the Myanmar government and ethnic militias in the borderlands near Yunnan Province directly impinge upon Chinese security and have strained Myanmar-China bilateral relations. Many of Myanmar’s minority ethnic groups — notably the Kachin, Kokang, Shan, and Wa — have significant populations on both sides of the border. Geography, transportation infrastructure, and cross-border kinship ties are such that ethnic communities in northern Myanmar may be culturally and economically closer to Yunnan than to the rest of Myanmar. Cities and towns along Myanmar’s border with China frequently conduct transactions in Chinese renminbi rather than Myanmar kyat and the use of the Chinese language is pervasive. Several of the largest militias — including the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Kokang-led Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) have historical ties to China deriving from their prior incorporation in the Burmese Communist Party, which China supported during the 1960s and 1970s. Concurrently, business and political interests in Yunnan profit from the porous border and extract lucrative rents from trade with and investment in regions where ethnic militias dominate.26 Such historical and economic ties, along with observations that some militias are equipped with military-grade Chinese weaponry, have fed persistent suspicions that China is secretly backing ethnic militias in an effort to wield leverage over Nay Pyi Taw.27 Several of our interviewees in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw alleged that elements in China exerted control over ethnic militias and were providing them with arms and assistance.28 On the other hand, Beijing has incentives to contain the militias since a number of them have been implicated in large-scale narcotics production and trafficking, contributing to significant social problems in China. Despite the recent pause to violence in Kokang, the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement has been complicated by ethnic militias’ demand that the factions fighting in the region be allowed to join it. This demand appeared driven by a combination of ethnic solidarity, an unwillingness to hand the USDP a political victory before the November elections, and a desire to prevent the Myanmar military from focusing resources on crushing factions in Kokang.38 However, there are again allegations of a China factor. In October 2015, Min Zaw Oo, a senior official affiliated with the government-backed Myanmar Peace Center, accused China of encouraging ethnic militias not to sign the NCA unless the MNDAA were allowed to join. He also alleged that Beijing’s Special Envoy Sun Guangxiang pressured the United Wa State Army and the Kachin Independence Organization not to sign the NCA over provisions that Western and Japanese observers be included in the peace process.39 Officials in Beijing denied the allegations, and Min Zaw Oo subsequently claimed that his remarks had been misreported.40 Nonetheless, Chinese authorities have opposed “internationalizing” the borderland conflicts.41 In September 2015, the UWSA claimed it had promised the Yunnan government not to involve Western countries or Japan in conflicts near the Myanmar-China border and that it could therefore not sign the NCA.42 Ultimately, only eight armed ethnic groups signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement on October 15, 2015, excluding numerous other groups, including members of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team that had helped to draft it.43 The new Myanmar government will face serious challenges in advancing the peace process, especially the lack of transparency along the Myanmar-China border. Myanmar’s official exports to China consist largely of raw materials, particularly natural gas and oil, teak and other hardwoods, and minerals, whereas a large portion of its official imports from China consist of manufactured goods, electronic equipment, machinery, vehicles, and steel.47 Many of these imports — particularly complete machinery and electronic equipment — are purchased by Chinese firms operating inside Myanmar.48 A significant portion of China’s development aid to Myanmar takes the form of export credits to Chinese companies that win bids for projects in Myanmar, helping them mitigate exchange rate and cash flow risks. Moreover, many of these companies are large state-owned enterprises that have embraced the Chinese government’s exhortation to “go global” by establishing operations abroad.49 Through export credits, China is able to subsidize Chinese enterprises and boost their competitiveness in Myanmar. Myanmar’s limited diplomatic and economic relations under the SLORC/SPDC gave China significant first-mover advantages. With relatively little foreign competition, Chinese firms — aided by Beijing’s proactive foreign investment policies, extensive ethnic business networks, and close relations between Chinese authorities and the military junta — had more time to accumulate the knowledge, resources, and relationships to secure a dominant position in Myanmar’s economy. Such advantages are unlikely to dissipate anytime soon, but as sanctions are lifted and more foreign businesses enter the Myanmar market, Chinese firms will face growing competitive pressures, promoting innovation and efficiency. At the same time, gradual democratization means that Burmese firms and consumers will be able to conduct business with foreign partners on more favorable terms. China’s asymmetric economic advantages are manifested not only in terms of trade and aid, but also in terms of investment. The latter may be more delicate for Myanmar-China relations because whereas perceived unfairness in trade and aid has generated resentment among business and political actors, controversial Chinese investment projects have incited significant public protests. Those public demonstrations — and even the anti-China sentiments expressed by an increasingly free media and on relatively uncensored social networking sites — increased political pressure on Myanmar’s government to adjust policies on Chinese investment. Chinese FDI in Myanmar is focused on extractive industries and the energy sector.55 The manner in which many of these projects have been pursued has generated controversies over property rights, labor conditions, the environment, and the sustainability of local benefits. FDI projects in energy and extractive industries can also degrade the local environment, deplete natural resources, and harm local residents’ livelihoods. The copper mine at Letpadaung and the jade mines in Hpakant in Kachin State have contaminated water and air, damaged arable land, and led to the forced evictions of nearby residents.61 In the case of Hpakant, where as much as 90 percent of the world’s jade is mined — most of it destined for China — landslides generated by piles of mining refuse have killed scores of residents and destroyed nearby dwellings, including the November 22, 2015 disaster that killed over 100.62 The Shwe gas project caused people to burn wood for fuel and construct pipelines across forests leading to deforestation and destruction of biodiversity.63 Pipeline operations that fall short of international safety standards can contaminate water and soil, affecting the ecosystem for fishing, farming, and daily use. Before it was suspended in 2011, the construction of the Myitsone hydroelectric dam destroyed farmland, fishing stocks, and forests.64 The negative impact of such environmental degradation on local communities has created a basis for popular activism against such projects. The Thein Sein administration looked to address these issues by suspending projects, re-negotiating contracts, and preparing Myanmar to become a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).68 However, such a strategy carried risks of retaliation by Chinese authorities or enterprises by slowing or withdrawing investment in different locations and sectors. Such reprisals are difficult for Myanmar to absorb given its serious need for capital to modernize the economy. It is also difficult for Myanmar to implement a coherent strategy on Chinese FDI because of the complexity of actors on the Myanmar side. Certain vested interests, such as cronies related to the military, are more interested in lining their pockets or protecting their own windfall profits than seeing improvements in labor and environmental policies or ensuring due process and legal recourse to local residents.69Often times, resource-rich areas in Myanmar overlap with those controlled by groups also involved in illicit trade and not interested in sharing benefits or coordinating oversight with the central authorities.70 The proximity of legal and illegal activity, and the suspected illicit wealth of economically important firms like Asia World, have translated to enduring international sanctions and caution from foreign firms, hitherto leaving few investment partners in these areas other than China. Myanmar and China’s bilateral diplomacy, border security, and economic relations are not up to international standards because Myanmar has for decades been internationally isolated and overly dependent on China. With reform and opening, Myanmar is gaining options but, like its fellow ASEAN countries, will continue to face the challenge of dealing with a larger, more powerful neighbor. International standards are critical for stable, productive, and sustainable relations among China and its neighbors. This is a theme of increasing salience across Southeast Asia such that Myanmar-China relations will have notable implications, not only for regional security and development, but also as an indicator for China’s regional intentions and adherence to international norms. The to-do list for Myanmar’s new government is so extensive that external assistance will be welcome. International involvement can help mitigate the substantive difficulty and historical complexity of many governance challenges. For Myanmar-China relations in particular, international standards of mutual respect, transparency and social accountability can improve bilateral diplomacy, border security, and economic relations. Beijing and Nay Pyi Taw need to address significant doubts between them over the endurance of traditional diplomatic concepts such as Chinese non-interference, Burmese neutrality, and even “peaceful coexistence.” Bilateral diplomacy conducted within international standards of mutual respect would reduce current levels of resentment and misunderstanding. In particular, it is not helpful for Beijing to be seen as against openness or defending a sphere of influence in Myanmar, and it is not helpful for Myanmar to be seen as playing major powers off each other. In this connection, it is paramount that Myanmar’s new government make clear that upgrading relations with the United States does not come at the expense of relations with China. Myanmar’s transition should be in the “cooperation” column of U.S.-China relations, along with global health and the environment, rather than the “strategic rivalry” column with cyber espionage and the South China Sea. Myanmar is not a strategic appendage or pawn of any country, and its history shows that its people will defend their national identities and interests. Myanmar’s reform and opening may be related to reducing its reliance on China, but that hardly means Nay Pyi Taw will become dependent on the United States. The U.S. and Myanmar are not about to enter into a security alliance involving major arms sales or training exercises. American sanctions on arms sales remain in place, and U.S.-Myanmar military dialogues are largely focused on developing international standards of professionalism, transparency, and civil-military relations. There is potential for Myanmar-U.S.-China coordination and even active cooperation in such areas as information sharing and interdiction activities related to counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, and counter-narcotics. For such cooperation to be realized, and to mitigate problems of trust and accountability surrounding the complex interactions across the Myanmar-China border, greater transparency is needed. Although the signing of a National Ceasefire Agreement by some ethnic armed groups is a positive development, inclusion of all relevant groups is crucial. China should consider welcoming international participation in monitoring the ceasefire process. This could reduce scapegoating and the spread of rumors, while increasing normative pressure (rather than military or economic coercion) for reaching a lasting agreement. Transparency should also be a positive factor for better coordination among stakeholders with interest in stability in the border regions: the military, elected government, and local ethnic groups on the Myanmar side, and Beijing officials, Yunnan authorities, and state-owned enterprises on the Chinese side. In our interviews with policymakers and analysts in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon, a recurrent theme was the importance of high-level visits as a bellwether of Myanmar-China relations. Although Xi Jinping has hosted Thein Sein in Beijing, and visited Myanmar in 2009 as vice-president, he has not visited Myanmar since assuming the top office. The last Chinese president to make an official visit to Myanmar was Jiang Zemin in 2001. Given that Myanmar has hosted numerous international leaders since 2011 — including U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and the heads of fellow ASEAN countries — Xi’s absence is conspicuous and has been interpreted by many Burmese as a snub. By making an official visit to Myanmar in the early days of the new administration, Xi would help to dispel such perceptions, signal China’s commitment to its strategic partnership with a reforming and opening Myanmar, and set the stage for a cooperative relationship adhering to international standards. The authors appreciate policymakers and experts in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon for sharing their perspectives in not-for-attribution interviews, and are grateful for useful comments from Ralph Cossa, Rachel Leng, and Vikram Nehru. Annie Lee Seul Cha, Wang Qichao, Zhang Xiaorui, Zhou Xin, and Peter S. Chow provided excellent research assistance. Jonathan Chow wishes to acknowledge the support of a research grant from the University of Macau (SRG-2013-00057-FSS). However, the views expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. For the purposes of this issue brief, we use “Myanmar” to refer to the country, and use “Burmese” for the adjectival form. No further intent of the authors should be inferred by the use of this nomenclature. The previous military government wrote in a clause forbidding citizens with foreign family members from assuming the presidency to block Aung San Suu Kyi from the office. Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008), §59(f). Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008), §232(b), §232(c), §232(j), §201. Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008), §40(c). http://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Clapp_Written%20Testimony_5.13.2015%20Hearing.pdf (accessed December 21, 2015). Yun Sun, “Does an NLD Government Mark a New Era?” Asia Times, December 8, 2015, http://atimes.com/2015/12/chinas-relations-with-myanmar-does-an-nld-government-mark-a-new-era(accessed December 21, 2015). See, for instance: Dhruva Jaishankar, “Myanmar is Pivoting Away from China,” Foreign Policy, June 15, 2015, http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/15/myanmar-burma-is-pivoting-away-from-china-aung-san-suu-kyi-xi-jinping-india (accessed December 21, 2015). See, for instance: Jürgen Haacke, “Myanmar: Now a Site for Sino-US Geopolitical Competition?” in Kitchen, Nicholas, ed. IDEAS reports – special reports SR015 (London: LSE IDEAS, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2012); Chenyang Li and James Char, “China-Myanmar Relations since Naypyidaw’s Political Transition: How Beijing Can Balance Short-Term Interests and Long-Term Values,” RSIS Working Paper, March 16, 2015, http://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WP288_150316_China-Myanmar-Relations.pdf (accessed December 21, 2015). Myanmar’s military junta was known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) from 1988 until 1997, when it was renamed the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). See, for instance: Mya Maung, “Burma’s Economic Performance under Military Rule: An Assessment,” Asian Survey 37, no. 6 (June 1997): 519-20; Andrew Selth, “Burma and the Strategic Competition between China and India,” Journal of Strategic Studies 19, no. 2 (1996): 223-28. See, for instance: “U.S. Move ‘Not a Threat to China,’” Straits Times, December 3, 2011; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei’s Regular Press Conference on April 5, 2012,” April 6, 2012, http://ke.china-embassy.org/eng/fyrth/t921455.htm(accessed December 21, 2015). Jürgen Haacke, “Myanmar: Now a Site for Sino-US Geopolitical Competition?” in Kitchen, Nicholas, ed. IDEAS reports – special reports SR015 (London: LSE IDEAS, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2012), 55-56. “While it would not be accurate to qualify such policies as targeted at China, it is also undeniable that China has suffered significant collateral damage due to those policies.” Yun Sun, “Myanmar in U.S.-China Relations,” Stimson Center Issue Brief 3, (June 2014): 6. Shi Aiguo施爱国, “Mei Guo dui Miandian de ‘wushi jiechu’ zhengce xiping” 美国对缅甸的‘务实接触’政策析评 [An analysis of America’s ‘pragmatic engagement’ policy towards Myanmar], Guoji Luntan国际论坛 14:1 (January 2012): 5. Chen Xiaofeng陈霞枫, “Miandian gaige dui Zhong Mian guanxi de yingxiang ji zhongguo de duice” 缅甸改革对中缅关系的影响及中国的对策, [Impacts on Sino-Myanmar relations in light of Myanmar’s reforms and China’s countermeasures], Dongnanya Yanjiu东南亚研究 (January 2013): 44. For an analysis of Chinese media assessments of U.S.-Myanmar relations, see: David Péneau, “Should Beijing Worry about Warming Relations between Myanmar and the United States?” China Perspectives (February 2013): 76-78. See also: Shi Qing Ren释清仁, “Mei Mian junshi guanxi de xin zhuanxiang” 美缅军事关系的新转向 [The new direction of US-Myanmar military relations], Zhongguo Qingnianbao中国青年报, January 4, 2013, http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2013-01/04/nw.D110000zgqnb_20130104_3-09.htm (accessed December 21, 2015). It is worth noting that some Chinese analysts recognize potential for U.S.-China cooperation to support Myanmar’s political stability and economic prosperity, for example by countering drug and human trafficking or infectious diseases. See, for instance: Du Lan 杜兰, “Zhuanxing hou de Miandian: Zhong Mei boyi xin zhanchang” 转型后的缅甸：中美博弈新战场 [Post-transformation Myanmar: new battlefield in the China-US game], China Institute of International Studies, December 22, 2014, http://www.ciis.org.cn/chinese/2014-12/22/content_7458663.htm (accessed December 21, 2015). Agence France Presse, “China Avoids Congratulating Myanmar’s Suu Kyi on Election Win,” November 13, 2015. See, for instance: Cristina Garafola, “Aung San Suu Kyi’s Trip to China: Sino-Myanmar Relations as the Countdown to the November Election Begins,” RAND Blog, August 10, 2015, http://www.rand.org/blog/2015/08/aung-san-suu-kyis-trip-to-china-sino-myanmar-relations.html (accessed December 21, 2015); Jürgen Haacke, “Why Did Myanmar’s Opposition Leader Just Visit China?” Diplomat, June 15, 2015, http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/why-did-myanmars-opposition-leader-just-visit-china (accessed December 21, 2015). Yun Sun, “Does an NLD Government Mark a New Era?” Asia Times, December 8, 2015. Interviews with policy experts in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw, November 2015. Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China, “Zhongguo tong Miandian de guanxi” 中国同缅甸的关系 [China’s relations with Myanmar], March 2015, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/gjhdq_676201/gj_676203/yz_676205/1206_676788/sbgx_676792(accessed December 21, 2015). Tom Kramer and Kevin Woods, Financing Dispossession: China’s Opium Substitution Programme in Northern Burma(Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2012): 27-28. On the operation of the underground cross-border trade and the ambiguous relations among traders, ethnic militias, and officials on both sides of the border, see Wen-Chin Chang, “The Everyday Politics of the Underground Trade in Burma by the Yunnanese Chinese since the Burmese Socialist Era,” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 44, no. 2(June 2013): 292-314. International Crisis Group, “China’s Myanmar Dilemma,” Asia Report 177, September 14, 2009, 11. “Myanmar’s Peace Process: A Nationwide Ceasefire Remains Elusive,” Crisis Group Asia Briefing 146, September 16, 2015, 6. “Fan Changlong yu Miandian guofangjun zongsiling jinji tonghua,” 范长龙与缅甸国防军总司令紧急通话,” Xinhua [Fan Changlong and Myanmar’s national defense commander-in-chief hold an emergency phone call], 新华, March 14, 2015, http://news.xinhuanet.com/2015-03/14/c_1114640327.htm(accessed December 21, 2015). “Zhongguo zhanji qifei, lin kong Zhong Mian bianjing kong qing” 中国战机起飞，临控中缅边境空情 [Chinese fighter planes take off, control the airspace over the China-Myanmar border], Xinhua 新华, March 15, 2015, http://news.xinhuanet.com/mrdx/2015-03/15/c_134068239.htm (accessed December 21, 2015). “Mian jun cheng luo Yunnan paodan xi Guogan wuzhuang zuzhi suo wei Zhongfang huiying” 缅军称落云南炮弹系果敢武装组织所为中方回应 [Chinese response to shells landing in Yunnan from fighting between Myanmar military forces and Kokang armed groups], Xinhua 新华, May 21, 2015, http://news.qq.com/a/20150521/007584.htm (accessed December 21, 2015); “Zhongguo jundui jinri jiang zai Zhong Mian bianjing shidan yanxi” 中国军队今日将在中缅边境实弹演习” [Chinese military will have military live-fire exercises on the China-Myanmar Border today], Jinhua Shibao 京华时报, June 2, 2015, http://news.sohu.com/20150602/n414245861.shtml (accessed December 21, 2015). “Zhefu wu nian chongchu jianghu ting 84 sui ‘Guogan wang’ jiang Mian bei jushi” 蛰伏五年重出江湖 听84岁‘果敢王’讲缅北局势” [Emerging from five years of hiding, 84-year old ‘King of Kokang’ discusses the situation in northern Myanmar], Huanqiu Shibao 环球时报, December 29, 2014, http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2014-12/5307556.html (accessed December 21, 2015). Minnie Chan, “Senior Chinese Military Strategist ‘Leaked State Secrets,’ Helped Rebels in Myanmar,” South China Morning Post, March 6, 2015, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1730837/pla-military-strategist-leaked-state-secrets-helped-myanmar-rebels (accessed December 21, 2015). “China Urged Myanmar Ethnic Group to Declare Ceasefire—Envoy,” BBC Monitoring Asia-Pacific (Democratic Voice of Burma), June 13, 2015. Interviews with policy experts in Yangon, November 2015. Crisis Group, “Myanmar’s Peace Process,” 9. Sui-Lee Wee, “Myanmar Official Accuses China of Meddling in Rebel Peace Talks,” Reuters, October 8, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-china-idUSKCN0S22VT20151008 (accessed December 21, 2015). “Myanmar’s Negotiator Expresses Belief in China’s Willingness to Help in Peace Process,” Xinhua, October 11, 2015, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-10/11/c_134702420.htm (accessed December 21, 2015). During peace talks between the Kachin Independence Organization and the Myanmar government mediated by China in Ruili, Yunnan in March 2013, Special Envoy Ambassador Wang Yingfan opposed an article in the final statement inviting international participants, despite support from both sides. China’s pressure led to the removal of the article from the final statement. Myanmar government representatives accused China of interfering in its sovereign affairs. As a result, the Kachin Independence Organization and the Myanmar government refused to hold subsequent negotiations in China and invited the UN Special Envoy to observe peace talks in May 2013. Yun Sun, “China, the United States and the Kachin Conflict,” Stimson Issue Brief 2, (January 2014): 10. Lun Min Mang, “Pro-China Factions in Doubt over Signing Ceasefire,” Myanmar Times, September 18, 2015, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/16548-pro-china-factions-in-doubt-over-signing-ceasefire.html (accessed December 21, 2015). For details, see Michael F. Martin, “Less than Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement Signed in Burma,” CRS Insight, October 15, 2015; “Nationwide Ceasefire Coordinating Team,” Myanmar Peace Monitor, http://www.mmpeacemonitor.org/stakeholders/ncct (accessed December 21, 2015). United Nations COMTRADE data, http://comtrade.un.org (accessed December 21, 2015). Note that bilateral COMTRADE data is presented as reported by Myanmar’s trade partners. Jalal Alamgir, “Myanmar/Burma: International Trade and Domestic Power under an ‘Isolationist Identity,’” in Burma or Myanmar: The Struggle for National Identity, ed. Lowell Dittmer (New Jersey: World Scientific, 2010): 239. United Nations COMTRADE data (as reported by China). David I. Steinberg and Hongwei Fan, Modern China-Myanmar Relations: Dilemmas of Mutual Dependence (Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2012): 239. Benno Ferrarini, “Myanmar’s Trade and Its Potential,” ADB Economics Working Paper Series 325, January 2013. United Nations COMTRADE data. In April 2012, the Central Bank of Myanmar adopted a managed float for the kyat. The kyat had previously been officially pegged to the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights at 6.4 kyat per dollar, though the kyat’s black market value was much lower. The managed float brought the official rate in line with the actual rate and was initially set at 818 kyat per dollar. Since then, the kyat has fallen against the dollar, averaging 854 kyat in December 2012, 984 kyat in December 2013, 1031 kyat in December 2014, and 1285 kyat in October 2015. This means that trade figures before and after April 2012 are not directly comparable. Historical exchange rates from http://www.oanda.com/historical-rates (accessed December 14, 2015). European Commission Directorate-General for Trade, “European Union, Trade in Goods with Myanmar,” October 20, 2015, 3, http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113423.pdf (accessed December 21, 2015). Interviews with government officials in Myanmar, November 2015. Interview with policy expert in Yangon, Myanmar, November 2015. For example, in February 2015 Myanmar’s government approved a $700 million loan from China’s Export-Import Bank to support microfinance loans to farmers. The loan came with a 4.5% interest rate and a 15-year repayment period, raising worries that borrowers would be unable to pay them back given the rapidly falling value of the kyat. Parliamentarians expressed similar concerns in March 2015 over a $40 million loan from the Export-Import Bank with similar terms earmarked for the purchase of vehicles and equipment for the Myanmar Police Force. In comparison, South Korea’s Export-Import Bank offered a $100 million loan to Myanmar to help build a power transmission line with a 0.01% interest rate and a 40-year repayment period, the first 15 years being interest-free. For details, see Su Phyo Win, “Experts Deride Large-Scale Chinese Loan,” Myanmar Times, March 11, 2015, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/13463-experts-deride-large-scale-chinese-loan.html (accessed December 21, 2015); Khin Su Wai, “Critics Say Fears on China Loan Vindicated by Event,” Myanmar Times, August 25, 2015, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/16145-critics-say-fears-on-china-loan-vindicated-by-event.html (accessed December 21, 2015); “Chinese Loans for Burma’s Police,” Democratic Voice of Burma, March 13, 2015, http://www.dvb.no/news/chinese-loans-for-burmas-police-burma-myanmar/49167 (accessed December 21, 2015); Soe Than Lynn, “Opposition MP Questions Purchase of 900 Police Cars from China,” Frontier Myanmar, December 9, 2015, http://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/opposition-mp-questions-purchase-900-police-cars-china(accessed December 21, 2015); Aung Shin and Aye Thida Kyaw, “Korean Loan Comes for Power Lines,” Myanmar Times, November 16, 2014, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/12271-korean-loan-comes-for-power-lines.html(accessed December 21, 2015). Jared Bissinger, “Foreign Investment in Myanmar: A Resource Boom but a Development Bust?” Contemporary Southeast Asia 34, no.1 (2012): 23-52. “OECD Investment Policy Reviews: Myanmar 2014,” OECD Publishing, 2014, 330, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264206441-en (accessed December 21, 2015). Amnesty International, “Myanmar: Open for Business? Corporate Crime and Abuses at Myanmar Copper Mine,” February 10, 2015, http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa16/0003/2015/en (accessed December 21, 2015). Shwe Gas Movement, “Good Governance and the Extractive Industry in Burma: Complications of Burma’s Regulatory Framework,” June 2013, 6. Maung Aung Myoe, “Myanmar’s China Policy since 2011: Determinants and Directions,” Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs 34, no. 2 (2015): 38. Su-Ann Oh and Philip Andrews-Speed, Trends in Southeast Asia: Chinese Investment and Myanmar’s Shifting Political Landscape (Singapore: ISEAS Publishing, 2015): 26, 37, 42. Amnesty International, “Corporate Crime and Abuses at Myanmar Copper Mine,” 62-63; Global Witness, “Jade: Myanmar’s Big State Secret,” October 23, 2015, 78-80, http://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/oil-gas-and-mining/myanmarjade (accessed December 21, 2015). Chan Mya Htwe, “Another Jade Mine Disaster Hits Hpakant,” Myanmar Times, December 16, 2015, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/18159-another-jade-mine-disaster-hits-hpakant.html (accessed December 21, 2015). Shwe Gas Movement, “Good Governance,” 12. Oh and Andrews-Speed, Trends in Southeast Asia, 37. International Rivers, “The Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River: A Briefing,” September 27, 2011, https://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/the-myitsone-dam-on-the-irrawaddy-river-a-briefing-3931 (accessed December 21, 2015). CPI Yunnan International Power Investment Company, responsible for building and operating the dam, claimed in 2015 that 10% of the electricity generated would be granted free to Myanmar, with the remaining 90% sold to anyone willing to pay a negotiated price. Ye Mon and Clare Hammond, “CPI Pushes for Restart of Myitsone Dam,” Myanmar Times June 5, 2015, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/14887-cpi-pushes-for-restart-of-myitsone-dam.html (accessed December 21, 2015). On tax revenues, see, for instance: Global Witness, “Jade: Myanmar’s Big State Secret,” 34-36; Aye Thidar Kyaw and Clare Hammond, “Illicit Capital Flows into Myanmar Soar,” Myanmar Times, September 10, 2015, http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/16412-illicit-capital-flows-into-myanmar-soar.html (accessed December 21, 2015). Oh and Andrews-Speed, Chinese Investment and Myanmar’s Shifting Political Landscape, 27-29, 44-47. Maung Maung Aye, “A Geographical Perspective on Myanmar’s Transition: Towards Inclusive, People-Centered and Sustainable Economic Growth,” International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (24-26 July 2015), Chiang Mai, Thailand. Niklas Swanström, “Sino-Myanmar Relations: Security and Beyond,” Institute for Security and Development Policy, June 2012, 20. Yun Sun, “China and the Changing Myanmar,” Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs 31, no. 4 (2012): 58. Asian Developmental Bank, “Country Operation Business Plan: Myanmar 2016-2018,” September 2015, http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/175311/cobp-mya-2016-2018.pdf (accessed December 21, 2015). In July 2013, the Chinese Embassy in Yangon issued a series of CSR guidelines for Chinese firms in Myanmar. Firms have begun to respond by issuing CSR reports and enhancing their CSR activities. See, for instance: Myanmar Wanbao, “Community and Social Development Programme 2013,” http://www.myanmarwanbao.com.mm/images/stories/wanbao-pdfs/CSD_BOOK.pdf (accessed December 21, 2015). See, for instance: Myanmar Yang Tse Copper Ltd, “ISSO 26000:2010,” http://www.myanmarcopper.com/certification-iso-26000-2010.html (accessed December 21, 2015); “Blueprint for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (2009-2015),” 29, http://www.asean.org/archive/5187-19.pdf (accessed December 21, 2015). International partners like Singapore and Australia have begun to introduce the standard through Myanmar’s government and business community, but more technical assistance is likely required to help Myanmar’s CSR policies meet international standards. International Standards Organization, “Australia and Singapore to Strengthen Myanmar’s National Standards Body,” http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index/news_archive/news.htm?refid=Ref1958 (accessed December 21, 2015). The new investment law combines the 2012 Foreign Investment Law and the 2013 Myanmar Citizens Investment Law, allows state and divisional governments greater leeway in approving foreign investment projects in their jurisdictions, and adds human rights protections to future FDI projects; see Ksaw Hsu Mon, “After Much Deliberation, Investment Law Approved by Parliament,” Irrawaddy, December 18, 2015, http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/after-much-deliberation-investment-law-approved-by-parliament.html (accessed December 21, 2015). Also in December 2015, the Yangon Stock Exchange began trading and is expected to welcome foreign investors and the listing of foreign joint venture companies after the Myanmar Companies Act passes in 2016. Jonathan T. Chow is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Macau. His research focuses on regional politics in East and Southeast Asia and the role of religion in international politics. He has previously taught international relations as a visiting faculty member at Reed College and Amherst College and has served as a Research Fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He has also held visiting fellowships at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and at Ateneo de Manila University’s Ateneo Center for Asian Studies. Dr. Chow holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley — where he was a Simpson Fellow with the Institute of International Studies and Project Director at the Berkeley APEC Study Center — and B.A. degrees in Political Science and Chinese from Williams College.

2019-04-21T16:04:30Z

http://en.asaninst.org/contents/upgrading-myanmar-china-relations-to-international-standards/

The big news early in the second week of 2016 isn’t just another champion crowned in college football, with Alabama’s stranglehold on the title and dynasty claims intact, but Tuesday’s final, penultimate State of the Union Address from President Obama for his eighth year in Office. Speculation abounded in the press about what to expect, with widespread agreement Obama’s anti-gun agenda and claims of a recovered economy would be central to the President’s argument to stay the course on his crony-driven, corruptly exclusive fundamental change. During a week Star Wars regained its position atop the box office with “The Force Awakens”, decades after the original trilogy dominated the industry, science fiction has vaulted to the top of the big screen and mostly dominates new TV series as well. Americans seem to love fiction and appear enthralled with story tellers able to weave an enticing tale. Increasingly, Barack Obama believes his version of America might be as impressive and other-worldly inspired as the likes of JJ Abrams, George Lucas and the imaginative Steven Spielberg. Never mind that the reality for scores of millions of hurting Americans makes the tale woven by Labor Secretary Thomas Perez for the Administration more akin to workforce fiction than the obviously popular science fiction. Maybe some Americans will appreciate that too. Perez’ odd, but enthusiastic, cheerleading releases for Department of Labor blogs and the monthly Employment Situation Report ignore all but a handful of results from the 550 metrics surveyed for the Current Population Survey (CPS), also known as the Household Survey, and subtle internal adjustments that gifted about a half million jobs sans support on the Establishment Survey (CES) last month. Between 200,000 and a quarter-million jobs are added based on the assumption that we’re in a “Dynamic Economy” according to the Labor Department each and every month for the Establishment Survey’s total nonfarm and total private labor force estimates on Table B-1. Perhaps, as importantly, BLS documents explain the 90% confidence level indicates it’s 90% likely that the estimated figure would come within ±105,000 to 110,000. For example, in November, that means the originally estimated 211,000 jobs added, in statisticians terms, was really just 90% likely to have been 101,000 or greater. I’ll explain more about the birth and death cycle that gifts upwards of 200,000 jobs monthly to the media’s commonly used counts later. During the month of December, the total nonfarm count was generously hiked 281,000 phantom jobs on the seasonally adjusted figure that’s typically all that appears in media reports. Statisticians at the Labor Department are given leeway to adjust calculations based upon seasonal variations, weather related occurrences, and seeming aberrations on results that differ significantly from what was anticipated. Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget, David Stockman, explained the folly used internally to arrive at figures supportive of self-serving Washington elites, Wall Street and bankers’ agendas admirably in an article penned last week. “Stockman: Only 11,000 Jobs Last Month, Not 292,000” is a worthy read and will be linked here. While expanding on former BLS Commissioner Keith Hall’s comments just months after leaving the DOL’s statistics division helm where, in late 2012, Hall called the BLS figures “deeply flawed”, Stockman leaves out details that show more clearly yet how inaccurate the data often is. Last February, Gallup CEO, Jim Clifton, created a media firestorm by calling the 5.6% unemployment rate “The Big Lie” in a personal statement capably supported in print, as well as in person during broadcast media interviews. Among other highly regarded, brave business leaders, Jack Welch called the figures politically-driven and fabricated in the last presidential election when monthly unemployment rates dropped by .2, then .3% in individual months leading up to November’s election. Unfortunately, none offered the support available from DOL and BLS internal documents which appears here along with important observations from the past month and second-half of 2015’s Employment Situation Reports. In brief, before the Employment Situation Report (ESR) is dissected in detail, another 284,000 Americans stricken from the labor force spiked December’s Not in Labor Force count from 94,407,000 to 94,691,000 on the not seasonally adjusted figure. That’s paired with a loss of 63,000 jobs on the CPS not seasonally adjusted Household Data count of the employed from 149,766,000 in November to 149,703,000 in December. Reported, instead, was a surprisingly strong 485,000 gain on seasonally adjusted employment for December. Of course, for those paying attention, that trick's awfully tired and fails in terms of imagination. A month earlier, the not seasonally adjusted job growth in November was a miserable 50,000 on the Household Survey, while 244,000 were reported to have been added to the workforce on BLS seasonally adjusted estimates. Among the more troublesome aspects of November’s ESR that eluded the media was 1,107,000 part time jobs added in November, according to HD Table A-8 Persons at Work Part Time not seasonally adjusted counts. Since only 50,000 jobs were reported to have been added by CPS survey respondents, it's clear roughly 1,057,000 full time jobs ended in November and about a million adult breadwinners lost their jobs. The quality of jobs made the gain of 476,000 workers with less than a high school diploma all-too predictable for the month. It’s important to note that what appears without fail in media reports is seasonally adjusted data that's oftentimes contradicted by less manipulated statistics. The Labor Department's own admission of which figures are more accurate and representative seems worth including, as a result. The DOL's published explanation of Labor Force Data Derived from the Current Population Survey words it thusly; "...it is important to note that seasonal adjustment is merely an approximation based on past experience. Seasonally adjusted estimates have a broader margin of possible error than do the original data on which they are based, because they not only are subject to sampling and other errors but also are affected by the uncertainties of the seasonal adjustment process itself." One doesn't have to have post-graduate credentials in math or degrees in the field to recognize the original survey responses collected and reported as not seasonally adjusted should carry more weight. It might be useful to include some basics about the process described in the BLS’ Labor Force Data Derived from the Current Population Survey. Chapter 1 describes the sample pool as about 72,000 households from 754 primary sampling units, or PSUs, in strategically selected geographic locations. Of the 72,000 housing units assigned for data collection, about 60,000 are occupied and thus eligible for interview. Of the 60,000, it’s anticipated that 8% or more won’t respond in a typical month, but that assumes a healthy economy with 5 to 6% unemployment. First interviews are normally conducted with an in person visit, before telephone calls address months two through four for occupied, responding households. Thereafter, the strategically selected households are rotated out of the survey before being revisited for four more interviews eight months later. In highly volatile conditions, and where unemployment exceeded 5 to 6%, the BLS’ targeted 90% response rate wasn’t proving as reliably achievable as CPS documents seemed to suggest. Internal pressure to reach the threshold led to about a dozen USCB survey workers being identified by coworkers for falsifying data and turning in unusually high numbers of responses in 2010 and 2011. A single staffer whose numbers stood out admitted to creating and assigning jobs to non-respondents while contending he and the other survey takers were instructed to do so by superiors determined to reach the critical 90% response threshold. No disciplinary action was administered for the deception, and the remaining coworkers who’d turned in more improbable numbers and rates of response weren’t investigated, according to internal reports. The important takeaway from the CPS parameters is that, typically, responses are gathered from somewhere between 52,000 and 55,000 respondents. Perhaps some obvious limitations of data reliability can be grasped by recognizing the ratio of households in the CPS survey at one’s neighborhood level would fall between two and three disparate units per zip code nationwide, on average. In actuality, the survey claims to select four from the chosen PSUs giving more representation to adjacent, highly populated areas. As a result, extensive demographic figures paint the nation’s employment picture with something like an artist’s brush, while the canvas could be the entirety of the devastated World Trade Center grounds. Let’s get back to more December and second-half of 2015 actual employment results. Much of it will be eye-opening, including the pace of hiring in 2015, which has been on a downward slide, decreasing by 4,405,604 new employee hires since early 2013, according to Employment & Training Administration (ETA) counts. In 2015 alone, hiring activity fell 1,399,160, which was, without a doubt, less painful than 2010’s 4,041,729 hiring squeeze but fourth worst this millennium behind 2004 and 2013 cutbacks of 2,559,385 and 2,003,308 from prior year numbers, respectively. While the year-over-year comparison showed 2010 dropping more than last year, the actual number of hires, at 19,210,088 in 2010, recorded 2,220,692 more than employers’ payroll records posted for calendar year 2015. Since net job gains are defined by hires (employment growth) in excess of jobs lost, the reported drop in weekly unemployment claims the Administration has boasted about since Thomas Perez’ installation as Labor Secretary July 23, 2013, has gone unmatched with anything close to corresponding job gains. From the time of Perez’ swearing in, the loss of hires, with life-changing implications for the gainfully employed, now exceeds 4 million. A review of Household Data Tables A-1 through A-16 yielded some key not seasonally adjusted BLS Employment Situation Report results for December beyond the cringe worthy NiLF spike to 94,691,000 and respondents’ reported 63,000 jobs lost for the month. Of the 94.7 million, 56,272,000 are of working age – less than 65 – and another 3,666,000 are considered marginally attached or discouraged workers who aren’t included amongst the unemployed or NiLF. Perez’ and the President’s tale of an economy worth celebrating notwithstanding, the majority demographic, who self-identify as white, lost 346,000 jobs during December. While adult white males lost 239,000 jobs and adult females dropped 264,000 more, white teens age 16 to 19 partly mitigated the loss with 157,000 jobs gained. Showing more promise, black or African-Americans gained 113,000 jobs in December with adult males claiming 79,000 jobs, adult females holding mostly steady with a loss of 7,000, and black teens 16 to 19 years-old gaining 39,000 more. Asian workers added 78,000 jobs in December, while Hispanics had an atypical month with a modest 63,000 jobs lost on not seasonally adjusted counts. The result was so uncharacteristic for the demographic that's gained the majority of jobs during Obama's tenure at almost 5.2 million, the BLS' seasonally adjusted figure contradicted the unusual loss with a gain of 71,000. Hispanic men mostly held steady with a statistically insignificant loss of 26,000, while Hispanic women exited December's workforce to the tune of 111,000. Like their counterparts, Hispanic teens were the big winners gaining 73,000 jobs for the final month of the year. Collectively, teens gained 225,000 jobs overall, while December's loss of 63,000 jobs on the more accurate not seasonally adjusted count (Household Data Table A-1) showed adult workers losing 288,000 for a less than joyous month. Hispanic job seekers since the start of 2009 have gained 5,138,000 through the end of 2015, from 19,453,000 in 2009 to the latest 24,591,000 count. That’s just a tick off the 24,654,000 and 5,201,000 they’d gained according to December’s ESR release. Hispanic males’ 80.1% participation rate is nearly 9 percent higher than white males, who languish far behind at 71.5%. College graduates with a bachelor’s and higher, which includes master’s and doctoral degrees, have found and hold jobs at a 74.2% rate. Trailing only Hispanic males, foreign born males made up of LPRs with green cards, H-1B visa recipients, growing refugee and asylee numbers, and an undetermined percentage of undocumented migrants, have fared next best with a 77.9% participation rate. The foreign born male and female population, combined, have gained 4,336,000 jobs since their numbers were first counted and included in the BLS Employment Situation Report for January 2010. Black or African Americans in Obama’s economy have gained 2,521,000 jobs since January 2009’s release, which showed 15,274,000 ahead of the latest December 17,795,000 count. White workers displaced during Obama’s first term have found reemployment particularly tough to come by. With a miserable 748,000 jobs added over seven years, from 117,409,000 when Obama was inaugurated to 118,157,000 on December’s ESR, the disparity in numbers has shown an unemployed Hispanic male to be more than 20-times as likely to secure work than an unemployed white applicant. Perhaps surprisingly, blacks who appear incensed and angered by some imagined, or otherwise perceived, white privilege, have been about ten times as likely to find and secure employment since 2009, according to numbers and percentage in the populace, weighted with counts of the unemployed from the BLS. Keep in mind, whites have been underrepresented on college campus admissions since the late 80s and 90s, ranging from between 62 to 64% of incoming freshmen each year during Obama’s tenure. All the same, the left’s so-called white privilege class still claims about 69% of the annual 2.77 million bachelor’s master’s and doctoral degrees conferred annually, combined. While massive grade inflation in secondary and higher education is inarguable, there appears to remain a minimum performance component that excludes the weakest students unprepared for college. Including post-secondary programs awarding professional credentials and certificates for employment apart from four-year degree granting college campuses, another 4.75 million new graduates and workforce hopefuls with higher education were churned out in 2015 only to face a deteriorating labor market, according to ETA counts of diminished hiring in 2015. Of the 34 million total degrees, professional credentials, certificates and awards granted since the spring of 2009, about 23.5 million are white young adults, so the ugly 748,000 jobs gained is in no way explainable by the kind of demographic shift some progressives and agenda driven minorities dismissively claim. Perhaps looking back a few months might be necessary to determine whether Perez’ and the President’s claims of a healed economy hold water, since a clouded, less than clear impression could occur from just a month or two’s disappointing results. Back at the start of summer, June BLS data showed 16 to 17 year olds gain 269,000 jobs and 18 to 19 year olds claim another 340,000. Paired with June's loss of 56,000 jobs on Household Data Table A-1 seasonally adjusted figures, adult breadwinners lost more than 650,000 jobs across the first month of summer alone. During July the pattern continued with 16 to 17 year olds gaining another 211,000 jobs, while 18 to 19 year olds boosted their ranks of employed by 158,000 for a combined 369,000 jobs gained by American teens. Adult breadwinners lost almost a million jobs across the summer months. At the end of summer into early fall, seniors gained a disproportionate share of jobs with the 65 and over workforce expanding by 36,000 in August and 81,000 in September, while working age Americans from 20 to 64 lost 853,000 jobs. Working age males lost 988,000 jobs, which was partially offset by women of working age gaining 202,000 jobs in September after dropping 67,000 in August. Interestingly, the teens, seniors and many part time job recipients in November and December won’t apply for unemployment after seasonal jobs end, because the majority of the “bread and circuses economy” and part time jobs economy participants Stockman refers to would be ineligible. Is the Administration’s claim of a healed economy seeming any clearer yet? While the seasonally adjusted addition of 282,000 jobs was easily recognizable as a December gift from the BLS, the business birth and death cycle boost was less visible. The Establishment Survey business birth and death estimation is explained in Labor Department documents as follows. “In a dynamic economy, firms are continually opening and closing. These two occurrences offset each other to some extent. That is, firms that are born replace firms that die. CES uses this to account for a large proportion of the employment associated with business births. This is accomplished by excluding business death units from the sample. Business deaths are not included in the sample-based link portion of the estimate, and the implicit imputation of their previous month’s employment is assumed to offset a portion of the employment associated with births. “Most firms will not report that they have gone out of business; rather they simply cease reporting and are excluded from the link, as are all other nonrespondents. As a result, extensive follow-up with monthly nonrespondents to determine whether a company is out of business or simply didn’t respond is not required. From other CES procedural documents, tens of thousands of business births annually are anticipated above and beyond the fully supportable business deaths and calculated into the “dynamic economy” the BLS assumes to be in place. Apart from the Labor Department’s formal declaration of recession, an assumption of thousands of new businesses imaginatively birthed monthly generously hikes employment counts on top of the strategic holdover of nonresponding businesses and known business closures' counts, which continue to be included for up to two calendar quarters, resulting in a monthly boost of 200,000 or more phantom employed, on average, across a given year. While there could be rare occasions the BLS would withhold a portion of the business birth-death cycle gift, it’s consistently and reliably included, adding nearly a quarter of a million jobs monthly on the assumption the United States is waltzing along in a “dynamic economy”. For the record, the BBDC boost was withdrawn from the start of 2008 through late summer 2009, until the recession had officially been declared over. Of course, much of that was based upon banking and Wall Street woes that were addressed in separate bailouts, including Obama’s ARRA stimulus package in his early months in Office. Believing we’re experiencing a dynamic economy now seems a stretch to the vast majority of Americans who see and feel something quite different from what the Administration is selling. The second half of 2015 had three months where the not seasonally adjusted CPS employment counts reported losses. Including January’s start of the year drop with August, September and December’s monthly losses, which averaged 360,750 on the year, the four months on the wrong side of employment growth matched 2008’s four months of losses in February, September, November, and December. Rarely considered by those critical of the Bush economy were March and April’s 558,000 and 813,000 jobs gained, respectively, or June’s 722,000, which also obliterated the half-million mark. January was a fourth month that exceeded a quarter-million jobs growth in 2008, while July and October were more than respectable with 218,000 and 233,000 added during the summer and fall. The Employment & Training Administration unemployment insurance counts collected from state employment offices nationwide have always been considered the benchmark for employment data, since actual counts from employers’ payroll records, along with weekly new and continuing job loss claim figures are understandably superior to limited survey data. This is especially true when survey data becomes almost unrecognizable as a result of seasonal adjustment high-ranking political appointees and BLS statisticians feel is their prerogative, maybe even responsibility, to paint for the American public. While there was a shift away from corrections and adjustments meant to recalibrate to the real counts specified in Labor Department documents around the middle of the last decade, a seeming refusal and thumbing of the nose at the more accurate counts traditionally relied upon for the adjustments has morphed into something entirely different. By 2008 through 2012 and beyond, not seasonally adjusted counts showing actual survey data gathered from respondents was progressively corrected during two or three months of the year to more nearly match statisticians’ seasonally adjusted estimates, lacking merit or basis. As a result, January, and to a lesser extent February, have become the least accurate months of the year for not seasonally adjusted data, since the start of the year is adjusted to realign more closely with seasonally adjusted counts and for the BLS’ stated purpose of factoring in population controls. Since the end of 2007, no visible adjustment has been evident where correction, and correlation, to the ETA’s actual nationwide counts seemed warranted for survey data that appeared increasingly suspect. That the final calendar quarter of Bush’s Presidency showed a smallish, statistically insignificant loss of just 15,557 jobs on October through December 2008’s employers’ payroll counts on nationwide figures is a perfect example. Perez’ statement released to offer the Labor Secretary’s take on December’s employment figures shows how deluded he and the Administration remain by referencing 2.3 million private sector jobs lost in the three months ahead of Obama’s inauguration. The Administration is relying on contradictory numbers to the ETA’s real counts, which recorded only modest job losses until well into the second calendar quarter of 2009, ahead of losses topping a million-and-a-quarter jobs for four calendar quarters from July 2009 through summer 2010. The worst three-months of the recession proved to be the first quarter of 2010, with 1,829,860 jobs lost. Obama’s Labor Department claim of 70 months consecutively with job growth extends back to March 2010 in the midst of the most severe job losses, according to real counts. In April through June 2010, employer’s payrolls showed 1,535,223 jobs lost. The hemorrhaging of jobs didn’t stop until the first quarter of 2011, when the current Administration’s first entry-level gain of 12,595 jobs through March was nearly indistinguishable from employers’ payroll record count change across the final calendar quarter of 2008 in statistical terms. Incredibly, the corrections written about and acknowledged for CPS and CES data intended to bring survey estimates in line with supportable real nationwide counts have been overlooked or ignored. In many cases, subtle, and occasionally not-so-subtle, corrections have been made internally at the Labor Department to real data, instead. Once the recession was officially declared over, the business birth and death cycle kicked in for the back end of 2009, and nonresponding businesses were ignored in record numbers for the “dynamic economy” the Labor Department magically, and imaginatively, conjured up. Keep in mind, that strategy typically gifts about 200,000 to 225,000 jobs meant to boost employment numbers missing from nonresponders in an economy considered “dynamic” by the Labor Department, and adds to that phantom employees for the estimated 500 new businesses’ workforce change anticipated monthly. Along with the boast of 70 consecutive months of job growth on Perez’ and the President’s statements about the economy, it’s said with pride that not only has the streak reached record length, but it’s topped 200,000 jobs gained on average since the start of 2014. Did Perez or the President mention the “dynamic economy” they’re relying upon to let Americans in on the Labor Department’s seeming inside joke? Beyond the loss of 13,000 jobs for November and December, combined, on the not seasonally adjusted employment count on Household Data Table A-1, the December CES figure for total nonfarm jobs showing a miserable 11,000 not seasonally adjusted count should give reason for pause. That included the “dynamic economy” gift tightly wrapped for Christmas, well ahead of the 281,000 jobs added for the BLS’ seasonally adjusted guesstimate. On final home sales figures released by the National Association of Realtors in 2015, November’s sales figures were down for the third month out of the last four, dropping 10.5% to a seasonally adjusted 4.76 million rate from a downwardly revised 5.32 million in October. After October’s decline -- the largest since July 2010 at 22.5% --sales have fallen 3.8% below a year earlier, showing the first year-over-year decline since September 2014. It’s probably just as important to note that initial sales figures were downwardly revised for five of the past six months as a hopeful, optimistic NAR in the business of selling homes tried to portray second-half 2015 home sales positively. Construction of new homes took a hit, outpacing the industry’s drop in overall home sales for the second-half of 2015. Bloomberg posted an article with a statement from analysts at the Bank of America about rail traffic, which shows evidence of a worrisome manufacturing slowdown and potential economic trouble. “Railroad cargo in the U.S. dropped the most in six years in 2015, and things aren't looking good for the new year. "We believe rail data may be signaling a warning for the broader economy," the release from Bank of America says. "Carloads have declined more than 5 percent in each of the past 11 weeks on a year-over-year basis. While one-off volume declines occur occasionally, they are generally followed by a recovery shortly thereafter. The current period of substantial and sustained weakness, including last week’s -10.1 percent decline, has not occurred since 2009." Holiday season retail results were disappointing enough to lead to store closures at 40 locations for one of the nation’s largest, historically most respected, successful retailers. Macy’s announced 40 store closures just a week into January with a list that included layoffs of upwards of 4,800 employees. That nearly doubled the tally gathered in the three business days of the month after New Years at dailyjobcuts.com. Other large retailers, notably Nordstrom and Kohl’s, suffered from sales revenue drops in two of three quarters leading up to the holiday season, according to data released to the EPS. Each of the three major retailers released preliminary data indicating lackluster sales to outright poor performance across normally profitable months that included the year-end Christmas season. Both Thomas Perez and Barack Obama referred to auto sales success in 2015. An 8.9% increase by December’s end was partially attributable to extra sales days through January 4th, including an extra weekend for sales tacked onto end of the year figures. Sales expectations for the month weren’t reached, and Toyota’s impressive performance, in particular, was boosted by a reported 79% of sales coming from large fleet contracts that have little to do with the economy and purchasing power of American workers the Administration suggests spent freely based upon a supposedly healed economy. For the year, passenger vehicle sales were down 3.2% overall, and 10.4% on domestic models, while light truck sales, including SUVs and crossover SUVs, were up enough to reach an 8.9% increase over 2014 sales figures. Note, year-end sales for two of the final three months of 2015 failed to meet expectations, which hardly seems sufficient to supplant the breadth of other disappointing economic data contradicting the Administration’s celebratory claims. Of course, 2015 really was a big year for Obama and American workers, though, because data released by the ETA April 30th, 2015 showed the Administration finally topped the workforce count of 133,886,830 in place when Obama took Office in 2009. Early in Obama’s 76th month, the labor force finally broke even from the 8,326,764 jobs lost during Democrat Supermajority rule in Washington from January 2009 through January 2011. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid stood solidly behind newly elected President Obama who was given a blank check, as it were, from the 111th Congress. Pelosi and Reid took control of their respective chambers of Congress in 2007, which started much of the contention and obstruction ahead of Democrats gaining a Supermajority for two years beginning in 2009. Data released from the ETA’s quarterly employers’ payroll counts showed 134,074,626 working Americans by early April, which meant the Obama Administration was finally out from under historic job losses suffered from 2009 through early 2011. Perhaps deserving of credit for winning the race I referred to in a Rocky Mountain Perspective post from spring of 2015, Obama’s moribund, longsuffering economy reached a positive count six weeks ahead of amassing cumulative job loss claims in excess of the workforce inherited from Bush, according to the ETA Advance Report released June 13, 2015. The 133,998,000 distinct new claimants in sum after job loss counts reported June 13th showed America’s workforce shed 100% of Bush’s final 133,886,830 labor force participants sometime during the morning of June 10th. Give credit where credit is due. Through the end of 2015, the slowed, and slowing, pace of job hires has hammered Americans in search of employment by adding just 1,687,978 jobs 84 months into an economy unlike any the nation has suffered since World War II, by DOL counts. To be fair, when ETA figures are released on January 23rd, that figure is likely to vault above two million at what might reach two-and-a-quarter million jobs gained heading into the President’s final year. Perhaps for perspective, it’s worth reminding that Bush’s ETA employers’ payroll count showed workforce growth of 7,043,293, which was just over 5.5% growth from the 126,843,537 he inherited from Bill Clinton. To reach comparable growth, the Obama economy would need to top 7,434,389 jobs added, or jump by a seemingly impossible 5,109,389 beyond the estimate applied here, which was rounded up from the Household Survey’s 2,513,000 jobs added figure and the Establishment Survey’s similar 2,593,000 estimate of 2015 job growth. The latter CES figure includes the “dynamic economy” monthly gift so generously bestowed by the Labor Department. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if the Obama Administration leaves Office with more than 5 million jobs added, which would be just 3.7% of the economy he and the Democrat Supermajority were handed in 2009. For those who’ve made it through the entry-level math lesson presented here, including explanations about Department of Labor workforce data from both the BLS and ETA, I’ll offer support for the dramatic slowdown in hiring that’s taken place overall since Thomas Perez’ installation July 23, 2013. The basic math goes like this: If carefully counted, accurate claims after job losses are 10 million in a given year, while 2 million jobs are reported as positive job growth, the number of job hires would calculate to 12 million overall. The 10 million jobs lost must be replaced before there’s positive job growth, by definition. Now, assuming job loss claims fall to 7.5 million with healthy drops in weekly claims, 2.5 million jobs added doesn’t reach the total number of job hires made in the earlier year. It would top out at 10 million job hires, overall, according to the kind of data collected and released by the Employment & Training Administration on its real nationwide counts. Some of you understood the premise when it was explained earlier and are comfortable and confident in your math skills. My hope is you’re not too irritated with the simplification, because some of the electorate may need it to understand the dramatic slowdown that’s taken place in hiring over each of the past two years. In fact, the 16,987,396 hires recognizable across Obama’s seventh year in Office is millions below every prior year since the turn of the millennium. I’ll add a chart to illustrate years since Bush was President which helps explain the Administration’s transparent workforce fiction. For the year, the ETA recorded 14,387,396 initial claims for unemployment across 2015. Then, using the aforementioned predictors from CPS and CES counts, I’ll give the Obama Administration its highest number of jobs gained at 2,600,000. Together, the figures add up to 16,987,396. The next slowest year for hires with Obama in Office was 2014, again due in large measure to a dramatic post-Perez as Labor Secretary drop. With a solid 15,927,761 initial job loss claims filed in 2014, combined with the 2,458,795 increase on employers’ payrolls according to the ETA, 2014 saw 18,386,556, or about 1.4 million more job hires made across the year than 2015. The worst year for job hires during the Bush Presidency was pretty comparable to Obama’s 2014. In 2004, the nation was well on its way to healing from the World Trade Center attack that shaped a fledgling Presidency just seven-and-a-half months in. Job losses tapered off for three consecutive years after 2003, but solid hiring growth lagged a year behind. In 2004, job loss claims dropped 3.65 million to 17,643,394, while job growth was modest at 391,524 after separating two-plus-years from the tragedy that took almost 3,000 lives and inflicted economic calamity world-wide. The sum total of hires made in Bush’s fourth year in Office was 18,034,918, about 350,000 shy of Obama’s hires recorded in 2014. Of course, as a percentage of the smaller economy at the time, the two were virtually identical. Perhaps surprisingly for some, even 2008 bested 2015 hiring numbers by nearly 5.2 million, with 22,160,170 hires recognizable to the ETA from the Department of Labor’s real nationwide count. My hope is the nation doesn’t suffer too many willing subjects like those mentioned in Hans Christian Anderson’s the Emperor’s New Robe. Political correctness is damaging on so many levels and has impacted too many Americans in ways they shouldn’t feel they need to endure. Nevertheless, the reality is many on the left, and occasionally a few on the right, hold fast to the mantra “my guy said it, so don’t challenge the narrative with facts”. In this case, the narrative I’ve chosen to address isn’t exactly tough to see as Obama Administration deception grown stale. But if you don’t recognize workforce and economic fiction for what it is, more power to you. Please, under all circumstances, stay away from voting booths, though, for the sake of the nation and Americans who deserve real, not imagined, recovery.

2019-04-23T16:56:47Z

https://www.rockymountainperspective.com/o-channels-abrams-on-jobs.html

At a time of growing emphasis on both the use of research and accountability, it is important for research funders, researchers and other stakeholders to monitor and evaluate the extent to which research contributes to better action for health, and find ways to enhance the likelihood that beneficial contributions are realized. Past attempts to assess research 'impact' struggle with operationalizing 'impact', identifying the users of research and attributing impact to research projects as source. In this article we describe Contribution Mapping, a novel approach to research monitoring and evaluation that aims to assess contributions instead of impacts. The approach focuses on processes and actors and systematically assesses anticipatory efforts that aim to enhance contributions, so-called alignment efforts. The approach is designed to be useful for both accountability purposes and for assisting in better employing research to contribute to better action for health. Contribution Mapping is inspired by a perspective from social studies of science on how research and knowledge utilization processes evolve. For each research project that is assessed, a three-phase process map is developed that includes the main actors, activities and alignment efforts during research formulation, production and knowledge extension (e.g. dissemination and utilization). The approach focuses on the actors involved in, or interacting with, a research project (the linked actors) and the most likely influential users, who are referred to as potential key users. In the first stage, the investigators of the assessed project are interviewed to develop a preliminary version of the process map and first estimation of research-related contributions. In the second stage, potential key-users and other informants are interviewed to trace, explore and triangulate possible contributions. In the third stage, the presence and role of alignment efforts is analyzed and the preliminary results are shared with relevant stakeholders for feedback and validation. After inconsistencies are clarified or described, the results are shared with stakeholders for learning, improvement and accountability purposes. Contribution Mapping provides an interesting alternative to existing methods that aim to assess research impact. The method is expected to be useful for research monitoring, single case studies, comparing multiple cases and indicating how research can better be employed to contribute to better action for health. Investments in research for health are mostly made with the aim of ultimately contributing to better action for health. The question increasingly being asked is what the benefits are of the tremendous investments in research, and how the beneficial impact can be enhanced [1–5]. Within the health sector, a – albeit fragmented – research domain has emerged that deals with assessing research impact (related terms are: payback, utilization, translation, diffusion, application, implementation, use) [6–11]. Various conceptual frameworks and methods have been developed and, increasingly, empirical studies are reported [6, 12–18]. While important progress is being made, the developed methods struggle with operationalizing the dependent variable ‘impact’, attributing impact to individual research projects and identifying the users of research . In addition, the developed methods are primarily used for accountability purposes: showing impact to external funders, instead of learning how to better employ research and enhancing the realization of beneficial contributions. In this article we will describe Contribution Mapping, a novel approach to research monitoring and evaluation that focuses on processes and contributions (instead of products and impacts). While Contribution Mapping can be used for accountability purposes, it is especially designed to assist those who seek to better employ research to contribute to action for health. We use the broad term ‘action for health’ as we want to include all activities that are somehow related to health (e.g. contributions to an insurance policy, better practices and technologies, organization of care). Research does not function as a cannon that shoots knowledge into the world of action, where the targeting and force of the knowledge determines its ‘impact’. The productivity of research for health ultimately lies with the users who have to pick up and combine knowledges (in the plural) and use them for their own purposes, in a complex world full of ongoing processes . The subsequent changes in action achieved are the result of the distributed agency of multiple actors and a confluence of actions, knowledges and circumstances. Such changes are part of evolving, complex and open systems in which change is continuous, non-linear, multi-directional and difficult to control . The consequence is that achieved changes cannot realistically be attributed to a single research project as ‘source’. The utilization of research results is often diffuse: it contributes to one’s view of the world, to signals being taken into account, in addition to the more recognizable production of specific knowledge with an instrumental function . People often do not realize where they get their knowledge from and may not be able to explain what role knowledge played in their behaviour. A related challenge is that the pathways from research to ‘impacts’ are very diverse: sometimes short and traceable, but often long, through multiple reservoirs, and via utilization at untraceable times and places. Though there might be a ‘trail’ from the cowpox vaccination study by Jenner at the end of the 18th century, to the global eradication of smallpox in 1977, it seems impossible to trace it and erroneous to attribute eradication to Jenner’s study as source. The attribution problem, challenge of identifying users and the diffuseness and diversity of research & action pathways make an assessment of the ultimate ‘impact’ of a research project problematic. Therefore, Contribution Mapping focuses on the actors that are involved in, or directly interact, with a research project and aims to assess contributions instead of impacts. A contribution to action refers to the activities which turn a novel combination of knowledges into a ‘going concern’ as a part of practices, a component in successful innovation or an element in decisions and their implementation. An additional drawback of focusing on ultimate impacts is that this does not provide the kind of information and feedback required by those involved in a research & action pathway to improve their performance. Even if we could trace smallpox eradication in 1977 back to the work of Jenner, that would not indicate what he could have done differently to enhance the use of his results. To use Contribution Mapping for learning and improvement purposes, it has to provide stakeholders with actionable knowledge about deliberate efforts that enhance the likelihood that research contributes to action. In order to refer to such efforts, we introduce the notion of alignment efforts (alignment emphasizes that accommodation can take place on the side of research and/or on the side of action, instead of a one-way research to action dynamic). Some examples of alignment efforts are engaging policymakers in research priority setting, writing dissemination plans and engaging patients in the interpretation of results [22–29]. Such efforts stimulate those involved in a research & action pathway (e.g. researchers, policy makers, end-users) to anticipate and make adaptations that increase the likelihood that contributions to action are realized. Despite the fact that the interest in alignment efforts is increasing, it remains unclear if and how these efforts ultimately increase the likelihood that research-related contributions are realized. To our knowledge, a method for assessing the relation between alignment efforts for new research projects and eventually realized contributions does not exist. The aim of this study is therefore to design a method that can be used to map research-related contributions and relate these contributions to alignment efforts. In developing Contribution Mapping, we build upon insights from existing methods, such as the Payback framework and enrich this with a perspective on research and utilization that is informed by social studies of science, insights into the evaluation of change in complex open systems and our own experiences with trying to assess research ‘impact’ in various countries [8, 15, 20, 30–32]. This article continues by laying out our perspective on research and knowledge utilization, and categories of research-related contributions. We then explore explanations for research utilization in the literature and identify nine specific alignment efforts. This is followed by a description of the stages, steps and procedure of Contribution Mapping. In the final section we reflect on the developed method and on the way it could be used to better employ research to contribute to an envisioned future. The first step in designing Contribution Mapping is to sketch a perspective on how knowledge is produced and utilized and how research-related contributions are realized. The perspective below is inspired especially by social studies of science and actor-network theory [19, 31, 33–35]. We describe research broadly, as an organized search process in which knowledge is designed . To produce a new knowledge, elements such as local observations, test results, theories, concepts and circumstances, are aligned into a configuration. This process continues with designing a knowledge claim that is to stand in for (and partly blackboxes) the aligned elements . The produced knowledge claim can be added to, and stored in, knowledge reservoirs. These reservoirs can be explicit and contain codified knowledge, such as scientific journals or databases, but can also be more diffuse in nature, such as the knowledge available in a group of people. Knowledge can also be embodied in innovative artefacts, such as an MRI-scanner or new medicine. Knowledge always takes a material form, it can never exist by itself, and work is required to maintain and transport it . It is a configuration that continuously has to be remade. In the literature on knowledge utilization in the health sector, there has been limited attention for the role of the users of knowledge and the evolving worlds in which they operate. Users may have different interpretations of knowledge and existing arrangements and ongoing change activities in their world may constrain or enable utilization [19, 34, 36]. The next step in sketching our perspective is therefore to characterize that evolving world. The world has a certain order that sustains itself, without fully determining the future and is at the same time changing and full of ideas for change . That order of the world and the changes that occur are socio-material . The architecture and equipment of a hospital, the design of a wheelchair, the genetic code of a virus, the composition of a vaccine, the infrastructure for reaching patients: they are materialisations of a specific way of doing and embody a specific institutional (or social) code or script [38, 39]. In turn this material order structures the practices for health and its societal embedding: social relations between a health worker and a patient, between hospitals, insurance companies and researchers and the wider social environment such as the pharmaceutical industry, government, trade agreements. In such a socio‒material order, physical as well as institutional boundaries are created and maintained that enable some developments and constrain others . While the social and material order sustain each other and provide some continuity, there is also ongoing change, that is full of ideas for change and implementation strategies of a variety of involved actors . A novel treatment that is implemented, scripts in new technologies, evolving viruses, innovative buildings that challenge social codes and new policies, visions and strategies may work in different directions and gain their own kind of momentum. They interact with the existing socio-material order and the embodied scripts, shared stories and visions that provide direction. In this evolving mosaic of socio-material ordering and multiple ongoing change activities, knowledge utilization takes place. Users and the world in which they operate, play an important role in articulating knowledge and realizing its productivity. Callon provides a perspective to analyze this embedded role . This perspective begins with the idea that actors are constantly formulating and pursuing implicit or explicit scenarios about the future, with the intention of shaping this future. In these actor-scenarios, other people, technologies, knowledges, artifacts and institutions, among other things, are assigned roles as characters in a ‘fictitious script’ about the future . These actor-scenarios depend on what is already present in the world of the actor who ‘narrates’ the scenario and on what he needs. Depending on the forces at play in a scenario and the situation in which a scenario is presented, there can be a particular, sometimes very explicit, need for knowledge. From this action perspective, knowledge can play a role in all kinds of ways. The knowledge that is introduced into a scenario can confirm, support or strengthen elements of an evolving scenario or introduce new elements. Knowledge can also be used to undermine the actor-scenarios of others. Regardless of the role knowledge plays, its use can always be analyzed in terms of evolving actor-scenarios. Knowledge utilization can be described as incorporating knowledge into an actor-scenario as a means of contributing to its strength and scope. By introducing knowledge from outside, actors can decrease the amount of complexity they have to reduce themselves. Furthermore, it allows them to incorporate things into their scenario that are not present in their own world (e.g. a new innovation, an incidence number or new diagnosis based on controlled observations, scientific status). The introduction of knowledge can strengthen an actor-scenario and enable an actor to deal better with complexity and uncertainty. The addition of new knowledge can increase a scenario’s robustness against attacks from others, but may also make it a bit more complicated. Research knowledge aims at a certain generality, which makes it interesting and applicable in other cases elsewhere. Utilization, however, is concrete and locally specific. To utilize knowledge and realize a contribution, research knowledge has to be translated. This translation has a cognitive component, which involves translating to a form and content which is applicable, and a social component, which involves translating from the locus of production or storage, to the locus of utilization which has to be rearranged to bring knowledge in . The realization of an actor-scenario requires work, especially when large changes in a local situation are needed. All kinds of efforts may be required to ensure that the actors in a scenario perform their assigned roles. Still, the scenario may unfold differently than originally intended: people may follow their own plans, technologies may not function as expected, a virus may become drug resistant or institutions may resist change. The actors, presented as characters in one scenario, may also make a counter move . To resist the assigned role, they can start telling and initiating an alternative scenario. There may be further reactions, other actors and background resources may be mobilized and further actors may start to tell and pursue actor-scenarios themselves. Ultimately, the scenario-building activities lead to new relationships and action, whereby something actually changes. At the same time, this change is accompanied by constantly new actor-scenarios and their interactions. There will be a net effect with an overall direction of change. Not because there is consensus, but because the elements (actors and links) in the scenarios have become entangled [37, 39]. The dynamics lie in the interaction between the actor-scenarios and the significance this has for changing worlds. Together, these scenarios, sometimes explicitly, shape the evolution of our world and the use of knowledge in it. From this perspective follows that the agency in knowledge utilization is distributed between a number of actors that play a role in a scenario (e.g. the user, the knowledge, other human and non-human actors) and actors in interacting scenarios. Eventual change cannot be attributed to a single source. What we can do is try to analyze the roles played by the actors in the scenario and trace if and how knowledge was brought in and turned into a matter of concern. In the study of research and utilization, we would ideally follow all relevant actors, explore all the actor-scenarios put forward and trace all routes that knowledge travels. In reality the dynamics of knowledge utilization and limited resources available for such analyses make this almost impossible. For practical and analytical reasons, we need to prioritize the actors that are followed and utilization processes that are explored. The actors that are followed are selected in two steps. First, we focus on the actors that shape the research process and the initial route to utilization. This group of actors comprises the investigators and those with whom they interact for the research project, the so-called linked actors. Examples of linked actors are those asked to give feedback on a research proposal, participants in a research project, practitioners engaged in interpreting the findings or policy makers with whom findings are discussed. Together, the group of investigators and linked actors possesses a number of characteristics which makes it both interesting and practical to focus on them. This group includes those who can anticipate utilization during knowledge production and those who are most aware of the results. Another advantage of focusing on linked actors is that they can usually be identified. Within the group of involved and linked actors, we subsequently try to identify the most interesting potential users, the so-called potential key users (from the perspective of action for health). The identification of potential key users requires a certain interpretation of the meaning of the research project, how the results can be used and who the relevant influential actors are in action for health. The selection of key users will influence the results of Contribution Mapping. The selection process should therefore be transparent. Engaging stakeholders in the mapping process in this selection process may help in making the most appropriate selection and increase the acceptance of the results. To identify key users, we search for actors that take a central place in relevant networks (in action for health) and seem most capable in employing research knowledge to contribute to action for health. In health care, these actors may be influential policymakers, representatives of patient groups, opinion leaders or others who seem capable of creating and realizing influential scenarios in which the produced knowledge may be useful. The focus in Contribution Mapping is on the potential key users among the group of investigators and linked actors. Depending on the specific purpose of a mapping exercise, further utilization through other actors who have not been ‘linked’ can also be explored. This again requires the selection of potential key users who will be interviewed. In identifying these actors, a forward approach can be taken, in which the routes of knowledge are traced, by interviewing actors that interacted with the linked actors, for instance. In a backward approach, a specific group of actors is selected (e.g. relevant policymakers at the MOH) and they are interviewed about utilization. In the second step in developing Contribution Mapping, we combine the perspective on research and utilization and the idea of linked actors and key-users with the existing models in the literature, which results in a three-phase process model (see Figure 1). Each of the three phases in the process model indicates typical activities, which may be linked through more diffuse ‘reservoirs’ at a collective level. The demarcation of the three phases is made for practical purposes. In reality, activities, such as articulating the research question or narrating of actor-scenarios, may temporarily stabilize and continue in other phases. To demarcate between the three phases, we have identified two specific events in the research and contribution pathway. The three-phase process model. In the graphical representation of the three-phase process model, the two vertical lines separate the three phases. The search process narrows when a research proposal is formulated. At the beginning of the production phase, the search processes may widen again, before they are narrowed and the knowledge products are realized. During the production phase, there may already be some dissemination and uptake of emerging knowledges. After the knowledge products have been realized, the extension phase commences with dissemination and utilization in evolving actor-scenarios. Investigators are inside the research process, while linked actors are outside, but able to interact with the process. Both investigators and linked actors can connect the research process to evolving actor-scenarios. The first phase is the formulation phase. In this phase the activities are generally oriented towards directing search processes and mobilizing resources, and the formulation, selection and funding of specific research projects. Based on promises, expectations and negotiations, dominant ideas emerge about possible research directions and priorities. Formally set research agendas, the commissioning of research and ad-hoc prioritization may involve efforts to align research and action (e.g. when health workers and patients are engaged in priority setting). Researchers may also seek alignment by anticipating perceived needs, or by engaging potential users in the formulation of research proposals. The selection of research proposals and funding of research projects provides another opportunity for those involved to attune research and action. The moment that the investigators become aware that a research project is being funded is used to demarcate the formulation phase from the next phase. In the production phase, the activities take place to realize the knowledge products. This may involve an array of activities. At the research site(s), the preconditions have to be realized to make research possible. This may include training staff, adapting organizational practices, acquiring equipment, establishing relations with policymakers, recruiting participants, etc. These activities are interesting because they can be a first contribution or provide the foundation for later utilization. To produce new knowledge, elements, such as controlled observations, theories, statistical analyses, participants, computer outputs, discussions, etc., are mobilized and aligned into a configuration. Subsequently, a new knowledge claim is designed that is to ‘stand in’ (or ‘speak’) for these aligned elements . The investigators and others involved may learn something during the research process, and the new knowledge may become part of the knowledge they possess. Even before the formal knowledge outputs are designed, there may be uptake of emerging knowledge in practice, and the new relations and changes made at the research site(s), may contribute to action . The moment that the investigators determine what their findings are is used to demarcate the production phase from the knowledge extension phase. In the knowledge extension phase, the activities are aimed at making knowledge available to potential users and initiating and stimulating utilization. The investigators, linked actors and/or others may disseminate the produced knowledge and initiate and stimulate utilization. Through presentations, targeted dissemination and publications in popular media and scientific journals, the new knowledge may be added to diffuse and more explicit reservoirs of knowledge. The various and overlapping knowledge reservoirs are accessible to different potential users in different ways, in terms of their absorptive capacity and competencies for utilization. Utilization depends on actors that grab knowledge from these reservoirs and combine and use them for their own purposes, in a complex world full of ongoing processes. Investigators, linked actors or unknown others may initiate and stimulate the activities which turn a novel combination of knowledges into a going concern as a part of practices, a component in a successful innovation or an element in decisions and their implementation. This is how the promised contributions are actually realized. Based on the above perspective and the three-phase process model, four categories of research-related contributions can be distinguished. The first category pertains to the change in the ability and actions of the investigators and linked actors that results from the research activities. The second category contains the knowledge products that are added to reservoirs of codified knowledge and the research domain. The third category contains the contributions to action through utilization of the knowledge produced by the investigators or linked actors. The fourth category contains indications of contributions realized through utilization by non-linked actors. Utilization at-a-distance is separated from linked utilization because the former is often much more difficult to assess. This category comprises changes in the investigators and linked actors that are related to the activities of research. The activities that research comprises may lead to new competences, behaviours and relationships among the involved and linked actors. Research activities may also lead to the introduction of new practices, protocols and the identification or awareness of problems at the research site. This category comprises the realized knowledge products that are added to reservoirs of codified knowledge and to the domain of research. This includes scientific publications, publications in other media and new research projects, protocols, methods and equipment (e.g. publications, new research methods, better targeting of future research). This category comprises contributions to action, through utilization of the produced knowledge by the investigators or linked actors. The produced knowledge is added to an evolving actor-scenario that is at least partly enacted. The new knowledge becomes part of a novel combination that is turned into a going concern as a part of practices, a component in successful innovation or as an element in decisions and their implementation. This category comprises contributions to action through utilization of the knowledge produced, by actors that are not involved in, or linked to, the research project. These contributions are described tentatively as indications of utilization at-a-distance as they may be difficult to identify and triangulate. The next step in the development of our method is identifying specific efforts during research formulation, production and extension which aim to enhance the contribution of research to action. These so-called alignment efforts are defined as deliberate efforts aimed to increase the likelihood that a contribution to action is realized. By assessing both the presence of alignment efforts and the realized contribution to action for each research project, we can analyze the extent to which alignment efforts are related to specific contributions (e.g. engaging policymakers in proposal formulation increases the chance that research is used in policy making). To identify a set of interesting alignment efforts, we searched extensively for publications of empirical studies that 1) take research processes as a starting point, 2) simultaneously analyze various alignment efforts and 3) relate these to utilization. While we found several studies that focus on characteristics of the users of research and their context [22, 40–46], the characteristics of research products and interactions between stakeholders [45, 47–53], we found no studies that matched the three search criteria. We did find three studies in which various explanations for research utilization were simultaneously considered [42, 43, 45]. These three studies use a similar theoretical framework that describes two categories of explanations of research utilization: engineering explanations and socio-organizational explanations. In these frameworks, the latter category is divided into three sub-categories: organizational interest explanations, ‘two communities’ explanations and interaction explanations. We have chosen to build upon these studies because they provide a detailed theoretical foundation and an empirical example. Pioneering studies aiming to explain research utilization focused on so-called engineering explanations, i.e. the technical merits (or instrumental value) of the knowledge as the key for utilization [47, 48, 54–56]. Landry and colleagues divide these engineering explanations as focusing on two different clusters of dimensions: research findings (validity, content attributes, compatibility, complexity, observability, trialability, reliability, divisibility, applicability, radicalness) [57–59] and the type of research (quantitative, qualitative, basic, theoretical, applied, research domains and disciplines, etc.) [60, 61]. While there is prima facie plausibility that such factors will have effect on utilization, several studies have shown that these engineering explanations have limited explanatory power [40, 62, 63]. A reason for this might be the indeterminate directional influence of these factors. Quantitative studies may be influential because the findings seem more concrete, but may also be too technical and provide limited direction to policymakers, for instance. Because past operationalizations of the engineering explanations have led to ambiguous predictions and results, their usefulness in exploring the contribution of research to action seems limited. The socio-organizational models of research utilization focus on the processes and interactions during a research project and the relations with context, instead of the intrinsic atomistic characteristics of research. These models can be further divided into three – partly overlapping – subcategories that emphasize different aspects: 1) organizational interest, 2) ‘two communities’ and 3) interactions. The organizational interest explanation predicts that the needs of organizations and features of organizations (e.g. policy domain, organizational structure and role, positions) shape how actors utilize research, with the corollary that the utilization of research increases if it is oriented to the needs of end-users . Empirical studies have shown that the use of research increases as users consider research pertinent, as research coincides with the users’ needs, as the users’ attitude is to give credibility to research and as results reach users at the right time [43, 45, 61, 65]. To orient a research project to the needs of users, these users have to be identified and their needs have to be articulated. One way of doing this is engaging potential users in setting research priorities [66–68]. These priorities then have to be taken into account, during the formulation and selection of research proposals. Research can also be directly linked to a question of a specific organization, up to being commissioned by it. An advantage of directly linking research is that the specifics of a question can be taken into account including the framing of the question and specific windows of opportunity in the decision-making context . Another direct way to link research to action is when a person involved in policy or practice is involved as one of the investigators (e.g. technical advisor, board member) . Actors with this kind of a double role can attune the research project to needs in the action domain, but also prepare the ground for utilization in the action. The potential of such a double-role actor depends on his capability to create alignment between research and action. The ‘two communities’ explanation predicts that the cultural difference between the research community and the policy community is the main reason for low levels of research utilization [49, 71]. This explanation has a long history and originally focused on differences in norms and values and language of communication between science and policy. More recently, other aspects have also been grouped under this explanation . While there are real differences between the domains of research and policymaking, detailed investigations of research and policy have rendered the distinction between these two communities less meaningful. Viewed up close, science turns out to look a lot like other social institutions, full of norms, beliefs, ideologies, practices, networks and power and deeply engaged in the production and management of social order . Similarly, policymaking processes rely deeply on the production of matters of fact to acquire and retain legitimacy. In addition, there is the tremendous diversity within the research (applied social science, quantum physics) and policy (formal legislation, technical guidelines) domain. For our method we are not just interested in the domains of ‘research’ and ‘policy’, but also in the ‘health’ domain (which can also be policy actions). An additional insight is that policy is not made in one place at the apex of society (or at the top of the research and health systems), but at various levels, including by health practitioners who function as ‘street level bureaucrats’ . Instead of dealing with two communities, we have to deal with three partly overlapping and stratified domains. Efforts to deal with the differences between these domains traditionally focus on literally translating research results to a format and language that is deemed suitable for policy and practice, providing more context specific recommendations and more targeted disseminating to potential key users in action. Most recently, the explanations of research utilization focus on the interaction between researchers and the users of their knowledge products [22–24]. The interaction explanation predicts that the utilization of knowledge depends on the various interactions occurring between researchers and users. Interactions can lead to trust, mutual learning and the anticipation of utilization on both the research and action side. The effect of interactions depends on the capability of actors to align research and action and on the phase that a research project is in. Interactions during proposal formulation may lead to adaptations of the study design, while interaction during the interpretation of results may help to frame them in a decision-making context. In the previous section on explaining research utilization, various alignment efforts are described, such as engaging potential users in setting research priorities, formulating research and interpreting results, employing double-role actors in research and disseminating research results to potential key users. Depending on the aim of the mapping exercise, involved actors may prospectively select specific alignment efforts on which to focus the analysis. Another approach is to try to retrospectively analyze which alignment efforts have played a role in realizing contributions. Alignment efforts may have a combined and context-dependent effect and different aims may require different efforts. In-depth case studies may be especially useful in analyzing how alignment efforts enhance contributions in context. It may also be interesting to conduct multiple case studies and search for patterns in the relation between alignment efforts and contributions. In Table 1 nine alignment efforts are described as examples. The presence and functioning of these efforts can be explored for each assessed research project. When a large number of projects is assessed, ordinal scales can be developed to score the presence of each alignment effort in the mapped projects. These scores can then be used for the identification of patterns in the relation between alignment efforts and realized contributions. This effort may be of interest if there is a formally established list of research priorities that is intended to attune research to needs of end-users (e.g. patients, policymakers, health workers). When the needs of stakeholders from the action side are taken into account in priority setting, this provides a first step to towards attuning research to action. Investigators then have to take these priorities into account when formulating research proposals and these priorities have to play a role when selecting projects for funding. Assessing the role of this alignment effort, allows these various steps and/or the overall correspondence between a research question and the set priorities to be explored. In this alignment effort, one of the investigators has a double role in action and may be considered a potential key user. Investigators may be involved in action processes as an adviser or board member, but also as the director of health services. Such double roles may be ideal for attuning research to policy processes. When assessing this effort, the focus can be on the extent to which research is attuned to needs and/or on the capability of the double-role actor to influence the dynamics in both research and action. Engaging potential key users in the formulation of research may help the investigators to better understand the needs and expectations from action and may help them anticipate the context in which knowledge may be used. Engagement may help potential key-users anticipate utilization on the action side. When assessing this effort, the focus can be on the adaptations made to a research proposal as a result of this engagement, anticipations through engaged actors on the action-side, changes in relations between actors (e.g. increasing trust and understanding) and on the role and capability of the engaged actor(s) in influencing the dynamics in action. Engaging potential key users in the conduct of research may help the investigators better understand the needs and expectations from action and help them anticipate the context in which knowledge may be used. On the other side, engagement may help potential key users better understand the research and anticipate utilization. Engagement may lead to new relations and provide a foundation for later utilization in action. When assessing this effort, the focus can be on the adaptations made to the research project as a result of this engagement, anticipations through the engaged actors on the action-side, changing relations between actors (e.g. increasing trust and understanding) and the role and capability of the engaged actor(s) in influencing the dynamics in action. Engaging potential key users in interpreting the produced knowledge may help frame the results in the context in which they may be used and help potential users to articulate actor-scenarios. In addition, personal interaction makes it possible to build trust and exchange knowledge with potential key users. When assessing this effort, the focus can be on the framing and interpretation of the results, the changing relations between actors, the exchange of knowledge and on the role and capability of the engaged actor(s) in influencing the dynamics in action. This alignment effort comprises one-way dissemination of knowledge products (texts) targeted towards potential key users. When assessing this effort, the focus could be on the extent to which knowledge products are adapted to specific audiences, the extent to which dissemination specifically targets potential key users and the way these potential key users receive and interpret the sent texts. In this alignment effort, one of the investigators takes on the role of key user. Such a double-role actor may be involved in policy processes as adviser or board member, but also as an influential actor with the authority to make decisions in which the new knowledge is used. These double-role actors may initiate actor-scenarios in which the new knowledge has a role and actively stimulate the realization of these scenarios. When assessing this effort, the focus can be on the capability of the double-role actor to initiate actor-scenarios, bring new knowledge in and stimulate the realization of these scenarios. In this alignment effort, a linked actor takes on the role of key user. Through their role or formal function in action, the linked actor may initiate utilization by creating actor-scenarios with a role for the new knowledge and stimulating the realization of these scenarios. When assessing this effort, the focus can be on the capability of the linked actor to initiate utilization, bring new knowledge into actor-scenarios and stimulate the realization of these scenarios. In this alignment effort an actor who is not linked to a research project is expected to take on the role of key user in utilization at-a-distance. A non-linked actor can become a key user by taking codified knowledge from a reservoir and using it to initiate and realize actor-scenarios. Assessing this effort may be difficult as the non-linked actors that use the results have to be identified. The focus of assessment can be on the extent to which non-linked actors have access to the knowledge reservoirs, their absorptive capacity and their capabilities for utilization. In the previous sections we have described 1) an explicit perspective on research and utilization, 2) the three-phase process model, 3) categories of research-related contributions and 4) explanations for research utilization and related alignment efforts. In this section we describe the structure and procedures of Contribution Mapping. There are four stages and ten steps to Contribution Mapping (see Figure 2). For each research project that is assessed, all ten steps are followed and both a process map and a contribution map are developed. In the first stage of Contribution Mapping (step 1-4), the investigators of a research project are interviewed to start developing a process map. The process map is iteratively developed throughout Contribution Mapping and includes the main activities for the three phases, the linked actors and potential key users. The first stage ends with a first estimation of the contributions, as perceived by the investigators, which are added to the contribution map. In the second stage, potential key users and other informants are interviewed in order to trace, explore and triangulate possible contributions. In the third stage, the alignment efforts are analyzed. Preliminary results are shared with the stakeholders for feedback and validation. After inconsistencies are clarified or described, the results are shared with stakeholders for learning, improvement and accountability purposes. Stages and steps in Contribution Mapping. The general interview strategy in Contribution Mapping is to start with asking open questions and continue by probing and providing more specific examples. The aim of step one is to explain the process of Contribution Mapping and jointly clarify needs and expectations, the purpose of conducting Contribution Mapping and the values and roles of those involved. Why is Contribution Mapping employed, and what is expected from it? What is the rationale that connects the mapping of research contributions to some higher purpose? Who are involved and who are expected to learn or benefit from the results? In what context is the assessment conducted? Contribution Mapping may be employed for various purposes, such as accountability to investors, learning how to better employ research and improving the extent to which beneficial contributions are realized. Table 2 provides an indication of how the approach can be attuned for each purpose. Depending on the purpose, specific alignment efforts may be selected, to focus on during later steps. When using Contribution Mapping for accountability purposes, it should be clarified who should be accountable to whom (researchers to funders, funders to taxpayers, etc). Assessments for accountability purposes tend to focus on outcomes, combined with inputs and with the effects of exogenous factors. While it may be interesting to show contributions to policy, practice and innovation to the outside world, this may also lead to unrealistic claims and expectations. If accountability is the aim, the focus may well be on the activities for which researchers can be held accountable, such as initiated dissemination, and alignment efforts, such as engaging potential end-users. In addition, outputs and contributions can be described. When using Contribution Mapping for learning purposes, the key questions are why research-related contributions are realized and how these contributions relate to research activities (in context). Depending on the precise question, multiple cases can be compared, or the focus may be on unique deviating cases. Cross-case analyses can be useful for revealing patterns between alignment efforts and contributions. Analyzing specific cases that deviate from the expected may help deepen our knowledge of how and why research contributes to action, in context. Analyzing multiple cases can also be an interesting test for the functioning of research programmes or systems. When using Contribution Mapping for improvement purposes, the key question is who should do what differently to improve performance? This requires inside-the-black-box relationships that connect changes in processes and activities to changes in contributions. To achieve improvement, a single assessment may be insufficient. Improvement generally requires trying out something new, careful observation and continuous learning in a conducive environment. The process and contribution map and analyses of alignment efforts can be used as a monitoring tool in the improvement process. In Contribution Mapping, we do not assume that evaluation is value-free. The process is intended to be participatory and stakeholders are invited to bring their ideas, perceptions, frames and values into the mapping exercise and take on an active role. The roles and functions of those involved in the evaluation are not predetermined and should therefore be clarified at this stage. Depending on the situation and purpose of Contribution Mapping, a useful division of tasks and responsibilities has to be decided on. The main activity of stage one is interviewing the investigator(s) of the research project that is assessed. This interview is best held with the principal investigator and, if possible, another investigator involved. This stage ends with a first estimation of research-related contributions, which is based on the perceptions of the investigators. The aim of step one is to introduce Contribution Mapping to the investigator(s) that are interviewed and lay out the three-phase process map. To prepare for the process mapping, documents, such as research proposals, reports and publications, are read. The interview with the investigator(s) starts with explaining the purpose and stages of Contribution Mapping and structure of the interview. After the emphasis on actors and processes is explained, the three-phase process map is introduced (formulation, production, extension). A timeline is drawn and the two demarcation moments are identified and added to the timeline. The aim of step two is to map and characterize the research team and identify potential key users amongst them. The research team consists of the enlisted investigators and others professionally involved in the study (e.g. research assistants, health workers). For each investigator, age, background, research and policy experience, roles in the project (in what activities involved) and formal and informal roles in relevant decision-making processes are described (e.g. in advisory committees, policy processes). This information provides insight into how the investigators may link, through their past and current functions, roles and actions, the research process to relevant decision-making processes and thereby enables the identification of potential key users. Next, the others who are professionally involved in the study are described (e.g. manager of involved institute, nurses, medical doctors, research assistants). If it appears relevant, further questions are asked to establish how they were involved and if they are likely to function as key user. The aim of step three is to start filling in the process map, from the perspective of the investigators. For each of the three phases (formulation, production, extension), the main activities, linked actors and potential key users, as well as alignment efforts, are identified. (As the focus is generally on linked utilization, the key users among the investigators and linked actors are selected first. Second, other key users can be identified to explore utilization at-a-distance). First, the vision underpinning the research project is explored. Why did the investigators initiate this research project? (e.g. to inform policymaking, publish high impact articles, contribute to specific changes). After clarifying the vision, the next step is exploring how the research project aimed to contribute to this. What was the aim of the research project? The origin and formulation of the project is explored. Where did the idea for the research question come from? Who was involved in formulating the research proposal? Who were considered potential key users? Was the proposal discussed with potential users? If so, these are added to the process map as linked actors, and the role and influence of these individuals is explored to determine if they are potential key users. The influence of interactions with potential users is explored. Was the research proposal adapted as a result of interactions? Did the potential users initiate any actions because of awareness of the research formulation (e.g. postpone decision-making)? Finally, specific alignment efforts can be further explored (e.g. Was the proposal attuned to a priority of a research agenda?). The process mapping continues with the production phase. Again, the aim is to get an overview of the main activities, linked actors and potential key users, as well as the selected or unexpected alignment efforts. What were the main activities and who was involved? Have new actors been linked to the research process through engagement or interaction? If so, the role and influence of new linked actors is explored to identify potential key users amongst them. The influence of such interactions is explored to determine if this has led to new alignments. Were any adaptations made to the research process as a result of these interactions? The mapping of the production phase ends with a description on the main results. The investigators are asked to describe the main results with minimal interpretation, as they would in the result section of an article. The exploration of the extension phase starts with asking the investigators to describe the meaning and consequences of the main results for policy, practice and health. How should the results be picked up and utilized, and who should take up this role? The investigators are thus asked to sketch their actor-scenario in which the produced knowledge has a role and key-users are identified. Extension efforts may include one-way dissemination, but also more interactive efforts to initiate and stimulate utilization. First, the interpretation of the results is explored. Have any previously linked actors been engaged in interpreting and framing the results? Have new actors been engaged in interpretation and thus become linked to the research project? Are there any potential key users among them? Second, the dissemination is explored. How and when were the results disseminated? Did this involve interaction that has led to new linked actors and potential key users? Were the results published in scientific journals, popular media and/or on the internet? Has the data been made available for use by others? Third, the utilization that is initiated by the investigators is explored. Did the investigators try to use the results themselves in action processes? They might have a function in action (e.g. a health director conducting research) or take on such a role and start to tell and create new actor-scenarios. Did the investigators engage new actors to initiate utilization? (These newly engaged actors become linked actors). Where there any potential key users among them? In a similar way, a first exploration is made of extension through the linked actors, especially the potential key users. Are the investigators aware of any efforts by linked actors to further disseminate the results or initiate utilization? At the end of step three, a first process map has been made around a timeline, with for each phase a summary of the main activities, the linked actors, potential key users and the alignment efforts. This map provides a transparent overview that can be further explored, discussed, added to, modified and triangulated. The aim of step four is to start identifying possible research-related contributions and tentatively add them to the contribution map. We begin this process by asking the investigators about the realization of contributions in which they were involved. We then ask the investigators to indicate routes towards contributions through linked actors and possible others. Each of the four contribution categories is briefly explained to the interviewees, after which the perceived contributions are explored and described one by one. The first contribution category comprises changes in the involved and linked actors that are related to the activities of research. First, research-related changes in the investigators are explored. Have they developed new skills, competences and relations as a result of the research activities? What have they learned and has this changed their behaviours and actions? Subsequently, similar questions are asked regarding the other involved or linked actors or groups (e.g. research assistants, health workers, participants, policy makers). Are the investigators aware of changes in competences, behaviours, relationships and actions in any these actors or groups? This provides an indication of changes in these other actors. The second contribution category comprises the knowledge products that are added to reservoirs of codified knowledge and the domain of research. Based upon the described dissemination activities, the investigators are asked to which reservoirs the produced knowledge has been added. This may include publication of the results in scientific journals, the local media, internet, etc., but also research data that is made available to others. Finally, the investigators are asked to describe other contributions to the research domain, such as methods that are used by others, better targeting of new research, newly funded research projects, etc. The third category comprises contributions through linked utilization, which refers to utilization of the produced knowledge through the investigators or linked actors. The investigators are asked to describe if and how the produced knowledge has been used to contribute to action, and by whom. Interviewees are asked what role the new knowledge played in evolving actor-scenarios. Some interviewees may have the tendency to overestimate the contributions, while others may downplay the use or role of the results. To increase the reliability of the responses, the interviewees are encouraged to describe all the potential contributions. The process map, which includes the potential key users, is used to identify potential contributions (e.g. Has this policymaker that was engaged in interpretation used the results?). These contributions are explored one by one through a critical dialogue, in which the process map is used to relate them to specific actors, events, activities, alignment efforts and other ongoing processes. This provides an overview of the utilization of the results by the linked actors, as perceived by the investigators. The fourth contribution category is utilization by actors that have not been involved in, or have not interacted with, those involved in the research project. This utilization at-a-distance results from external actors that take codified knowledge from a reservoir, without interaction with the investigators. Utilization at-a-distance can only be described if one of the investigators, linked actors or other stakeholders are aware of it and describe it to those involved in Contribution Mapping, or when knowledge used in texts or artefacts can be traced back to a research project. Utilization at-a-distance is not the focus of Contribution Mapping, as it is difficult to describe, trace and triangulate. Depending on the goals of those involved, indications of utilization at-a-distance can be explored and described. In the second stage of Contribution Mapping, the main activity is interviewing potential key-users and other relevant informants to further explore and triangulate utilization. We focus below on contributions through linked utilization, but step five to ten are similar if the focus is on other contribution categories. The aim of step five is to explore and, if possible, triangulate contributions among potential key users. Based on the process map and described contributions, a selection is made of the most interesting potential key users, and they are approached for an interview. The interview starts with questions about their characteristics (background, experiences in research and policy, formal and informal roles in related decision-making) and continues with their interactions with the research project and awareness and interpretation of the results. Next, they are asked if, how and why they have been involved in utilization. Interviewees are asked how new knowledge was brought into evolving scenarios and what role it played. Utilization is further explored through a critical dialogue in which an attempt is made to trace pathways to specific actions, times and places. The utilization that others have described (in step 4 or 5) is then shared and the interviewee is asked to give his or her perception of this. If it seems useful, the key user is asked to identify others who may further describe if, how and why results were used in evolving scenarios. The aim of step six is to further explore utilization and, if possible, triangulate claims about contributions. Key informants are selected based upon their knowledge about the scenarios in which results may have been used (these key informant may be others involved or linked actors). The interview starts with the characteristics of these informants (background, experiences in research and policy, formal and informal roles in related decision-making) and continues by exploring the actor-scenarios in which knowledges may have been used. Next, these informants are asked to provide their perception of utilization. Have the results been used and what role did they play in the evolving scenarios? Claims are explored through a critical dialogue in which an attempt is made to trace pathways to specific times and places. In the third stage, the main activities are analyzing the alignment efforts, asking for feedback, clarifying inconsistencies and sharing the resulting maps for learning, improvement and accountability. The aim of step seven is to analyze the alignment efforts. The key questions are to what extent which alignment efforts were employed and how their functioning relates to the contributions that are realized. If specific alignment efforts have been identified beforehand, the information gathered about these efforts can be used to describe their functioning for each research project. A different approach is to start with analyzing the process and contribution map and to identify deductively which alignment efforts have played a role in realizing contributions. To analyze how alignment efforts relate to contributions, both detailed in-depth analyses of single research projects and comparative multiple-cases studies can be useful. The aim of step eight is to ask interviewees and other stakeholders to provide feedback on the process and contribution maps and the descriptions or scores of the alignment efforts. The preliminary results are shared with the stakeholders (in writing or presented to them) and they are asked if the results are consistent with their perceptions. This is important for validation of the results and enhancing ownership among stakeholders. The aim of step nine is to clarify and describe remaining inconsistencies. In Contribution Mapping, results are not considered to be value neutral ‘facts’. The described contributions are the result of articulating and negotiating different versions of reality. Actors may have different, incommensurable versions of the extent and way knowledge has been used. Inconsistencies are shared with those involved and they are invited to comment. Further clarification is stimulated by asking questions, pointing to blanks in narratives and facilitating constructive discussion. In some cases, inconsistencies may be clarified and a shared story is realized. In other cases, divergent versions of reality remain to exist. This is not unusual and can be expected especially for complex, diffuse and contested utilization processes in which many actors are involved. As an output, the different versions can be described with a comment that a shared version could not be established. The aim of step ten is to share and employ the results for learning, improvement and/or accountability purposes. The information gathered during the first nine steps provides an overview of what has been done and gives a good indication of the contributions that have been realized and the roles of selected alignment efforts. The resulting maps should not be understood as fait accompli. The maps provide a time-bound overview of how processes have developed over time and the contributions that are realized at a certain moment. As the world continues to evolve, modifications to the maps can be made. The way the resulting maps are used depends on the purpose of Contribution Mapping (see Table 2). For accountability purposes, the key outcomes, inputs and external factors are identified and shared. For learning purposes, the key lessons are identified by analyzing single cases or comparing multiple cases. If Contribution Mapping is employed for improvement purposes, the results could inform the formulation and execution of plans for improvement. In this paper we described Contribution Mapping, a novel approach to research monitoring and evaluation. At a time of growing emphasis on the use of research results and accountability, it is important to map research-related contributions and find ways to enhance the likelihood of beneficial contributions. We have tried to develop a realistic and practical approach that can be used to establish accountability and contains an explicit strategy for learning how the likelihood of beneficial contributions can be enhanced. We hope this makes Contribution Mapping a useful evaluation tool for those who seek to better employ research and knowledge to contribute to health, equity and development. Contribution Mapping builds on an explicit description of the process of knowledge production and utilization with an active role of the user, in an evolving socio-material order full of ongoing change activities. This monistic perspective and the practical procedures of Contribution Mapping may also be useful for other analyses of knowledge utilization, such as knowledge translation platforms . In the introduction we described a number of challenges and problems that existing approaches for assessing research ‘impact’ struggle with. While recognizing the limitations posed by some of these problems, we have tried to develop a method that is useful in practice. Research utilization depends on distributed agency, which makes it difficult to ‘measure’ and attribute impacts. Contribution Mapping assumes that a plausible description of eventual contributions can be realized through a combination of a structured approach, a transparent process and engagement of those involved. In addition, the approach is intended to stimulate learning and reflection by those involved and stimulate further efforts to enhance the contribution of research. An important choice in Contribution Mapping is to focus on the change in the abilities and actions of involved and linked actors as well as linked utilization, which is distinguished from utilization at-a-distance. An advantage of focusing on linked utilization, in combination with the alignment efforts, is that it directs the attention to what researchers and others can do to enhance the realization of beneficial contributions. This is essential in a learning-based and use-driven evaluation approach. Furthermore, the demarcation of linked utilization provides a certain boundary in ongoing and seemingly endless utilization processes, which is useful when the aim is to analyze and compare a number of research projects. The initial focus on linked utilization has as a downside that the ultimate contribution to health at the patient level remains beyond the reach of the analysis. If such utilization at-a-distance is of specific interest, the stepwise approach of following actors and the routes of knowledge can be used to further map the pathways to more distant contributions. Retrospectively mapping such long and complex processes may be very difficult. The further the analysis moves away from the research project, the weaker the relation with the research project becomes and the more the attribution problem, user-identification challenge and pathway diversity and diffuseness problem may hamper the analysis. While the focus on linked utilization has its downsides, it makes a useful form of research monitoring and evaluation possible. The indicators currently used to evaluate research and motivate researchers, such as publications in high impact journals, are unsatisfactory if research is to contribute to better action for health. Counting publications and citations keeps track of how often the ball is kicked across the middle line instead of in the goal. Scoring, in terms of contributing to better action for health, requires a collective effort which can not be attributed to a single actor or project. Instead of using poor indicators and incentives, or trying to make unrealistic and useless attributions, the focus should be on enhancing the contribution of research to the collective performance. With that in mind, we designed Contribution Mapping. The method is intended to reveal how to better anticipate, learn, communicate and align efforts to ultimately increase the likelihood that a contribution is made to collective achievements. We expect the method will be a useful tool for learning and improvement purposes and will allow those involved in research and utilization to take responsibility for the actions within their reach. An approach to map the utilization of knowledge is much needed. We expect that applying Contribution Mapping in practice will provide important insights that can be used to further develop the approach as well as lessons on how research can better be employed to contribute to action for health. An important next step is to further develop a version of Contribution Mapping that can be integrated at the planning stage of research programs and projects and assist those involved with employing research to better contribute to an envisioned future. MK developed the theoretical framework, designed the methods and drafted a first version of the manuscript. JS commented on the framework, methods and manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

2019-04-22T01:43:25Z

https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-4505-10-21

This handbook is a compilation of convictions and bits of advice about teaching, all drawn from my 30+ years of experience as a teacher and school administrator. I have drawn it up to help teachers, and especially beginning teachers, to do what all professionals need to do from time to time—namely, reflect more deeply about their professional responsibilities and learn from the experience of others. The handbook does not pretend to be exhaustive or definitive. It touches briefly on some important matters in teaching: principles and ideals; class leadership and direction; disciplinary matters; homework, tests, and grading; and relations with parents. Each of these sections, and many others left undiscussed, could have been expanded with countless other topics, details, and experiences. It is my hope that this handbook can be put to use most effectively by groups of teachers meeting in discussion sessions (for instance, in faculty workshops), where experienced instructors can use the notes as a framework for expressing their own opinions, experiences, and reservations or qualifications on each point under discussion. Newer teachers can thus learn a lot, not only from the notes here but also from what more experienced professionals have to say about them. A discussion like this ought to generate the sort of anecdotes, concrete experiences, and pointed bits of advice that younger teachers find so helpful and encouraging at the start of their careers. Not everyone is suited to it; but those who are really called to it as a life's work find a sense of mission and purpose in life—and profound happiness. Part of the task of a beginning teacher is to find out whether he or she has this vocation. Large parts of the work are ultimately mysterious, for the real "matter" of teaching is spiritual: the mind, will, and imagination of young people. A teacher must, therefore, have respect for things spiritual, be prepared to cope with the unexpected, and enjoy leading groups of students without ever really "controlling" them. Teaching requires much practice, skilled technique, and constant imposition of order and planning—for young people badly need order and rather resist it. But within this ordered, rational framework, a teacher exercises imagination, spontaneity, and something like a wonder at life that he shares with his students. A teacher's work, like that of any other art, is therefore a harmonious balance between reason and imagination, planning and spontaneity, reflection and purposeful action. Teaching is, therefore, frequently tiring and even exhausting work. People with the vocation sometimes tire out, but they never burn out. On the contrary, they manage to maintain youthful energy, enthusiasm, humor, and spirituality all their lives. Though they acquire the strengths and outlook of mature adulthood, they never lose the hearts they had as children. It's important for any beginning teacher to realize that his students will eventually forget most of the "material" imparted in class. Students who earn an "A" on a test given on Friday will get a "B" or worse on the same test given, as a surprise, the following Monday. (If you doubt this, try it yourself.) Though information is the basic material that each teacher deals with, it is not what his job is all about. The imparting of information and even certain skills is not an end but rather a means. The teacher's fundamental mission is to support the students' parents in their task of raising their children to become competent, responsible, considerate men and women who are committed to live by principles of integrity all their lives. This long-term vision of the students' welfare and happiness in life—how they will turn out as adults—is the driving force of every good teacher and coach. An instructor who loses this long-term perspective (ideal, really), who gets bogged down in day-to-day nitty-gritty, can grow to feel overwhelmed by drudgery and discouragement. sound judgment—ability to make the important distinctions in life: truth from falsehood, right from wrong, fact from opinion, guesswork from certainty, sloppiness from professionalism, heroes from "celebrities," nobility from squalid vulgarity, and so on. Children are led to hold a respect for learning, if not a love for it, and for people of intellectual and artistic accomplishment. responsibility—ability to live with the consequences, however unpleasant, of our free decisions; the ability to carry out one's duty to others whether we feel like it or not. Responsibility is also an active sense of how our obligations in life derive from the existence of others' rights and sensibilities. fortitude—perseverance, toughness, "guts." This is the acquired ability (sometimes aided by temperament) to either solve problems or to live with them, but not to seek escape. It is the power to withstand difficulties, hardships, setbacks, tedium, disappointments, even physical pain. self-discipline—ability to say "no" to oneself, to delay or forego gratification, for the sake of some higher good. It is the ability to enjoy the good and great delights of life in moderation. It is the sort of self-restraint, healthy self-respect, and good manners that people generally refer to as "class." moral uprightness—a habitual considerateness, a sensitivity toward the dignity, rights, and feelings of everyone, without exception. It is, in John Henry Newman's expression, to "have eyes for the needs of those around us." It is compassionate understanding, the essence of charity. Each of the above powers can and must be imparted to our students; and each is learned by the students in the course of their work, fulfilling their responsibilities as students, and in their dealings with everyone in school. No matter what the subject or course of studies—whether mathematics, science, languages, literature, athletics—each class forms a framework within which young people are led to become competent, responsible, considerate adults. So, it is worth each teacher's reflection from time to time: how can my classwork with my students lead them to grow into attitudes and habits of responsible adulthood, long after they've forgotten the "material"? Very important: All of the above depends on the students' ongoing respect for their teacher, and respect always derives from some perception of strength. Young people sense, and admire, the above-mentioned strengths in their teachers, even beginning teachers. And young students, like all the rest of us, tend to imitate people whom they admire. Beginning teachers tend to worry too much about being liked by their students; but what they should care more about, and constantly work toward, is that their students respect them. If you strive to live as a person of judgment, responsibility, perseverance, self-mastery, and refined thoughtfulness, your students will respect you—and even come to admire you deeply. Somehow, mysteriously, they sense when you are firm with them for their own long-term benefit—that your obvious hard work is for their welfare, not your own—and they therefore let you lead them. But when they sense that a teacher cares too much for what they think of him, when he's working to win their approval for his own sake, then their attention wanders. Their attitude toward such a teacher becomes a mixture of amusement, indifference, and eventually contempt. Another indispensable element of teaching is humor. Young people naturally have high spirits, and they are drawn to adults who have enough self-confidence to enjoy a good laugh with them from time to time. An occasional good laugh gives unity to the class, and it reinforces an important idea in the young people's minds: that they and their teacher are on the same side, that they are not adversaries. It's also important for a teacher to try to understand how each of his students is different, and learns differently. Some students learn readily by hearing; these seldom take notes in class, but they remember a great deal. Others are visual, and they need to see what is being taught; they need a lot of whiteboard explanation, sketches, note-taking or copying. Some students work in spurts, and they need to be pushed/encouraged during slump times. Some are sensitive to weather changes, becoming sluggish and irritable on low-pressure days; these students are often sleepy for an hour or two after eating. Some may have physical or undiagnosed medical problems (such as progressively poor eyesight) and a teacher needs to be alert to these possibilities. All of these variations, and knowledge of what to do about them, come with experience in teaching. But a beginner should realize that his class has many different components, and that some problems with students lie outside his job-performance. As soon as he grows in confidence and experience, he can deal with these disparate matters competently. One of the main advantages of a small school is the ability to get to know students well and to see their personalities develop over time. A good teacher will think deeply about each of his students, trying to see what strengths, talents, possibilities lie within each. He can then tell each student which personal strengths should be developed, leading perhaps to an excellent career. Typically most of us are among the last to recognize that we have a certain gift; because it comes so easily to us, we tend to undervalue it, and fail to notice that we can do something easily that other people find vexing. This is a valuable insight to young people, very encouraging to them, especially during the uncertainties of adolescence; teenagers typically tend to exaggerate and worry about their faults, both real and imagined. Related to this small-school advantage is the possibility of appreciation. In a small setting, a teacher can more readily notice a student's conscientious efforts, irrespective of grades earned. A teacher can note when a student is really trying to do his best, or is trying harder than before. A good teacher will go out of his way to express appreciation and encouragement to a student for his earnest best efforts. After all, the real "results" in life lie within the young person's character, not just in the columns of his report card. Indeed, the world is filled with highly successful people who earned so-so grades in school but who worked conscientiously to attain them. A good teacher will not give the impression to students that the "material" of his course is the last word in our understanding of the subject. He will explain, or at least mention from time to time, the unanswered questions, the uncharted frontiers, and as-yet-unsolved problems and challenges that remain to be tackled by people of their generation. This extends as well to other areas of intellectual work. That is, a teacher should occasionally refer his discipline to other fields—showing the interconnectedness of history, literature, religion, science, mathematics, and so on. In short, a teacher should be—and should show himself to be—a well-informed, cultured, engaged citizen. Related to this, a teacher should be well read in his field. He should have ready a list of works to recommend to his best students, these young people who can go on to higher level work or to more extensive understanding of the discipline. Staying up in one's field is one of the hallmarks of professionalism. One piece of advice for beginning teachers: Don't judge your suitability for teaching by your performance the first year. This initial dip into teaching is usually tough and bewildering for everyone, no matter now talented. (Non-teachers nearly always underestimate how complex and difficult teaching really is.) Try the work for three years, and then make a career decision. If you decide to stay with it, plan to arrive at a final decision after the seventh year. By then you should know whether you are willing and able to make the sacrifices of this vocation—that is, whether the intangible satisfactions of this calling are so great as to outweigh the financial and other drawbacks. After seven years, a teacher should know whether he is doing what he was put on Earth to do. And, if he doesn't feel this level of calling, he ought to pursue some other line of work. No talking out of turn or otherwise acting in such a way as to infringe on the rights of others to be heard—including the teacher's right to have his students' undivided attention. If you have something to contribute to the class, raise your hand. No mishandling materials: writing on desk-tops, throwing missiles, littering, eating or drinking in classroom or halls. No lying, period. If you name appears on a work, it must indeed be your work. That is, do not cheat. I come prepared for class and I expect you to do the same. So, come to class with book(s), notebook, homework, assignment pad, and writing materials. Homework and tests are your professional work. They should be clear, reasonably neat, and submitted on time. They should give evidence of careful thought. There should be no sloppy misspellings or faulty English usage; credit will be taken off for substandard English, just as in normal professional life. Also, do not rip out papers from notebook, and make corrections carefully. I reserve the right to read aloud (anonymously), exactly as written, any paper submitted in this class. You can save yourself possible embarrassment by reading your work over before submitting it, exactly as adults do in daily professional life. I also reserve the right to give unannounced quizzes in class based on your homework assignments. I render a professional service to your parents and I am obligated to keep them informed about the quality of your work. I will call them from time to time, especially if I think your job performance falls short of their expectations. If, for some reason, you could not complete a homework assignment, you should submit a note explaining two things: first, why you could not complete it on time; and secondly, when you promise to turn it in. In other words, when homework is being collected, you must turn in either a homework or this note. Later, when you make up the late work, please mark it "Late" at the top. One of the distinctions you must learn as you grow up is that between "indoors" and "outdoors." (Young children scarcely know the difference.) "Indoors" implies a greater level of civility, restrained behavior, and appropriate dress. Therefore, in class: no throwing anything, no wearing of caps or windbreakers, no jostling or wrestling, no loose or missing neckties. I don't expect perfection with this general rule, but I expect you to try. More will be said later on matters of discipline. What counts here is the general notion that you, as responsible leader of the class, make clear the limits of people's behavior—the lines at which the students' actions begin to infringe upon the rights of others: you, their parents, and other students in the class. You will not let them cross over those lines without correction and, if necessary, consequent punishment. The basic idea here is justice, what is fair. Boys have a high tolerance for rule-giving and even punishment as long as they perceive that they are being treated fairly. You must work from a plan. You need a plan for the year, the semester, the month, and the upcoming week. You may vary from these as necessary, but you must clearly set out to control what happens in the time ahead. The students should be told clearly what the plan for the year is: "This is what we will have studied and done by Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, final exams." Then, from time to time during the year, refer back to the plan and show how far we have come and what we have left to accomplish. (Note the we.) This helps your students get a sense of real progress, which is one of the best inducements to sustained effort. One common shortcoming of new teachers is the nature of their class planning. Since they have recently emerged from a university setting, where most teaching is done in abstract lecture form, they tend to overplan what they will lecture about in class. They see the upcoming class as a 45-minute span within which they do 98+% of the talking, straining to "cover the material." They do little or no planning about what their students should do in that time. A more experienced teacher will, of course, plan what he wants to explain; but he will spent most time planning what he wants his students to do—work at desk or whiteboards, exercises in class, debate or competition, questions to elicit discussion or controversy, and the like. The younger the students, the more active they must be in class and the less ability they have for just sitting and listening to the teacher talk. This tendency to lecture is the biggest single problem that a beginning teacher needs to overcome. —A first-year teacher teaches more than he knows; he spends hours studying, writing out notes for the upcoming classes. —A more experienced teacher teaches just what he knows; he spends more time preparing questions to ask in class, activities for his students, and the like. —A real pro teaches what his students need to know in order to move ahead. Beginning teachers tend to overestimate the importance of their material—forgetting that their students will fail to remember most of it anyway. One important attitude for all teachers to bear in mind: interest and enthusiasm are more important than encyclopedic detail. A teacher needs to communicate his interest and enthusiasm for his field, even at the expense of much detail. Some detail is necessary, obviously, especially in the upper grades. But no textbook or set of handouts can substitute for a teacher's enthusiastic explanations. If a student acquires an interest in history, for example—or science, or Russian literature, or any intellectual discipline—he probably will go on later to study it in depth. That is, the detail can come later. But too much detail at the early stages of education can stifle or snuff out young people's interest altogether. It's a wise practice at the beginning of the school year to seat students alphabetically, at least for the first half of the year or the first marking period. This accomplishes several things. It lets you learn their names more quickly. It establishes your authority more clearly at the outset. And it generally serves to separate pals whose close company leads to distracting conversations and fooling around. Out of consideration for those individuals whose names begin with A or B, you might seat the students in reverse alphabetical order. The most ineffective posture for teaching is to sit at a desk facing one's students. A teacher is most effective when standing, moving around the front of the room, or at least standing at a lectern or rostrum on his desk. When he sits, he should do so on the edge of his desk. The idea here is that the teacher is in motion or prepared to go into motion quickly and easily. If you sit at a desk for any length of time, you become a "talking head" and your students' attention wanders elsewhere. Related to this posture question is the importance of writing frequently on the board. Younger students can learn to take notes simply by copying what the teacher writes at the front of the room. When you come to a term or phrase or important date, always jot it on the board. Remember, too, that many students are visual learners; they recall what they see, but have trouble with merely auditory information. If you write matters down, you reach both these groups; if you don't, you reach only the hearers. Form a habit also of setting aside one corner of the board (say, upper right-hand side) for writing out homework assignments, and do this long before the end of class. You can note who is copying this information and how—in assignment notebook, on scraps of paper, on odd pages of class notebooks, etc. Where the homework is noted may be related to whether, and how well, it is completed. Whatever you do, refrain from merely reading the assignment aloud; there's too much possibility for misunderstanding, and even for your neglecting to mention the homework assignment at all. How do you keep class notes, papers, and the like together? One efficient device is the multiple-pocket folder; another is a 3-ring binder with pockets inserted. One pocket is for notes, another for announcements and class lists, and other pockets hold collected tests/quizzes and home assignments. Carrying these papers around in one binder is an incentive to correct and grade them with reasonable dispatch and return them to the students. One item in this binder should be slips of paper with each student's name. These can be shuffled and called up at random to ask questions of the class, select students to go the board and write their work, and so on. When their names can pop up at random like this, students are much more attentive. You should be aware of the "dead zone" of your classroom when you're teaching. If you are right-handed and face the class, you tend to give minimal attention to the far-right corner of the class; that is, you will hardly notice or call upon students sitting up front to your immediate right. (If you are left-handed, the reverse is true.) You need to go out of your way to direct your attention to this area fairly often. Sometimes, mysteriously, if you allow open seating in your class, students who want to escape your notice will sense your inattention to this "dead zone" and will sit there. If you are teaching students aged 13 to 15, be on the alert for any who may have progressive trouble with their eyesight. The rapid physical growth of this age group is often accompanied by myopia. If some students are squinting or rubbing their eyes in class, especially when copying from the board, they may need an eye check-up and corrective glasses. Give a call home to the parents, who will greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness and attention. Important: Never, ever, give your classroom keys to a student. If a boy needs to get in some room, go with him and let him in personally, either right away or later. This is troublesome, to be sure, but much less so than trying to remember or track down whoever borrowed your keys and forgot to return them. It also obviates problems with vandalism or theft, and keeps students out of suspicion who might have had classroom keys on them when such incidents occurred. Don't make comparisons between students, even in private conversation. These inevitably lead to some resentment. This is especially true of siblings; if you are teaching a younger brother of a former student, avoid comparing them even in your own estimation. There's a strong temptation to do this, of course, but you should avoid it as much as possible. A younger brother deserves, and appreciates, being considered solely on his own merits as an individual. Don't whisper to a student in a hallway or any other public place, especially in front of his friends. This looks secretive, and it may give rise to suspicion among students that the boy is a lackey or tattletale. If you wish to convey something to a student privately, make an appointment to see him in your office or elsewhere, someplace where you can converse in a normal voice. If you happen to know a student personally from elsewhere (say, you are a long-time friend of his family), do not show special warmth or familiarity with him in class or in front of his friends. This puts him on the spot and suggests favoritism. If you find yourself consistently edgy and irritable at certain times of the day, take a close look at your caffeine intake. Frequent coffee drinking, especially in the morning, can lead to raw nerves and unnecessary conflicts with high-spirited students for a couple of hours afterwards. It can also lead to exhaustion by late afternoon. If you suspect a problem like this, try taking decaf or cutting back significantly on regular coffee for a couple of weeks and notice if there's an improvement. Related to this issue of irritability is the importance of apologizing. If you've lost your temper with a student, you owe him an apology as soon as possible. By extension, if you harangued him in front of his friends, you ought to make your apology in public—as a matter of justice. Students come to respect a teacher who apologizes; they see that he values justice ahead of his pride. Students respect your consistency in fairness, your earnest attempts to be always fair with them. Here, as elsewhere in dealing with young people, your attitudes influence them more than your course's material. If possible, you should keep a small supply of rags, sponges, and spray cleaner in your desk or elsewhere in your classroom. Use these frequently, even every day, to clean off desktops and other surfaces. A heavily doodled desk invites still more doodling—and this doodling is one sign of inattention, even boredom, among your students. It's not a bad idea to have some malefactor return after school to clean under your supervision; very likely, he is one of those most responsible for messes to begin with. If necessary, do the cleaning yourself. The importance of cleanliness in maintaining a classroom tone of professionalism cannot be overestimated. Sit at the desk initially until everyone is seated and more or less talked out; then stand and launch into action. Begin writing notes on the board and talking to the class; the students will begin to copy and shush-up other students whose noise is drowning your voice out. Take out your slips paper with the students' names and start shuffling them, making eye contact with the class and leading with a question from the home assignment. If the class appears sluggish and torpid, tell everyone to stand, breathe deeply, and stretch. This produces some laughter and lifts people's spirits; then when everyone is seated again and refreshed, you're ready to go. As soon as students enter the room, immediately send three or four to the board to put their homework answers up for all to see. While they're doing this, you roam the room to glance at everyone else's papers. Bear in mind that "discipline" means learning, not just correction and punishment. The comportment and attitudes you are trying to impart in class are really those of normal, civilized adult life. You are not trying to exercise control as such; this motive is ultimately ineffective—not just in school but in the home as well. What you are doing is to lead the boys, by example and directed practice and sometimes correction and punishment, to live as responsible, considerate, mature adults. And you are doing this for their long-term welfare. When this is your attitude, you thus distinguish between the fault and the person. You make clear to the boys that you mean nothing personal in your correction of their faults and mistakes. On the contrary, you are directing them because you care what sort of men they will grow up to become. You think too highly of them to let the grow up with their faults intact. You thus "hate the sin but love the sinner." Boys who have been well brought up at home will recognize this distinction in your mind, and they will eventually appreciate your efforts for their welfare. Naturally they will not like being corrected (who does?), but they will sense that you bear them no personal ill-will and that you stand ready to forgive and forget once they've set matters straight through taking corrective punishment where necessary. It is a teacher's obligation to be eminently and obviously fair. In class, and in all your professional dealings with the students, you try to have fair dealings with everyone. You have no favorites and no pariahs. If the rules of the class are clearly spelled out, as they must be, and if consequences for non-compliance are also made clear well ahead of time, then the basis for just collaboration is established. Make clear to the students that what is called "obedience" among children is called "cooperation" or "collaboration" or "teamwork" in normal adult life. Everyone has a boss; everybody answers to somebody. That is, it's normal in adult life for some to give direction and for others to collaborate by taking direction. Though you must occasionally mistrust their judgment (because of their inexperience), you always trust their integrity. Integrity means a unity of intention, word, and action—that we mean what we say, we say what we mean, and we keep our word. If you suspect a student of wrongdoing, you owe him a presumption of innocence. No snap decisions or rash judgments. You always offer a student a chance to explain himself. And since the lives of adolescents are often complicated, you give him time to do this; his explanation may be lengthy but, in the end, reasonable. Do not cut off an explanation through your impatience. Don't rub it in. Do not say, "I told you so," or "If only you had listened to me...." Do not give group punishments. These are almost always inherently unfair, at least to some people in the class. Note that sometimes, especially at the beginning of the year, an entire class may seem to be a problem. There appears to be a general air of disruption, with everyone joining in. But you will generally find that two or three of the students are the ones most responsible, and active problem cases. They have a small band of more-or-less passive collaborators, and the rest of the class largely follows along with the flow. Your task should be to identify the two or three ringleaders and deal with them swiftly and effectively. Speak with the headmaster and other school officials. Then speak with the boys individually, making clear that the next steps will be to call their parents and then, if necessary, hold a conference with them. After these steps come suspension or even expulsion. A "surgical strike" like this on the leaders usually does much to bring the rest of the class in line. sluggish. In the even-numbered years, by contrast, they're more "normal": extroverted, upbeat, high-spirited, emotional (even romantic), and idealistic. So if eighth-graders (age 13) seem more sour and irritable than the year before, don't take it personally; it's no reflection on your teaching. You need patience and understanding and (to the greatest extent possible) an even-tempered direction. Give them—and students in other odd-numbered years—class debates and team competitions as an outlet for their critical/competitive spirits. Several days in a row of low-barometric pressure makes adults and adolescents sluggish, rather depressed, and cranky. Tempers can flare. Interestingly, however, low-barometric pressure seems to have the opposite effects on children who have not yet reached puberty; they become manic, wildly energetic, aggressive with each other. (Psychoactive drugs also seem to have reverse bipolar effects on children and adults; that is, children are generally calmed by stimulants and stimulated by tranquilizers.) This combination—depressed teachers and manic children—can lead to explosive classroom situations. This is less likely to happen among teachers who are aware of the physiological forces at work during periods of prolonged bad weather, and who take these aberrations into account. So stay loose, make allowances, and watch your temper. Boys between the ages of 13 and 15 literally do not know their own strength. They have much more powerful muscles but they retain the judgment and impulsiveness of childhood. Thus, ordinary "horsing around" and physical rough-housing among boys this age can lead to serious injury. For this reason, teachers of boys this age must work more conscientiously to stop rough-housing among students, especially in hallways and other relatively undersupervised areas. You must break up fights before they grow out of hand and someone needs a trip to the hospital. You must never strike a student, ever. Aside from the legal and medical problems that may arise, there's a further problem. The student cannot strike back, and this removes all sense of reasonableness and fairness from the "correction." Any other students who witness this physical blow will side with the student who is hit. And, of course, if the student does impulsively strike back, he is in extremely serious trouble with the school—a trouble far worse than the original provocation. You owe it to parents to keep them informed if their children seem to have a habit of non-cooperation or if there's an instance of more-or-less serious misbehavior. But you should not expect the parents to enforce your corrective measures; it is your job, not theirs, to maintain and enforce cooperation in class. You should call the parents at home to keep them informed; be calmly businesslike about it: ‘This is what your child has done, and this is what we are doing about it." It may be necessary to reassure the upset parents that their son is really a fine young person but has just made a mistake that needs correction. Parents very much appreciate this effort to keep them informed. General rule: Never threaten a punishment that you are not fully prepared to carry out. If you make an excessive threat, especially in anger and haste, then one of two problems will follow: either the punishment will be unreasonably harsh or you will be forced to back down and moderate it. In either event, the corrective lesson is lost, and the student loses some respect for you. You avoid this by calmly planning out the negative consequences (punishments) for non-compliance and by announcing these beforehand in a businesslike manner. Have the student return to class during lunchtime or after school to redo work or write out punish lesson or wash and clean the room. Have student write an essay at home explaining what he did wrong and expressing apology; have him get one of his parents to sign this. Collect it the next day. Call home to parent(s) during day or at night, or drop a brief note explaining the situation. Have student redo problem sets or definitions or exercises from his textbook; this serves to review lessons that he has neglected while fooling around. The general strategy for such punishment exercises is to give the students constructive work. What should be avoided is mindless and pointless make-work: adding up columns of figures, writing a sentence 75 times, and the like. As long as they're going to put time in anyway, they ought to be putting their minds or hands to work. Any other type of boring, repetitive work conveys, at least implicitly, an attitude of personal spite by the teacher rather than constructive correction. If you find that a student has copied another's homework, then tear up the work of both parties—the one who copied and the one who cooperated with him. Then punish both people. Frequently the person who lent his homework did so reluctantly, under pressure from the copier. Having to undergo a punishment for this will give him a reason later to flatly refuse any further requests for his homework. You are thus quietly doing this student a favor; no one can blame him, after having been "burned," for refusing to share his work with anyone. A general policy for all your dealings with students is to insist that they show good manners to you and other teachers. Correct them if they neglect to say "please" or "thank you" in their dealings with you. (Naturally, you ought to reciprocate with them.) And insist that they use "Mr." when referring other teachers. If you happen to be in the school office and notice a student failing to use good manners with the school secretary—saying "please" with requests, and calling the secretary by her name—then correct the student immediately. Make this correction privately if possible, but do it right away. It is said that the four pillars of civilized conduct are "please," "thank you," "I'm sorry," and "I give my word." Over time, the repeated use of these terms leads to genuine consideration for the rights and sensibilities of others. This attitude is the basis for all the school's formative work. Never discuss a student's discipline problems with anyone who is unauthorized to have the information. If a student has gotten into trouble with you, this is no business of anyone but the school's authorities and the student's family. The matter is confidential. One final and important note. To the greatest extent possible, punishment should be carried out in a businesslike and impersonal way. The student made a mistake and has had to live with the consequences, as if he made an error in playing sports. Your punishment is not intended, and should not be construed by the student, as your personal negative judgment concerning his character. You are attempting to correct the fault, not the person. This attitude implies that, after the student has completed his punishment, you are willing to drop the matter and restore good relations. If the student has done a creditable job in his punish-lesson, then praise him for it. Adults give good leadership to young people when they make praise as specific as blame. Don't ever forget that all young people occasionally make mistakes, and that mistakes can be valuable if we learn from them. Home assignments and in-class tests are considered together here because they are related. Both call for the students to present evidence of their learning. In home assignments, students have access to their textbook and class notes; in tests, they must make do with what they remember and have reasoned out. But both are important for the students. In as sense, this submitted written work is a rehearsal for the sort of professional work they will someday have to submit to employers, clients, professional journals, and others. Looking upon the matter this way—teaching standards for written professional work: care, completeness, clarity, neatness, punctuality—helps students form beneficial attitudes and habits. In other words, the way the students perform this work is at least as important as the "material" content. You should make this clear to your students and then insist on compliance throughout the year. Beginning teachers tend to undervalue homework. They give relatively little attention to its formative dimension. This is because of the tendency, already mentioned, for new teachers to concentrate on their performance rather than that of their students. Beginners tend to carry on with the same sort of teaching that they knew in college, where professors merely lectured and gave only infrequent tests, papers, and assignments—that is, where emphasis was on teaching rather than learning. Experienced teachers at the secondary or elementary level, however, give constant ongoing attention to their students' performance. As mentioned before, it is important to write out the specifics of home assignments on the whiteboard, preferably in the same corner of the board each day. And this should be done well within the class time, not at the last minute. If you are facing a new class of students, one you haven't taught before, you might try this: grade home assignments for the first week or 10 days but do not count the grades in tallying the students' marking-period figure. That is, use the first week or so just to make clear to the students what standards you expect for home assignments throughout the year—and mark these critically. Once you have clarified your standards, then count up what the students produce. If the home assignment involves specific right/wrong data (for example, math problems, one-word answers, spelling, vocab), you can save time by having students exchange homework papers, write their own initials at the top of the paper (to identify the corrector), and then mark answers right or wrong as you and the class go through the exercises together. Then collect everyone's work. You later look over the papers and allot appropriate grades. Many teachers use a global scale for evaluating homework. They give a plus-sign (+) for meritorious work, roughly equivalent to an A. They give a check-mark (√) for acceptable, roughly a B or C+. and they give a minus-sign (—) for poor work, which is a C or below. It's also important to take presentability into account, how clear and neat the work is. Especially important is students' care to use standards of correct English usage and spelling. Most mistakes of this sort are due to carelessness, not ignorance. If students are not pressed to use what they are taught in English class, they fail to learn that these standards are just that—standards that apply to all the writing they do, regardless of circumstances. If a student's work has been obviously done with careless haste, then he should have his grade lowered accordingly. If his content earned a B-level grade, his careless spelling lowers that grade to a C or less. Some teachers place the letters "ST" (for "standards") next to the grade at the top of the paper to indicate why the grade has been lowered. If this is done consistently at the beginning of the year, students generally get the point. Homework should be marked and returned to students within two working days after submission. This signals that the teacher considers their homework important; and if it's important to the teacher, it will be important to them. Any consistently unreasonable delay in returning work sends the opposite message: that homework has relatively low priority to the teacher. It is better to assign relatively brief exercises to the students but to insist that these be thoroughly well done. One technique is to assign only odd-numbered problems, exercise sets, questions, etc. for homework; the even-numbered ones can then be used for classwork the next day or even for later tests and quizzes. At the beginning of the year, and from time to time thereafter, take the time to collect homework individually from each student as you walk around the room. This procedure immediately identifies people who failed to do the work or to do it satisfactorily. Then, on the spot, you can give a punish lesson, follow-up assignment, or any other corrective measure. Doing this takes more time but it reinforces your determination that home assignments be taken seriously. There are times, of course, when students simply cannot complete their assigned lessons. In such a case (and as mentioned before), the class policy should be this: In place of the homework, submit a note explaining briefly (a) why you couldn't complete the work, and (b) when you promise to submit it. Later, when the work is submitted as promised, the student should write "LATE" at the top. This policy is reasonable and fair all around. Some courses that lend themselves to essay-type writing (that is, multiple-paragraph answers) can benefit from the following policy: After completing the assignment, the student should put a box at the bottom of the paper in which he writes two things—the amount of time he put into the assignment (say, 40 minutes) and what grade he thinks he has earned (A, B+, etc.). This self-evaluation reminds students that they need to exercise care and check over their work before submitting it. Teachers who have tried this procedure have found some significant improvement in students' written work. The time-saving technique mentioned earlier—having students correct each other's homework—can also be applied to tests and quizzes. Have the students exchange papers at random (have them exchange a couple of times to minimize opportunities for collusion) and write their initials at the top so you know who's responsible for the correction. Then go over the correct answers as students mark them right or wrong, and collect the papers immediately. One interesting and instructive exercise, if only as a change of pace, is to have students devise questions (for homework) that can be used by you for an upcoming test; have them include their answer for each question. Tell the students that you will select several of their questions for the next test on the subject. Next day, go over their questions and answers. Then follow through as promised, using some of the better questions on your test. It is remarkable to see the quality of questions that students devise this way. They cannot really formulate good questions, of course, without really understanding their subject; consequently, this is an excellent way to provoke thinking and review. Pacing is important for quizzes and tests. If your subject area lends itself to frequent factual quizzes (spelling, vocabulary, language), you might institute this policy: Our quizzes will take place each Monday and Thursday; if a holiday falls on that day, we will skip the quiz and go on to the next scheduled one. This rhythm helps students to pace themselves and work steadily. Similarly, larger tests should be spread out through the grading period, not bunched up toward the end. If students face too many tests in the last week of their marking period, then they may do relatively poorly on most or all of them. If you space tests out, and even refrain from giving large tests at the end, your students will probably earn higher grades on them. Generally speaking, too, it is better to avoid giving larger tests on Friday, if only because most teachers tend to do this. If you know that your students consistently face several tests on Friday, then you do them and yourself a favor by testing on some other day. It's a good idea to hand out tests personally, moving from desk to desk, placing the exam face down on each desk. Then, when everyone has his test, tell the students to turn their exams over and begin. This way you assure that everyone begins at the same time and no one has a chance to surreptitiously check an answer with a neighbor while your back is turned. New teachers often neglect to write clear, specific directions on their tests, especially final examinations. Take the time and care to assure that your directions are unambiguous. If someone other than yourself proctors the test (as in a final exam), he may not know what to tell students who are confused by unclear directions. Ideally, each test should be completely self-explanatory so that the proctor need not be asked to clarify misunderstandings. Final exams lend themselves to multiple-choice questions, and these have their place on final exams. One disadvantage of this format is that students have little leeway to explain their answers, especially if some questions inadvertently contain ambiguities—where, for instance, two answers may seem equally appropriate depending on how one interprets the question. For this reason, a teacher ought to adopt the following policy: If a student wishes to explain or qualify his answer choice, he should mark an arrow or asterisk next to the question and then write his explanation on the back of the answer sheet or test paper. Then you should take his explanation into account when correcting and grading his work. Sometimes a student will mark the "wrong" choice but his reasoned explanation shows that he really understands the lesson. For this, he should receive at least some credit. Sometimes teachers are plagued by so-called "grade-grubbers," students who come up after an exam and press to have their mark upgraded by arguing over trivial matters. Naturally a teacher should be prepared to change a mark in instances where his student has a valid point: the teacher might have overlooked a correct answer or otherwise misjudged the student's response. But if one or more students show a pattern of pressing too often for reconsideration, then the teacher may resort to this policy: I will look over your test and consider your point; but I will also check the whole test for any errors or deficiencies that I may have overlooked as well. If I find these, I will regrade the test accordingly. In other words, the reconsideration can cut both ways—up or down. This procedure generally cuts back significantly on the grubbers' aggressiveness, and it is eminently fair. The following point is somewhat controversial, but we'll mention it here for your consideration. If the passing mark for a grading period is 70, then the lowest final grade a student earns should not be below 60, even if the marking-period grades fall below this figure. In other words, if a student earns 50 or 55, this should appear as 60 on the report card. Why is this? So that a student who fails a given marking period will have some hope of making up for his deficiency in the rest of the year. Starting from 60, he has a fighting chance of at least passing for the year. But starting from a dismally low position may cause him to give up entirely, and this is in no one's interest. A teacher should explain his rationale for tallying up marking-period grades. He should make clear, for instance, that tests will count for 60% of the grade, quizzes for 20%, and homework for the rest. Students should never form the impression that some significant portion of their grade derives from a teacher's arbitrary subjective judgment. "Class participation" is such a device, and it's not entirely fair; some students are temperamentally reticent in class, though their work is fine. If students sense that their grades depend significantly on their teacher's personal "impressions" (or whimsy or even prejudice), they perceive this as unfair. As much as possible, therefore, the grade should reflect each student's documentable output and performance. Marks earned on tests, quizzes, papers, and homework should lead directly to the final average. To look at it another way, if a student were to ask, "What exactly do I have to do in order to earn an A in this course?"—then his teacher should be able to give a detailed, specific answer. A teacher who asks this question of himself—"What does each student need to do in order to earn an A here?"—will set out, in his own mind and in his explanation to the class, a clear-cut set of expectations and criteria for excellent performance. As seen elsewhere in this paper, students (like everyone else) need to know what's expected of them. It follows from this that disciplinary infractions (tardiness, talking out of turn in class, apparent inattentiveness in class, and the like) should not directly affect a student's final grades. As much as possible, a teacher should distinguish conduct from job-performance in academic matters. Disciplinary faults can and should be handled separately from the student's performance as a student. If the student sees that you are fair in this matter, you have a much better chance of correcting him effectively in matters of comportment. One of the hallmarks of an excellent school is its attitude of professional service toward the school's parents—those people who have entrusted their children to the school and whose financial and moral support is the school's lifeblood. The parents, not the students, are the school's real professional "clients." A good teacher sees them this way. His professional obligation is to render high quality service to each of the families who comprise the school's community. A teacher's principal obligation is, of course, to render quality instruction and personal formation to the students; this is what the parents are paying for and have a right to expect. But another obligation (one that teachers often neglect) is to maintain clear and reasonably frequent communication with the parents. What parents want, need, and have a right to is information: How is their child performing and cooperating? What needs to be done, at home and in class, to build his strengths and correct his shortcomings? What changes are noted (plus or minus) in school, and to what extent are his problems typical and transitory? What should the parents do over the near-term for the student's benefit, and how should they go about this task? Conveying this information, and receiving information back from parents as well, inevitably involves time: parent-teacher group conferences, individual meetings, notes to and from home, phone calls. No teacher should see these tasks as merely time-consuming distractions; they are a necessary part of his job, as much a part of his duties as preparing classes and correcting papers. If you checked to see who are the most effective and best respected teachers in a school, you'd see that they're the ones who try to maintain open communication with their students' parents—who see themselves rendering professional service to each family. Actually, what parents respect and appreciate most is not necessarily the number and frequency of a teacher's communications but rather his underlying attitude—his willingness, even eagerness, to stay in touch, to hear from parents, to take time to chat with them, for the sake of the students' welfare. One of the hallmarks of a real professional, in any field, is the ability to turn aside entirely from one's paperwork and give total, wholehearted attention to someone seeking advice or help; such a professional has a high tolerance for such "distractions" because he always puts people's needs at the top of his priorities. Frequent communication with parents is, in fact, an efficient way of maintaining quality control over one's work. Reporting often to parents presses a teacher to reflect often and deeply about each of his students: how each is performing, what problems are evident, what changes are noticeable, what should be done next, and so on. Without this ongoing reflection, a teacher can get bogged down in his paperwork and day-to-day organizational problems, losing sight of the people whom he is serving. He can come to see his job as mere process and task-performance rather than professional service. A teacher with several years' experience can convey to parents a great deal of insight and practical advice about children and adolescents. Remember that most parents have experience with only a couple of children (their own), whereas a teacher has known and dealt with hundreds. He's in a position to give much needed advice and encouragement to conscientious parents. Moreover, he can help form (or reform) parents' attitudes and values as well, not by preaching but by conveying information: "This is what I'm teaching your son (about moral values, for instance), and this is why. . . ." Some teachers send home a note to parents at the beginning of the year and invite them to call him if they have a question or concern. He gives the best time for reaching him during the day. When a teacher calls home, he plans to spend no more than 5 to 10 minutes in conversation. If more time seems to be needed, then he arranges a personal conference for later. When he calls, the first thing he does is ask whether this is a convenient time to talk, and to talk confidentially—with no other children around who might overhear the conversation. If the student has some comportment problem, the teacher merely reports that fact along with what he is doing about it. He does not expect or ask the parents to punish the student for him; he's just keeping them informed of what's happening. He also reassures the parents that this correction is not a personal reflection of the student's character or upbringing at home; the boy has made a mistake, that's all, and now has to live with the consequences. It's the boy's fault that's being corrected here, and nothing personal is intended. Parents very much appreciate this attitude. If a male teacher is meeting privately and alone with a student's mother, he should leave the door to his office partway open. This is standard professional practice everywhere. If parent convey a serious concern they have about some perceived deficiency at the school, then the teacher must take action at once. Within two days, the parents should see either (a) action to correct the problem, or (b) action to explain why the problem cannot be solved immediately, or even perhaps at all. In other words, within 48 hours parents should get either corrective action or at least a reasonable explanation. What must not happen, in any event, is that they see nothing corrective being done and they get no explanation why. People will tolerate a lot of shortcomings if they see that you share their concerns and are trying your best to resolve them. But they must know that you're trying. Related to the above is the fact that many, if not most, parents can at times become very upset and unreasonably angry concerning some aspect (real or perceived) of the school's dealings with their child. This does not happen often, but it does occur. A teacher may receive a phone call from a furious parent or have both parents, highly incensed, come storming in for a discussion. What to do? First, remember that the parents may have a point. Perhaps the teacher or someone else in the school has done something wrong to provoke this reaction, or overreaction. Secondly, bear in mind that sometimes the parents are laboring under some other personal problems (financial, marital, professional) unrelated to the "school problem" but largely behind their irate state of mind. So, try to be understanding and be prepared to spend most of your time listening. Do not, under any circumstances, let them provoke you into an equally angry response; this is absolutely unproductive. If the irate parent calls by phone, try to deflect the call. Explain that you are busy at the moment and would like to talk about the problem at more length sometime later in the day, and suggest a time. By the time the second call takes place, the parent will probably have calmed down enough to have a constructive conversation. If the upset parents come in for an interview, give them all the time they need to vent their grievances. They have rehearsed, as it were, a sort of speech and they need to get it out. Let them do so without interruption. After a while they will calm down—and even grow a bit embarrassed by their intemperate outburst—to the point where you and they can have a productive discussion. Try to get at the facts of the problem, prescinding from guesswork and "impressions." Whatever you do, remain calm, attentive, and reasonable. Maintaining a service-oriented communication with parents is beneficial to the school in many ways, and one of these is financial. Parents who perceive that teachers seek to serve them and their children over and above the call of duty are willing to help the school financially. Generosity begets generosity. One axiom of fund-raising is this: People give to successful non-profit enterprises, not needy ones—and successful organizations are those that deliver personal, high quality professional service. So, working to be of service to parents is an investment that reaps later rewards.

2019-04-25T02:49:48Z

http://parentleadership.com/teachers_practical_handbook.html

The People’s Republic of China is the world’s largest consumer of coal, using more coal each year than the United States, the European Union, and Japan combined. Coal power has been the dominant source of energy used to fuel the rapid economic development of China in the past two decades, with significant impact on its physical environment and human population. China relies on coal power for approximately 70-80% of its energy, with 45% used for the industrial sector and the remainder used to generate electricity. By 2010, China comprised 48% of world coal consumption. In 2007, China’s demand for coal outpaced its supply and it became a net importer of coal for the first time. The World Coal Institute estimates that China imported 46 million tonnes of coal; imports reached 190 million tonnes in 2011. In March 2012, China reported that it expected to consume 270 million tonnes per year less standard coal equivalent for electricity generation by 2015, compared with 2011 levels. The country stated that this would be achieved through development of more non-fossil energies and improving coal consuming technologies. By 2020, China's electricity industry is estimated to save about 235 million tonnes per year of standard coal equivalent compared with the coal consumption level in 2015. Some analysts estimate lower reserves than those officially reported. Using the Hubbert linearization technique that has successfully been used to predict oil reserves based on usage rates, David Rutledge of California Institute of Technology has estimated China's remaining reserves of coal at 70 billion tons, or less than 30 years at current usage rates. Zaipu Tao and Mingu Li of Northeastern University PRC School of Business and Administration place yet-to-produce reserves at 71.73 billion tons. Coal production in China was estimated at almost 3.4 billion short tons in 2009. In November 2010, Chinese media reported that Beijing is considering capping domestic coal output in the 2011-2015 period, partly because officials worry miners are running down reserves too quickly to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding economy, which the Wall Street Journal said raises issues around China and peak coal. The top coal producing province in China, Shanxi, said it plans to reduce its production of raw coal to 650 million tonnes in 2009, a 2 percent decline from the previous year's 660 million tonnes. Shanxi's coal output saw double-digit rates of annual growth over the past few years. The Shanxi Province Coal Industry Administration also announced its decision to close 1,500 mines over the next two years. China's raw coal output rose to 2.63 billion tons in 2008, a 12.8 percent increase over 2007. Coal profits were estimated at 130.4 billion yuan ($19.06 billion). China's National Development and Reform Commission said that although the country experienced rising demand in the first eight months of 2008, demand had shrunk since September because of the global financial crisis. The agency predicted that demand would continue to slow, and that China's output would grow at a slower pace in 2009. In May 2011, it was reported that large power shortfalls for industrial users were expected for the summer. China's top power distributor said power deficits in areas serviced by the State Grid Corp of China (SGCC) would amount to 30 gigawatts in summer even if coal supplies are steady, water levels are normal and there are no persisting high temperatures, with the shortfalls increasing to around 40 GW if coal supplies tighten up, water stocks are less than normal and unusually high temperatures persist. World coal production in 2009 is estimated at 5,990 million metric tons (5,348 million short tons) for hard coal and 913 million metric tons (815 million short tons) for brown or lignite coal. Worldwide, approximately half of coal production is produced via longwall mining, mainly due to the high proportion of Chinese mining performed using longwall methods. In China, underground mining accounted for 85.9% of total production in 2008. There are more than 20 underground coal mining methods in China, almost exclusively longwall. Applied to estimated 2009 production of 3,210 million short tons, the total amount of coal produced via longwall mining in China is 2,757 million short tons. In 2008, China's 268 national strategic mines operated 1,545 longwall faces and 4,808 development faces. Of these, 88.3% are mechanized. United States: The United States operates 49 longwalls producing over 175 million metric tons (156 million short tons) per year. In November 2010 China announced it was going to consolidate its coal industry by forming 10 coal firms with about 100 million tonnes of annual production capacity each by 2015. China's National Energy Administration also stated that the country would establish 10 firms that each produce some 50 million tonnes per year and raise the number of mines with capacity of 10 million tonnes each to 60 in five years. As of November 2010, there were only two Chinese coal firms -- Shenhua Group and China National Coal Group -- that had production capacity above 100 million tonnes per year. Chinese coal exports are controlled and a quota is distributed by the central government to a few coal groups. It is adjusted periodically depending on the domestic situation of supply and demand. As of 2010, major receiving countries and areas for steam coal exports were India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, while Brazil, India, Japan and the U.S. imported Chinese coke. In May 2012 the Shenhua Group announced they were going to invest 3.82 billion yuan ($602.05 million) coal loading facility in eastern China. Additionally, in May 2012 it was reported that at least 30 coal container vessels were floating off China's coast because traders who bought them have been unable to resell them to end-users. In August 2010, China's General Administration of Customs announced that the country exported 1.39 million tons of coal in July, up 12% from the 1.24 million tons recorded the same month of last year. In the first seven months of 2010, China's coal exports were 11.53 million tons, 11% less than in the same period of last year. Also, during the period from January to July, China exported 1.98 million tons of coke, surging 599% from the same period in 2009. In December 2010, Huaneng Power International, China's largest power producer, said it had obtained regulatory approval for its 2 billion yuan ($300.2 million) coal pier project in China's Jiangsu province. The project will serve as a public terminal for the transhipment, storage and distribution of coal across the waterway network of Yangtze River Delta. China’s demand for coal has driven global coal prices higher. At the beginning of 2007 coal prices nearly doubled as China imported more coal than it exported for the first time. In 2002, China exported 83 million tons more coal than it imported. In 2007, that number fell to 2 million. Imports are highest for southeastern coastal areas, which are further from the coal producing areas and have greater demand due to industrialization and concentrated populations, such as Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. China's 2009 net imports soared to over 100 million tons, despite China's domestic coal output of over 3 billion tons a year. According to Reuters, China's net coal imports could rise to 170 million tons or more in 2010, and are expected to jump 63 percent to more than 200 million tons in 2011, as domestic output struggles to keep pace with demand. It was reported in May 2011 that China would likely see its import demand more than double by 2015 with India close behind, as both increase supplies from international markets to feed rapidly growing power industries. China's thermal coal imports could rise to 200 million tonnes in 2015 from around 90 million tonnes in 2011. However, it was reported in August 2011 by the National Development and Reform Commission that during the first six months of 2011 coal exports from China was down 13.7 percent year from the same point 2010, while coal imports into China amounted were 11.8 percent at the same point in 2010. Thus, net coal imports decreased by 13 percent compared to the same period last year. In October 2011 it was reported that coal imports to China could be around 150-160 million tonnes, or 5-10 percent of China's total consumption. In January 2012 it was announced that China had overtaken Japan as the world's largest coal importer. Japan held the No. 1 position since at least 1975 until 2010. China, also the world's biggest coal producer and consumer, imported 182.4 million tonnes of the fuel in 2011, 10.8 percent higher than a year earlier. Japan's customs-cleared imports fell 5.1 percent to 175.2 million tonnes in 2011. As of July 2012 coal prices in Australia have dipped 30% since the beginning of the year, largely because of a dip in Chinese demand. It was reported in October 2011 that Mongolia became Australia's lead supplier of foreign coal, overtaking Australia. It was estimated that China could save $6 billion annually by importing coal from Mongolia because of its low price. China imports coking coal from Mongolia through the Sehee border point. It was reported in June 2012 that the Mongolia Mining Corp. was planning the construction of an $800 million railway that would double export capacity to China. During the week of June 6-10, 2011 SSA Marine filed a permit application the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal. The application read: "The applications submitted herein will cover the difference in scope between that approved project and our full buildout plan." Obama's Promises to Go Over GOP Heads for Climate Change. In 2000 coal use globally was: China 28%, other Asia 19%, North America 25% and the EU 14%. By 2010 China's global use rose to 48% of the worldwide total. In 2006, the Chinese government deregulated coal prices, undoing its practice of specifying coal prices for electricity producers. Since China deregulated its coal market in 1992, the government had set coal prices for power-plants at a much lower level than the prevailing market price in order to sustain low electricity retail prices. In 2007, China’s demand for coal outpaced its supply and it became a net importer of coal for the first time. The World Coal Institute estimates that in 2008 China imported approximately 47 million tons of coal. In 2009, China overtook the U.S. as the world’s biggest energy user (annually), according to the International Energy Agency. China surpassed the U.S. in carbon emissions in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. China released 6.533 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2008, compared with 5.832 million for the U.S. In 2010, China increased energy consumption by 5.9 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Energy use climbed to 3.25 billion metric tons of coal equivalent in 2010. Economic growth accelerated to 10.3 percent in 2010, the fastest pace in three years, as industrial production rose, boosting demand for fuel and electricity. Power use grew 13.1 percent, according to the bureau. Those figures imply a total growth in the eight years from 1997 to 2005 of 206,000 megawatts (206 GW) of capacity, or about 500 megawatts (MW) per week, about one-fourth the rate quoted by Peabody's Boyce. One reason for difficulty obtaining accurate figures on Chinese coal plants is that in addition to government-sanctioned new coal plants, many illegal plants are built by local and provincial governments in an effort to maintain the energy supply necessary to sustain economic growth. A difficulty in tracking Chinese coal data is that new plants frequently displace older ones. In 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission (NRDC) of China announced that the building of all new coal plants must be accompanied by the elimination of older, less efficient generators. For example, a new 300 MW power station will require the decommissioning of 240 MW of capacity of an older station. All coal plants with a capacity under 50 MW, and 100 MW generators older than 20 years, are to be closed by 2010. In February 2009, the Chinese government announced that by 2011 it will replace 31 GW of coal-fired power plants with newer, more energy-efficient models. The proposal for a coal-to-fuels plant in the northwestern Chinese province of Ningxia, a planned venture with South Africa’s Sasol, is awaiting approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, according to head of Shenhua Group’s science and technology development department Gu Dazhao in November 2010. Sasol and Shenhua submitted an application to China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in 2009 to build the 94,000 barrel-a-day plant to convert coal into motor fuel. On March 7, 2011, it was announced that the companies received approval from the Chinese environmental ministry for the plant. On January 18, 2011, GE announced that it would be forming a "clean coal" technology joint venture in China with the Shenhua Group, a state-owned coal mining and energy company. The joint venture company will sell industrial coal gasification technology licenses, conduct research and development and develop facilities around integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). In January 2011, Peabody Energy announced two partnerships with Chinese energy companies to build coal mines near newly planned power plants in China. China Huaneng Group, the largest power generator in China, and California-based Calera Corp., agreed to develop a 1,200-megawatt power plant and adjacent coal mine in China's Inner Mongolia. Peabody would operate the surface mine. Huaneng and Calera plans to convert a percentage of the plant's carbon dioxide emissions into cement and other building materials. In the second project, Peabody said it will partner with Yankuang Group Co. to develop a 20-million-ton-per-year surface coal mine to fuel a 2,000-megawatt power plant in the Zhundong region of Xinjiang in northwestern China. The massive project also includes a facility to convert coal to natural gas. Peabody expects the Xinjiang region to nearly triple its coal production by 2015 to increase its output to 1 billion metric tons by 2020. On July 11, 2011, Peabody Energy announced the company’s partnership with the government of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and Communist Party on a plan to develop a surface coal mine in China that will produced 50 million tons of coal a year “over multiple decades.” The Xinjiang Region is China’s largest administrative region with vast reserves of coal estimated to account for approximately 40 percent of China’s reserves. The government expects Xinjiang’s coal output will increase from approximately 100 million tonnes in 2010 to more than 1 billion tonnes. China's power companies are primarily state-owned enterprises (SOE). In 2008, the ten largest power companies alone consumed 20% of China's total coal production. The top three power companies, Huaneng, Datong and Guodian, together in 2008 emitted more than the total greenhouse gas emissions of the United Kingdom in the same year. Although coal use is continuing to grow in China, in the last three years, the amount of inefficient coal-fired plants closed down in China reached 54.07 GW, more than the total installed electricity capacity of Australia. Of these, the China Three Gorges Project Corporation, which built the controversial Three Gorges hydro project, is the only one of the top ten power companies which doesn't use coal. In September 2010, China's fourth-largest coal miner Yanzhou Coal said it will pay $682 million in an effort to acquire 51% of Inner Mongolia Haosheng Coal Mining. Yanzhou said it is looking to bolster reserves as Chinese coal consumption continues to surge. Yanzhou will pay $682.1 million to two sellers for a 35.5 percent stake in the developer of the Shilawusu coal field, and seek to buy a further 15.5 percent through an open bidding process, according to Bloomberg News. Yanzhou's last major acquisition was the $3 billion purchase of Australia's Felix Resources. According to the China provincial government's supervision department, 906 government officials have been found to have received bribes or committed other crimes related to the coal mining sector, including a former vice-mayor and the former public security head of Datong city. Xing Shunxi, Deputy Director of the supervision department of the Shanxi government, said that in a campaign to crack down on corruption in the industry, launched in July 2008, 2,353 people so far have been punished in 2,185 cases. An amount of 30.4 billion Yuan (4.6 billion dollars) of illegal funds, a figure equal to one-third of the provincial government's revenue in 2009, has been retrieved. Shanxi possesses 260 billion tons of known coal deposits that are about one-third of the country's coal resources. Xing also said that the anti-corruption campaign is focused on detecting officials who have invested in the coal industry, a practice that is banned in China, and those taking bribes or illegally reselling State assets during property reconstruction. In September 2010, Greenpeace reported that China's huge number of coal-fired power plants generate so much toxic coal ash that the coal waste could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every two and a half minutes. According to the report, China consumed more than 3 billion tons of coal in 2009, more than triple what is used by the second-ranked United States, and generated 375 million tons of coal ash in its single-largest source of solid waste. China depends on coal-fired power for 70 per cent of its energy, and Greenpeace found that China's methods for disposing of the ash are inadequate, with disposal sites often located near residential areas, allowing for contamination of surface water and deeper well water. China's coal ash production has grown by 2.5 times since 2002, when the country began a rapid expansion of coal-fired plants. Roughly one coal-fired power plant was being built each week in China, which currently has an estimated 1,400 such plants. China claims it recycles up to 60 per cent of the ash by mixing it to create construction materials such as bricks. However, the Greenpeace report said it doubted that the recycling rate was even half that. A team collected coal ash samples from 14 power stations nationwide and found more than 20 kinds of heavy metals and chemical compounds. Samples of groundwater and well water samples close to disposal sites showed chemical pollutants in excess of amounts the government deems safe for drinking water. Residents living near disposal areas have complained of health issues ranging from skin to respiratory illnesses, according to the report. A 2011 Greenpeace report, "The True Cost of Coal: Coal Dust Storms" cites research from scholars in China that frequent dust storms in the country also carry high amounts of potential toxins found in coal ash, such as arsenic, lead, and sulfur compounds. Levels have been steadily rising, suggesting it is due in part to the increase in coal plants and the lack of regulations around the disposal of coal ash. The Chinese government has pushed the development of a large coal-to-liquids and carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry. According to a September 2010 speech by Du Minghua, Deputy Director of China Shenhua CTL (Coal-to-Liquids) & CTC (Coal-to-Chemicals) Research Institute, China so far has finished construction on 8 pilot "clean coal" conversion projects. Annual coal-to-liquid capacity stands at 1.68 million tons, coal-to-gas 15 billion cubic meters, and coal-to-olefin 1.7 million tons. China has also started construction of four pilot coal-to-gas projects in Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Xinjiang, due to become operational from 2011 to 2013, with output of 15.1 cubic meters per year. China National Offshore Oil Co. (CNOOC) intends to invest up to 100 billion yuan on a coal-to-gas project in Shanxi with annual output of 10 billion cubic meters in the coming five years, according to the company's general manager, Fu Yucheng. According to Wang, "China should better use coal-produced liquid fuel and chemical products to make up for the shortage of oil." In December 2007, the Huaneng Group, a power producer based in Beijing, partnered with Peabody Energy to develop the GreenGen project, a coal-fueled power plant to employ partial carbon capture and storage (CCS). In October 2008, three years after the opening of its Beijing office, Peabody Energy announced an estimated $2.5 billion project to pursue a large-scale coal mine and coal-to-liquids plant in Inner Mongolia. The plant, which would convert coal into methanol, would be developed by a group that includes Peabody, Inner Mongolia Jitong Railway Group Ltd., and the Chinese government. The mine would produce 10 to 20 million tons of coal per year. The project is a first for an American coal company in China. A Shenhua Group subsidiary is building the country's first commercial-scale coal-to-liquids (CTL) plant, scheduled to be operational in 2008, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The plant in Erdos will burn coal to make, at the outset, a little over 1 million metric tons per year of diesel and other petrochemicals. In early June 2010, it was announced that the Shenhua Group would start operating the plant by the end of year. The U.S.$1.5 billion project is expected to capture 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The company stated that a facility capable of handling 3 million tons annually is being planned, but no timetable for construction has been set. The plant releases 3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. On September 10, 2008, Datang Huayin Electric Power Company, Ltd and GreatPoint Energy announced they would partner to build a pilot coal gasification plant in the Guangdong Province of China. Datang Huayin agreed to pay for design, construction, and initial operation costs, which was expected to be between one hundred million and two hundred million dollars. Coal or petroleum coke would have been used as feedstock, and the plant would have used 1,500 tons each day. Datang Huayin is a subsidiary of China Datang Corp. and is one of the largest single polluters on Earth. In 2007, Datang Huayin generated 11.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical power. At the time of the agreement, the companies planned for follow-up projects, including a commercial facility in Inner Mongolia. GreatPoint Energy is a coal gasification company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. GreatPoint currently has two pilot gasification plants in the United States, and has also made deals with Peabody Energy and Dow Chemical Company. Construction on the Datang's full-scale plant in Inner Mongolia - what would have been the first coal gasification plant in China - began in the last week of August 2009. Plant construction costs were estimated at $3.7 billion (£2.3 billion). The location for the plant was the city Chifeng of Inner Mongolia. The plant would have used gasification technology developed by GreatPoint Energy and required about 725 tons of coal each day. The synthetic gas was to be piped over 230 miles to Beijing. Datang was covering the majority of costs, with additional funds coming from Beijing Gas Group (a gas distributor) and New Horizon Capital (a private equity fund company in Hong Kong). Datang also planned to use the plant to make synthetic liquid oil. On December 4, 2009, Datang announced the company decided to cancel its plans to build the demonstration facility "due to the low return rate after pre-feasibility studies." In a December 2010 report, China said it may meet a quarter of its natural gas demand by gasifying domestic coal. Such domestic coal gasification capacity may be about 50 billion cubic meters by 2015 based on plans by companies including China National Offshore Oil Corp. and the Shenhua Group. Gas consumption may reach 200 billion cubic meters by 2015, from 89 billion in 2009. China’s demand in 2015 may be met by 120 billion cubic meters from domestic conventional sources and the rest by imports and unconventional deposits. Datang International Power Generation is spending more than 50 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) on coal gasification in plants in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning. China’s citizens suffer significant health threats from coal related pollution. Approximately one-third of China’s urban population lives with severely polluted air. The three most polluted cities in China are in the Shanxi province, the country’s biggest producer of coal and provider of half of the world’s coke supply. In 2003, the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning estimated that 300,000 people suffer premature death each year due to the effects of air pollution. In 2005 Chinese environmental experts projected that annual deaths caused by outdoor air pollution would reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020. In 2007, the World Bank completed a study with SEPA, China's national environmental agency, which estimated annual premature deaths caused by air pollution at 350,000 to 400,000. After protests by the Chinese government, the study's results were not published. Living in China's coal heartland. Average air quality in 45 major cities was rated as "poor" in the first half of 2011, according to statistics. A 2011 study published in the peer-reviewed Natural Hazards estimates that air pollution from industrial fossil-fuel combustion (sulfur dioxide and particulate matter 10) caused 370,000 deaths and a million hospital admissions in 2007, with industrial air pollution costing the Chinese economy 3% of GDP, 43% of which (250 billion Yuan) was due to pollution from coal-fired power plants (the Value of Statistical Life used for China is lower than in industrialized countries - 410,000 Yuan/life, or $65,000 USD). In 2001 China’s carbon emissions from coal use constituted about 10% of world CO2 emissions, which totaled 23,899 million metric tons. The Kyoto Protocol has called for a decrease of 483 million tons of worldwide carbon emissions by 2012, but by then it is expected that coal plants in China will increase CO2 emissions by 1,926 million tons, or over four times the proposed reduction. China’s annual carbon emissions surpassed U.S. emissions in 2007, with three-fourths of these from coal; however, China's per-capita emissions were one-fifth of the U.S per-capita emissions. China surpassed the U.S. in carbon emissions in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. China released 6.533 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2008, compared with 5.832 million for the U.S. According to head of the National Energy Administration’s general office Zhou Xi'an, the IEA’s data are “not very credible": “When the IEA came to China to publish its energy outlook a couple of days ago, they also over-estimated China’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. We think that’s because of a lack of knowledge about China, especially about China’s latest developments of energy conservation and renewable energy." Adding to emissions from coal-fueled plants, industry, and household use, coal mine fires burn about 200 million tons of coal each year in China. This results in an estimated additional 360 million metric tons, or 2-3% of total global output, of CO2 emissions annually. In the Xinjiang province of China, local miners using abandoned mines for shelter may intentionally set fires for heat, and elsewhere waste coal piles and natural coal seams are sometimes accidentally ignited by landscape clearing practices used in farming. Mercury: China is currently the world’s largest emitter of mercury, largely as a byproduct of coal burning. Sulfur dioxide and acid rain: Less than 15% of China's coal plants have desulphurization systems, or scrubbers; sulfur dioxide is a large contributor to acid rain. In 2008, approximately 22.5 million tons of sulfur were released in 2004, and over 30% of the country now experiences acid rainfall. Smog: On December 5, 2011, Beijing authorities cancelled hundreds of flights and shut motorways as thick smog descended on the Chinese capital, reducing visibility at one of the world's busiest airports. Air quality in Beijing reached "hazardous" levels, according to the US embassy, which conducts its own measurements, while the official Xinhua news agency said pollution was likely to reach "dangerous" levels. By the middle of that afternoon, Beijing's main airport -- the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic -- had cancelled 233 domestic and 17 international flights. Another 400 flights were cancelled on Sunday. Soot: In November 2011, the NY Times reported that many top leaders in China have work buildings and homes that are filtered by high-end, air-purifying devices. That month, readings from the United States Embassy’s rooftop air monitoring device in Beijing repeatedly registered unsafe levels of particulate matter in the city. Those readings, posted hourly on Twitter or aniPhone app, have prompted a public debate over whether the Chinese government is purposely obscuring the extent of the nation’s air pollution. Unlike the American Embassy readings, Chinese environmental officials do not publicly release data on the smallest particulates, those less than 2.5 micrometers, which are considered most harmful because they are able to penetrate the lungs so deeply. Instead, government data covers only pollutants larger than 10 micrometers. The World Health Organization considers a safe level of exposure to particulates less than 2.5 micrometers to be 25 micrograms per cubic meter. Certain districts of Beijing have more that 900 micrograms per cubic meter of these particulates. Particulate matter: A 2013 PNAS study, "Evidence on the impact of sustained exposure to air pollution on life expectancy from China’s Huai River policy," found that increases in total suspended particulates from coal use in Northern China may have cut the life expectancy of 500 million people there by 5.5 years on average, as compared to those in southern China where less coal is used. In May 2011, it was reported that cancer was now the leading cause of death in China. Chinese Ministry of Health data implicated cancer in close to a quarter of all deaths countrywide, in both wealthy cities and rural areas. The Earth Policy Institute wrote that: "Reports from the countryside revealed a dangerous epidemic of “cancer villages” linked to pollution from some of the very industries propelling China’s explosive economy." More than 450 “cancer villages” have emerged across China in recent years, according to an analysis by geographer Lee Liu published in Environment magazine in 2010. These communities—where an unusually high number of residents are struck by the same types of cancer—tend to cluster in poorer areas along polluted waterways or downstream from industrial parks. Whereas much of China’s early industrial development took place along the coast, factories more recently have been locating where labor is cheaper and environmental oversight is less strict, pushing the so-called “cancer belt” inland. Lung cancer was the most common cancer in China. Deaths from the typically fatal disease shot up nearly fivefold since the 1970s. In China’s rapidly growing cities, like Shanghai and Beijing, where particulates in the air are often four times higher than in New York City, nearly 30 percent of cancer deaths are from lung cancer. In rural areas, liver, lung, and stomach cancers each account for close to 20 percent of cancer mortality. Liver cancer is more than three times as likely to kill a Chinese farmer as the average global citizen; for stomach cancer, rural Chinese have double the world death rate. These cancers are linked to water polluted by chemicals and sewage, along with other environmental contaminants. Government data indicate that half of China’s rivers and more than three out of every four lakes and reservoirs are too polluted for safe drinking, even after treatment. Nevertheless, they remain a primary source of water for many people. For villages once largely self-sufficient, the poisoning of their water and soil is often devastating. The Earth Policy Institute went on to say that: "It is easy to point a finger at unscrupulous industries and government officials willing to look the other way, but some responsibility for China’s unhealthy environment originates outside the country’s borders. Waste is frequently loaded up in container ships overseas and delivered directly to China. More insidiously, Western consumers lapping up artificially cheap “made in China” components and products have outsourced pollution to this factory for the world." The 2012 Cancer Registry Annual Report revealed that lung cancer is top among all types of cancer in terms of the number of cases and deaths in China. Indeed, the number of lung cancer-caused mortality in China has increased by 465 percent in the past three decades. In Beijing, the number of lung cancer patients has increased by 60 percent in the last ten years. For years, public health experts considered smoking the leading risk factor of lung cancer. Yet a recent report prepared by some prominent Chinese public health experts and economists did not find any significant change in China’s overall smoking rate over the last decade. A group of scientists analyzed historical records of aerosol particles and lung cancer incidence in Guangzhou and found that a dramatic increase in the occurrence of air pollution from 1954 to 2006 was followed by a large increase in the lung cancer incidence rate despite the drop in the overall smoking rate. It was found that 750,000 Chinese die prematurely each year, primarily because of air pollution in large cities. According to more recent estimates by Greenpeace and Peking University’s School of Public Health, exposure to PM2.5 contributed to more than 8,500 premature deaths in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xi’an in 2012 alone. In early 2011, the local government of the Shanxi province reported that excessive coal mining had made an area of 8,000 square miles, roughly the size of Wales, unstable and dangerous. Shanxi Huang Jia Po is a village of about 500 farmers who have lived there for centuries, but the children of the farmers will most likely have to live somewhere else. At Liulin, 94 families have already abandoned their homes and moved down the mountain after their farmland sheared away beneath them from subsidence. Soon, they will have to leave their new homes as well. For the villagers of Pangpangta it is already too late: at the beginning of June 2011, when the villagers were out working in the fields, more than 200 houses collapsed. Of the 700 people who lived in Pangpangta, 500 have left. The remaining villagers are too old and too poor to leave and have now moved into the dormitories that used to house the miners. According to a 2013 World Resources Institute analysis, more than half of China’s proposed coal-fired power plants are slated to be built in areas of high or extremely high water stress. If these plants are built, they could further strain already-scarce resources, threatening water security for China’s farms, other industries, and communities. China’s coal-produced air pollution also reaches beyond its borders to Korea, Japan, and even the United States. In December 2011, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said its research suggested that pollution from central Asia affects the intensity of winter storms in California's Sierra Nevada, which provides drinking water. Two storms were measured during February and March 2009, the latter of which deposited 1.4 times as much precipitation as the first. The clouds in each storm contained a mix of particles that had originated in Asia. An analysis of the particles contained in the first storm revealed large quantities of potassium and other elements that created by the burning of biomass such as wood and grasses. The aerosols contained in the second storm comprised iron, titanium and other elements typically sent airborne by dust storms in central Asia. Thus the second 2009 storm transporting Asian dust to California created more precipitation than the other Asian storm dominated by soot from biomass burning. In July 2013, A controversial study published by the National Academy of Sciences, suggested that the life expectancy in North China has been years lower than the life expectancy of those in Southern China. Air pollution from coal-fired heating was 55 percent higher in the North than in the South. A study analyzed pollution and mortality information for 90 cities between 1981 and the year 2000. This study found that 500 million residents north of the Huai River lost more than 2.5 billion life years during the 1990s, or 5.5 years on average. However, Chen Yuyu, a professor with the Guanghua School of Management stated in an interview that the results had been taken out of context by some journalists. "It's indisputable that people's life expectancy has been increasing thanks to economic development and improvements in other aspects. It's just that it could have increased more were it not for air pollution," said Chen. Long-term exposure with an increase of 100 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter in TSPs will lead to a three-year decline in life expectancy, the findings suggested. Chen was hopeful that this study could help the government to assess the pressing issue of health inflicted by environmental pollution and to come up with more forceful legislative and administrative measures. China’s demand for coal has driven global coal prices higher, and at the beginning of 2007 coal prices nearly doubled as China imported more coal than it exported for the first time. Many carbon-intensive industries in the U.S. are moving to China because of the less stringent environmental codes, cheap labor, and vast coal resources. In May 2011 it was reported that China's state-owned utility companies were defying government economic planners by deliberately holding back the amount of electricity they produced. The power companies said they would face financial ruin if the government continues to tightly limit the prices they can charge consumers. The chairwoman of one giant utility, China Power International, said that one-fifth of China’s 436 coal-fired power plants could face bankruptcy if the utilities cannot raise rates. Chinese mining, power, and construction companies are involved in a number of overseas projects in Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, the Ukraine, the United States, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. For details, see International Chinese coal projects. The changing face of China's coal industry. There are an estimated 23,000 coal mines in China. China's coal mining industry has the world's worst safety record, with coal mines in China responsible for 80% of mining deaths worldwide. In 2005, 5,986 mine workers were killed in China, compared for example, to 47 in the United States. Since 2006, a year in which 4,746 mine workers were killed, the Chinese government has shut down thousands of small, often illegal mines in an effort to increase safety. The number of miners killed in 2007 dropped by one-fifth, however China still led the world in mining fatalities with 3,786 deaths. The coal mining industry in China is divided among large state-owned mines, local state-owned mines, and thousands of smaller town and village mines. In February 2006, the NDRC began restructuring the coal sector towards the goal of shutting down all small coal mines by 2015, and establishing five or six large state-owned conglomerates. According to one industry report, in 2005 only 2,000 of China’s 28,000 coal mines were state-owned. Many thousands of these mines rely on outdated equipment and are inefficiently managed, contributing to both increased pollution and dangerous working conditions. One-fifth of the mines are illegal, and it is estimated that the Chinese government has shut down between 20,000 and 50,000 small coal mines in the past several years. While the central government continues to crack down on illegal mines, the great demand for coal by China’s power plants, economic growth rates, and the remote locations of many of the mines challenge the government’s ability to control the construction of both illegal mines and plants. In April 2009, the Ministry of Land and Resources announced that it would not issue any new coal mining licenses until 2011 due to lagging demand for electricity and coal. The decision extends a 2007 ruling aimed at cutting coal output. While the ban was scheduled to end in 2008, the economic slowdown has resulted in an excess of coal production capacity. A report in UK's Telegraph in September 2011 reported that three million people lived on grounds that could collapse at any moment due to extensive coal mining taking place underneath their homes and communities. According to Dr. Syd S. Peng in Understanding the Chinese Coal Industry, coal production in the area was insignificant until the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949: "From 1949 to 1980, the national strategic mines were established to mine coal under a planned economy in which production, sales, and pricing were strictly controlled, and production fluctuation was kept to minimum. In the early 1980s, economic reform and a more open policy brought about vibrant economic activity in all walks of Chinese life and demands for energy increased sharply. Consequently from 1980 to 1997, in addition to an accelerated production increase in national strategic mines, township mines were developed to meet demand. As a result, there were a total of 64,000 mines in 1997 of which 61,000, or 95.3%, were small mines." From 2000 to present, according to Peng, the coal industry has been re-organized and more centralized, with larger coal production groups formed and small and medium coal mines consolidated. Township mines in particular were consolidated with larger national strategic mines under government guidance. By 2010, China had about 15,000 mines of which 12,000 mines produce less than 300,000 mt annually. In 2008, there were 268 mines producing 836 million mt and accounting for one third of the total production. Among them, 25 extra-large companies produced more than 30 million mtpy. Another 14 conglomerates or groups of extra-large coal mines have been under construction. Coal mines in China are traditionally grouped into three types: national, provincial national, and township mines. National strategic mines are mines developed and operated directly by the central government under the original planned economy. In recent years, consolidated small mines have been included. There are a total of 268 national mines located in 22 provinces. In 2008, their production accounted for 50.7%. Provincial national mines are mines developed and operated directly by the 26 provincial governments in which the mines are located, and in recent years the consolidated small mines have been included. In 2008, their production accounted for 12.7%. Township mines are those developed after coal markets opened in 1980 and operated by the county and city governments in which the mines are located or by private citizens. They are located in 26 provinces and in 2008, their production accounted for 36.6%. This type of classification of mines was only valid before the Ministry of Coal Industry was abolished in 1997. Thereafter, control and operation of all types of mines was transferred to the provinces. As of 2010, only two large groups of mines are controlled directly by the central government, Shenhua and China Coal, while many provincial national mines have been transferred to township and/or private contractors. In 2008, underground mining accounted for 85.9% of total production, open-pit mining 6%, and other types 8.1%. There are more than 20 different underground coal mining methods in China, almost exclusively longwall mining. In March 2011, U.S.-based L & L Energy - which has coal mining and distribution businesses in China - announced that it has entered into a contract to acquire a majority controlling interest (60%) of the DaPing coal mine, located in PanXian, Guizhou Province in China. The mine currently produces approximately 150,000 metric tons per year (mtpy) of low-sulfur metallurgical coal and is expanding to 300,000 mtpy, which is expected to be completed in 2012. Under the agreement, L&L and the current owner of DaPing will form a U.S. joint venture company in China. L&L will contribute approximately $18 million in exchange for management control and 60% equity of the new joint venture company on a net equity basis. An additional $3 million in capital expenditures is planned to be injected by L&L. It was reported in July 2011 that Peabody Energy would pursue a large coal mine project in China's western Xinjiang region in partnership with the local provincial government. Plans called for a surface mine that would produce 50 million metric tons of coal annually to feed China's energy needs, Peabody wrote in a joint statement with its partner, the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The mine plan was reported as being very ambitious, with an output forecast at around half the 105.8 million short tons that Peabody last year sold from its flagship North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Wyoming's portion of the Powder River Basin. The deal came as Peabody pursues coal projects in Mongolia and Australia that are likewise designed to serve unbridled demand in China, the world's largest energy user whose top energy source is likely to remain coal, even as the country expands its new energy industries. It was announced in August 26, 2011 that China was going to crack down on illegal coal mines in the country. Illegal mines were blamed for a large number of disasters in China and authorities stated they would shut down 1,298 such mines. The nationwide effort is designed to end illegal coal production. As of August 2011, 86 people had been arrested on criminal charges related to mine safety. It was announced on September 6, 2011 that L&L Energy signed letters of intent to buy 14 coal mines in southwestern China. L&L Energy stated the mines produce mostly coking coal used for steelmaking. The mines have been approved for combined annual capacity of 3 million tons and will yield about $500 million a year in revenue. In September 2011 it was reported that Mongolia will be selling a stake in its Tavan Tolgoi coal deposit mining company to the public in 2012, raising more than $3 billion. The sale would be the nation’s largest IPO. The 2011 report, "Bankrolling Climate Change: A Look into the Portfolios of the World’s Largest Banks" by Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and BankTrack, researched the coal financing of 93 large banks and found that 53 were involved in financing the following companies in China: China Datang Group, China Guidian Group, China Huadian Group, China Huaneng Corporation, China Power Investment Corporation, China Resources Power, Guandong Yudean Group, SDIC, and Zhejiang (Provincial) Energy Group Company. All together, banks supplied these companies with over 21.2 billion Euro from 2005-2011. The top financiers were the China Construction Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, and the Agricultural Bank of China. For more see Opposition to coal in China. In April 2012 it was reported that villagers in Southern Beijing with sickles and clubs protested against mining activities. Villagers gathered at a township government office in the Yunnan Province when violence erupted. They protested their concerns that activities at the coal mines could trigger geological disasters. The villagers camped out for several days with luggage and cooking utensils, threatening officials and damaging government property. The police had tried to persuade the villagers to leave before violence erupted. The protesters killed one officer and injured 15 others. In October 2012 it was reported that Chinese protesters against the building of a coal-fired power plant in a southern Chinese town threw bricks at police who fired volleys of teargas and detained dozens in the country's latest environmental dispute. It was not clear what occurred first. On March 11, 2012, an estimated ten thousand residents of the southern Chinese island province of Hainan took to the streets of Ledong county in protest of plans to build a 1.9 billion yuan (U.S. $301 million) Yinggehai coal-fired power plant in their hometown. Protesters arrived at the venue for the March 12 opening ceremony kick-starting construction work on the plant, and closed their businesses as a strike against the plant. Local sources said some protesters also attacked local government buildings, clashing with riot police who were deployed to restore order. Online news reports related to the protest appeared on microblogs and chat rooms, but were quickly deleted. A Ledong county resident surnamed Mao said the villagers were afraid that the sea pollution caused by a coal-fired power plant would wipe out their fishing businesses and farmland. Plans for the plant began in 2007, but did not receive approval from the National Resources Bureau in Beijing until November 2011. The plans were opposed by more than 8,000 local residents during a consultation exercise carried out by China Power's Hainan division in January 2012. An official at the Yinggehai township government offices said the government was trying to persuade the villagers to accept the project, and that it was "not likely" that the project would be stalled by the protests: "This is a project which has been ordered by the government at national level, so we will implement it regardless of how much resistance we meet." A Yinggehai resident surnamed Hu told Radio Free Asia that the government had failed to take local people into account when making its plans: "They think they can implement any plans they like, but there is no benefit to us that will come from this at all. This project is just 900 meters (2,952 feet) from our homes." On December 20, 2011, tens of thousands of residents in "a key economic area" of China’s southern Guandong Province gathered in the streets, occupying a highway to demonstrate against an existing coal plant and the development of a new coal plant near Shantou city. The residents say existing coal plants in the area are already fouling local air and water, making people sick and damaging their livelihoods. Police moved in with tear gas, according to CNN, who also said the protest was initially censored on Twitter by the Chinese government. According to Climate Progress: "Each year, protests spring up to counter the construction of dirty coal plants. But this appears to be the biggest yet. Officials now say they will abandon plans to build a new coal plant in the area. Two people were reportedly killed in clashes with police, but the government is denying those reports." On June 3, 2011 Chinese official stated the government and local agencies are addressing pollution concerns that sparked clashes leading to a wave of ethnic protests across Inner Mongolia. Vice Environment Minister Li Ganjie said that local governments and environmental protection agencies will hold companies accountable that break laws and regulations. On June 8, 2011 it was reported that a court in China sentenced a coalmine worker to death for killing a Mongolian herder named Mergen was killed while attempting to block a coal truck. The herder's death sparked protests across the northern Chinese region. The co-driver of the coal truck was given a life term for his role in the killing of Mergen, which led to a series of protests in towns and cities across Inner Mongolia. It was reported that on August 25, 2011 that the truck driver who killed Mergen was executed by the Chinese government. In May, 2011 China's Inner Mongolia began an overhaul of its mining sector, China's state media Xinhua reported, in an effort to quell ethnic Mongol anger over charges of resource exploitation and environmental damage. At the time the northern Chinese region launched a push to bring order to the rapid exploitation of its rich coal deposits. This accelerated mining activity sparked a wave of Mongol protests against the coal mining activities. The one-month campaign by China's Inner Mongolia mining sector was aimed at "ensuring the healthy, orderly, harmonious and green development of the coal industry" the region's coal mining bureau stated. The vast region saw significant demonstrations over a period of a week, sparked by the May 10, 2011 killing of an ethnic Mongol protester who had tried to block a coal truck driven by a member of China's dominant Han ethnicity. The protester named Mergen was a Mongolian herder. He was with about 20 other protesters at the time of his death as he tried to stop the coal truck driving across pastureland. Mergen was run over and dragged nearly 150m (490ft) before he died, officials said. Five days later, a forklift operator named Yan Wenlong was killed at a coal mine near Xilinhot after he and other locals clashed with company employees in a protest over pollution from the mine. The incidents led to protests across the region, which separates the rest of China from the Republic of Mongolia to the north and has traditionally been home to nomadic Mongol herders. It was reported that China moved swiftly to tighten security, including sealing off some restive college campuses, and residents in protest-hit areas have reported a tense calm had returned. However, hundreds of Mongols marched later in the regional capital of Hohhot on May 31, 2011, the US-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center stated. Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center said a protest march also took place on May 30, 2011. AFP reported that the coal industry crackdown would include stepped-up checks on all existing and future projects and require all proposed mines to first submit environmental impact statements, the Inner Mongolia coal bureau's notice was quoted as saying. An investigative report released in December 2008 said that public security officials in the city of Xintai in Shandong Province had been institutionalizing residents who persisted in efforts to expose corruption or the unfair seizure of their property. In one case, a 57-year-old farmer seeking compensation for land ruined by a coal-mining operation, was seized by authorities in October on his way to petition the central government in Beijing. He was taken to the Xintai Mental Health Center in October. He was detained for 20 days, during which time he said he was lashed to a bed, forced to take pills, and given injections that made him dizzy and numb. Relatives of miners killed by a gas blast in Heilongjiang and demanded answers from the owners on Monday, Novermber 23rd, 2009 as the fatality rate reached 204 people. They hoped to find more survivors. This protest came a day after 11 miners were killed in a blast in the southern province of Hunan. China has the world’s deadliest coal-mining industry, killing more than 3,000 people in mine floods, explosions, collapses and other accidents said a 2008 census. The day of the explosion, a gas detector had shown levels five times the trigger for an evacuation and the mine operators had failed to evacuate the mine. Around a dozen relatives of the workers gathered in the freezing temperatures to complain about that lack of information on the mine’s eneternce. One woman shouted "None of the officials have died, all of the dead are the workers, Not one of those officials has even been down into that mine." The protesters were taken inside the mine compound, put into large white vans or were stopped from speaking to reporters. This particular coal mine is owned by Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Group, making it larger than most operations where accidents occur. Chinese coal mines are the deadliest in the world. According to official figures, at least 3,200 people died in China's mines in 2008. The actual number could be even higher, as the Chinese government is suspected of covering up some accidents. Most accidents are blamed on a failure to follow safety regulations, including adequate ventilation and available fire control equipment. In 2009, China had the most mining accident fatalities in the world, with a total of 2,631 coal miners dying in accidents, according to an official figure released by State Administration of Work Safety, which could be a conservative estimate. Mining deaths jumped again in the first half of 2010. Coal mine deaths through June 2010 were 1,261, up from 1,175 in the same period in 2009. In 1997, the central government decided to abolish the ministries of several industries, including the Ministry of Coal, which oversaw coal worker safety. In 2005, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety was established in its place, and is responsible for supervising coal mine safety at a national level. It is under the management of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS). Four officials in Xinhua are being investigated for a coal mine blast that killed 53 people last spring. The four suspects were accused of failing to detect the company’s breach of safety regulations and they allowed for the mine to continue their operations under “dangerous conditions.” The blast that occured in in Jilin Province of Northeast China was one of the worst that has occured in recent years. There were two explosions, one on March 29, that killed 36 people at the Baobao Coal Mine in Baishan and a second explosion on April 1 killing 17 more people. Tonghua Mining Group continued to opperate these mines against the orders from the provincial government to hault opperations. In September 2011 Keith White, director of GE Energy’s coal gasification business in the United States stated, "We make a majority of our money in China today. They use their coal for quality high-end products." White said that leaders in Wyoming should continue their support of coal-gasification and keep in mind the need to expand to additional markets like plastics and other refined products. He noted that a high volume of coal in China is refined into liquid byproducts "such as naphtha, and other products that are the feedstock of plastics and the Chinese garment industry." In September 2010 Peabody Energy stated that exports of coal from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming will be central to its expansion goals. On March 1, 2011, Seattle-based SSA Marine announced it had entered into an agreement with Peabody Energy to export coal through the Gateway Pacific Terminal. In June 2011, Whatcom County officials announced that SSA must apply for a new permit for its proposed Terminal. In January 2011, Peabody Energy announced two partnerships with Chinese energy companies to build coal mines near newly planned power plants in China. China Huaneng Group, the largest power generator in China, and California-based Calera Corp., agreed to develop a 1,200-megawatt power plant and adjacent coal mine in China's Inner Mongolia. Peabody would operate the surface mine. Ambre Energy and Arch Coal have proposed a terminal for Longview, Washington - the Millennium Bulk Logistics Longview Terminal - to export coal to Asia, mainly China. In January 2011, Arch Coal acquired a 38 percent interest in MBT "for $25 million plus additional consideration upon the completion of certain project milestones." Arch said it aims to commence exports through the new terminal to Asia in 2012. In early March 2011 MBT CEO Joe Cannon stated that the firm would withdraw consideration of the coal export proposal from its initial application and seek approval for it separately since "it's clear there's been a lot of controversy. Our view is OK, we'll pull back and do an [environmental impact statement] that everyone can participate in, so everyone gets their full innings on the issue of coal." Most coal in China is mined in the less populated western and northeastern regions. The population is concentrated in the southeastern coastal areas. Coal transportation relies on railroads, trucks, inland waterways and offshore shipping. In 2008, railroads handled roughly 60% of the total production, inland waterways and offshore shipping 30%, and trucking 10%. Despite the recent completion of many railroads, coal transportation to the consuming areas, especially to the southeastern coastal areas, remains very tight. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would be conducting a full investigation of the incident. The Chinese freighter was in a no-shipping zone, and the owners of the ship could face a fine of $1 million if found to have violated Australia's shipping laws. It is possible that the Captain was attempting to make his voyage shorter by taking a short cut through the reef. Critics say commercial ships are supposed to be monitored by Australian authorities, but the monitoring is weak. The Australian group World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia) claims the Chinese company that owns the ship, Shenzhen Energy, a subsidiary of the COSCO Group, has had three similar incidents occur during the past four years. The welfare cost of air pollution has been estimated to be between 3 and 8% of China’s GDP. Other studies put the overall environmental impact of China’s pollution problems between 5 and 15% of its GDP, almost exactly matching the figure of the country’s growth. A study released by Greenpeace in September 2008 found that the external costs to China of using coal - including air and water pollution, ecosystem degradation, infrastructure damage, and human injuries and death - reached RMB 7.1 trillion in 2007, or about 7 percent of China's 2007 GDP. Each tonne of coal used in China, on average, caused environmental damages of RMB 150. Although the Chinese government has prioritized economic growth and tackling poverty ahead of environmental concerns for some time, there is growing acknowledgement of China’s coal related pollution crises. In addition to shutting down illegal plants, the government has banned the use of coal for heating and cooking in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and is replacing coal-fired plants in urban areas with natural gas plants. By 2010, all new coal-plants must be fitted with devices that remove up to 95% of sulfur. The government has also announced plans to cut its reliance on coal to 62% of its energy needs by 2030 and to 35% by 2050, in favor of natural gas, nuclear, hydro, solar and wind power. In the meantime, new legal coal plants continue to be built, and for China to improve its emissions of global-warming gases and other pollutants, it must rely on new, more costly equipment and technology imported from other industrialized nations. A 2007 study found that increased energy efficiency in China could reduce the amount of energy consumed in the country by 40 percent, and that renewable energy could provide over 50 percent of China's energy needs. In July 2009, Beijing officials announced they were accelerating a plan to shut down smaller, less efficient coal-fired power plants. Because of a drop in demand for electricity, authorities were able to close coal plants totaling 7,467 generating units 18 months ahead of schedule. The closures are part of an effort to to improve energy efficiency and reduce demand for imported oil and gas. The closures are estimated to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 1.1 million tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 124 million tons each year. In late 2009, a plan announced by President Hu Jintao called for China to reduce its carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels. Even if China meets its energy-efficiency goal in 2010, however, and its carbon goal by 2020, the International Energy Agency forecasts the country's total carbon emissions are still on track to rise steeply in the next decade, due to factors including rapid growth in the Chinese economy, growing car ownership and rising ownership of household appliances. In late July 2010 the Chinese government announced they were considering whether or not to impose a cap on coal production in the country that would go into effect by 2015: “There must be a ceiling on coal output in the future, and energy needs can be met with new and renewable energy,” Wu Yin, a deputy director at the National Energy Administration, told the official China Energy News weekly newspaper in an interview. Wu didn’t specify any production targets. China is world’s biggest producer and consumer of coal and wants 15 percent of its energy mix to come from non-fossil fuel sources by 2020, stated government officials. The Chinese government believes this will help them meet emissions targets by 2015. Currently coal makes up 70 percent of the country’s energy needs, but they want that number to drop to 65 percent by 2020. But surging production by heavy industry since winter 2009 has put in question China’s ability to meet the target. China’s energy consumption rose so sharply in winter that it produced the biggest surge ever of greenhouse gases by a single country. Power plants burned more coal to generate enough electricity to meet demand. According to the New York Times, as China has become increasingly dependent on imported oil and coal, its national security establishment has become more visibly involved in energy policy and energy security, including efforts to improve energy efficiency. Efficiency improved 14.4 percent in the first four years of the current plan, only to deteriorate by 3.6 percent in the first quarter of 2010, according to official statistics. Energy analysts said those statistics indicated improvement in efficiency in the second quarter that nearly offset the deterioration in the first quarter, although the government has not released separate figures for the second quarter. In August 2010, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology quietly published a list of 2,087 steel mills, cement works and other energy-intensive factories required to close by Sept. 30, 2010 as part of China's energy reduction plan. The current Chinese five-year plan calls for using 20 percent less energy in 2010 for each unit of economic output than in 2005. The ministry said in its statement that the factories to be closed would include 762 that make cement, 279 that produce paper, 175 that manufacture steel and 84 that process leather. The factories were chosen after discussions with provincial and municipal officials to identify industrial operations with outdated, inefficient technology, the ministry said. The list of steel mills to be closed appeared to emphasize smaller, older mills producing fairly low-end grades of steel. Edward Meng, the chief financial officer of China Gerui Advanced Materials, a steel-processing company in central China’s Henan Province, said that the closing of such mills was consistent with the government’s broader goals of consolidating the steel sector and pushing steel makers into the production of more sophisticated kinds of steel. To prevent local obstruction, the ministry said in a statement on its Web site that the factories on its list would be barred from obtaining bank loans, export credits, business licenses and land. The ministry even warned that their electricity would be shut off, if necessary. The announcement was the latest in a series of Chinese moves to increase energy efficiency. The National Development and Reform Commission, the government’s most powerful economic planning agency, announced on August 6 that it had forced 22 provinces to halt their practice of providing electricity at discounted prices to energy-hungry industries like aluminum production. Energy analysts described the plant closings as a significant step toward the country’s energy-efficiency goals, but not enough by itself to achieve them. As part of the Chinese government's five-year plan to address air pollution, "Notice of the General Office of the State Council about Forwarding Guiding Opinions on Pushing Forward the Joint Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution to Improve the Regional Air Quality Developed by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Relevant Departments," the country is looking to: "Eliminate conventional thermal power generating units which have been operated for 20 years and whose capacity of each unit is less than 100 MW, various generating units whose service is up and whose capacity of each unit is less than 200 MW, and various coal burning units whose power supply standard coal consumption is 10 percent higher than average level of the province (autonomous region and municipality) in 2010 or 15 percent higher than national average level." The plan is a continuation of policy established in the previous five-year plan, which mandated the shutdown of old coal plants under 50 MW. In the past five years, China has shut down over 50 GW of older and smaller coal plants. Xue Jing, director of statistics and information at the China Electricity Council (CEC), said at an earlier conference that China will invest more in the power grid and clean energy, and gradually decrease the proportion of power plants that are coal-fired. Statistics from the CEC report show that in 2008, China’s investment in nuclear power and wind power increased 72 percent and 88 percent year on year, respectively. At the same time, investment in coal-fired plants declined 22 percent. In August 2011, Reuters reported that Chinese officials had settled on a total energy cap of 4.1bn tonnes of coal equivalent (TCE) by 2015. Analysts warn that the plan has yet to be nailed down and that a cap could still be delayed by disagreements, to re-emerge in a later policy document. Another key issue will be whether the plan spells out targets for individual provinces on energy and carbon intensity. Planning regional coal consumption cap pilots in regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Shandong city cluster. In August 2012 it was reported that China planned to invest $372 billion dollars into energy conservation projects and anti-pollution measures over the next three-and-a-half years. The goal is to cut energy consumption by 300 million tonnes of standard coal. A report from China's State Council, or cabinet, said the investments will take China almost halfway to meeting its target to cut the energy intensity 16 percent below 2010 levels by 2015. It was also reported that the government earmarked $155 billion of the money for projects that shrink energy use, however no information was given about what sectors would receive the funds. In September 2011, China announced a new emission standard for thermal power plants for nitrous oxide and mercury, and tightening of sulfur dioxide and soot standards. The standards replace ones that were introduced in 2003, and will require emission reduction investments for new projects beginning 2012 and old power plants by mid-2014. About 260 billion yuan ($40.7 billion) needs to be invested on upgrading industrial facilities to meet the standards, the Ministry of Environmental Protection predicted. Average air quality in 45 major cities was rated as "poor" in the first half of 2011, according to statistics. In November 2011, the NY Times reported that many top leaders in China have work buildings and homes that are filtered by high-end, air-purifying devices. That month, readings from the United States Embassy’s rooftop air monitoring device in Beijing repeatedly registered unsafe levels of particulate matter in the city. Those readings, posted hourly on Twitter or aniPhone app, have prompted a public debate over whether the Chinese government is purposely obscuring the extent of the nation’s air pollution. Unlike the American Embassy readings, Chinese environmental officials do not publicly release data on the smallest particulates, those less than 2.5 micrometers, which are considered most harmful because they are able to penetrate the lungs so deeply. Instead, government data covers only pollutants larger than 10 micrometers. In February 2013, it was reported that China will proactively introduce a set of new taxation policies designed to preserve the environment, including a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Finance (MOF). To conserve natural resources, the government will push forward resource tax reforms by taxing coal based on prices instead of sales volume, as well as raising coal taxes. A resource tax will also be levied on water. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Keith Bradsher & David Barboza,“Pollution From Chinese Coal Casts a Global Shadow”, New York Times, November 6, 2006. ↑ “Scramble for Coal Continues in China”, Red Orbit News, February 10, 2008. ↑ "BP Statistical Review of World Energy" BP Report, 2011. ↑ Robert J. Saiget,"China's Coal Addiction is Causing Environmental Disaster", Terra Daily, November 6, 2006. ↑ Pui-Kwan Tse, "The Mineral Industry of China", 2008 Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Geological Survey, October 2009, page 18. ↑ World Coal Institute, "Coal Facts 2007", World Coal Institute website, October 2007. ↑ "China: Coal" EIA, November 2010. ↑ "Coal Statistics", World Coal Association, August 2012. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 World Coal Institute, "Coal Statistics", September 2009. ↑ "China electricity industry to reduce coal consumption rate by 2015" Huaihua Hunan, Platts, March 13, 2012. ↑ Angie Littlefield,"China Coal Use and Environmental Impacts" Trade & Environment Database, American University Online Journal, Vol. 5, Num. 1, January 1996. ↑ David Winning, "China's Coal Crisis" Wall Street Journal, Nov. 16, 2010. ↑ "China's top coal province to trim coal output," Reuters UK, March 30, 2009. ↑ [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-02/25/content_7512600.htm "China's raw coal output up 12.8% in 2008," China Daily, February 25, 2009. ↑ "China to further cut power supply to industry in summer" Reuters, May 24, 2011. ↑ "China to form larger-size coal miners 2011-2015" Reuters, November 10, 2010. ↑ "China's Shenhua to spend $602 mln on new coal loading berths" Reuters, May 28, 2012. ↑ At least 30 vessels of unsold coal cargoes float off China's coast" Platts.com, June 5, 2012. ↑ "EU scraps anti-dumping duties on Chinese coal coke" CCTV.com, March 19, 2013. ↑ "China exports 1.39 mln tons of coal in Jul" China Knowledge, Aug. 17, 2010. ↑ "Huaneng Power International, Inc. Obtained the Approval on Suzhou Port Taicang Terminal Zone Huaneng Coal Pier Construction Project" PR Newswire, Dec. 13, 2010. ↑ Jackie Cowhig, "UPDATE 1-China coal imports may hit 170 mln T in 2010" Reuters, May 14, 2010. ↑ "China 2011 net coal imports to surge 63%" China Daily, Nov. 30, 2010. ↑ "China coal imports to double in 2015, India close behind" Rebekah Kebede, Reuters, May 30, 2011. ↑ "NDRC: Chinese coal imports and exports decline in H1" SteelOrbis, August 17, 2011. ↑ "China 2011 coal imports seen 150-160 mln T - Tader" Reuters, October 18, 2011. ↑ "China overtakes Japan as world's top coal importer" Reuters, January 26, 2011. ↑ "Fading fortunes: China’s demand for ‘big coal’ wanes" Leslie Hook, Financial Times, July 17, 2012. ↑ "Mongolia becomes leading coal exporter to China" M.A.D. Investment Solutions, October 27, 2011. ↑ "Mongolia Mining Bets China Will Double Coal Imports" Michelle Yun, Bloomberg News, June 29, 2012. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 "Bulk cargo terminal planned in Washington state" Seattle Times, March 1, 2011. ↑ 48.0 48.1 "Whatcom County: Gateway Pacific cargo terminal needs new permit" Jared Paben, The Bellingham Herald, June 23, 2011. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Port of St. Helens potential candidate for coal export to Asia" Scott Learn, The Oregonian, June 15, 2011. ↑ "World Bank plans to limit financing of coal-fired power plants" Reuters, June 26, 2013. ↑ "China to remove price controls on coal in 2006 - report" Forbes, Jan. 3, 2006. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "China Passes U.S. as World’s Biggest Energy Consumer"Bloomberg BusinessWeek, August 11, 2010. ↑ "China 2010 Energy Consumption Rises 5.9%, National Statistics Bureau Says" Bloomberg, Feb. 27, 2011. ↑ “Meet the King of Coal” ZDNet, February 28, 2008. ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "China Energy Profile: 10-Year Data Series," U.S. Energy Information Administration website, accessed March 2008. ↑ Robert J. Saiget,"Coal Addiction Causing Environmental Disaster", Terra Daily, November 6, 2006. ↑ "China to close 31GW of coal power plants", CleanTech Group news, February 4, 2009. ↑ Chua Baizhen, "Shenhua Coal-To-Fuels Output May Quadruple by 2015" Bloomberg, Nov. 30, 2010. ↑ "Sasol and Shenhua's Coal-to-Fuel Plant Wins Chinese Environmental Approval" Bloomberg, March 7, 2011. ↑ Iris Kuo, "Two cleantech behemoths team up to tackle clean coal: GE and China" Green Beat, Jan. 18, 2011. ↑ Joel Kirkland, "Peabody-Calera Partnership Could Bring U.S. 'Green Cement' to China" New York Times, Jan. 21, 2011. ↑ Andrew Revkin, "Biggest Coal Company and Coal Country Collaborate on Mega Mine" NY Times, July 15, 2011. ↑ 69.0 69.1 Greenpeace, "Polluting Power: Ranking China's Power Companies,", Greenpeace China, July 2009. ↑ "Yanzhou Coal Will Pay $682M For Stake In Mongolian Firm" Benzinga, September 6, 2010. ↑ "Over 900 nabbed in China crackdown on coal mining sector corruption this year" sify news, Dec. 24, 2010. ↑ 72.0 72.1 Lin Meilian, "Coal ash poses major pollution threat" Global Times, September 16, 2010. ↑ 73.0 73.1 Zhang Jin, "China Expected to Have World's Largest Clean Coal Conversion Industry by 2020" CRI English, Sep. 19, 2010. ↑ Zhang Xiang, "China seeks to play green with black energy" Xinhuanet, Sep. 18, 2010. ↑ "Peabody Pursuing Mine, Coal Plant in China," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 2, 2008. ↑ Josh Fenn, "China Grapples With A Burning Question" Science Magazine, Sep. 28, 2009. ↑ "China's first carbon capture plant to start operation by year-end" Xinhuanet.com, June 2, 2010. ↑ 79.0 79.1 79.2 79.3 79.4 79.5 "GreatPoint Energy partners with Datang Huayin Electric Power Company to build a hydromethanation plant in Guangdong Province", GreatPoint Energy press release, September 10, 2008. ↑ 80.0 80.1 Martin LaMonica, "Where coal and clean tech meet", Cnet, April 13, 2009. ↑ 81.0 81.1 81.2 81.3 81.4 81.5 81.6 Yvonne Chan, "China kicks off construction on first coal-to-gas plant", Business Green, September 4, 2009. ↑ "China's Datang Huayin drops coal-based SNG project", "Antara News", December 7, 2009. ↑ Dinakar Sethuraman, "China Coal Gas May Cut Reliance on LNG, Pipeline Imports, Bernstein Says" Bloomberg, Dec. 9, 2010. ↑ 86.0 86.1 86.2 Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley,"China: Choking on Growth,", New York Times, August 25, 2007. ↑ Li Jing, "Emission rules get tougher" China Daily, Sep. 22, 2011. ↑ Bin Fang, Chun-Feng Liu, Le- Le Zou and Yi-Ming Wei, study Natural Hazards, August 2011. ↑ "Choking to Death: Health Consequences of Air Pollution in China" The Diplomat, March 6, 2013. ↑ World Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 1990-2025. ↑ Mark Clayton, “New Coal Plants Bury ‘Kyoto’”, Christian Science Monitor, December 23, 2004. ↑ James Hansen, “The Need for an International Moratorium on Coal Power”, The Bulletin Online, January 22, 2008. ↑ “Hidden Coal Fires Create Visible Problems”, Mines and Communities, February 14, 2003. ↑ Peter Fairley,“China’s Coal Future”, Technology Review, January 4, 2007. ↑ Robert Saiget, "Hundreds of flights cancelled due to Beijing smog" AFP, Dec. 6, 2011. ↑ "The Privileges of China’s Elite Include Purified Air" NY Times, Nov. 5, 2011. ↑ "As Coal Imports Rise, Getting Harder To Breathe In China Cities" Forbes, Jan. 14, 2013. ↑ Janet Larsen, "Plan B Updates" Earth Policy Institute, May 25, 2011. ↑ Malcolm Moore, "China’s coal rush leaves three million living on the edge" The Telegraph, Sep. 2, 2011. ↑ "Fire and Water: China's Looming Coal Problem," Bloomberg, Aug 26, 2013. ↑ "A Tale of Two Storms" Scripps, Dec. 5, 2011. ↑ "Author clarifies report linking coal-burning, life expectancy" People's Daily Online, July 12, 2013. ↑ "China’s Utilities Cut Energy Production, Defying Beijing" Keith Bradsher, New York Times, May 24, 2011. ↑ Clifford Coonan,"China’s Coal Catastrophe", The Independent (UK), July 29, 2006. ↑ "Scramble for Coal continues in China", Red Orbit, February 10, 2008. ↑ James Russell, “Coal Use Rises Dramatically Despite Impacts on Climate and Health” Worldwatch Institute, undated, accessed June 2008. ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Energy Information Administration Country Analysis Brief for China", Energy Information Administration, updated August 2006. ↑ "China Will Not OK New Coal Licenses Until 2011", Lee Geng, Energy Tribune, April 3, 2009. ↑ "China’s coal rush leaves three million living on the edge" Malcolm Moore, The Telegraph, September 2, 2011. ↑ "L&L Acquires DaPing in China" Coal Age, March 31, 2011. ↑ "Peabody to Pursue Coal Project in Restive Chinese Region" James Areddy & Simon Hall, Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2011. ↑ "China closes 1,289 illegal coal mines" UPI.com, August 26, 2011. ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110906-704845.html "L&L Energy Signs Preliminary Pact For Stake In 14 China Mines"] Wall Street Journal, September 6, 2011. ↑ [ http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/21/chinese-villagers-riot-over-coal-mine-kill-1-cop "Chinese villagers riot over coal mine, kill 1"] UT San Diego, April 21, 2012. ↑ "Chinese protesters clash with police over power plant" The Guardian, October 22, 2012. ↑ "Thousands Protest Power Plant," Radio Free Asia, March 12, 2012. ↑ Stephen Lacey, "Video: 30,000 Chinese ‘Occupy’ Highway to Protest Polluting Coal Plants" Think Progress, Dec. 21, 2011. ↑ "China says it’s addressing pollution in Inner Mongolia after clashes over coal mining" Associated Press, June 3, 2011. ↑ 124.0 124.1 "Second death sentence after Inner Mongolia unrest" BBC News, June 21, 2011. ↑ "China executes killer of Mongolian herder" BBC News, accessed August 25, 2011. ↑ 126.0 126.1 126.2 126.3 126.4 "Restive China region orders mining crackdown" Dan Martin, AFP, June 1, 2011. ↑ David Pierson, "Coal mining in China's Inner Mongolia fuels tensions" Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2011. ↑ Andrew Jacobs, "Whistle-Blowers in Chinese City Sent to Mental Hospital," New York Times, December 8, 2008. ↑ Maxim Duncans, " Reuters, November 23, 2009. ↑ [http://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/mine-safety/ "China Mine Blast Leaves 18 Dead," China Digital Times, April 18, 2009. ↑ 131.0 131.1 [http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hbVhY0FszjGW_3tvzhAQfy5ihAoA "3 rescued after 25 days in flooded China mine," Associated Press, July 13, 2009. ↑ "Chinese miners freed after 25 days in flooded mine," Associated Press, July 13, 2009. ↑ "115 Miners Rescued From Flooded Mine in China" The Epoch Times, April 5, 2010. ↑ Cara Anna, "China mine fire kills 16, while gas blast kills 1" AP, August 7, 2010. ↑ "China: Four Officials Detained Over Mine Explosions" The New York Times, July 16, 2013. ↑ Arch Coal, "Arch Coal Acquires Equity Interest in West Coast Terminal", Media Release, January 12, 2011. ↑ Scott Learn, "Millennium Bulk Terminals says it won't pursue exporting coal out of Longview -- for now", The Oregonian, March 7, 2011. ↑ 145.0 145.1 John M. Glionna and Ju-min Park and Kenneth R. Weiss,"Great Barrier Reef rammed by Chinese coal ship" L.A. Times, April 5, 2010. ↑ Stephanie Dearing,"Oil from grounded Chinese ship threatens Great Barrier Reef" Digital Journal, April 5, 2010. ↑ Robert J. Saiget,“China’s Coal Addiction Causing Environmental Disaster”, Terra Daily, November 6, 2006. ↑ Jacques Leslie, "The Last Empire: China's Pollution Problem Goes Global", Mother Jones, December 10, 2007. ↑ "The True Cost of Coal," Greenpeace China, September 2008. ↑ Jasper Becker,“China in an Energy Quandry”, Asia Times, August 28, 2003. ↑ "Energy [Revolution: A Sustainable China Energy Outlook,"] Greenpeace, April 24, 2007. ↑ "Beijing closing coal plants in environmental move," Associated Press, July 30, 2009. ↑ 153.0 153.1 153.2 153.3 "In Crackdown on Energy Use, China to Shut 2,000 Factories" New York Times, August 9, 2010. ↑ "Chinese Consider Setting Coal Production Ceiling by 2015 to Cut Emissions" Bloomberg News, July 29, 2010. ↑ 155.0 155.1 David Roberts, "Attention Congress: China is shutting down its old coal plants" Grist, August 30, 2010. ↑ Tania Branigan, "China to cap energy use in national low-carbon plan" Guardian, Aug. 4, 2011. ↑ Alvin Lin, "A Five-Part Strategy to Cap and Cut China's Coal Consumption," NRDC, May 28, 2013. ↑ "China to spend $372 billion on cutting energy use, pollution" Reuters, August 22, 2012. ↑ “China to introduce carbon tax: official”English.news.cn, February 19, 2013. International Energy Agency, "Coal in China, People's Republic of in 2005", International Energy Agency website, accessed June 2008. "U.S -China Fact Sheet on Coal", The White House, November 2009. Mao Yushi, Sheng Hong and Yang Fuqiang, "The True Cost of Coal", Greenpeace, The Energy Foundation and WWF, October 2008. "Polluting Power: Ranking China's Power Companies", Greenpeace, July 2009. JianJun Tu, "Industrial Organization of the Chinese Coal Industry", Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University, June 2010. (Note this is a draft report released for feedback - cite carefully). HIS, “China’s Coal Market Not the Promised Land for International Suppliers” February 7, 2013. "中国能源转型和煤炭消费总量控制下的金融政策研究," Financial Research Institute of the People's Bank of China and Greenovation Hub, April 2015 (Chinese, Executive Summary only) - this report is part of the China Coal Cap Project. It proposes that China should develop a comprehensive set of financial policies to limit investment in coal mining and coal-related industries. Zhao Xiaohui & Jiang Xueli, “Coal Mining: Most Deadly Job in China”, Xinhua, November 13, 2004. Susan Watts, “A Coal-Dependent Future?”, BBC News, March 9, 2005. Mines and Communities, "China Theme", Mines and Communities website, accessed June 2008. (This page provides a set of links to various articles related to China and mining issues). Tom Miles, "McKinsey Maps Out China's Options For Going Green", Reuters, February 26, 2009. Chinese banks must cut coal lending, shift to cleaner businesses, Reuters, Apr 23, 2015. Wikipedia also has an article on China and coal. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL. This page was last edited on 3 July 2015, at 20:06.

2019-04-25T10:07:57Z

https://mail.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=China_and_coal

The following is a short story I wrote a bit more than a year ago, based on a writing prompt from my creative writing class and using the rough setting of the world of my epic fantasy, To Look Skyward. It explores a place and time of that world that is a bit different than what one reading my novel-in-progress might recognize. It's one of the short stories I'm most proud of, and I'm excited to finally share it on here. 'Bout time I posted a blog, right? A pouch of seeds fell through the sky, hitting the black dirt of the Below with the tiniest of sounds, akin to a single drop of rain or the hesitant intake of breath before one speaks. No one took notice of the pouch at first, and it lay forgotten on the ground, a treasure hidden by a simple ebony bag that seemed to meld with the dirt itself. Two farm workers walked by it on their way to their labor and did not see it. A hunting party jogged next to it, tracking a young Great Lion that had fled northward, wounded. The sharp eyes of one of the men noted it, but he dismissed it as of little importance. The Listener herself left footprints in the dirt near the pouch of seeds, but the voices she listened to did not inform her of the treasure that she passed by. In truth, those voices did not know of the pouch's reckless abandonment. Three days passed, and a barefoot old man strode by on his way to deliver news of a young boy's death to his parents. He too would have passed the pouch without noting its significance if, by pure chance, he had not stepped directly on it. The sudden change of the feeling on his feet surprised him and he came to a stop, glancing down with curiosity. He moved his calloused foot and knelt down to pick up the pouch, quickly untying the drawstring that held it shut and pouring out the contents into his cupped hand. He stared at the seeds for a long time without comprehension, wondering where they had come from. He had lived a long time and had never seen anything quite like them before. They were small and fragile-looking, as if one gust of wind would take them away forever. He put them back into the pouch and drew the drawstring shut, determined to keep the things safe. He did not know why he had such an affection for them, but he felt they were important. He tied the pouch to his belt of frayed rope and continued on, jogging across the dirt and through the fog. His name was Messenger. The next day he passed by the same spot, but whether by habit or through subconscious curiosity, he could not tell. To his amazement and surprise, his foot once again hit something soft, and another pouch lay beneath him. More seeds. The cracked rock of the western wall separating the Above and the Below reached up behind the spot where the pouch had lain, as if it was the scarred skin of some horrible, angry giant. He glanced up the cliff and his eyes hardened. He decided to stay put on this spot and see what would happen. He made a fire with what sparse vegetation could be found and slept out in the cold. It was at the height of the warmer months, and so the night was cold, but bearable. The feeling of the seeds strapped to his belt made him feel warmer inside, somehow. The fog of the Below swirled about, but Messenger felt at home in its curling and twisting current, and he soon fell asleep to the sounds of insects chirping about him. He awoke the next day to a fogless morning, rare in the Below, and searched around the area, but found no pouch. He stoked his campfire and sat before it, warming himself while he waited for what he knew would come. At around mid-morning, Messenger glanced up and saw a tiny black speck falling down towards the ground. It fell in the same spot he had found the previous two pouches, and he snatched it up to find that it too held seeds. His eyes wandered to the wall of the cliff again, and this day, with the absence of fog, he could almost see to the very top of the Above. He took all three pouches and poured the contents into his hands. He knew what they were now. These were the seeds of the gods. Messenger planted the seeds in a small alcove made by a curl of the cliff wall, digging dozens of small holes in the dark earth and covering them over with a careful hand. He did not know what would become of them, but the importance he felt they had had not faltered. These were the seeds of the gods; the power of the Above in the hands of lowborn. This could change everything. For years, Messenger had been trying to change the minds and hearts of his people by showing them the evil of the "gods" they worshiped. Listener and her followers poisoned their minds with the lies of the almighty power of the gods and the obedience they demanded of their followers. It was all deception, created to give Listener power and status and to appease the voices in her head. Messenger knew it. He did not dispute the existence of the Above or its residents, for it merely required a fogless day or a demonstration of the Transformation to remind him of those things. He did not believe, however, in the omnipotence or the perfection of the gods that demanded so much of their servants, or even the inequality of gods and men. He knew in his heart of hearts that the gods were people just like the rest of them. For they had made a mistake, whether the falling of the seeds had been accidental or purposeful. They had given him a precious treasure, for one reason or another, and he would not stop until he had figured out a way to use it to destroy every last one of them. The people did not listen. They scraped and bowed to the gods in everything, positive that they were the lowest of the low and did not deserve to rise above their place. It was sickening. Messenger defied Listener as much as he dared, careful to be subtle and indirect as to not give the gods a reason to cause in him the Transformation. He had seen the horrible enslavement it caused and he had no desire to become a mindless servant of gods he would not recognize as holy. After the collapse of Eastmine, which trapped dozens of husbands and fathers within the belly of the earth, Messenger rallied the people to himself to clear away the rubble and rescue their fallen brethren. At first, it worked. The people forgot their fear and their reservations and worked together for the good of their own kind. Until Listener came and demanded that they stop. The gods had willed it, she said. It was hopeless to try to save the miners, for the gods had decreed it be so, and who were they to question the gods? The rescue effort ended as quickly as it had begun and the men and women gathered at the entrance to Eastmine groveled in the dirt and rocks in supplication to the deities that had killed their families. Messenger had been driven off with stones. He fled to the alcove in the cliff wall that had become his refuge and nursed his bruises and scrapes. The seeds he had planted had grown into saplings--long, slender things with minute dark brown bark and the beginnings of small branches poking out from the side of the stem. He had been inspecting them as they grew, and was utterly confused by the fact that they seemed to have no roots. They were constantly falling over as the stem grew high above the dirt, disturbing the proportions of the amount of plant inside and outside the soil. Messenger had no idea how they were even growing, but with each passing day, he grew more and more eager to discover just what the amazing plants were and how he could use them. As the Below entered the last few weeks of summer, Messenger found his answer. The saplings suddenly began to float. Messenger had to tie them up and stake them to the ground to keep them from flying off in the wind. It was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. Flying trees. That was what they were becoming. He watched day after day as they grew longer and thicker, blossoming into massive plants that made Messenger feel small and inconsequential. He was beginning to understand how he could use the trees to show his people how they could fight back. And if they wouldn't, he could use them himself and fight alone. That day, he went into town and preached with abandon on the evils of the gods, too caught up in the passion of his words to realize the anger on the faces of those to whom he spoke. Listener arrived just in time to hear his last request: Join him in rebelling against the gods and freeing themselves. He was driven out of the village with stones once more and told by Listener that he was forever banished from the Center. He would live with the animals now, she sneered. Messenger ignored her and went back to his cultivation. This time, he not only nurtured plants, but also his growing hatred and resentment towards Listener and the gods. The next day, he tied several of his flying trees together and got atop the makeshift raft, riding it. He made his way to The Lake, with its rising steam and boiling surface. He rode the heat and headed to the Above. There he saw the gods for the first time. He had been right. They were people, just like him. They looked weak and sickly, bundled in furs and rarely straying out of their homes. Listener and her lackeys sent up food and goods with men riding on ships made from the flying trees. He saw all of this as he scrambled about like a sneak thief among the rocks and buildings of the Above. It was icily cold, even though it was still summer, and snow littered the ground in a powdery mess. When Messenger returned to his makeshift raft of flying trees, he wanted to take a million rocks and break apart the raft until it was nothing more than splinters. It all made him so angry. They did nothing but sit up here in their shelters while controlling the lives of everyone below them. Who were they? Nothing. He was determined to kill them all. To make them pay for the life they had forced upon him. Outcast for trying to show his people the truth. Banished for trying to save their lives. Exiled for revealing to them the error of their ways. He went back into the city of the Above, seething with the desire for revenge. He found a young man taking a walk out in the snow, his rosy cheeks chubby with pampering and his smile sickening to behold. Messenger followed as the young man went out onto a path that led away from the city. Messenger sneaked ahead and hid behind a large tree at the edge of the path. As the young man went by, Messenger stepped out, holding a large rock with both hands, hatred in his eyes. The young man cried out in fright and stepped back, his eyes widening. And then he seemed to get some ounce of backbone and stood his ground. Messenger smiled and advanced on him. This would be satisfying. Messenger suddenly felt an invasion on his mind. The Transformation. How could he be so stupid? Of course, this would happen. These were the gods! He was going to die. This god was going to kill him. But no, he would not go this easily. With a great mental shove, he tried to push aside the Transformation as it occurred, and he was surprised when it succeeded. The invasion of his mind died in an instant and they were just two men on a snowy road. The young god--no, the young man--took another step back, terror returning to his face once again. Messenger wanted to bash his head in with the rock, but in a moment of insight, he hesitated. Instead, he reached out with his own mind, trying to recreate the sensation he had just felt at repelling the Transformation. A world opened before him, and he could sense the young man with more than just his eyes and his ears. And that was when Messenger realized that he was a god. He pushed into the young man's mind and Transformed him. It was easier than he had ever thought possible. Suddenly he was sensing the world not through his own body, but through the young man's. He felt the cold more keenly, his heart racing in his chest as he knew he was going to die. Those were the young man's thoughts. And Messenger knew that he could make the god do whatever he liked. Messenger sent the young man back towards the city of the Above. And then all the way to the cliff that separated gods from men. Messenger threw the boy off. Messenger returned and told his people what he had accomplished. He showed them the mangled body of the god he had recovered from the bottom of the Below. He showed them the boat of flying trees he had grown from the seeds the gods had so carelessly dropped. He told them of the power of Transformation and how they could resist it. Listener came as he was telling the people to fight back, to give up their superstitions and come with him to the sky. She gave one look to Messenger and then glanced at the crowd. She spoke one word and the crowd descended on Messenger and killed him with a hundred stones. They tore up the raft of flying trees until it was nothing but splinters. Listener took the body of the god and brought it back to her home, showing it the uttermost reverence. The crowd was told to return to their own homes and forget the heresy of the evil man they had once known as Messenger. They did so. But the seeds had been planted. And there we have it. I am officially done with the fall semester of 2015 at UW - Rock County. It's been a fantastic fifteen weeks, and I'm enormously glad that I had the chance to learn at this wonderful school. During the semester, I not only have the privilege and honor of getting to know some of the best professors I think there are at the college but getting to know some awesome students as well. Some of those were old friends that I've gotten to spend time with again, but there were also several people that I probably would never have spent time with in another setting that I've gotten to know and learn alongside, and that has made me happy. Well, just like I did at the beginning of the semester, I'm going to give a run-down of my classes and what my parting thoughts on them are. This was the last of my classes to truly finish, since I took my final yesterday, officially sealing my semester in ink. I had a fantastic time in this class, and though there was plenty of work involved since it was a five-credit class with lots of lab work and lectures to get a handle on, it didn't overwhelm me as I thought it might. My teacher is a good man, probably the best person morally that I've learned with so far at the college, and it was an absolute privelege to get to know him better over the semester. If he taught other classes besides geography and geology (which, I admit, aren't my favorite topics of inquiry), I would take them in a heartbeat. I was pretty confident walking out of the final exam yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I got an A in this class, but with all of the other grades, I'll just have to wait and see. I adored this class. It was one of the main reasons I stayed so productive with writing this semester, and I wrote some pieces I'm incredibly proud of. At some point soon, I should be posting one or two of those things that I wrote on the website, so you'll get to see what I have been working on besides the bulk of To Look Skyward . I meant to post those during the semester, of course, but time got away from me and I forgot. But yes, this was an amazing class. I learned so much about storytelling, got to put my skills to the test, got to workshop my stories with some wonderful people, and had the privilege of getting to know my professor, Ken Brosky, better. It was a great ride. I'm fully expecting to get an A in the class. I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Given the opportunity and the motivation to do historical research on topics that already interested me, including but not limited to Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Greek culture and society, Alexander the Great's life, and ancient oral tradition, storytelling, and mythology, I took advantage of all of it as best I could and had a lot of fun. Though sometimes the class could be a source of stress, so were, at times, all of my other classes, and despite having some busy nights working on my paper or my take-home exams, I enjoyed those things greatly. All that's going through my mind right now is...I want to take another history class. And hopefully, I'll get as good of grades in that class as I did this one, which was almost positively an A. Reading back through my expectations of this class, I realized that I was pretty dead on in what the class was going to be like. I did learn a lot--this was undoubtedly the best time with math I've ever had, and I loved my teacher. But it was math, and so I didn't pay quite as much attention to it as I might have. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm going to get for a grade here, but it should be relatively high. I wouldn't be surprised to get an A. Though I am going to really take advantage of my month off from school, in the back of my mind I'm itching to get back to learning. I have a great line-up of classes next semester, and I'm excited to learn more. I'll talk to y'all about my classes for next semester soon, but for now, I'll say goodbye. Thanks for reading. The UW-Rock County library hosted a short story contest in October, which I talked about in a previous post. I managed to finish it just in time for the due date and submitted it, hoping I would win, but satisfied with completing another good short story either way it turned out. Well, on Thursday, I received an e-mail that informed me that I had been the winner of the contest! Suffice it to say, I was pretty excited. I don't recall whether or not the library is going to be using the story for anything, but I do get to go in on Monday and claim a $25 prize. It's weird to say, but I have officially had my first paid writing gig. Granted, I've submitted stories twice in my whole life, but it's still an honor and I'm still pumped. So, to share with y'all, here is the story I wrote for the contest. Thanks for reading! Everywhere I looked, I saw Abraham Lincoln. At first, I just assumed it was a coincidence━I had just checked out a book on our beloved 16th president for my history class, and I had that scraggly beard of his on the brain. But then I started seeing his face everywhere--billboards, posters, memes, and every episode of every show I watched on Netflix for three days straight. It was really starting to creep me out. Big time. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him walking out of the bathroom as I sat at a table in the Williams basement, wiping his hands on the jacket of his old-time suit. I had just barely glanced up when I saw the bathroom door open, absently curious as to who had gone into the bathroom without me noticing━I’d been sitting at the same table studying for the past three hours━and then glanced immediately back down to my book before a chill ran across my body. What the… I looked up again, and sure enough, Abraham Lincoln, in his presidential best, had just come out of the bathroom at my community college in Janesville. I swore and jumped out of my chair, holding the book in front of me like a crucifix. Yeah, I don’t know what I was expecting my history book to do against a man who was 6’4” and spent most of his time before being a politician as a logger...but cut me some slack. Have you ever seen a freaking dead President of the United States? Didn’t think so. Abe seemed to notice me for the first time and raised an eyebrow as he sized me up. I was swearing at a hundred miles an hour now, and apparently our president didn’t like that, because he folded his arms like a disappointed parent as his eyebrow continued to climb higher and higher. Finally I stopped cursing and just stared. “You’re…” I said, barely getting even that word out. “I’m…” Abe said with a mocking little lilt of his voice. It was right around that point that I figured this qualified as the weirdest day of my entire life. “I stand here as living━or unliving, I suppose━proof of that, do I not?” Abe said, hands still in his pockets. He was much more relaxed than I’d imagined him being. More casual. In all of the pictures I’d seen, he looked very much the stern statesman that everyone had made him out to be. Whether this had always been his personality, or it was a new development caused by his being a ghost, I couldn’t tell. “So, you’re saying I’m supposed to help you find out whatever this unfinished business is?” I asked, my head still reeling from all of it. “You’re very perceptive,” Abe mocked. I couldn’t tell where the genuineness ended and the sarcasm began with this man. “Yeah, no problem,” I said. I looked down at the book in my hand. “Quick question, though: Why did you come to me? Does it have something to do with this book?” I held it out for him to see. I stopped beside the president and nodded, not knowing what to say. “Wait, you didn’t know that’s what the book did?” I asked. We stared at each other for a moment. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, and then coughed. I held up a hand. "Uh, Mr. President? I'm still missing the point where I actually do anything that would help you. What are we looking for? Where are we going? What is freaking going on here?" Abe gave me a little smile and then pointed at something. I followed his finger and saw that we were in front of the Gary J. Lenox Library. “It’s in there,” he said, obviously excited. "I knew it was close, but I didn't know it was this close until we were standing here. Whatever my unfinished business is, it's in that library." He seemed to become ethereal for a moment and then he walked straight through the two sets of doors barring the way into the library, leaving me outside. I had half a mind to follow him, but as I put my hand on the door, I realized that it was locked. It was late into the evening and the library had been closed for several hours now. The entire campus would be closed in not too much longer. “Very bad luck, really,” Abe said, much calmer than he should have been. “And then extremely good luck. If you hadn’t picked up the book when you did, a lot of people would undoubtedly be dead now. So, good job.” He patted me on the back, an action which felt surprisingly solid for a ghost. I stood there in shock for a moment longer before putting a hand to my forehead and sighing. I gave up. “Well...how do you propose I get inside the library? And no, I do not consider breaking the glass on the door an option. Or the glass of the window. Or any other breaking. There are still people in the building besides us.” I was speaking as quietly as I possibly could━luckily it seemed as if Abe could hear me just fine. The president thought about it for a moment, pursing his lips. Just then, a custodian walked by━a middle-aged woman who whistled to herself as she walked, pulling her utility cart behind her. Her keys clinked where they were clipped to her belt. She scrunched her brow at me, obviously wondering what I was doing standing in the front of the library with a forlorn look on my face. “Anything I can help you with?” she asked. I stood there for a moment gaping before I really registered her question. Abe poked me in the side. “You should probably answer her,” he said. She gave me a look. “Sorry, I really can’t do that. The library’s closed. Campus is closing soon too, you should probably leave.” She turned to go, and her keys clinked again at her waist. “Wait!” I said, probably louder than I should have. “Hold this book.” I shoved the book into her hands. “Can you see him?” I asked, pointing up at where… Oh, no. Abe was gone. I had given up the book. I almost laughed out loud. “See, that’s it. You can see him. For the next three days you’re going to keep seeing Abraham Lincoln everywhere, unless you open the library up for me!” I pointed extravagantly at the door. I probably sounded like a maniac. Come on, Abe. Make her sweat. “Open the door, please!” I was begging now. “He’s a ghost. He’s going to kill everyone unless you open the door.” I really wished I hadn’t had to say that. And she ran away screaming. “Nicely done,” Abe said, chuckling beside me. I shook my head, cutting him off. “The logistics don’t matter. Let’s go find your unfinished business.” Abe nodded and pointed down the stairs. I ran as fast as I could. I wasn’t taking any chances on anyone seeing me in here and getting me in trouble. Hopefully, I could just pass off this whole incident as some hallucination of the custodian’s. Maybe I should transfer early. A pair of boots dropped out. “What in the world?” I asked, glancing up at Abe, who looked just as confused as I felt. Sometimes, I go on the UW Colleges website and look at any course schedules, degree programs, and certificates that I can find. For some reason, I get an amazing amount of enjoyment from looking through a list of all the different things I can learn (and the ways I can get recognized for learning those things). I just want to learn everything. I just want to take every class. They all seem so interesting, and there is so much information out there that I'll just never have the time to soak it all in. I'll never be able to become a master of all these fields, all these subjects, all these ways of looking at the world, all these possible paths of inquiry. I'll never be able to read all of the books. You have no idea how sad that makes me. One of the cool things about college, though, is that you don't have to choose right away. You can learn a bit of everything before settling on something more concrete. And maybe that approach doesn't work for everyone, and I know that not everyone enjoys learning just about anything like I do, but this college thing is working out pretty well for me so far. It's giving me structure to stay motivated, a studious atmosphere that inspires me to not only study the subjects I'm learning that semester, but to learn more in general and work on the many projects that I want to finish. So, yeah. There are a lot of things that I'd like to learn, and hopefully even after college I'll continue to educate myself. Right now I'm looking at getting a Liberal Arts degree, which basically means I have an excuse to learn pretty much everything I want to for four years. Which is just fine with me. And looking at all of the things I can learn (and especially looking at those things that I can focus on) is way more than fine with me. I'm probably going to end up getting a minor (or at least an emphasis) in History, and it would be really cool to do some teaching on the side if I can figure out a way to get paid to do art. But just today I realized that I could get a one-year certificate in American Indian Studies, which would not only fulfill requirements in my Bachelor's anyway but is something that I'm really interested in. That culture has always fascinated me. And how could would it be to have that on my resume? Well, I think so, anyway. But yes, the main reason for this blog post and for this section of the blog in its entirety is so I can geek out about learning stuff. I never knew how much I would enjoy college until I did it, but this whole experience is turning out to be so interesting. Not only that, but I found out that I'm really good at this college thing, and I'm actually pretty smart, all things considered. No, that's not me bragging--that's me getting excited about something I didn't realize about myself. I can do this. I can learn so many things, and God has wired me to do that. I really don't know where I'm going with this, other than to tell y'all how much I love learning and encourage you to learn things too. Even if you don't want to go to college (which is a completely valid choice, by the way) or just never got the chance too, that doesn't mean you have to stop learning. Pick a subject that interests you and just run with it. Get books from the library, listen to podcasts, find free courses on Khan Academy or just talk to someone who knows a lot about the topic. One of the main reasons I got so interested in history (even more so than I already was) was because I found this little podcast called Nerds On History, where two guys talk about anything and everything history-related and just have a blast educating themselves and others. So, do it. Go learn things. I apologize for not giving an update for a week or two--I tend to write these on Tuesday itself, and my last few Tuesdays have been sort of hectic. Suffice it to say, I am still having a blast at college. I'm learning a lot of interesting stuff, and I like all of my classes and all of my professors. You can't ask for much more than that. Creative Writing in particular has been very enjoyable. The last few weeks, we've been analyzing storytelling by watching an episode of Parks & Recreation or playing a murder mystery game, and so that's just been a load of fun, and I've learned bunches about ways to structure and analyze storytelling. The assignment that's coming up next is an autobiographical narrative that each of will write, get peer reviewed, and then publish in a collection to donate to the public library here in Janesville. It should be really interesting from start to finish, and I'm already thinking of ideas to write about. The one that sticks out to me most prominently right now is one of the weeks in February this year, when one of my old friends committed suicide and there were all sorts of stressful and weird things happening in the days leading up to his funeral on the day before Valentine's Day. Those memories are very vivid in my mind, and I think they would make a good autobiographical narrative. If I do write that, I'll definitely be posting it on here, so be looking for that in weeks to come. One of the other cool things happening here at college is that the library on campus is hosting a short story contest. Now, immediately I was interested, of course, because contests for writing stories always get me motivated to write, especially when you can win some money. The prize for the winner is the library sharing your story, obviously, but also a $25 gift card. So, if you're at UW-Rock County and want to write a short story, do it and submit it to the library! The only stipulations they've set on it are: You have to feature a ghost in the story, it has to be between 1,000 and 2,500 words, and at least part of the story must take place in the library on campus. Other than that, we're allowed to get as creative as possible. At first, I just assumed it was a coincidence--I had just checked out a book on our beloved 16th president for my history class, and I had that scraggly beard of his on the brain. But then I started seeing his face everywhere--billboards, posters, memes, and every episode of every show I watched on Netflix for three days straight. It was really starting to creep me out. Big time. I have until October...16th, I believe? (I'll edit this later and make sure I put in the right date.) So, I have plenty of time, and the story length is really not that substantial, so it shouldn't be that difficult to get it churned out. I have several ideas for a good little story arc, but the challenge will be figuring out which one works, how to get it across as concisely as possible, and how to make the story interesting in every line while not skipping over anything important and having it be within the required length (which is very short, in short story terms). One last thing before I go--I don't know if I mentioned my history class all that much on these posts, but right now we're learning about Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel, and it's been truly fascinating looking at the way life was back then, and how it was different from nation to nation. One of the things that I've been going back and forth with since the class started was the section of a book by a guy named Nagle that we were required to read for this section of the class. Nagle definitely has some prejudices against the Israelites, and there is a lot of subtle attacks on the authenticity of the Hebrew scriptures and their historical context. I was interested to see what my professor would say about all of this when we got to talking about the Israelites, but we did so today and he seemed to take a very good, unbiased approach to all of the historical events. Hopefully, that will continue, because that's what learning about history should be (as much as possible, anyway)--unbiased. But I really like my professor, so I imagine it will. Overall, I'm learning a lot. Which is good, cause this is part of the "Learning" section of this website. Yay! Well, thanks for reading, everyone. Have a great rest of the week, and go learn something new. Hey, y'all! This will be my first real update on the Learning journal that I'm doing this semester, and so I'll have several things to talk about. First off, syllabus week is over, and I now have a bit more to work with in terms of expectations for courses and the semester in general. I really do like all of my classes so far, and I'm anticipating an enjoyable experience in all of them. Of course, things may change as time goes on, but all of the courses seem like a good fit for me in terms of appeal, atmosphere, and skill level. I started off my week early on Wednesday morning of last week, getting up at 6:30, getting to school early, and reading my Bible on the front lawn of U-Rock while I watched the sunrise. It was quite a fantastic way to start off the school year, and it got even better when several friends of mine starting to trickle onto the campus and join me at the picnic table I was sitting at. First my friend Peter, then Seth, and then a group of former homeschoolers (of which Peter is one)...and we ended up having a pow-wow on the front lawn. It was quite great. And then Becca came along and the party broke up because we all had to go to classes. And with that, I was off to Physical Geography. My professor's name is Bob McCallister, and this was my immediate impression of him: He is the most professor professor to ever profess. He has the wispy hair, the squinty eyes, large glasses, old-fashioned dress about him, and he just acts so much like your classic professor would that it's a little crazy. The only thing he's missing is a bowtie, and then he would be truly complete. I'm hoping he'll whip one out sometime this semester. But yeah, he's a sweet guy, and he makes so many cheesy jokes and I love cheesy jokes, so that's awesome. It's been very interesting learning in the class so far, especially the lab portion--we've gotten to do all sorts of fun little experiments and projects already. Next, I hung around with Becca for a while, getting a feel for the campus again and discovering that yes, indeed, we have a vending machine that makes coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. I had no idea that this existed last semester, and so this was pretty exciting for me. And then I had my next class, Creative Writing. This was one I was truly ecstatic for, and my professor did not let me down with setting up the expectations for the class. It was definitely going to be the kind of thing I needed to get me into the writing mindset again--great creative freedom but deadlines and specific limits due to the various projects that we'll be working on throughout the semester. And we had some good interaction as a class, which has me looking forward to tomorrow, when I'll have what will only be the second Creative Writing class time of the semester, due to Labor Day and other scheduling weirdness. But yeah, I'm pretty excited. Oh, it looks like there will also be a time during the semester to bring in something you're working on to the teacher and go over it with him one on one, which should be great. I'm planning on bringing in "Clock Strikes Death", my clockpunk/western/fantasy novella that I posted on here a while back. My professor for Creative Writing is pretty chill all around. His name is Kenneth Brosky, and he's pretty young for a professor--he wears earrings and is very laid back and fun. I'm excited to learn from him, since I always love learning how to tell stories from anyone who will teach me. Oh, and I also found out that he has a published YA series out there, and he's very active on the internet and with other writerly things, which makes me happy too. It's fun to meet other writers and see what they're working on and how they operate. I'm really hoping that I can make some connections with the other students and possibly get some people interested in a writing group. But, we'll see. Thursday began my second set of classes, starting off with Ancient History in the morning. Taught by Kyle Fingerson, who is a very interesting older man who knows a lot about Greek and Roman history and loves hiking, canoeing, and camping with his wife. He's pretty cool, and I have probably learned the most interesting things so far in his class. Lots of interesting reading for this class over the weekend, and just today we had a great lecture and some class discussion about Mesopotamia and the beginnings of civilization. I'm anticipating a fun semester ahead, and it's been really cool (and slightly weird) to be in this class with Becca and Seth, some of my best friends. That was not how college was last year. Next up was Quantative Reasoning by Rachelle Barr. She's pretty great. Spunky, intelligent, passionate about math, and sassy as heck, she has made me almost laugh hysterically the most out of any of my professors so far. She's a hoot, and though math isn't my favorite subject, she's a great teacher, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the class. Well, that's pretty much it for the run-down of my classes and professors and what I think of them so far. I'm really tired and have to wake up early again tomorr--oh, looks like it's already Wednesday--I guess today. So, I'll say goodbye and goodnight. Thanks for reading! It is my pleasure to introduce a new category to this website: Learning. I'm back to school starting tomorrow, September 2nd, and since I'm going to spending so much time with college in the next several months, I thought it might be a great idea to devote some space on my blog for talking about everything learning-related. These posts will probably be something like a journal of the school year and how I'm faring in the world of academia. I'm going to try and release one every Tuesday, but as I opened the revivification of the blog with a week or so ago, I'm not tying myself down to that. I'll probably end up missing a few when the semester draws to a close. Either way, I think this will be a fun addition to the website, and I look forward to sharing with you from my college experience. For those of you who don't know where I am right now in my schooling, this will be my second semester at UW-Rock County, the two-year community college in Janesville, my hometown. I really enjoyed my first semester last spring, met a lot of cool people and learned a lot of cool things. I'm excited for the fall, the classes I'm taking and the people that are going to be at the college this year (among them my good friends Becca and Seth). As of right now, my plan is to finish the two-year degree at U-Rock (an Associates Degree of Arts and Sciences) and then continue on through more classes at U-Rock and online classes run by UW-Whitewater to get a B.A. in Liberal Arts with either a focus or a minor in History. I'd like to eventually do creative writing full-time, but I'm just going to work with what comes and see what happens. I'm pretty open to anything, especially if I get to be creative doing it. This is my first class during the week, with a lecture first thing in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and lab in the afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This was the last class I enrolled in for the semester, only a few weeks ago, and it was chosen mainly because I wanted to balance out my schedule between different subjects (Science, Math, English, HIstory). As soon I got the textbook in the mail, I started leafing through it and was immediately excited for the months ahead. I think this class will be loads of fun, and I'll learn lots of interesting things about the way the world works. That said, this might be one class I have a bit of trouble in, because I'm not the most mathematically-minded person, but I'm going to work at it my hardest anyway. This is definitely the class I'm most excited for this semester. Learning about how to tell stories is my favorite thing to learn about ever, and I'm really thrilled to be able to be taught by new people and new processes on how to craft a story. This might be the class I talk about the most on this website, because I'll probably be posting most of my work from the class on here, but that's just a given. I'm not worried about doing well this class at all, and I'm not trying to sound arrogant, but I know 100% that I'll do well. Not only because I know this is something I'm good at, but also because I know it's something I'll give my all to learn. This is the class that I'm taking with the ever-wonderful Becca Harper, my good friend who I'll probably be spending most of my time with this semester. We are going to have a blast in this class, I just know it. Becca and I share a passionate love of learning, and history is my second favorite subject, just behind creative writing. I got the textbooks for this class and was extremely excited, not only because of the fact that they were all about the Greeks but also because they didn't cost a whole lot... But yes, I'm also not worried about doing well in this class, not only because I'll love every minute of it, but because from everything I've heard from other students, it's not that difficult of a class in the first place. This is probably the class I'll like the least. I had one more required math class to get through, and since my choices were between College Algebra (which I would have hated) and this class, which is all about how to use mathematical concepts in real-life situations, it was a no-brainer on which one to choose. I have a feeling that this will be the best math class I'll ever take, simply for that reason. I really don't like math that seems like it has no purpose, and that's algebra for me. This class is about graphs, charts, logic, and finance, and that's all useful stuff! I am a bit worried on how difficult the class will be, but soon I'll have a good estimate on where to base my expectations, and I can deal with that when the situation demands it. Well, that's all of my classes for the semester. One thought just came to me, however, that I'd like to share before this post is finished. One thing I want to focus on this semester, more than almost anything else, is that I don't put "getting good grades" ahead of really learning . I want to retain, not regurgitate. I'm optimistic about my classes and the rest of the year, though, and I don't think that should be a problem. It's definitely going to be a challenge to get through the year, but it's a challenge I think I'm up to.

2019-04-19T07:19:04Z

http://calebmpowers.com/blog/?category=Learning

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon has earned a reputation as the world’s most beautiful marathon. The first race was held in 1970 and saw 26 runners line up to face the unknown challenge. Since then, the race has become a national institution and a firm favourite with local, upcountry, and international athletes. Old Mutual is proud to continue its association with this great event, which is the premier event in their road-running portfolio. Participants can choose from various distances – the scenic 56km ultra marathon or popular 21km half marathon and the 5km or 2.5km fun runs. The event attracts close to 26 000 participants across all the distances and provides them with a mixture of breathtaking scenery, a gruelling test of fitness for both the elite and recreational runner, and an unrivalled race organisation and atmosphere. Participants consistently vote it as one of the best in South Africa and it continues to attract strong fields and an increasing number of international entrants. The event has become synonymous with the Easter Weekend in Cape Town, with the pre-race activities at the expo, family day, and fun runs on Easter Friday. En-route entertainment on the race day provides fun, excitement, and a unique experience to runners, family, friends, and spectators alike. 26 runners who set out on the 35-miler from Impala Park were not aware that they were the pioneers of an event that in later years would attract more than 9 000 entrants. Entry fee was 50 cents and 15 people finished the race. Dirkie Steyn won the event in 3:55:50 and ran barefoot. The entry fee doubled to R1 and the number of finishers swelled to 31. Rob Knutzen won in 3:42:31. 96 of the 115 entrants lined up on 6 May 1972 and the entry fee was doubled to R2. Don Hartley won in 3:25:12. This was the first year that the Two Oceans Marathon event was held over the Easter weekend but it took place on Easter Monday and not Saturday, as was to become the custom in the years that followed. This was also the first time that a young doctor named Tim Noakes entered the race. Tim was to go on to become a world-renowned authority in sports science, particularly long distance running. Don Hartley won again in 3:24:06. Theresa Stadler, who was 40 years old at the time, was the first female runner to enter for the Two Oceans Marathon. She completed the race in 07:33:00, which was outside the official cut-off time, but inspired other women to follow her example. A new tradition was created in 1974 when the race date was officially established as the Saturday of the Easter weekend. Derek Preiss became the first and only male runner to win both the Two Oceans and the Comrades in the same year. He was to repeat this feat in 1975. In 1975, the government of the time had a policy that allowed different race groups to mix, provided permission had been obtained to hold a ‘multi-national’ event. The Minister of Sport, Dr P G J Koornhof, gave his official approval on condition that the ‘different race groups would not mix unnecessarily’. Everyone ignored this and the runners happily united in their quest to conquer the distance. George ‘Goodenough’ Qokweni, a male nurse from the Ernest Oppenheimer Hospital, and eight runners from Paarl East Athletic Club, were the first runners to demolish the racial barriers. Ulla Paul, a petite mother of three, became the first woman to complete the race within the official 6-hour limit. First male: Derek Preiss 3:22:01; First female: Ulla Paul 5:14:51. Gabashane Vincent Rakabaele became the first black runner to win an ultra marathon in South Africa in 3:18:05, after dicing with Alan Robb for most of the way. Marie Jeanne Duyvejonck from Belgium came close to breaking the 5-hour barrier by finishing in a time of 5:01:07. She won the first trophy to be awarded to a female winner. By now, it was becoming clear to the organisers that the race had the potential to develop into a mammoth event. This led to the introduction of more stringent rules about seconding and runners were no longer allowed to enter on the day. Brian Chamberlain won the race in 3:15:22. Marie-Jeanne Duyvejonk was the first woman to cross the line in 5:03:52. Janet, supported by Sybrand Mostert, finished the race in 4:34:28 and uttered the famous last words ‘never again’. Even though her feet were badly blistered, she managed to beat the previous women’s record by 26 minutes and 49 seconds. Brian Chamberlain won the race that year in 3:15:23, only 1 second slower than his winning time in 1977. In 1979, it was decided to award permanent numbers to all runners who had achieved three wins, or five gold medals, or 10 finishes. Hugh Amoore pipped PJ Sullivan (the only other contender) for the coveted Permanent Number One. 1 229 runners from 88 clubs entered for the 1979 race. Two new course records were set: Vincent Rakabaele broke the 3 hour 10 minute barrier in a time of 3:08:56 and Di Alperstein smashed the 1978 women’s record by finishing in 4:22:58. Gail Ingram of Varsity Kudus beat Di Alperstein’s record by over 8 and a half minutes by finishing in 4:14:05. In his first attempt at the 56km ultra, Johnny Halberstadt destroyed all opposition, winning by a margin of nearly four minutes and setting a new race record that would not be broken until 1987. His 1981 winning time of 3 hours 5 minutes 37 seconds is still the third fastest in history, and has only ever been bettered by Thompson Magawana (who did it twice). Gail Ingram won the women’s race for the second consecutive year. Beverley Malan was the first woman to break the 4-hour barrier and earn a silver medal in a time of 3:59:08. Siphiwe Gqele finished the race in 3:11:54, with Warwick Ewers just behind him in 3:11:58, the closest finish in the history of the race. A new record number of entrants, 3 770 runners, entered for the 1984 Two Oceans Marathon. The oldest entrant was 75-year-old Liege Boulle, who finished comfortably in 5:42:47. Siphiwe Gqele, a miner from Bracken Athletic Club, became the first Two Oceans entrant to win the race three times (1983, 1984 and 1985). What made this achievement even more remarkable was his consistency: his finish times for the 3 races were 3:11:54 (1983), 3:10:57 (1984) and 3:11:57 (1985). Siphiwe was the first runner who took only three years to gain a permanent number. Beverley Malan also scored a hat trick and became the first woman to be awarded a permanent number for winning the race three times (1982, 1983 and 1985). Marie Jeanne Duyvejonk rounded off the day when she was the first woman to earn a permanent number by completing ten Two Oceans marathons. A slow race saw Thulani Sibisi winning in a time of 3 hours 9 minutes 30 seconds. Mark Page, who famously duelled with (and lost to) Bruce Fordyce during two Comrades Marathons, achieved his best Two Oceans placing, finishing second. Three-time winner Beverley Malan ran her best time ever but still only managed third place in the women’s race. Thompson Magawana bettered Johnny Halberstadt’s course record by 6 seconds and won the race on his first attempt. Thulani Sibisi, winner in 1986, finished second. On 2 April 1988, Thompson Magawana broke two world records and established a course record for the Two Oceans that has yet to be equalled or bettered. In doing so, he not only improved on his 1987 winning time by 1 minute 47 seconds, but also bettered the world best times for the 30 mile and 50km distances. Thompson’s record of 3:03:44 still stands. His achievement is all the more remarkable because it is possible that even then he was already infected with a virus that would eventually lead to his early death in 1995. In 1989, Frith van der Merwe astonished everyone by breaking Monica Drögemöller’s course record of 3:44:29 by 13 minutes and 53 seconds and finishing 22nd overall (thereby beating Johnny Halberstadt). Frith’s winning time of 3:30:36 was established on a day when more than 2 000 runners failed to complete the race because of the extreme heat. Frith went on to win the Comrades Marathon later that year in a time of 5:54:43. She finished 15th overall and set a course record that has yet to be equalled. Frith is the only woman who has won the Two Oceans and the Comrades in the same year. PJ Sullivan, the only runner who had run all the Two Oceans marathons, was awarded the double laurel permanent number for successfully completing his 20th Two Oceans. In 1990, Professor Kevin Rochford approached the Two Oceans Committee with a proposal for a special Friday run, in order to accommodate those runners whose religious beliefs prevented them from running on a Saturday. Kevin, who finished 17th in 1975, was unable to run the race for 15 years because he had a special dispensation to observe the ‘Saturday Sabbath’. The committee granted his request, which was the start of a new tradition. On Friday 13 April 1990, committee members Chet Sainsbury, Chris Goldschmidt and 19 other runners (including Kevin) lined up for the first Friday run – everyone managed to complete the race within the 6 hour cut-off time. The 22nd Two Oceans Marathon 56km Ultra attracted 9227 entrants. Rondebosch Boys’ High School made the school premises available to accommodate underprivileged runners. This was the start of a new tradition and many other schools have offered their premises in the years that followed. The runners that lined up for the start on Saturday 18 April 1992 knew from the start that they were in for difficult conditions. Three cold fronts had hit Cape Town the day before and a fourth was predicted for race day. Just after Fish Hoek, the runners had to fight a strong head wind and shortly after 10h30 heavy rains started falling. All but the front-runners had to contend with freezing temperatures and low visibility. Israel Morake won the race that year 3:15:56. Monica Drögemöller, a popular local favourite, won the women’s race by crossing the line in 3:49:16. She is the only runner to date who has won the Two Oceans four times. Renette Bloem (29) and Dirk Fourie (64), who are both blind, showed the other runners that no handicap is so large that it cannot be overcome. Well-known local runner Robbie Dallas-Orr piloted Renette, a counselling psychologist from Stellenbosch. Brigid Taylor (27) became the youngest woman to earn a permanent number, when she completed her 10th Two Oceans Marathon. There was consternation the day before the race when the organisers learned that a train carrying 500 entrants had broken down at Beaufort West. After many frantic phone calls to the railway authorities, the organisers received the happy news that the runners would arrive in time to register for the race. Four athletes from Europe finished in the top 5 of the women’s race, and a Polish runner came second in the men’s race. Simon Malindi won the race at his first attempt in a time of 3 hours 10 minutes 53 seconds. Bob Haselum of Rand Athletic Club broke the magical four-hour barrier to earn the coveted silver medal. His time was 3:58:30 and this record still stands today. Zithulele Sinqe won the men’s race and Maria Bak from Germany was the first woman home; she completed five more Two Oceans marathons after 1996 and finished in the top 10 every time without recording another win. Zithulele Sinqe’s second consecutive win was also the fourth fastest time in history – only Thompson Magawana (twice) and Johnny Halberstadt had run faster. Angelina Sephooa was the women’s winner; she would go on to win the race in the following two years as well. In 1998, the race moved to a new venue. Runners started in Main Road Newlands and finished on the University of Cape Town’s rugby fields. This change was necessitated by the major building alterations at Brookside. The previous cut-off time of 6 hours was extended to 6 hours 30 minutes and a new Blue Medal was introduced to cater for these runners. Another important break with tradition was to increase the previous qualifying time from 4 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes. 1998 also saw the introduction of the first Two Oceans Half Marathon, which attracted 3593 entrants that first year. Of these, 2942 managed to complete the race within the 2 hour 30 mins cut-off. Ziyaad Dhansay, who is physically handicapped, crossed the line in 3:31:26. His achievement was greeted with rousing applause from the spectators and runners. Angelina Sephooa emulated Siphiwe Gqele’s feat (in 1983, 1984 and 1985) and won the women’s race for the third time in three attempts, thus achieving a permanent blue number in the shortest possible time. The cut-off time was extended again, from 6 hours 30 minutes to 7 hours. However, this major change almost went unnoticed, because the Two Oceans Marathon was about to face one of the biggest challenges in its history. In January 2000, Chapman’s Peak Drive had to close to traffic after a devastating fire and a series of rock falls. The race organisers were faced with a huge problem, as a Two Oceans Marathon without Chappies was almost unthinkable. They now had to devise an alternative course that would be as challenging and scenic as the route the runners had been using for the past 30 years. For the next four years, the race would go over Ou Kaapse Weg, with the race distance being maintained at 56 km. Joshua Peterson narrowly beat Vladimir Kotov, a veteran from Belarus, by only 8 seconds finishing in 3 hours 13 minutes and 12 seconds. In 2001, the organisers had another look at the qualification standards and decided to relax the previous marathon qualification time of 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours. Another change was that the minimum age for ultra entrants was increased from 18 to 20, as Athletics South Africa’s new rules stipulated that runners had to turn 20 during the year of competition. At the other end of the scale, a new prize category was introduced for Great Grandmasters, to honour the ultra runners who are 70 and over. John Coulthard was the first runner to win the Great Grandmaster prize – his winning time was 5:32:32. The oldest finisher was Gert Koen (75) who finished 6 169th out of 6 987 in a time of 6:30:8. AST was appointed the technology partner and implemented an online registration system via the Internet for the first time. 5 251 runners entered for the fifth Two Oceans Half Marathon, an increase of 8.4% over the 2001 field. Many runners and walkers had requested that the cut-off time of 2 hours 30 minutes be extended. The organisers, aware that such a move would mean a considerable increase in the number of entries and realising that the last stretch of the route is too narrow to accommodate both the frontrunners in the ultra and the backmarkers in the half, decided that an extended cut-off would not be possible at that time. The cut-off for the half marathon was eventually extended to 2 hours 35 minutes in 2004. Once again, the total number of entries increased, although the trend of diminishing numbers of ultra marathon entries continued. As in 2002, a novice won the ultra marathon. Heavy fog early in the morning hampered television coverage of the race, but the mist lifted a bit later and the weather was fine – quite humid but virtually wind-free. 2003 was the last time the race went over the alternative route via Ou Kaapse Weg. Mluleki Nobanda won the ultra marathon in 3:09:21, with Hungarian athlete, Simone Staicu taking the women’s title in 3:37:32, the second fastest time ever. Luwis Masunda won the half marathon and set a new course record in a time of 1:03:46. Charne Rademeyer was the first woman home in a time of 1:15:48. Chapman’s Peak was reopened and attracted a record field for both the 56 km ultra marathon (9 938) and the 21 km half marathon (8 359). Close to 18 000 people lined up at the start line, the most participants in the history of the event. The cut off for the half marathon was increased by 5 minutes, giving participants 2 hours and 35 minutes to complete the race. The half marathon route was also changed slightly to remove the extra “much hated” dog’s leg down Southern Cross Drive. The ultra-marathon race was won by novice Marco Mambo from Harmony Gauteng North Athletics Club in a time of 3:07:41. He destroyed a field that included the winners from 2001, 2002 and 2003, finishing more than two minutes ahead of the second-placed athlete. Russian twin Yelena Nurgalieva ran neck and neck for virtually the whole distance with her sister before winning the women’s race in 3:37:51. Elijah Mutandiro was first to cross the finish line in the half marathon in a time of 1:04:02, with Ronel Thomas taking first place in the women’s race in 1:15:46. Alex Jones, age 76, became the oldest person to finish the 56 km event. Incessant rain in the Southern Suburbs on race-day turned the finishing area at UCT sports fields into a muddy quagmire. Both Ultra Marathon Titles successfully defended! Both 2004 ultra winners successfully defended their titles. Marco Mambo predicted at the media conference that he was going to run 3:05:00 and if anyone wanted to beat him, they would have to run faster to do just that. He became only the seventh male in the history of the race to win two years in a row. He won the race in a time of 3:05:39 and was spot on with his prediction. In the women’s race, the Russian Nurgalieva twins repeated their success of 2004, with another Russian Marina Bychkova placing third. Yelena Nurgalieva won the race in a time of 3:38:12. Yelena’s close tussle with her twin sister Olesya was again a highlight of the women’s race. New York marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala took line honours in the half marathon in a new record time of 1:03:27. The top 3 athletes all broke the previous record for the half marathon, set by Luwis Masunda in 2003. Mamorallo Tjoka won the women’s race in 1:15:58. The entrants did not reach the record levels of 2004, but this was to be expected as 2004 had been the year when the race returned to Chapman’s Peak after a four-year break. Even so, it was still the second-biggest field ever, with entrants in the half marathon exceeding those in the ultra marathon for the first time. The 2006 event saw close to 18 000 participants line up for the ultra and the half marathon. The half marathon had just under 10 000 runners, a record field. This year’s event also saw the introduction of more changes, all aimed at improving the race for all involved. The half marathon cut off was extended to three hours and the race started at 06h20, followed by the ultra at the new start time of 07h00. This was not a popular start time and was changed to 06h20 in 2007. A new medal, the Sainsbury Medal, was introduced for ultra runners completing the event between 4 and 5 hours. 2006 is the 37th consecutive running of the race and the Expo and Race Registration moved to the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town. Just over 19 000 people took part in the ultra and the half marathon. Combined with the fun runs on Good Friday, the total number of people that took part was close to 25 000 runners and walkers. Bethuel Netshifhefhe, who won in a time of 03:07:56, was the first South African to win the ultra since 2003, when Mluleki Nobanda took line honours. Since then Zimbabwean runners have dominated the race. Russian athlete Biktagirova won her first attempt at an ultra distance event in 03:35:04, the second fastest time ever for this race. She was 4:28 behind the course record, which was set in 1989 by Frith van der Merwe. 41 runners qualified for their permanent blue numbers in the half marathon, having run all 10 since the half marathon was first introduced in 1998. In his last Two Oceans as Race Director, Chet Sainsbury did not achieve a Sainsbury medal, this time missing the 5-hour cut-off by 14:26. Nine-time Comrades winner Bruce Fordyce (51) finished almost 40 minutes later in 5:54:06. In the half marathon, Kenyan Willy Mwangi beat Enos Matalane by 20 seconds in 63:05, while Namibian Helalia Johannes defended her title successfully in 73:16, breaking her course record of 73:35 by 19 seconds. Behind her South Africans René Kalmer (73:42) and Zintle Xiniwe (74:52) both set huge PBs. Former world marathon record holder Tegla Loroupe was fifth in 77:40 and said she had been travelling too much to expect a better result. 2007 also saw the introduction of the International Friendship Run on Good Friday. All international entrants, plus their family and friends were invited to take part, and close to 1 000 participants did the 5 km fun run/walk from the Good Hope Centre on a scenic route through the city centre to the finish at the V&A Waterfront. The 39th edition proved to be an exciting and eventful one. Rowyn James moved down from Gauteng to take up his position as the new race director. Zimbabwean Marco Mambo returned to pick up his third win (having previously won in 2004/5) in a time of 3:11:35, the slowest since 2000, but got his permanent blue number and joining Siphiwe Gqele as only the second three-time winner, although Gqele won three times in a row. Olesya Nurgalieva clocked the second fastest time in the race’s history winning in 3:34:53 with her sister Elena finishing in second, 32 seconds behind her. The half had a record field of 11 213 entries, with 9616 (86%) finishing within the 3 hour cut off. Zimbabwean George Majaji won in 1:03:31, with Mamorallo Tjoka from Lesotho involved in a titanic battle with Thabita Tsatsa, also from Zimbabwe in the women’s race. Tjoka ended up winning in 1:15:05 with Tsatsa only 3 seconds behind her. 2008 saw a new technical sponsor PUMA come on board and sign a contract for the next 5 years. NOAH (Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity) was appointed as the official race charity and a cheque for R211 000 was presented to them through the kind generosity of the runners. The 40th anniversary of this iconic event was reason enough to celebrate and coupled with the 10th anniversary of Old Mutual as title sponsor, it made for a double celebration. To cap all celebrations both race fields showed an increase in entries over 2008, and for the first time in the event’s history over 20 000 entries were received. Sadly race founder Dave Venter passed away in the later half of 2008, so was not able to be part of the celebrations but in a fitting tribute the 40th edition was dedicated to him and he was no doubt there in spirit cheering everyone along. Zimbabwean Marko Mambo was hoping to pick up his fourth win to become the first male to do so and join Monica Drogemoller as the only other four-time winner. However, this was not to be as an unknown novice John Wachira of Kenya running in the colours of the ADT Club passed him only 1,5km from the finish to win in a time of 3:10:06. Mambo finished second some 46 seconds behind him. In the women’s race, it was again the Nurgalieva twins who dominated from start to finish. They finished tie first in a time of 3:40:43 with the race officials awarding the win to Elena, her third win in this event. Samukeliso Moyo of Zimbabwe finished a distant 3rd in 3:58:47, with Farwa Mentoor finishing 4th (and first South African) just under the 4 hour mark in 3:59:45. The half marathon had a record field of just over 13 000 runners and South African Stephen Mokoka took line honours in 1:03:42 with Wirimayi Juwawo of Zimbabwe second just 8 seconds behind him. Course record holder Helalia Johannes of Namibia had an easy win (1:13:34) in the women’s race followed home by last year’s winner from Lesotho Mamorallo Tjoka in 1:15:43. Cape Town Mayor, now Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille took time out from her hectic campaigning schedule to be up at dawn to start both races and then spent the day at the finish, cheering the runners on. Saturday 3 April saw the running of the 41st Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in ideal running conditions. The race was yet another special one drawing a record field of just over 20 000 participants. We were honoured to have the Mayor of Cape Town, Dan Plato, start both races on Easter Saturday and to share the day with us. 2010 was a watershed year for South Africa and saw the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup. Coupled with this, road running enjoyed a boom with participation figures on the increase across the country over all distances. The 56km ultra event had 2 000 more participants than last year and was one of biggest field in the event’s history. Of the 8 831 ultra runners, 30% of them ran it for the first time. The race started in cool conditions, with a slight drizzle sifting down from the grey clouds enveloping Table Mountain. These perfect running conditions saw a foreign brigade once again dominate the ultra, taking the top 9 positions and producing a titanic duel between three Lesotho runners. Lesotho athlete Mabuthile Lebopo led home the foreign-laden top 10 in 3:06:18, the fastest winning time since 2005. The tiny mountain country of Lesotho, which is entirely enclosed by South Africa, filled the first three positions and had five runners in the first ten. Olesya Nurgalieva took the honours in the woman’s race in 3:41:53, with her twin sister Elena settling for second spot just over 100 metres adrift in 3:42:19. Although this was the twins’ slowest win and Olesya’s second victory, the pair have never finished lower than fourth over a seven year period, highlighting the dominance they have in the event. Only two runners not named Nurgalieva have won in the past seven years. Lushapo April won the half marathon edging out Kalvin Pangiso on the run into the UCT field to take the tape in 1:03:54. Zimbabwean, Pangiso was only 30 metres adrift at the tape in a race that saw the top six athletes dip under 65 minutes. In the women’s half marathon, René Kalmer broke the course record by 37 seconds with her 72:39, but she was chased hard by Irvette van Blerk, who finished only 16 seconds behind. 2010 saw the introduction of a trail run to further enhance the event and make it a fully inclusive festival of running. Runners could choose either an 8 or 18km and the interest was overwhelming. Entries were limited to 400 in each distance and both were sold out within a few weeks of entries opening. The 2011 event saw a record field of close to 23 000 runners line up on Easter Saturday for the ultra and half marathon in perfect running weather. 14 147 runners took part in the half marathon, making it the biggest field in the event’s history and in South Africa, with the ultra attracting 8 645 entries. This truly Capetonian event attracted over 30 000 participants across all the different events. George Ntshiliza became the first South African ultra winner since 2007, when he sprinted to the closest finish in years and a cheque for R250 000. He ended a run of three victories by other African countries, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Lesotho respectively, as he crossed the finish line at UCT in 3:08:31 after 56 thrilling kilometres. In the women’s race the Nurgalieva twins from Russia dominated yet again, with Olesya winning her third Two Oceans title to go with her wins in 2008 and 2010, plus a cheque for R250 000. She and sister Elena now have three wins apiece. This year Lusapho April defended his men’s half marathon title in 1:03:58, and Helalia Johannes of Namibia held off South Africa’s Irvette van Blerk by eight seconds to win the women’s race in a new course record of 1:11:56. The trail run on Good Friday morning saw just over 1 000 runners take on a tough, challenging 22km or 10km on the mountain trails of Devil’s Peak and Newlands Forest above the University of Cape Town (UCT). In only its second year, the trail event sold all 1 000 entries in just 23 hours of entries opening and the 14 000 entry slots for the 21km were sold out in just two months, with the last 2 000 entries snapped up in just 36 hours! This year’s fun runs on Good Friday attracted close to 4 800 participants over the various distances, which included a 56m nappy dash for kids, 300m toddlers’ trot, 2.5km and 5km fun runs. These fun runs are all about family and giving people a chance to experience the amazing event spirit. Close to 1 000 international participants gathered at the V&A Waterfront for the International Friendship Run (IFR) – a scenic 5km run/walk through Cape Town, past some of the City’s famous landmarks that included the Cape Town Stadium, Sea Point Promenade, Green Point Park and Mouille Point Lighthouse. Runners from all over the world got into the event spirit with their family and friends, jogging with the flags from their various countries. They were treated to the warm South African hospitality and got to see what makes this city so special. Just over 1 300 runners came from outside South Africa’s borders to take part in either the ultra or half marathon, with 77 different countries represented. This year the United Kingdom sent the biggest contingent of runners, with Germany and the United States also well represented. 2011 saw the successful introduction of RaceTec, the event’s new electronic timing partner who will be on board for the next five years. This brings two iconic Cape Town events together as RaceTec is owned and managed by Cape Town Cycle Tour and used at many mass timed events around the country. A strategic decision was also taken by the Two Oceans Marathon Association (TOMA) to bring the IT component in-house, resulting in a comprehensive IT system rewrite and a new, more user-friendly online entry system. An overhauled and improved medical plan was introduced for this year’s event, with Netcare 911, the medical sponsor working very closely with the Western Cape Provincial Government Emergency Metro Services to ensure that all the participants received the best possible medical attention and care during the event. Diarise 7 April 2012 for the 43rd running of the world’s most beautiful marathon…see you there! Half Marathon breaks all records and the fourth biggest field in the Ultra, plus a new route introduced for the half. A record field of close to 26 000 runners, including the defending champions and over 1 500 international runners, will line up for this year’s event. The 56km ultra marathon has attracted a field of just under 9 200, making it the fourth biggest in the event’s history. The largest field was in 2004, when the race made a welcome return to Chapman’s Peak and attracted 9 769 runners. Entries for the half marathon opened in November and 8 000 entries were received in just two days. Five days later the entries were at 11 000 and the 16 000 mark was reached in less than two weeks. These 16 000 runners will get to experience the new route over Edinburgh Drive, and be a part of the biggest half marathon in the country and in Africa. The route has been changed for the first ten kilometers and participants will make their way from the start in Main Road to the M3, up Edinburgh Drive, which will not only provide spectacular views out over Muizenberg and one ocean, but also help to alleviate some of the congestion experienced at the start. From the M3 runners will meet up with the old route in Constantia. The trail run also broke all previous records with the 800 entries going in just under three hours. This is the third year the trail run is being held and it’s becoming a “must do” event on the calendar. Of last year’s top 10 men in the 56km, all ten have entered. In the women’s race, five of the top 10 have entered. Only one of the Nurgalieva twins will be competing on race day as defending champion Olesya has pulled out with a week to go due to her pregnancy. Elena has confirmed she will definitely be taking part. The men’s defending champion George Ntshiliza, will be lining up on race day. In the 21km, six of last year’s top 10 in the men have entered and Lusapho April will be back to defend his title. Six of last year’s top 10 have also entered in the women’s race. However last year’s winner and course record holder Helalia Johannes, will not be back to defend her title. A record field of athletes lined up at the start of the 2013 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in cold and windy conditions, although the rain that marked the previous event did not make an appearance. Novice runner David Gatebe beat a highly competitive field at the 44th Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in a time of 03:08:54. Second place went to Nedbank runner Mthandazo Qhina (03:10:02), who competed in his fourth Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, while Moeketsi Mosuhli (03:10:23) from Lesotho claimed third place. For the first time since 2007, the Russian twins – Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva – could not achieve a win, with compatriot Natalia Volgina winning in a time of 03:38:38, just over a minute ahead of second place Thabita Tsatsa from Zimbabwe and third place ultra marathon novice Charne Bosman. In the Half Marathon race, both the Men’s and Ladies winners established new course records despite the windy conditions. Stephen Lesego Mokoka (Team Transnet) won the Men’s race in a time 01:03:36, beating Lusapho April (Oxford Striders) and Joel Mmone (Nedbank Development) to the finish. In the Ladies race, Ethiopian runner Biru Meseret Mengista stormed to victory in a time of 01:12:43, shaving more than two minutes off the course record, set last year by Rene Kalmer, who managed to take second place. Third place in the ladies 21km went to Irvette van Blerk. In 2013, the Half Marathon attracted another maximum field, with just over 16 000 participants taking part – more than half of them were women. The Ultra Marathon attracted a record field of over 10 000 entrants, making it the biggest-ever entry field for the Ultra Marathon in the event’s history, a testament to its global reputation as the world’s most beautiful marathon. The Half Marathon is the biggest in the country and broke all entry records when entries closed in just four days. The Trail Run also set entry records of its own as all 800 entries were bought in under three hours. This was the fourth year the trail run was being held and it has become a “must do” event on the trail running calendar. For the first time, the Expo was hosted at the inspirational Cape Town International Convention Centre, where runners and sports enthusiasts could experience the latest in sports equipment, fashion, nutrition and health. 2013 marked the 14th year of the partnership with naming-rights sponsor Old Mutual, whose support has helped make this event one of the top marathons in the world, and new technical sponsor adidas signed a three-year deal. Lesotho runner, Lebenya Nkoka from team Maxed Elite, won the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in a time of 03:09:52. Second place went to veteran Hendrick Ramaala (Nedbank), who ran his first Two Oceans Ultra in a time of 03:11:33, while Masilo Matjiane from Lesotho crossed the finish line in 03:12:00, taking the third position. In the ladies’ race, it was third time lucky for Russian champ Nina Podnebesnova, who finally achieved a win after coming 5th in 2013 and 2011 respectively. She crossed the finish line in a time of 03:40:07, three minutes ahead of Ethiopian Shitaye Debellu (03:43:37). For the second year, Russian twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva couldn’t perform as they had hoped, with the sisters battling flu. Elena took third place in a time of 03:43:59, with Olesya only managing 6th place. In the Half Marathon race, athletes battled windy conditions from start to finish. Defending champion Stephen Mokoka (Team Transnet) won the men’s race in 01:04:16 – almost a minute slower than his 2013 time – beating Joel Mmone (Nedbank) and Sibabalwe Mzazi (Team Transnet) to the finish. The ladies’ race belonged to Lebo Phalula (Maxed Elite), who comfortably ran to victory in a time of 01:14:00. Rene Kalmer came second in 01:14:23, with Gezashigh Gemeda of Ethiopia taking third in 01:15:02. A record field of athletes lined up for a windy and chilly start at the 2014 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. Despite the cold start, the heat and wind contributed to a slower Ultra Marathon, which resulted in a record number of athletes completing the Ultra in between six and seven hours. The wind also contributed to a slower Half Marathon. Title Sponsor Old Mutual had originally offered a R1-million prize to the male and female runner to break the Ultra Marathon records. But as Easter Saturday drew to a close, the 1988 and 1989 records established by Thompson Magawana and Frith van der Merwe respectively, remained in place for another year. The Half Marathon once again reached its entry capacity of 16 000, while, for the first time, the Ultra Marathon sold out before the official entries closing date. The Trail Runs also set entry records, when the 10km sold out in a matter of minutes, and the 22km Trail Run in around two hours. The Expo returned to the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where runners and sports enthusiasts could experience the latest in sports equipment, fashion, nutrition and health. 2014 marked the 15th year of the partnership with naming-rights sponsor Old Mutual, whose support has helped make this event one of the top marathons in the world, while adidas celebrated their 2nd anniversary as technical sponsor.

2019-04-25T10:54:28Z

https://www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/about-two-oceans/history/

On my 150th episode of The InvestFourMore Real Estate Podcast, I go over my business, which has been a little crazy lately. I started a new real estate brokerage in April, which we have been getting up and running, and I have been remodeling a new space. I am still flipping a lot of houses, but I have not been buying as many flips as I would like to. I have not been buying a lot of rentals, but the one rental I bought this year has been doing very well. On the podcast, I talk about all of this, the challenges, the progress, and the plan moving forward. How is the progress on my real estate brokerage? There has been much more we have had to do, and luckily, I have a lot of help. Aside from getting the new brokerage up and running, we have had to remodel a new space for the brokerage. I am in a temporary office until the permanent office is ready. We have been working on the space with a contractor I have used for years. Progress was moving at a snail’s pace, with the paint taking over 7 weeks to complete! The contractor was not doing anything to speed up the work and eventually told us he had bigger and better clients that were more important. We fired him a couple of weeks ago and had a new contractor in the space the same day. I was so relieved to have the new contractor there and working! We have made a lot of progress, and I think we will be able to move into the new space June 1st, although not all the work may be complete. How have my house flips been progressing? I had a goal to flip 36 houses in 2018. I have been doing a decent job of selling flips, but we have not been buying nearly as many as I would like. We have sold 10 flips so far this year, with 6 more set to close in the next couple of weeks. However, I have only bought 7 flips! I was planning to buy 3 per month, and I am way behind that number. I have been distracted with the new brokerage, remodel, and everything else going on, but it is also getting tougher and tougher to find deals. Colorado has a crazy real estate market, and things have not calmed down at all. We are doing direct marketing, working with wholesalers, looking on the MLS, and many other places, but it is tough. I have a number of leads from my direct marketing campaign that I hope will pan out soon. How have my rental properties performed? I have only bought one rental in 2018, but it was a big one! I bought the building where my new real estate office will be. The total square footage is over 68,000, but it also holds a grocery store, a restaurant, and another office. I rented out some of the vacant space, which has made the building perform even better than we anticipated. It has been a little work learning the ins and outs of the building and leases, but it has been really fun and cool. The tenants pay for almost every expense, which makes the building a home-run purchase. I feel like we got an amazing deal. It has been a little stressful this year with everything going on, but it has been exciting and fun as well. I would love for things to go faster, but I am used to remodels taking longer than I think they should. It has been a great experience having my own office and being in complete control of how we run things. [0:00:13.9] MF: Welcome to the Investor Four More real state podcasts. My name is Mark Ferguson and I am your host. I am an active real estate investor. I’ve flip 15 to 30 houses a year. I've got residential and commercial rental properties. I’m an agent with nine people on my real estate team who’ve sold thousands of houses over the years, and I talk about what's going on in my career as well as interview other amazing agents, investors, landlords, flippers, wholesalers and companies who can help those people succeed. So I want to give a quick shout out to my sponsor, Patch of Land. They funded a flip for me in six days. I emailed them on a Sunday afternoon, they responded in less than 15 minutes. They have rates below 8%, work in 45 states, will fund 85% of a deal and fund the repairs as well. Great company who I love working with, Patch of Land. For my podcast listeners, I have a special discount page for my products, investfourmore.com/discount. That’s investfourmore.com/discount. We’ve got coupons on all my coaching programs. Some of those programs involve calls with me, consulting, video training, and much, much more. All right, let's get to the show. [0:01:46.9] MF: Hey, it’s Mark, and we’re back with another podcast. Today is just me. I’m going to give some updates on the brokerage, flipping, rentals, all that good stuff for the year. So I’m going to get right into it and start with updates on the new real estate brokerage I'm starting. So I’ve had a couple of podcasts on this subject. Talked little bit about it on YouTube, on the blog, but we started our own brokerage beginning of April, a little sooner than we thought, but it's worked out pretty good so far. We had to move into a temporary office in the 68,000 square-foot building I bought while our permanent office is being remodeled. So I was hoping to kind of move into that office, have most of it ready by May 1st. That did not happen for a number of reasons. Our new date is June 1st. So I am making sure we’re in their June 1st. Get everything started going and kind of settled in, although there may be a few repairs, few things to finish after that is done. So what has happened recently? First off, like I said, we started our own brokerage. So there is a lot to do as far as getting the actual brokerage set up. We had to create a business. It was called Blue Steel Real Estate. Had to file documents with the state for the business side of it. Had to file documents for the state for the brokerage side of it. Had to get all that approved. Then I had to set up manuals, office manuals, different forms, different addendums, contractor agreements for my agents, employee agreements for people who are employees with me, all kinds of things we had to do. So, luckily, there's a really good attorney's office in Colorado and they had most of those forms already set up for people starting their own brokerage, just kind of customize it for our brokerage. So they helped a ton with getting that stuff set up. It saved me so much time not to have to do all those forms and everything myself. As well as getting the brokerage set up, we had to transfer the agents’ licenses from the old office to our new office. So all of my team came with me except for there's still one agent over at our old office, and he has said he's most likely going to come and join our office as soon as a permanent space is done. But he's at the other brokerage now until that happens, but the rest of my team is here. So we’ve got out agents, administration staff. We kind of just started. Did have an amazing plan for our brokerage, but since I already had my real estate team in place, we kind of just kept doing what the team was doing as far as marketing, as far as different things. We’re the Ferguson team at Pro Realty before. Now we’re the Ferguson team at Blue Steel Real Estate. So we’re kind of keeping that name to keep name recognition for our team, and then we’ll also have the separate Blue Steel Real Estate brokerage as well. It has been challenging. Some of the things that you don't always think about or that I knew would come about, but we weren’t exactly prepared for just the amount of paperwork, keeping track of contracts, keeping track of dates, those type of things, and we have hired some people to help with that. And there's been private training going on to help those people get on board with what we’re trying to do. So that's been challenging. It’s been challenging because there’s a lot of work with not only getting the brokerage set up, but designing a new space. I'm still flipping houses. We still have rental properties. We still have the team activities. So there's a lot going on. Plus, there’s still the blog, where I'm doing these podcasts, I'm writing articles, doing other things. So it has been a lot to take in, but it's also been really fun at the same time. I think we’re making progress. I think we’ve done pretty well for the short amount of time we've had to at least get our brokerage itself up and running with the team. Last week, we actually hired a new person, kind of an office manager who actually used to work at our old brokerage. So she's been a ton of help getting us set up, getting everything in compliance, everything done how it's supposed to be done, because details are not my specialty. So I need to have other people who can help with that side of it. All right. So our team is doing well. The brokerage is doing well. We’re not trying to add new agents right now. After we’re moved, after we’re settled in at that point, then I'll look at adding new agents, but I’m not going out there, going to be recruiting full-time. I want quality over quantity and I want to take my time choosing the right people, ethical people, people who are doing a lot of business, people who will represent our company very well. So as far as the repairs and remodeling go at the new office, it’s been making progress. It was much, much slower than I hoped it would be, and we kind of – We used one of my crews, contractors who does a lot of work on my houses. He’s been working with me for two or three years. Done a lot of houses remodeling them, and in that new space – Like I said, I have a lot of videos on YouTube, original video, a couple of update videos. So you can check those out if you're interested in seeing exactly what it looks like. But we had to go in there, move a couple of walls, nothing crazy. Had to paint the entire interior and it’s like 4,500 ft.² of space. So there's a lot of there. Paint all the doors, had to install new trim, had to redo flooring, which still isn’t done yet. Had to redo the bathrooms, put on a kitchen, kind of put in a little coffee bar. Had to put in a work room. So there was a lot to do, quite a bit of demo as well. The guy I was using my contractor, we had been working – Or his crew had been working for almost 2 months, and basically what they got done was most of the paint, they had not finished painting everything, part of the bathrooms, most of the kitchen, and then moving a couple of the walls. I had talked with him at length about how important it was that this was done quickly, that we had a lot of people here working on it and that he is in constant communication with me and his crew about what was going on. For a while, things would get better after these talks, then they’d go back to having one or two people over there working at a time, painting by hand, with brushes, just moving at a snail's pace, and the contractor was not on the job site. He was not working. He was doing other stuff. So it got very frustrating. Came to certain point, a couple of weeks ago where Nikki, who’s my project manager, went when over there, were making a list of all the things that still needed done. Making a list of paint that needed done, all the stuff. While were over there, ironically, the contractor calls and says – Talking about something and Nikki is like, “Hey, we got to do this faster. We have to get this done faster,” and he just went off on her. She was not a happy camper and he basically said, “I don't need your guys’ work. I don't need you. I have better clients. I don't care about your project. So you'll just going to have to deal with how fast I'm moving. So after he said that, I told him get his crew out of there. He’s done, and it was kind of cool because that was nine-ish on a Thursday morning, and by 10:30 we had another crew in their working. I had worked with him a lot, and Nikki was really upset about it too because she had given him a lot of chances, and I probably would've fired them a lot sooner, but she kept trying to give him chances because she'd worked with them so much before and knew he has usually has a pretty decent crew and that usually work really fast, but – Yeah, she was pretty upset about him acting like that and pretty much just saying he didn't care about our project. So we cut ties with him completely. Told him to get his stuff. He had things stored in my storage unit that I'd let him store there. So all that stuff’s gone, and yeah, we’re done with him completely. So we can kind of tell by the work and the things were done that he did not care, and he was never there and know he got some other new clients who I think he thought were better, more important than us. I don't know what it was. So I was actually really happy for, not happy because I fire someone, but I was happy because I knew things are going to change. It was really frustrating, really –I was anxious, stressed about how slow things were going, and I knew they could be going faster. So once we got rid of him and we got that new crew in there, I felt so much better about it and I feel like in the first week that new crew got more done than that other crew had gotten done in six weeks before that. I mean, they had a bunch of guys over there. They had painters over there. Just they’ve done a tremendous job. So that's actually another crew I’ve worked with on a bunch of houses as well who’ve done fantastic. So once we got that new crew in there, things have gone much faster. We have started building a deck out front and it’s going to have a nice covered patio. We’re working on painting the stucco, doing a few minor stucco repairs and then painting the stucco as kind of a peachy color now. We’re going to paint it gray. The ceiling tiles inside are all painted gray. The doors are gray. The reception desk is being built. Now, the bathrooms are being finished now. Lots of progress made. The floor, we’re finally moving forward on the floor. Hopefully we’ve decided we’re just kind of buff the current floor, that’s there, the concrete floor. Put sealer on it and then an epoxy over it. So it should look pretty cool. That should be done soon. So there’s a lot going on. We still have a lot to do. We need to finish the reception desk. Finish the bathrooms. Still some touchup painting that needs done. Floors obviously are big part of it. Then we ordered furniture. So I ordered six new desks. I ordered a couple of nicer desks for my office. We ordered bookcases. We ordered file cabinets, all matching. We just ordered a bunch of chairs yesterday. We've got a whole – What else did we have? Oh, we got barn doors for the conference room, which are on the way. We’ve got a little separate awning for the front and it's on its way. A lot going on. We’re replacing all the light bulbs. Making sure all the electrical is done right. The plumbing's all been fixed and done. So we’re making progress. It will be tight getting in there by June 1st, but I think we can do it now. All of the outside might not be completely done, but we should have the floors, we should have the furniture and we should be able to operate come June 1st. Comcast is providing the phones and the internet. It’s scheduled on June 1st. So we lose internet at our temporary office here and it get switched to the new office on June 1st. So we have to be out of here and done by that date. So that should be really exciting. That should be lot of fun and a really cool day moving in and just being in that new space. This temporary space is okay, but I have a video of it as well. It’s got old carpet. It’s kind of stained. The walls are beat up. The doors are old. I'm doing this podcast in kind of a back office. The doors supposed to have glass, but it's got plywood covering the class, and no actual door handles, so I have to set something against the door so it actually stays shut. It’s not best location right now, and all our desks are kind of in this giant big open room because it used to be a thrift store and that's what was there before. So nobody has any privacy, and I think we’ll be pretty happy to be in a new space, have her own offices and have something that's nice and really enjoyable. So that's kind of how the office is going. Like I said, lot of progress being made, design choices. I’ve been a little tricky kind of decide between what I want, what my wife wants, what other people want, but we’re making progress on that side too. So, yeah, hopefully that goes well. We got our signs in. So if you guys follow the Facebook page for Blue Seal Real Estate, you can see pictures of our signs. We did posts with the hanging signs. So they look a lot nicer than most real estate office signs. Yeah, it’s been really cool. So that's the brokerage. That's the update there. Moving on to my flips. So I set a goal to do 36 flips this year, and we are way behind that goal. Not quite like, not super far behind on flips sold, but on flips bought. So I think – I have to look at my list. We've sold 11 flips so far, but I have six under contract to sell in the next few weeks. So I actually have 16 sold halfway through the year. So that’s really close to my goal of selling 35, 36 for the year. However, I have only bought seven flips this year. So this time last year, I bought a lot more, something like 12 or 13, and it has gotten much tougher to find deals this year, and part of that is because I have been distracted with the brokerage, with the office, with the commercial building we bought. At the same time if I thought Colorado's market could not get any hotter, I was wrong, because it is still on fire. There are fewer listings than ever. Prices keep going up, and just about everybody wants a whole lot of money for their houses. You think with direct marketing with our off market properties, some people would be happy that they're making so much more money than what they bought it for. But a lot of people get caught up in how hot the real estate market is and they want even more money than it was actually worth seeing self. So it has been tough, but we still have gotten seven deal. So I can't complain. I would've liked to have a lot more than that by now, and maybe we’ll really kill it the second half of the year. I think once we get settled into my new office and getting more routine, I think that’ll definitely help, but it has been tough. So I think until April 30th, I had only about four and I scheduled to buy four that day, three from wholesalers and one from the MLS, and I closed on two of them from the wholesalers and one on the MLS. Another one, the seller just disappeared. The week before, they said they’re set for closing. They’re ready to go. Closing comes around, nobody could get a hold of them. Nobody could contact them. They’re just gone. they vanished. So we could not close in the house. They kind of been wishy-washy before that, extending things and extending things. That was a little crazy thinking I was going to close in the house and then nothing happened. With that type of deal, I bought it from a wholesalers, so it's not like I can sue the seller and force them to sell it to me, because I'm not buying it directly from the seller. I’m buying it from the wholesaler, and the wholesaler has all kinds of clauses and stuff in their contracting saying that if they can't get quick title, blah-blah-blah, then they're out of it, and the wholesales doesn’t want to go to the work of suing someone. So just have to chalk that one up as a dead deal, maybe it will come along eventually again. Who knows? But that happens. So never count your chickens before they hatch. That's for sure. So, yeah, we did buy three that day. So that was nice. Like I said, I’ve got before-and-after videos of just all my flips on YouTube. If you want to check those out and see what those houses look like, I don't have any under contract to buy right, which is a little scary too. I wish I had three more ready to by next month, but we don't have anything. However, we have been ramping up the direct marketing again. So I hadn’t been doing a whole lot of the direct marketing with everything going on, but we sent out some more letters. I’ve been doing some more – Just marketing with direct marketing, checking Facebook, checking Craigslist, checking Zillow, checking MLS. Just being more diligent about really looking for those deals, because I wasn't doing as much as I could. The last couple of months, I’ve had so much going on. So to make sure I'm in the right place finding those deals, because that's one of the primary ways we’re making money in our business. So like I said, we did our direct marketing. I have maybe three or four decent leads that I'm working right now who may or may not sell their house to me in the next couple of months. So hopefully those will come through. I have some other lead sources from some other places that may come through. We still have wholesaler sending us the occasional deal. So I had one just Facebook message me today about a potential deal. I will see if anything happens with that. So there's still stuff going on, but it's tough. Like I said, I've talked to a number of other investors in my area who do close to as many flips as me. Some maybe even have done more in there in the same boat. They’re just like, “Man! It’s tough to find deals.” People have their own huge crews to rehab houses and they’re like, “Well, we don't have any houses to rehab.” They’re like, “We don’t have any houses to rehab. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” so him definitely tough in a hot market, but we’ll survive. We’ll keep making it and we’ll be okay with the flips. All right. So moving on, let’s talk about rental properties a little bit. So things have been kind of quiet with rental properties prior to last year. There’re a few years I took the time off. I wasn't buying any rentals because prices got so high. Then last year we ended up buying for commercial properties that ranged in value from 70,000 to 292,000. Those properties have re done fairly well. All of them are rented or I use one of them, the small 70,00o one to store materials and one of my cars for personal use. So that’s been awesome having that space just to where things at. Then some good news, I’m going to do a full ride up, maybe even a podcast on my rental that I bought for 292, 000, but I’m getting that refinanced and it should be a fantastic investment once I’ve got it all finalized. Like I said, I bought that for 292,000. It was about a 7,000 square-foot building. The upstairs is finished. The basement was unfinished. So we went through, had to redo the heating system, paint. Put in some flooring. We did quite a bit of work there. We probably spent 50 to 60,000. I try not to pay attention to exactly how much we spent, because it depresses me sometimes. But Nikki could give me the exact number. But we spent a lot of money there, and that was kind of like my first commercial property. I really tried to rent on my own. So that’s kind of scary. But we get it rented right away for 4,500 a month to an oil company and they’ve signed a three-year lease just for the upstairs. We still have the vacant basement we can use for storage. Eventually, we might finish one of the units. It’s zoned, a mixed-use. So we can put a residential apartment down there if we really want to at some point. It has its own separate entrance, kind of a cool space, but they're renting it for 4,500 a month and that happened in January. So after a few months I’m like, “Oh man! I should think about refinancing this,” because I used private money to buy the property. I had it – One of my investor friends loaned me 90% of the purchase price at like 10% interest, something like that. So I've had this loan on it where I’m paying 10% interest this whole time. Plus, I had to pay for all the rehab, repairs out of my own pockets. So I’ve have had a lot of cash invested in this property. So I talked to one bank about refinancing this property. They said, “Oh, sure. No problem. We can get it done.” I’m like, “It hasn't been a year. Many banks require you to own a property for a year before they'll do a refinance based on your appraisal.” Before year, they’ll make you use what you bought the house for, or property for, or the prior appraisal, whatever's lower. So I said to make sure, I’m like, “Okay. You don't need a full year of seasoning period.” Like, right? No. Went to the process, got the appraisal done. I was really worried about the appraisal because I did not know what it would come in and I was hoping it would come in around 450, but I could see it coming in as low as 350. It’s just real tough to appraise commercial sometimes. And the appraisal came in right – I think it was 445. So I was really happy. Like I said, bought it for 292. Put 50 to 60,000 into it, and it appraised at 450. So that was a pretty good deal. It would have appraised for even more if we had the basement finished and rented, but that's more work, more money. We'll worry about later. I’m like, “Great!” Appraisal came in and then the lenders like, “Oh, yeah, but unfortunately you just have a three year lease. So we can only give you a three year balloon on this, and we’re only going of finance based on your purchase price, plus your cost into it.” So they aren’t only going to base the lone on like 350,000. So I do 75% of 350, and I was only going to have a three year terms. So I could call the loan doing three years, and that was not at all what they had told me the terms would be when I first applied for the loan. They’re talking about 10 year balloon and lending on the full appraised value. So I was not real happy with that. In the end, I talked around, talked to some different lenders and I went with a different lender. I had that appraisal. It cost me $2,500 for a commercial appraisal, but I paid for the appraisal. Took that to another bank and we don't have it official yet, but from what I know, everything's approved. We just have to sign docs here sometime soon. 75% of the full appraised value. Since it is doing 350, we’re like 445, whatever it was. 10 year balloon on a 20 year amortization, I believe. A balloon means after 10 years they can call the note due. Do they can make you pay it off. Sell the property or whatever. So having a three year balloon is not much time at all. 10 year balloon is much better. Now, with the new loan, they can reprice it after five years. It’s basically a fixed loan for five years and I can reprice it once at the end of that five years based on current rates. But they can call it due for 10 years. So that was such a better loan for me and very happy to see that. So I should be getting quite a bit of cash back on that property, and then I'll have a lower payment, because were refinancing like 5% instead of 10%, and at that point I’m going to do a full post, like I said, recapping the money we had into it. How much money we were able take back out of it, the money invested, the cash flow, my rates of return, all of that after I completed the refinance. So it really has been a great investment. It was scary at first, and ironically I didn't even want to buy that property. It’s actually, but someone on my team that caused me to buy. When I first put it under contract I sent an email to my assistant who was writing my contract. I said, “Hey, write an offer on this property for such and such price. 30 day loan conditions or something.” I think I said, “Give me 45 days for loan conditions. 10 days for inspection period,” and he was so used to me writing contracts on my flips where I had no inspection, no loan condition, no nothing. He didn't put those in the contract. He had no inspection, no loan conditions, and I made a mistake by not reviewing the contract before I signed it. I just assumed he did it right and I signed it and sent it off. So it end up working out really well in the end. I'll have very little invested into it. I’ll have it on a long term loan and should be making couple thousand dollars a month in cash flow almost on it. Maybe not quite that much, but quite a bit. So really turned out to be a great investment. All right, so that’s the highlight of the commercial rentals from last year, and then of course this year I talked about before, but I bought a 68,000 square-foot building actually with that same investor we partnered on this one, 50-50, and has a grocery store, a coffee shop, restaurant, little other office. As I said, the temporary office I moved into now and another permanent office we’re working on. So this was a scary purchase as well. This was brought to me by my commercial agent, but it has been fantastic investment so far. All [inaudible 0:25:10.5] are on triple and leases. So they pay for pretty much all the expenses. The rent has been coming in on time with no problems. Tenants have been awesome. There’s a few deferred maintenance items that we knew about which we’re working on, and it's just been really cool owning this building. The more and more that we’re looking at the market, we’re looking at other sales, we’re seeing what’s going on in the commercial, more realizing how awesome of a deal we got on it. We paid $2.1 million for it. Like I said, it wasn't really listed. It was kind of a pocket listing type a deal, and our appraisal came in at $2.4, which if you're in the real estate business and you have an appraisal, it comes in higher than contract price. It is so rare. I mean, appraises almost always come in right at or just barely above contract price, sometimes lower. To see one coming 300,000 more than contract price was really cool, because it obviously showed the appraiser thought this property is worth a lot. He even kind of said in his report, he's like, “I had a really hard time getting my value down that low,” and if this property was fully rented, it would be worth 2.7 or 8 million I think is what he said in the report. After looking at different things and what's going on around here, I think this is a $3 million property right now. If I were to move into the new space, I'm paying rent to myself, and we rented this temporary space to someone else, I mean, it could be a $3.5 million property. So one of my new goals is to find more of these. I don’t know how hard that's going to be, but really it’s been awesome investment. It’s really fun. It's exciting and it was a really good deal. So if I could find deals like this all time, I would be one happy camper and just have to find a some more investors, some more people to going on them with me, but I think I might have that already too. So this has been a good one. Like I said, future plans. I had a goal to create $5,000 in passive income this year from rentals, and we’ve pretty much done that with just this building. I was kind of thinking it would be around 2,500, but it's been more like 5,000 a month from buying this property and with me occupying one of the spaces and paying rent to myself. It’s just been awesome. So I still want to buy more rentals. I still have my eyes open. Residential is really hard still in Colorado. Almost impossible to find good residential rentals. There still some commercial stuff out there. It's really hard to find too. I mean, now the rentals I’ve found were just waiting there with a bow on them for me to buy them. It took some work to find them and to get them, but there are still deals out there. So I've actually been sending direct marketing out to some commercial properties as well to see if we could get any deals that way. Nothing’s worked out yet, but we have had a few calls, a few conversations. So hopefully we’ll be buying some more rentals too and not just focusing on the brokerage, on the flips. I just did a video the other night, they’ll be posted next week, about renting versus flipping, or owning rentals versus flipping houses. I love flipping. It’s a lot of fun, but it really is a job. Once you flip a house, you're done. You got to find more. Selling houses as a real estate agent, and it’s kind of more of a job too. Setting up your own brokerage building, a business is more of a business it works, but the real true investment I love is rental properties. So I love to be able to make money, invest that into rentals, seen that money grow, seen my passive income grow, seen my net worth grow. It’s just a lot of fun. So that really is kind of the ultimate goal still, even though as many of you know, last couple of years we haven't been doing as many rentals. We’ve been doing more flips. a lot that is just the market’s been crazy here. So hopefully with this new niche in commercial we can keep going with that, keep buying some cool properties and having a lot of fun with it. All right, cool. I think that is all I've got for this podcast. We talked about the brokerage. Talked about the flips. Talked about rental properties. I still have a lot going on with the blog. Have a lot of resources, a lot of things happening there. If anybody needs help with finding a deal, I’ve got a super cool program if you look under my resources page that I created on just how to find deals, on how to flip houses. Have my complete blueprint on how to invest in rentals, and then we do conference calls on those at least once a month, sometimes more. I don’t know if people understand, but I am not a crazy marketer. I'm not out there trying to sell myself constantly. I have it there to try and help people, but I'm busier obviously with my brokerage and other things. On some of these conference calls, they'll be one other person or two other people on the call and we’ll just talk for like half an hour about different things. It’s pretty cool. So sometimes there's more people, but a lot of really good conversations, a lot of great things going on those calls. I also have a real estate agent system as well, the six-figure real estate agent success system that I do calls on as well. In the last two calls, there's been one person on those calls. So I’ve been able to kind of been like personal mentor to her, Elisa, who is an agent starting out. So if you guys are interested in those programs, check them out. They’re pretty affordable and I feel like it can add a lot of value to those calls, because we don't jam pack them full with as many people as we can just because I'm not spending a ton of time marketing and trying to focus on that stuff. All right. That’s all I’ve got. I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you like this podcast, please leave us a review, give us a thumbs up, and we really appreciate that. Thanks a lot.

2019-04-26T08:04:05Z

https://www.investfourmore.fm/ep150/

Provided is a sintered metal bearing, which is formed of raw material powder containing copper-based powder and iron-based powder as main components, the sintered metal bearing including a radial bearing surface along an inner periphery thereof. The copper-based powder includes fine copper powder exhibiting a particle size distribution in which a ratio of particles with a diameter of less than 45 μm is 80 wt % or more, the fine copper powder occupying one-third or more of a whole of the copper-based powder in terms of a weight ratio. A compressed body formed by compressing the raw material powder is sintered at 900° C. or more to 1,000° C. or less. 1. A sintered metal bearing, which is formed of raw material powder containing copper-based powder and iron-based powder as main components, the sintered metal bearing comprising a radial bearing surface along an inner periphery thereof, wherein the copper-based powder comprises fine copper powder exhibiting a particle size distribution in which a ratio of particles with a diameter of less than 45 μm is 80 wt % or more, the fine copper powder occupying one-third or more of a whole of the copper-based powder in terms of a weight ratio, and wherein a compressed body formed by compressing the raw material powder is sintered at 900.degree. C. or more to 1,000.degree. C. or less. 2. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein a sintered density is set at 6.70 g/cm3 or more to 7.20 g/cm3 or less. 3. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein oil permeability is set at 0.10 g/10 min or more to 2.00 g/10 min or less. 4. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein an oil content is set at 10 vol % or more to 14 vol % or less. 5. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein an occupancy ratio of the fine copper powder in the whole of the copper-based powder is set at a half or more. 6. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the iron-based powder comprises pure iron powder, and an occupancy ratio of the copper-based powder in the raw material powder is set at 10 wt % or more to 40 wt % or less. 7. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the iron-based powder comprises pure iron powder and stainless steel powder, and an occupancy ratio of the copper-based powder in the raw material powder is set at 10 wt % or more to 60 wt % or less. 8. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the raw material powder has graphite further blended therewith. 9. The sintered metal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the raw material powder has tin powder further blended therewith. 10. A fluid dynamic bearing device, comprising: the sintered metal bearing according to claim 1; a shaft arranged along an inner periphery of the sintered metal bearing; and lubricating oil impregnated into the sintered metal bearing. The invention of this application (first invention of this application) relates to a sintered metal bearing, and more particularly, to a copper-iron-based sintered metal bearing. Moreover, the invention of this application (second invention of this application) relates to a material for a fluid dynamic bearing device, to a shaft member using the material, and to a fluid dynamic bearing device using the shaft member. A sintered metal bearing is used under a state in which lubricating oil is impregnated into inner pores thereof. The lubricating oil impregnated into the sintered metal bearing seeps into a sliding portion with respect to a shaft, which is inserted along an inner periphery of the sintered metal bearing, along with relative rotation of the shaft, to thereby form an oil film. The sintered metal bearing rotationally supports the shaft through this oil film. The sintered metal bearing has excellent rotational accuracy and quietness, and hence has been suitably used as a bearing for a motor to be mounted to various electrical apparatus such as information apparatus. Specifically, the sintered metal bearing has been suitably used in a spindle motor for an HDD or a disk drive device for a CD, a DVD, and a Blu-ray disc, a polygon scanner motor for a laser beam printer (LBP), or a fan motor. As types of the sintered metal bearing, there are a copper-based type containing copper as a main component, an iron-based type containing iron as a main component, and a copper-iron-based type containing copper and iron as main components (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1). Among them, the copper-iron-based sintered metal bearing is suitably used for the above-mentioned bearing because the copper-iron-based sintered metal bearing can enjoy both of an enhancement effect of an oil film forming rate owing to excellent compressive deformability of copper, and an abrasion resistance enhancement effect of a bearing surface, which is obtained by high hardness inherent in iron. That is, copper is a relatively soft metal, and accordingly, in a case of using this copper as a main component, the inner pores of the sintered metal bearing are prone to be closed, and as a result, oil permeability (easiness of permeating the lubricating oil in an event of delivering the lubricating oil from an inner diameter side of the sintered metal bearing to an outer diameter side thereof in a state of applying a constant pressure thereto) is lowered. When the oil permeability is low, the lubricating oil becomes less likely to be drawn to the inner pores of the sintered metal bearing. Accordingly, a pressure of the oil film formed in a bearing gap becomes likely to be increased, and excellent supportability by the oil film can be obtained. Moreover, iron is a metal with relatively high hardness, and accordingly, in a case of using this iron as a main component, hardness of the bearing surface of the sintered metal bearing is enhanced, and thus abrasion resistance of the bearing surface can be enhanced. On the other hand, a fluid dynamic bearing device including a bearing such as the above-mentioned sintered metal bearing has high rotational accuracy and excellent quietness, and hence has been suitably used in a spindle motor for various disk drive devices (such as a magnetic disk drive device for an HDD and an optical disk drive device for a CD-ROM and the like), a polygon scanner motor for a laser beam printer (LBP), a color-wheel motor for a projector, or small motors such as a fan motor used, for example, for cooling electrical apparatus. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of using this type of fluid dynamic bearing device for a disk drive device such as an HDD. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 101 denotes the fluid dynamic bearing device, reference numeral 102 denotes a shaft member, reference numeral 103 denotes a disk hub, reference numeral 104 denotes a stator coil, reference numeral 105 denotes a rotor magnet, reference numeral 106 denotes a motor base, reference numeral 107 denotes a housing, reference numeral 108 denotes a bearing sleeve, reference numeral 110 denotes a cover member, reference numeral 121 denotes a shaft portion, reference numeral 122 denotes a flange portion, and reference symbol D denotes a disk. In the shaft member 102, in usual, as illustrated in FIG. 15A, a cylindrical clearance portion 102a, in which a diameter is slightly reduced, is formed on a part of an outer peripheral surface 121a of the shaft member 102. Then, a predetermined amount of lubricating oil is held between the clearance portion 102a and the bearing sleeve 108, and a radial gap is increased at the same time, to thereby reduce friction torque. Then, on a part of a cylindrical portion 102b and a part of a cylindrical portion 102c, which are located on both sides of the clearance portion 102a, dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2, which form radial bearing portions, are formed. The dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are formed by a known rolling method (refer to FIG. 4 of Patent Literature 2) in such a manner that a shaft material. 102', in which the cylindrical portions 102b and 102c are formed on both sides of the clearance portion 102a as illustrated in FIG. 15B, is sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower rolling dies. In such a way, for example, a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves G in a herringbone pattern are formed. Note that, the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 which form the radial bearing portions are sometimes formed on an inner peripheral surface of a bearing member 109 by using a rolling ball and the like (refer to FIG. 1 of Patent Literature 3) instead of being formed on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 102. The shaft member 102 on which the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are formed by the rolling is thereafter subjected to heat treatment, and is formed as a quenched shaft. An outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft is subjected to final finishing such as grinding, and thus the shaft member 102 as a completed product in which an outer peripheral surface is formed with predetermined accuracy is obtained. Then, onto an end portion of the shaft member 2, that is, onto an end portion of such a dynamic pressure generating groove forming region 102b, the flange portion 122 that forms a thrust bearing portion is mounted. As described above, the copper-iron-based sintered metal bearing can combine characteristics of both of the copper-based sintered metal bearing and the iron-based sintered metal bearing with each other; however, on the other hand, sometimes causes the following defects. That is, when a ratio of a copper-based structure is increased, an advantage in that oil permeability is lowered is obtained; however, on the other hand, there occurs a defect that abrasion resistance is lowered. Meanwhile, when a ratio of an iron-based structure is increased, a merit that the abrasion resistance is enhanced is obtained; however, on the other hand, there occurs a defect that the oil permeability is increased. Therefore, in a case where levels of the required oil permeability and abrasion resistance are high, adjustment of only changing the ratio of the copper-based structure and the iron-based structure is sometimes insufficient for obtaining the sintered metal bearing excellent in both of the oil permeability and the abrasion resistance. Here, for example, if a sintered density (apparent mass per unit volume in a case of not considering inner pores in the completed product) is enhanced, it is conceived that the oil permeability can be reduced due to the reduction of the inner pores. In particular, in a recent information apparatus (HDD or the like), as a storage capacity is increased, a weight of a rotor (including a spindle, a hub and a disk, which rotate integrally with the spindle, and the like) to be supported by the sintered metal bearing tends to be increased. Therefore, it is conceived that the increase of the sintered density is suitable for increasing strength (rigidity) of the sintered metal bearing and enhancing the abrasion resistance thereof. However, when a compression amount is increased to close the inner pores in order to enhance the sintered density, an amount of the oil impregnated into the sintered metal bearing is decreased, and accordingly, deterioration of the lubricating oil progresses rapidly, which may lead to rapid lowering of bearing performance. Considering the circumstances as described above, it is not easy to increase the sintered density more than at present. Moreover, if stainless steel powder is used as the iron-based powder that forms the iron-based structure, the abrasion resistance can be enhanced without enhancing the sintered density. However, in general, the stainless steel powder is expensive in comparison with pure iron powder, and accordingly, the stainless steel powder does not accord with such an object that the abrasion resistance is enhanced without increasing a cost. Further, with regard to forming of the above-mentioned dynamic pressure generating groove pattern, the rolling method is a processing method of obtaining a desired shape by moving a material on a surface of a raw material by plastic deformation, and accordingly, if the recessed clearance portion is present on the surface of the shaft material, a material flow directed to the clearance portion side is prone to occur. As illustrated in FIG. 15A, in the related-art shaft member 102, one-side regions A1a and A2a of the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2, on which the dynamic pressure generating grooves G are formed, are adjacent to the clearance portion 102a lower by one step, and a fluid is drawn from the clearance portion 102a to the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2. However, opposite-side regions of the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are directly continuous with the cylindrical portions 102b and 102c with the same height as that of the shaft member 102. Therefore, a depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G tends to become deeper in the regions A1a and A2a, which are adjacent to the clearance portion 102a, than in the opposite-side regions A1b and A2b, and the depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G tends to become relatively shallow in the regions A1b and A2b on the opposite side to the clearance portion 102a because there is no space to which the material is drawn. As a result, as illustrated in a groove depth measurement result of FIG. 16, such a groove depth is inclined in an axial direction, and becomes unbalanced right and left, causing a problem in that stable dynamic pressure effect and radial bearing rigidity are not obtained. It is not impossible to solve the problem by changing a height of a protruding portion of a rolling jig, which serves for forming the dynamic pressure generating grooves. However, machining of the protruding portion is difficult, resulting in a cost increase. In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, a first technical object to be achieved is to provide a copper-iron-based sintered metal bearing capable of exerting bearing performance of the existing level or more for a long period of time by enhancing the abrasion resistance and reducing the oil permeability at low cost. Moreover, in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, a second technical object to be achieved is as follows. In an event of rolling and forming the dynamic pressure generating grooves of the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns in which the one-side regions are adjacent to the clearance portion, the depth of the grooves of the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns on the opposite side is prevented from becoming relatively shallow. The first technical object is attained by a sintered metal bearing according to a first invention of this application. That is, there is provided a sintered metal bearing, which is formed of raw material powder containing copper-based powder and iron-based powder as main components, the sintered metal bearing comprising a radial bearing surface along an inner periphery thereof, wherein the copper-based powder comprises fine copper powder exhibiting a particle size distribution in which a ratio of particles with a diameter of less than 45 μm is 80 wt % or more, the fine copper powder occupying one-third or more of a whole of the copper-based powder in terms of a weight ratio, and wherein a compressed body formed by compressing the raw material powder is sintered at 900° C. or more to 1,000° C. or less. Note that, the "copper-based powder" herein refers to metal powder containing copper as a main component, specifically, comprising not only pure copper powder but also alloy powder containing copper as a main component. Similarly, the "iron-based powder" refers to metal powder containing iron as a main component, specifically, comprising not only pure iron powder but also alloy powder containing iron as a main component. As described above, the first invention of this application has a feature in that the copper powder (fine copper powder) different in particle size distribution from the copper powder used in the related art is used, and this powder is sintered at a temperature optimum for a case of using this powder. That is, the inventors of the first invention of this application have found out that the oil permeability is lowered to a larger extent in comparison with the case of using the related-art copper powder by using the copper powder, which exhibits the particle size distribution in which the ratio of the fine particles (particles with a diameter of less than 45 μm) is higher (80 wt % or more) than that in the copper powder used in the related art (refer to Table 1 to be shown below). In particular, the inventors have found out that a significant oil permeability reduction effect is obtained by using the copper-based powder in which the above-mentioned fine copper powder occupies one-third or more of the whole of the copper-based powder in terms of the weight ratio, preferably, occupies a half or more of the whole of the copper-based powder in terms of the weight ratio (refer to FIG. 5 to be shown later). As described above, in order to lower the oil permeability, in the related art, there has been no other way but enhancing the sintered density. Meanwhile, the oil permeability can be suppressed to be low without enhancing the sintered density by using the copper-based powder in which the above-mentioned fine copper powder occupies one-third or more of the whole of the copper-based powder. Hence, even if the sintered density is the same as that in the related art, the fine copper powder may be used to lower the oil permeability and to enhance the oil film formation rate. Hence, in this case, by relatively increasing the ratio of the iron-based powder, it becomes possible to enhance the abrasion resistance. Meanwhile, it has turned out that the oil permeability is lowered more than necessary in a case of using the fine copper powder and sintering the compressed body under the same conditions (sintered density, sintering temperature) as those in the related art. That is, as obvious from experiment results to be described below, if the oil permeability is attempted to be brought into an allowable range, it is necessary to set the sintered density to be smaller than an allowable numeric range. On the contrary, if the sintered density is attempted to be brought into an allowable range (the sintered density is attempted to be set at a relatively high value), the oil permeability falls below a lower limit value (0.1 g/10 min) of the allowable range. Accordingly, there has been a problem in that a balance cannot be struck between both of the cases (refer to FIG. 5 to be shown later). Reasons for this problem are as follows. As described above, as the load on the rotor is increased by the recent capacity increase of the HDD or the like, mechanical characteristics (strength, abrasion resistance) higher than those at present are required also for the sintered metal, bearing that supports the rotor. Meanwhile, if the sintered density is not sufficient, there occurs a problem in that strength and abrasion resistance cannot be ensured to necessary levels even if the ratio of the iron-based powder is increased. Therefore, it has turned out that, if priority is given to the sintered density, the oil permeability may become too small, and a circulation effect of the lubricating oil and a filter effect (effect of preventing the deterioration of the lubricating oil due to mixing of a foreign object by catching the foreign object mixed into the lubricating oil in the inner pores) of the lubricating oil, which should be originally inherent in the sintered metal bearing, may not be obtained. The first invention of this application is made based on the knowledge described above, and has a feature in that the copper-based powder in the raw material powder of the sintered metal bearing comprises the fine copper powder occupying a fixed ratio, and in addition, in that the sintering temperature is set at 900° C. or more to 1,000° C. or less, which is higher than that in the related art. If the sintered metal bearing is obtained as described above, the sintered density can be set at a minimum level to be ensured while obtaining oil permeability in a range suitable for forming the oil film. That is, if the copper-based powder comprises the fine copper powder occupying one-third or more of the whole of the copper-based powder, the inner pores are prevented from being coarsened even if the sintering is carried out at 900° C. or more, and accordingly, required oil permeability can be ensured. Moreover, the sintering temperature is set at 900° C. or more. Thus, a sintering action is advanced, and bonding between the powder particles is strengthened more, and thus the strength (rigidity) and the abrasion resistance are enhanced. If the sintering temperature is 900° C. or more, it is easy to obtain the enhancement effect of the abrasion resistance, which is brought by the alloying. Moreover, the sintering temperature is suppressed to 1,000° C. or less, and thus a situation where copper is eluted excessively or is excessively alloyed with iron is avoided, and a copper-based structure can be left. In such a way, compression deformability inherent in copper, in other words, secondary processability after the sintering thereof is maintained, and thus dimensional accuracy (shape accuracy) after the sizing can be enhanced. Moreover, the copper-based structure is left on the bearing surface, and thus slidability (conformability) with the shaft can also be ensured. Hence, high abrasion resistance equivalent, for example, to that of a case where the stainless steel powder is used as the iron-based powder and is sintered at a related-art temperature can be acquired (refer to FIG. 6). In addition, the circulation effect and filter effect of the lubricating oil can be exerted sufficiently. Further, the sintered density can be set at an appropriate level, and thus the oil content can be set at a level that enables appropriate oil lubrication (circulation). Accordingly, a rapid deterioration of the lubricating oil can be prevented together with the above-mentioned circulation effect and filter effect. From the above, it becomes possible to exert excellent bearing performance for a long period of time. Further, in the sintered metal bearing according to the first invention of this application, a sintered density may be set at 6.70 g/cm3 or more to 7.20 g/cm3 or less. As described above, according to the first invention of this application, while obtaining the oil permeability in the range suitable for forming the oil film, the sintered density can be set at the minimum level to be ensured, and the mechanical characteristics (rigidity, abrasion resistance, and the like) equivalent to or more than the existing level can be obtained. Hence, even in the case where the sintered density is set within the above-mentioned range, it becomes possible to set the oil permeability within an appropriate range, specifically, a range of 0.10 g/10 min or more to 2.00 g/10 min or less. In such a way, escape of an oil pressure is suppressed, and in particular, escape of the dynamic pressure is suppressed effectively in a case of providing dynamic pressure generating portions on the radial bearing surface of the sintered metal bearing or one or both axial end surfaces thereof. Thus, a sufficient dynamic pressure effect can be exerted, and accordingly, a high oil film pressure can be formed and maintained. Hence, while obtaining high rotation accuracy, the filter effect and circulation effect of the lubricating oil owing to the inner pores are exerted sufficiently, and thus it becomes possible to minimize the deterioration of the lubricating oil. Moreover, if the sintered density can be set within the above-mentioned range, the oil content of the obtained sintered metal bearing can be set at 10 vol % or more to 14 vol % or less. In this way, appropriate oil circulation can be achieved. Note that, the "oil content" herein refers to an oil amount represented in volume percent, which is impregnated in the sintered metal, specifically, represented by (W2-W1)/(W3×ρ)×100 [vol %](JIS Z2501), where W1 is a weight of a sintered metal bearing that has not yet been impregnated with lubricating oil, W2 is a weight of the sintered metal bearing in which lubricating oil is impregnated as much as possible in inner pores, W3 is a volume of the sintered metal, and ρ is a density of the impregnated lubricating oil. Moreover, in the sintered metal bearing according to the first invention of this application, the iron-based powder may comprise pure iron powder. Alternatively, the iron-based powder may comprise the pure iron powder and stainless steel powder. Moreover, in a case where the iron-based powder comprises iron powder, an occupancy ratio of the copper-based powder in the raw material powder may be set at 10 wt % or more to 40 wt % or less. In a case where the iron-based powder comprises the iron powder and the stainless steel powder, the occupancy ratio of the copper-based powder in the raw material powder may be set at 10 wt % or more to 60 wt % or less. As described above, a composition of the iron-based powder and the copper-based powder in the raw material powder is determined, and the sintered metal bearing is formed under the above-mentioned sintering conditions (sintering temperature, sintered density). Thus, it is possible to obtain the sintered metal bearing that exhibits the oil permeability and the oil content within the above-mentioned ranges. Moreover, in the sintered metal bearing according to the first invention of this application, the raw material powder may have graphite further blended therewith, or the raw material powder may have tin powder further blended therewith. Moreover, in the sintered metal bearing according to the first invention of this application, a surface aperture ratio of the radial bearing surface may be set at 2% or more to 15% or less, or may be set at 2% or more to 12% or less. As described above, the surface aperture ratio of the radial bearing surface is set at 15% or less so that escape of the oil pressure (dynamic pressure in a case where the dynamic pressure generating portion is provided) to the inside of the bearing is prevented, and it becomes possible to maintain a high oil film pressure. Moreover, the surface aperture ratio is set at 2% or more so that the filter effect and anti-seizing property, which are inherent in the sintered metal bearing, can be ensured. Moreover, the sintered metal bearing according to the above description achieves the enhancement of the abrasion resistance and the reduction of the oil permeability at low cost, and is thereby capable of exerting the bearing performance, of which level is equal to or more than the existing level, for a long period of time. Accordingly, for example, the sintered metal bearing can be suitably used for a fluid dynamic bearing device comprising: this sintered metal bearing; a shaft arranged along an inner periphery of the sintered metal bearing; and lubricating oil impregnated into the sintered metal bearing. Moreover, the second technical object is attained by a material for a fluid dynamic bearing device according to a second invention of this application. That is, this material is a material for a fluid dynamic bearing device for a bearing member or a shaft member for use in a fluid dynamic bearing device in which the shaft member is inserted into the bearing member and a radial bearing portion is formed between both of the members. The material comprises: a dynamic pressure generating groove forming region on which a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves for generating a dynamic pressure action on the radial bearing portion are formed by rolling; a clearance portion having a larger depth than that of the dynamic pressure generating grooves so as to be capable of holding a fluid supplied to the dynamic pressure generating grooves, the clearance portion being adjacent to one side of the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region; and a clearance groove adjacent to another side of the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region. As described above, on an opposite side of the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region, the clearance groove that generates a material flow similar to a material flow to a clearance portion direction is provided. In such a way, a material flow in rolling formation of the dynamic pressure generating grooves can be equalized on both sides of the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region, and an axial gradient of a depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves can be eliminated. In such a way, the depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves is balanced, and stable dynamic pressure effect and radial bearing rigidity are obtained. The dynamic pressure generating groove forming region can be formed on at least two positions while sandwiching the clearance portion therebetween. In this way, while suppressing an increase of rotation torque by the clearance portion, moment rigidity of the shaft member can be enhanced by the at least two radial bearing portions arranged apart from each other. Moreover, it becomes possible to supply the fluid, which is held on the clearance portion, abundantly to the radial bearing portion, and the rotation accuracy in the radial direction is stabilized. Note that, in a case of forming the clearance portion on the shaft member side, the inner peripheral surface on the bearing member side is formed into a perfect circle cylindrical surface with a constant diameter so that manufacturing cost is reduced, and meanwhile, a fluid reservoir can be provided between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member and the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member. It is recommended that a depth of the clearance groove be set at the depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves or more to the depth of the clearance portion or less, desirably, set to have substantially the same depth as the clearance portion. Specifically, it is desired that the depth of the clearance groove be set at 20 μm or more to 50 μm or less. This is because an effect of accelerating the material flow is insufficient if the depth of the annular groove is 20 μm or less, and meanwhile, a particular effect of further enhancing the material flow is not obtained even if the depth is set at 50 μm or more. Moreover, the depth of the clearance groove is set to have substantially the same depth as the clearance portion so that the depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves is balanced more favorably, and the stable dynamic pressure effect and radial bearing rigidity are obtained. It is desired that a width of the clearance groove be set at 0.5 mm or less. This is because such a particular effect of further enhancing the material flow is not obtained even if the width of the clearance groove is set to exceed 0.5 mm. In particular, in a shaft material for a fluid dynamic bearing device, in which a sealing portion is formed on an outer side of the clearance groove, if the width of the clearance groove exceeds 0.5 mm, a part of the clearance groove enters the sealing space (tapered portion) too much, a gap interval of the sealing space is widened, capillary force thereof is weakened, and sealing performance thereof is lowered. In order to facilitate work in subsequent processes, and so on, it is desired that the shaft material be subjected to surface hardening by being subjected to heat treatment in advance before the rolling formation of the dynamic pressure generating grooves. With regard to the dynamic pressure generating grooves formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member, a depth dimension regarded to be necessary is on a micron order, and accordingly, even in the case of implementing rolling processing for a surface hardened layer (quenched shaft) formed by the heat treatment, the dynamic pressure generating grooves with a predetermined depth dimension can be formed. In addition, it is no longer necessary to perform the heat treatment on the shaft material after the dynamic pressure generating grooves are formed by rolling, in other words, under a state in which internal stress is accumulated in the shaft material, and hence deformation due to distortion is less liable to occur. Thus, depending on cases, final finishing can be omitted, or a processing amount thereof can be reduced even when the final finishing is performed. Further, a removal step of removing black scale formed on a surface layer portion of the surface hardened layer (external surface of the quenched shaft) can be performed prior to the rolling process. The outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft before the rolling process has a shape of a substantially smooth cylindrical surface that does not have fine irregularities such as the dynamic pressure generating recessed portions, and hence the black scale can be easily removed. As a result, a problem of deterioration in bearing performance, which may be caused by contaminants derived from the black scale that has peeled off from the shaft member, is less liable to occur. The bearing member can comprise a porous body or a sintered metal. In such a way, the lubricating oil can be impregnated and held in inner pores of the porous body or the sintered metal, and even if the lubricating oil in the clearance portion is drawn to the radial bearing gap side and a pressure of the lubricating oil in the clearance portion is lowered, the lubricating oil impregnated in the inner pores of the bearing member is supplied from surface pores of the clearance portion into the clearance portion, and an occurrence of a negative pressure in the clearance portion can be prevented. A fluid dynamic bearing device that uses the material for a fluid dynamic bearing device described above according to the second invention of this application can be suitably used when being incorporated in a motor comprising stator coils and a rotor magnet, such as a spindle motor for disk drive devices. As described above, according to the sintered metal bearing of the first invention of this application, it is possible to exert bearing performance of the existing level or more for a long period of time by enhancing the abrasion resistance and reducing the oil permeability at low cost. Moreover, as described above, according to the material for a fluid dynamic bearing device of the second invention of this application, the clearance groove is provided on the opposite side to the clearance portion in the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region. Thus, the material flow at the time of the rolling formation of the dynamic pressure generating grooves is equalized on both sides of the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region, and the axial gradient of the depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves can be eliminated. In such a way, the depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves is balanced, and the stable dynamic pressure effect and radial bearing rigidity can be obtained. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a motor to which a sintered metal bearing according to an embodiment of a first invention of this application is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fluid dynamic bearing device that forms the motor of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sintered metal bearing according to an embodiment of the first invention of this application. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the sintered metal bearing illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a graph showing relationships between sintered densities and oil permeabilities of sintered metal bearings. FIG. 6 is a graph showing relationships between sintering temperatures and abrasion depths of the sintered metal bearings. FIG. 7 is a side view conceptually illustrating an oil permeability testing apparatus. FIG. 8A is an enlarged cross section photograph of the sintered metal bearing, showing a relationship between the sintering temperature and a size of inner pores. FIG. 8B is an enlarged cross section photograph of the sintered metal bearing, showing a relationship between the sintering temperature and the size of the inner pores. FIG. 8C is an enlarged cross section photograph of the sintered metal bearing, showing a relationship between the sintering temperature and the size of the inner pores. FIG. 9 is a shaft-including cross-sectional view of a fluid dynamic bearing device according to an embodiment of a second invention of this application. FIG. 10A is a side view of a shaft member. FIG. 10B is a side view of a shaft material. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a production process of the shaft member. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a measurement result of depths of dynamic pressure generating grooves of the shaft member. FIG. 13A is a side view of a modification example of the shaft member. FIG. 13B is a side view of a shaft material. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view conceptually illustrating an example of an information apparatus spindle motor into which a related-art fluid dynamic bearing device is incorporated. FIG. 15A is a side view of a related-art shaft member. FIG. 15B is a side view of a related-art shaft material. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a measurement result of depths of dynamic pressure generating grooves of the related-art shaft member. Now, an embodiment of a first invention of this application is described with reference to the drawings. As illustrated in FIG. 1, this spindle motor is used in a disk drive device, such as an HDD, and comprises a fluid dynamic bearing device 1 for supporting a shaft member 2 rotatably in a non-contact fashion, a disk hub 3 mounted to the shaft member 2, a stator coil 4 and a rotor magnet 5 that are opposed each other through the intermediation of a radial gap, and a motor bracket 6. The stator coil 4 is mounted to the outer periphery of the motor bracket 6, and the rotor magnet 5 is mounted to the inner periphery of the disk hub 3. The disk hub 3 retains in its outer periphery one or a plurality of (two in FIG. 1) disks D. In the spindle motor constructed as described above, when the stator coil 4 is energized, the rotor magnet 5 is caused to rotate, and with this rotation, the disk hub 3 and the disks D retained by the disk hub 3 rotate integrally with the shaft member 2. The fluid dynamic bearing device 1 comprises, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the shaft member 2, a closed-end cylindrical housing 7, a sintered metal bearing 8 according to an embodiment of the first invention of this application, and a sealing member 9. Note that, in the following description, the axial closed side of the housing 7 is referred to as the lower side and the opened side thereof is referred to as the upper side for the sake of easy understanding of the description. The shaft member 2 is formed, for example, of a metal material such as stainless steel, and comprises a shaft portion 2a and a flange portion 2b, which is provided at a lower end of the shaft portion 2a, integrally with each other or separately from each other. The shaft portion 2a has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 2a1 and a tapered surface 2a2 gradually reduced in diameter toward an upper side thereof. The shaft member 2 is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface 2a1 of the shaft portion 2a can be located along an inner periphery of the sintered metal bearing 8, and that the tapered surface 2a2 can be located along an inner periphery of the sealing member 9. The housing 7 comprises a cylindrical side portion 7a and a bottom portion 7b, which closes a lower end of the side portion 7a, integrally with each other. The sintered metal bearing 8 is fixed to an inner periphery of the side portion 7a. On an upper end surface 7b1 of the bottom portion 7b of the housing 7, dynamic pressure generating grooves, for example, in a spiral pattern are formed (not shown) as a thrust dynamic pressure generating portion for generating a dynamic pressure action on an oil film of a thrust bearing gap. The sintered metal bearing 8 is made of a copper-iron-based sintered metal containing copper and iron as main components. The sintered metal bearing 8 is obtained by sintering a compact formed by compressing raw material powder containing copper-based powder and iron-based powder, and is made of, for example, a so-called copper-iron-based sintered metal containing copper and iron as main components. In the copper-based powder for use in the sintered metal bearing 8, fine copper powder exhibiting a particle size distribution in which a ratio of particles with a diameter of less than 45 μm is 80 wt % or more occupies one-third or more of the whole of the copper-based powder in terms of a weight ratio. For example, copper-based powder is used, which is formed by mixing pure copper powder (fine copper powder) exhibiting the above-mentioned particle size distribution and pure copper powder (related-art composition copper powder) exhibiting the particle size distribution in which a ratio of particles with a diameter of less than 45 μm is less than 70 wt %, for example, as shown in Table 1, with each other so that a weight ratio thereof can be 1:2 (so that an occupancy ratio of the fine copper powder in the whole of the copper-based powder can be one-third). Moreover, as the iron-based powder, one including only pure iron powder or one including the pure iron powder and powder of an iron alloy such as stainless steel is used. For example, the iron-based powder including only the pure iron powder is used. In this case, blending ratios of the copper-based powder and the iron-based powder are set so as to be 10 wt % or more to 40 wt % or less for the copper-based powder with respect to a whole of raw material powder and be 60 wt % or more to 90 wt % or less for the iron-based powder with respect thereto. Moreover, graphite, tin powder, and the like are blended with the above-mentioned raw material powder as necessary. Here, the graphite is blended for the purpose of enhancing slidability with a metal mold at a forming stage and enhancing slidability with an opposite material (shaft member) in a completed product. The tin powder is converted into a liquid layer at a relatively low temperature at a time of the sintering. Therefore, the tin powder is blended for the purpose of assisting binding of other powder by entering gaps between powder particles. Alternatively, as a substitution of the expensive stainless steel powder, iron-phosphorus alloy powder may be blended for the purpose of enhancing abrasion resistance. As an example, in a case where the raw material powder comprises the copper-based powder, the iron-based powder (only the pure iron powder), the graphite, and the tin powder, blending ratios of the respective types of powder are set so as to be, with respect to the whole of the raw material powder, 10 wt % or more to 40 wt % or less for the copper-based powder, 50 wt % or more to 90 wt % or less for the iron-based powder, 0.5 wt % or more to 2.0 wt % or less for the graphite, and 1.0 wt % or more to 5.0 wt % or less for the tin powder. The raw material powder determined as described above is compressed and formed into a predetermined shape (shape that conforms to the completed product illustrated in FIG. 3). This compressed body is sintered at a predetermined sintering temperature, and thus a sintered body is obtained. Then, as necessary, this sintered body is subjected to dimension sizing, to rotation sizing (hole sealing treatment for the inner peripheral surface), and to dynamic pressure generating groove sizing, and thus a sintered metal bearing as the completed product is obtained. Moreover, in this case, the sintered density is set within a range of 6.70 g/cm3 or more to 7.20 g/cm3 or less. The sintering temperature is equal to or less than the melting point of copper, and is set within a range of 900° C. to 1,000° C., preferably, is set within a range of 930° C. or more to 970° C. or less. Moreover, oil permeability in the completed product is set within a range of 0.10 g/10 min or more to 2.00 g/10 min or less. An oil content in the completed product is set within a range of 10 vol % or more to 14 vol % or less. As described above, in the copper-based powder, the above-mentioned fine copper powder occupies one-third oz more of the whole of the copper-based powder, and thus the oil permeability can be suppressed to be low without enhancing the sintered density. Hence, even if the sintered density is the same as the related art, the oil permeability is lowered by using the fine copper powder so that it becomes possible to enhance an oil film formation rate. In this case, the ratio of the iron-based powder is relatively increased so that it becomes possible to enhance the abrasion resistance. Moreover, in addition to the usage of the fine copper powder, the sintering temperature is set at 900° C. or more, which is higher than the related art. Accordingly, while the inner pores are prevented from being coarsened and oil permeability in a range suitable for forming the oil film is obtained, the sintered density is set at a minimum level to be ensured, and thus high strength (rigidity) and abrasion resistance can be obtained. Further enhancement of the abrasion resistance by moderate alloying can also be expected. Moreover, the sintering temperature is suppressed to 1,000° C. or less. Thus, a situation where copper is eluted excessively or is alloyed with iron is avoided, and a copper-based structure can be left. In such a way, compression deformability inherent in copper is maintained, and dimensional accuracy after the sizing can be enhanced. Moreover, the copper-based structure is left on a bearing surface, and thus slidability (conformability) with the shaft can also be ensured. Hence, high abrasion resistance equivalent, for example, to that of a case where the stainless steel powder is used as the iron-based powder and is sintered at a related-art temperature can be acquired. In addition, a circulation effect and filter effect of the lubricating oil can be exerted sufficiently. Moreover, the sintered density can be set at an appropriate level, and thus the oil content can be set at a level that enables appropriate oil lubrication (circulation). Accordingly, a rapid deterioration of the lubricating oil can be prevented together with the above-mentioned circulation effect and filter effect. From the above, it becomes possible to exert excellent bearing performance for a long period of time. The pure copper powder (fine copper powder) exhibiting the above-mentioned particle size distribution is obtained, for example, through sieving of copper powder having various particle sizes, or formed with use of copper eluted from waste circuit boards. In particular, the latter recycled copper powder contains many fine particles, and hence the fine copper powder as described above can be easily obtained. Further, copper is much more expensive than iron. Thus, in order to achieve cost reduction, as described above, the ratio of the copper-based powder is set to be low while the ratio of the iron-based powder is set to be high. In addition, with use of the recycled copper powder as described above, further cost reduction can be achieved, and burden on the environment can be reduced. The sintered metal bearing 8 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has an inner peripheral surface 8a which functions as a radial bearing surface. The inner peripheral surface 8a of the sintered metal bearing 8 is provided with radial dynamic pressure generating portions for generating a dynamic pressure action in the lubricating oil in the radial bearing gaps. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at two points separate from each other in the axial direction on the inner peripheral surface 8a of the sintered metal bearing 8, dynamic pressure generating grooves 8a1 and 8a2 in a herringbone pattern are formed as the radial dynamic pressure generating portions. In this case, a top surface (most inner diameter-side surface) of a hill portion functions as the radial bearing surface. A surface aperture ratio of this surface is set at 2% or more to 15% or less, for example, by the rotation sizing. In an upper dynamic pressure generating groove region, the dynamic pressure generating grooves 8a1 are formed to be asymmetrical in the axial direction. Specifically, with respect to a belt-like part formed along a substantially central, portion in the axial direction of the hill portion, an axial dimension X1 of upper grooves is set to be larger than an axial dimension X2 of lower grooves (X1>X2). In a lower dynamic pressure generating groove region, the dynamic pressure generating grooves 8a2 are formed to be symmetrical in the axial direction. By a difference in pumping capacity between the upper and lower dynamic pressure generating groove regions as described above, during rotation of the shaft member 2, the oil filled between the inner peripheral surface 8a of the sintered metal bearing 8 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 2a is forced downward. The sintered metal bearing 8 has a lower end surface 8c which functions as a thrust bearing surface. The lower end surface 8c of the sintered metal bearing 8 is provided with a thrust dynamic pressure generating portion for generating a dynamic pressure action in an oil film within a thrust bearing gap. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, dynamic pressure generating grooves 8c1 in a spiral pattern are formed as the thrust dynamic pressure generating portion in the lower end surface 8c of the sintered metal bearing 8. The sintered metal bearing 8 has an outer peripheral surface 8d comprising axial grooves 8d1 formed at a plurality of equiangular points (three points in the illustration). Under a state in which the outer peripheral surface 8d of the sintered metal bearing 8 and an inner peripheral surface 7c of the housing 7 are fixed to each other, the axial grooves Bd1 function as oil communication paths, and pressure balance inside the bearing can be maintained within an appropriate range by those communication paths. The sealing member 9 is obtained by forming a resin material, a metal material, or the like into an annular shape, and is arranged along an inner periphery of an upper end portion of the side portion 7a of the housing 7 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The sealing member 9 has an inner peripheral surface 9a facing, in a radial direction, the tapered surface 2a2 provided along an outer periphery of the shaft portion 2a, and a sealing space S gradually reduced downward in radial dimension is formed therebetween. A capillary force of the sealing space S causes the lubricating oil to be drawn into an inner side of the bearing. In this way, oil leakage is prevented. In this embodiment, the tapered surface 2a2 is formed on the shaft portion 2a side, and hence the sealing space S functions also as a centrifugal force seal. The oil surface of the lubricating oil filling an interior space of the housing 7 sealed by the sealing member 9 is maintained within a range of the sealing space S. In other words, the sealing space S has a capacity sufficient to absorb a volumetric change of the lubricating oil. After the above-mentioned components are assembled by a predetermined procedure into a form illustrated in FIG. 2, the lubricating oil is charged into a bearing inner space. As a result, inner pores of the sintered metal bearing 8 are impregnated with the lubricating oil, and other spaces (radial bearing gaps and the like) are filled with the lubricating oil. In this manner, the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 as a completed product is obtained. Various oils can be used as the lubricating oil filling the inside of the fluid dynamic bearing device 1. Specifically, as the lubricating oil supplied to the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 for a disk drive device such as an HDD, it is preferred to use ester-based lubricating oils excellent in low evaporation rate and low viscosity, such as dioctyl sebacate (DOS) and dioctyl azelate (DOZ) in consideration of temperature change during use and transportation. In the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 structured as described above, in accordance with the rotation of the shaft member 2, the radial bearing gaps are formed between the inner peripheral surface 8a (radial bearing surface) of the sintered metal bearing 8 and the outer peripheral surface 2a1 of the shaft portion 2a. Pressures of the oil films formed in those radial bearing gaps are increased by the dynamic pressure generating grooves 8a1 and 8a2 formed in the inner peripheral surface 8a of the sintered metal bearing 8. By the dynamic pressure actions of those dynamic pressure generating grooves 8a1 and 8a2, there are formed a first radial bearing portion R1 and a second radial bearing portion R2 which support the shaft portion 2a in a non-contact manner so that the shaft portion 2a is freely rotatable. Simultaneously, the oil films are formed respectively in the thrust bearing gap between an upper end surface 2b1 of the flange portion 2b and the lower end surface 8c (thrust bearing surface) of the sintered metal bearing 8, and in the thrust bearing gap between a lower end surface 2b2 of the flange portion 2b and the upper end surface 7b1 of the bottom portion 7b of the housing 7. The dynamic pressure actions of the dynamic pressure generating grooves cause the pressures of the oil films to be increased. By those dynamic pressure actions, there are formed a first thrust bearing portion T1 and a second thrust bearing portion T2 which support the flange portion 2b in a non-contact manner so that the flange portion 2b is freely rotatable in both sides in a thrust direction. The first invention of this application is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, in the embodiment described above, although the dynamic pressure generating grooves in a herringbone pattern are exemplified as the radial dynamic pressure generating portions, the first invention is not limited thereto. For example, there may be employed what is called a step bearing or a wave bearing, or a multi-lobe bearing. Alternatively, there may be employed what is called a cylindrical bearing in which the inner peripheral surface 8a of the sintered metal bearing 8 and the outer peripheral surface 2a1 of the shaft member 2 are each formed as a cylindrical surface so that none of the radial bearing portions R1 and R2 as dynamic pressure generating portions is formed. Still further, in the embodiment described above, although the dynamic pressure generating grooves in a spiral pattern are exemplified as the thrust dynamic pressure generating portions, the first invention is not limited thereto. For example, the step bearing or the wave bearing may be employed. Alternatively, there may be employed a pivot bearing in which the thrust bearing portions T1 and T2 support an end portion of the shaft member in a contact manner. In this case, the lower end surface 8c of the sintered metal bearing 8 does not function as the thrust bearing surface. Yet further, in the embodiment described above, the radial dynamic pressure generating portions are formed on the inner peripheral surface 8a of the sintered metal bearing 8, and the thrust dynamic pressure generating portions are formed on the lower end surface 8c of the sintered metal bearing 8 and the inner bottom surface (upper end surface 7b1) of the housing 7. However, the radial dynamic pressure generating portions and the thrust dynamic pressure generating portions may be formed on surfaces facing those surfaces across the bearing gaps, that is, the outer peripheral surface 2al of the shaft portion 2a and the upper end surface 2b1 and the lower end surface 2b2 of the flange portion 2b. Yet further, the fluid dynamic bearing device of the first invention of this application is not limited to use for a spindle motor to be used in a disk drive device such as an HDD as described above, and may be suitably used as follows: in a small motor for information apparatus to be used at high-speed rotation, such as a spindle motor for driving magneto-optical disks; for supporting a rotary shaft of, for example, a polygon scanner motor of a laser beam printer; or in a motor of a cooling fan for electrical apparatus. For verification of effects of the first invention of this application, an abrasion test and an oil permeability measurement test were each carried out on a sintered metal bearing formed of raw material powder mainly containing iron-based powder and copper-based powder containing fine copper powder at a predetermined rate or more, and a sintered metal bearing formed of raw material powder having a related-art composition. Then, characteristics of the sintered metal bearings were evaluated relative to each other. Here, for testing materials, CE-15 made by Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd. was used as the pure copper powder for use in the copper-based powder, NC100.24 made by Hoganas AB was used as the pure iron powder for use in the iron-based powder, and DAP410L made by Daido Steel Co., Ltd. was used as the stainless steel powder. Moreover, in this experiment, for the raw material powder, there were used graphite powder, phosphorus powder, and tin powder as low melting point metal. ECB-250 made by Nippon Graphite Industries, Ltd. was used as the graphite powder, Sn-At-W350 made by Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd. was used as the tin powder, and PNC60 made by Hoganas AB was used as iron-phosphorus alloy powder. Particle size distributions of the respective types of powder, which exclude the pure copper powder, are as shown in Table 2 to Table 6. Moreover, compositions of the respective types of raw material powder (blending examples A to D) for use in test pieces of the abrasion test are as shown in Table 7. Here, in the copper-based powder that was used, the occupancy ratio of the fine copper powder was set at a half (fine copper powder: related-art copper powder=1:1). Four types of the raw material powder (blending examples A to D), which exhibit four types of blending ratios shown in Table 7 above, were compressed to obtain compressed bodies, and test pieces for the abrasion test were obtained from sintered bodies obtained by sintering these compressed bodies while varying the sintering temperature (to 850° C., 950° C., 1,050° C.). In this case, sintered densities of the sintered bodies according to the respective blending examples were differentiated from one another so that the same oil content (12 vol %) was achieved. Specifically, the sintered density in a case of the blending example A was set at 7.20 g/cm3, the sintered density in a case of the blending example B was set at 6.9 g/cm3, the sintered density in a case of the blending example C was set at 7.20 g/cm3, and the sintered density in a case of the blending example D was set at 7.10 g/cm3. Moreover, dimensions of a completed product of each of the test pieces were set at φ (outer diameter) 5.0 mm×φ (inner diameter) 2.5 mm×t (axial width) 5.0 mm. By using the above-mentioned test pieces, the abrasion test was conducted under the following testing conditions. For a measurement test of an amount of permeated oil (that is, oil permeability), among the test pieces used in the abrasion test, there were used: one in which the related-art copper powder is entirely substituted for the fine copper powder in the blending example B (Related-art structure); one in which the occupancy ratio of the fine copper powder in the copper-based powder in the blending example B is set at one-third (Present invention structure 1); one in which the occupancy ratio of the fine copper powder in the copper-based powder in the blending example B is set at a half (Present invention structure 2); and one in which the copper-based powder is formed of only the fine copper powder (Present invention structure 3). Compositions of the respective types of raw material powder (Related-art structure, Present invention structures 1 to 3) are as shown in Table 8. For the types of raw material powder according to the respective compositions, oil permeabilities in a case of varying the sintered density and the sintering temperature were measured. For each of the compositions, two types of the sintering temperature, which were 850° C. and 950° C., were set. Moreover, for each of the compositions, five types of the sintered density were set, which were 6.70, 6.90, 7.10, 7.30, and 7.50 g/cm3. Completed product dimensions of each of the test pieces were set at φ (outer diameter) 5.0 mm×φ (inner diameter) 2.5 mm×t (axial width) 5.0 mm. The measurement test of the amount of permeated oil (oil permeability) was conducted by using an oil permeability testing apparatus 50 illustrated in FIG. 7. This oil permeability testing apparatus 50 comprises holding portions 51 and 52 for sandwiching and fixing a cylindrical sample W (sintered metal bearing) from both sides in the axial direction, and a tank 53 for storing oil. Spaces between both axial end portions of the sample W and the holding portions 51 and 52 are sealed by rubber washers (not shown). The oil (diester-based lubricating oil) stored in the tank 53 is supplied into a space along an inner periphery of the sample W through a pipe 54 and a communication path 55 in the holding portion 51. With use of the above-mentioned apparatus 50, in a room temperature environment (26° C. to 27° C.), the tank 53 was pressurized with an air pressure of 0.4 MPa so that the oil was supplied from an inner diameter side to an outer diameter side of the sample W in a state in which lubricating oil was not impregnated for ten minutes. Droplets of the oil, which had seeped and dripped from the outer periphery surface of the sample W during this period, were collected by being permeated into a cloth (or sheet) 56 arranged below the sample W. Then, the oil permeability was calculated based on a weight difference of the cloth 56 before and after the test, to thereby measure the oil permeability (g/10 min). Moreover, ester-based oil (12 mm2/s at 40° C.) was used as the lubricating oil. A test temperature was set at 25° C. FIG. 6 shows measurement results of the abrasion test, and FIG. 5 shows measurement results of the oil permeability measurement test. First, as shown in FIG. 6, it is understood that an abrasion depth becomes smaller as raising the sintering temperature in any one of the blending examples. Moreover, the abrasion depth becomes small as a whole when the stainless steel powder is used for the iron-based powder. However, it is understood that, even in the case of using only the pure iron powder, by increasing the blending ratio of the iron-based powder through use of the fine copper powder for the copper-based powder (blending example B), high abrasion resistance is exhibited. Specifically, it is understood that an abrasion depth in the case where the stainless steel powder is blended and the sintering is carried out at 850° C. and an abrasion depth in the case where the fine copper powder is used, only the pure iron powder is used for the iron-based powder, and the sintering is carried out at 950° C. indicate similar values. Next, a description is made of results of the oil permeability measurement test. It is understood that, as shown in FIG. 5, the oil permeability is decreased by using the fine copper powder more than in the case of using only the related-art copper powder in the case where the sintering temperature is the same. Moreover, the following is understood. In the case where the sintering is carried out by using the fine copper powder at a temperature (850° C.) approximate to the related-art temperature in order to set the oil permeability within a range (0.10 to 2.00 g/10 min) corresponding to an oil content (10 to 14 vol %) usually set in the case where the sintered body is used for the fluid dynamic bearing device exemplified above, it is necessary to lower the sintered density to a considerably low level. Meanwhile, the sintering temperature is raised to 950° C., and thus it becomes possible to bring both of the oil permeability and the sintered density into allowable ranges. Based on the drawings, a description is made below of an embodiment, in which a second invention of this application is applied to a fluid dynamic bearing device for use in the same disk drive device as in FIG. 14, such as an HDD. A fluid dynamic bearing device 101 of FIG. 9 comprises, as components: a bearing member 109 in which both end portions in an axial direction are opened; a shaft member 102 inserted along an inner periphery of the bearing member 109; and a cover member 110 that closes one end opening of the bearing member 109. An inner space of the fluid dynamic bearing device 101 is filled with lubricating oil (indicated by densely scattered points) as a lubricating fluid. In this embodiment, the bearing member 109 comprises: a bearing sleeve 108 inserted along an inner periphery of the shaft member 102; and a housing 107 that holds (fixes) the bearing sleeve 108 on an inner periphery thereof. Note that, in the following, the description is advanced, for the sake of convenience, on the assumption that a side on which the cover member 110 is provided is defined as a lower side and that an opposite side thereto in the axial direction is defined as an upper side. The bearing sleeve 108 is cylindrically formed of a porous body of a sintered metal, for example, a porous body of a sintered metal containing copper or iron as a main component. The bearing sleeve 108 can also be formed of other porous body made of a material other than the sintered metal, for example, can be formed of a porous resin or ceramics, or can also be formed of a solid (non-porous) metal material such as brass and stainless steel. An inner peripheral surface 108a of the bearing sleeve 108 is formed into a smooth cylindrical surface free from irregularities, and moreover, an outer peripheral surface 108d of the bearing sleeve 108 is formed into a smooth cylindrical surface free from irregularities except that axial grooves 108d1 are provided at one or a plurality of positions thereof in a circumferential direction. A lower end surface 108b of the bearing sleeve 108 is formed into a flat surface free from irregularities, and on an upper end surface 108c thereof, there are formed: an annular groove 108c1; and a radial groove 108c2 having an outer diameter end connected to the annular groove 108c1. The cover member 110 is formed of a metal material into a plate shape. Although details are described later, an upper end surface 110a of the cover member 110 has an annular region that forms a thrust bearing gap of a second thrust bearing portion T2 with a lower end surface 102f2 of a flange portion 102f of the shaft member 102. This annular region is formed into a smooth flat surface, and does not have a recessed portion for causing the lubricating oil interposed in the thrust bearing gap to generate the dynamic pressure action, such as the dynamic pressure generating groove, provided thereon. The housing 107 is formed of a molten material (for example, a solid metal material such as brass and stainless steel) into a substantially cylindrical shape in which both ends in the axial direction are opened. The housing 107 integrally comprises: a body portion 107a that holds the bearing sleeve 108 and the cover member 110 on an inner periphery thereof; and a sealing portion 107a extended from an upper end of the body portion 107a to an inner diameter side thereof. On an inner peripheral surface of the body portion 107a, there are provided: a small-diameter inner peripheral surface 107a1 with a relatively small diameter; and a large-diameter inner peripheral surface 107a2 with a relatively large diameter, and the bearing sleeve 108 and the cover member 110 are fixed to the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 107a1 and the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 107a2, respectively. Means for fixing the bearing sleeve 108 and the cover member 110 to the housing 107 is arbitrary, and the bearing sleeve 108 and the cover member 110 can be fixed to the housing 107 by appropriate means such as press-fit, adhesion, press-fit adhesion, and welding. In this embodiment, the bearing sleeve 108 is fixed to the inner periphery of the housing 107 by so-called gap adhesion, in which the bearing sleeve 108 is gap-fitted to the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 107a1 of the body portion 107a, and an adhesive is interposed in this gap. On a predetermined position of the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 107a1 in the axial direction, an annular groove 107a3 that functions as an adhesive reservoir is formed. The adhesive is filled into this annular groove 107a3, followed by curing, and thus adhesion strength of the bearing sleeve 108 against the housing 107 is enhanced. An inner peripheral surface 107b1 of the sealing portion 107b is formed into a tapered surface shape gradually reduced downward in diameter, and forms a wedge-like sealing space S, which is gradually reduced downward in radial dimension, with an outer peripheral surface 121a of the opposing shaft member 102. The upper end surface 108c of the bearing sleeve 108 abuts against (an inner-diameter side region of) a lower end surface 107b2 of the sealing portion 107b, and thus the bearing sleeve 108 is positioned in the axial direction relatively with respect to the housing 107. An outer diameter-side region of the lower end surface 107b2 of the sealing portion 107b is gradually retreated upward toward the outer diameter side, and forms an annular gap with the upper end surface 108c of the bearing sleeve 108. An inner diameter end portion of this annular gap connects to the annular groove 108c1 of the upper end surface 108c of the bearing sleeve 108. The housing 107 having the above-mentioned configuration can also be an injection-molded product of a resin. In this case, the housing 107 may be injection molded of a resin while taking the bearing sleeve 108 as an insertion component. Moreover, the housing 107 can also be an injection-molded product of a low melting point metal represented by a magnesium alloy, an aluminum alloy, and the like, or can also be a so-called MIM-molded product. As illustrated in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10A, on the shaft member 102, at two positions of the outer peripheral surface 121a in the axial direction, there are formed dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 which form radial bearing gaps with the inner peripheral surface 108a of the opposing bearing sleeve 108. This shaft member 102 is formed of a shaft material 102' with a shape of FIG. 10B. This shaft material 102' is obtained by forming, for example, quenched stainless steel (for example, SUS420J2) and the like into the illustrated shape by forging and the like. On an outer peripheral surface of the shaft material 102', there are formed: a cylindrical clearance portion 102a; cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1 as dynamic pressure generating groove forming regions formed so as to sandwich the clearance portion 102a from both sides; annular clearance grooves 102d and 102e on outer sides of the cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1; and cylindrical portions 102b2 and 102c2 on outer sides of the annular clearance grooves 102d and 102e. A depth of the clearance portion 102a is deeper than a depth of dynamic pressure generating grooves G formed on the cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1, and for example, can be set at 20 μm or more to 50 μm or less. The cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1 are regions on which the dynamic pressure generating grooves G are formed by rolling formation, and an outer diameter thereof is set equal to that of the cylindrical portions 102b2 and 102c2. A depth W1 (refer to partially enlarged views of FIG. 9) of the annular clearance grooves 102d and 102e can be set, for example, at 20 μm or more to 50 μm or less. It is desired that the depth W1 be set to have approximately the same depth as the clearance portion 102a. A width W2 of the clearance grooves 102d and 102e can be set, for example, at 0.5 mm or less. In particular, the sealing portion S is present on the outside (upper side) of the clearance groove 102e as one in the pair, and accordingly, this clearance groove 102e is prevented from eating into the sealing portion S. In usual, In usual, in a gap between the dynamic pressure generating groove pattern A2 and the sealing portion S, there is a margin of an amount of a chamfer C on an end portion of the bearing sleeve 108 of approximately 0.3 mm, and of an amount of an end surface of the sealing portion and a flat portion thereof. Accordingly, by using this margin, the width 0.5 mm of the clearance groove 102e is ensured. When the width of the clearance groove 102e exceeds 0.5 mm, a part of the clearance groove 102e sometimes enters the sealing space S depending on design conditions. Then, a tip end gap of the sealing space S is widened, capillary force thereof is weakened, and sealing performance thereof is lowered. On the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2, a plurality of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G (illustrated by cross hatching in FIG. 9) for causing the lubricating oil interposed in the radial bearing gaps to generate the dynamic pressure action are respectively provided in the circumferential direction. Here, the plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves G are arrayed in a herringbone pattern. Note that, as a matter of course, it is also possible to form dynamic pressure generating grooves with a pattern other than the herringbone pattern. In this embodiment, the respective dynamic pressure generating grooves G provided on the lower dynamic pressure generating groove pattern A1 are formed symmetrically in the axial direction. The respective dynamic pressure generating grooves G provided on the upper dynamic pressure generating groove pattern A2 are formed asymmetrically in the axial direction with respect to an axial center m (axial center of upper and lower inter-inclined groove regions), and an axial dimension X1 of the upper region with respect to the axial center m is set larger than an axial dimension X2 of the lower region. A groove depth of the respective dynamic pressure generating grooves G is designed at approximately a few micrometers, for example, within a range from 2.5 μm or more to 5 μm or less. On the outer peripheral surface 121a of the shaft member 102, between the two dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2, the cylindrical clearance portion 102a, which is retreated to a lower side than bottom portions of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G (formed to have a smaller diameter), is provided. The clearance portion 102a as described above is provided on the outer peripheral surface 121a of the shaft member 102, and thus a cylindrical lubricating oil reservoir is formed with the inner peripheral surface 108a of the bearing sleeve 108, which is formed into a cylindrical surface with a constant inner diameter. In this way, during an operation of the bearing, it becomes possible to always fill the two radial bearing gaps, which are adjacent to the lubricating oil reservoir in the axial direction, with abundant lubricating oil, and accordingly, rotation accuracy in the radial direction is stabilized. Moreover, a gap width of the radial gap is ensured to be larger than those of the radial bearing gaps, and accordingly, a torque loss can be reduced, thereby contributing to reduction of power consumption of the motor. The shaft member 102 and the shaft material 102' are configured as described above. A quenched shaft formed by quenching the shaft material 102' is introduced between a pair of upper and lower rolling molds, the rolling molds are thereafter moved relatively in the horizontal direction, and dynamic pressure generating groove forming portions of the rolling molds are thrust against an outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft. In such a way, on the outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft, a material located in a region against which protruding portions of the dynamic pressure generating groove forming regions are thrust flows plastically and is extruded to a periphery thereof, and hill portions which define the dynamic pressure generating grooves are formed, and simultaneously therewith, the dynamic pressure generating grooves G are formed. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the shaft member 102 having the above-mentioned configuration is completed in such a manner that the flange portion 102f produced in an independent process is fixed to the lower end of the shaft member 102 produced sequentially through a shaft material formation process P1, a heat treatment process P2, a removal process P3, a rolling process P4, and a finishing process P5. In this shaft material formation process P1, predetermined processing is implemented for a short bar material cut out to a predetermined length from a long bar material, and thus the shaft material 102' of FIG. 10B is obtained, in which regions excluding the dynamic pressure generating grooves G are finished to shapes approximate to those of the shaft member 102 as a completed product. Such shapes in FIG. 10B can be obtained by plastic processing such as forging and by machining such as turning. In this heat treatment process P2, in the shaft material 102' obtained in the shaft material formation process P1, at least the outer peripheral surface thereof is subjected to heat treatment. Thus, a quenched shaft is obtained, which comprises a surface hardened layer in which hardness is HV450 or more, preferably, HV500 or more. In usual, it is common that this heat treatment process P2 is performed after the rolling process P4; however, such an order is reversed, and thus work in subsequent processes can be facilitated, and so on. A heat treatment method may be arbitrary, and quenching such as high frequency quenching, vacuum quenching, carbonizing quenching, and carbonitriding quenching, tempering after the quenching, and the like can be appropriately combined with one another. The heat treatment just needs to be implemented so that a surface hardened layer is formed so as to have a larger thickness than the groove depth of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G to be formed, and does not always have to be implemented so that the whole of the shaft material 102' can be hardened (quenched). In this rough finishing process P3, an oxide film is removed, which is also called a black scale and is formed on a surface of the quenched shaft as the quenched shaft (surface hardened layer) is being formed by implementing the heat treatment for the shaft material 102'. The black scale (oxide film) is removed, for example, by implementing centerless polishing for the quenched shaft. Note that, by the centerless polishing, removal of deformation by the heat treatment and dimension determination can also be expected. In this rolling process P4, rolling processing is implemented for the surface hardened layer of the quenched shaft (from which the black scale on the surface is removed), and thus the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 by the dynamic pressure generating grooves G are formed on the cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1 as the dynamic pressure surface forming regions on the outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft. In this embodiment, by using the pair of rolling molds provided so as to be relatively slidable to each other, the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are formed by rolling on the outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft. At the time when the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are formed by rolling, because both sides of each of the cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1 are adjacent to the clearance portion 102a and the clearance grooves 102d and 102e, flows of the material in the outside directions of the cylindrical portions 102b1 and 102c1 in the axial direction are generated uniformly right and left along with the rolling. Thus, as illustrated in a groove depth measurement result of FIG. 12, the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are obtained, in which depth gradients of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G are balanced between the clearance portion 102a side and the clearance groove 102d and 102e side. In this finishing process P5, the outer peripheral surface of the quenched shaft, on which the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 are formed by rolling in the rolling process P4, is finished to predetermined accuracy. In such a way, the shaft member 102 as a completed product is obtained. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the flange portion 102f is mounted to the cylindrical portion 102b as one in the pair of the shaft member 102 as a completed product. For example, the flange portion 102f is formed into an annular shape by the same type of stainless steel as that of the shaft material 102' or by a porous body of a sintered metal, and is fixed to an outer periphery of the lower end of the shaft member 102 by appropriate means such as press-fit, adhesion, press-fit adhesion, and welding. Moreover, the disk hub 3 is mounted to the other cylindrical portion 102c2 as illustrated in FIG. 14. In the fluid dynamic bearing device 101 configured as described above, when the shaft member 102 rotates, the radial bearing gaps are respectively formed between the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 of the shaft member 102 and the opposing inner peripheral surface 108 of the bearing sleeve 108. Then, following the rotation of the shaft member 102, pressures of the oil films formed on both of the radial bearing gaps are enhanced by the dynamic pressure actions of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G and Aa, and as a result, radial bearing portions R1 and R2 which support the shaft member 102 in the radial direction in a non-contact manner are formed at two posit ions in the axial direction so as to be spaced apart from each other. At the same time, first and second thrust bearing gaps are formed respectively between a thrust bearing surface provided on an upper end surface 102f1 of the flange portion 102f and a lower end surface of the opposing bearing sleeve 108, and between a thrust bearing surface provided on a lower end surface 102f2 of the flange portion 102f and the upper end surface 110a of the opposing cover member 110. Then, following the rotation of the shaft member 102, pressures of the oil films formed on both of the thrust bearing gaps are enhanced by the dynamic pressure actions of the dynamic pressure generating grooves, and as a result, first and second thrust bearing portions T1 and T2 which support the shaft member 102 in both thrust directions in a non-contact manner are formed. Moreover, the sealing space S exhibits a wedge shape in which a radial dimension is gradually reduced toward an inner side of the housing 107, and accordingly, the lubricating oil in the sealing space S is drawn to the inner side of the housing 107 by a drawing action of the capillary force. Moreover, the sealing space S has a buffer function to absorb a volume variation caused by a temperature change of the lubricating oil filled into the inner space of the housing 107, and always holds an oil level of the lubricating oil in the sealing space S within a range of an assumed temperature change. Therefore, leakage of the lubricating oil from the inside of the housing 107 is prevented effectively. Moreover, as described above, with regard to the upper dynamic pressure generating groove G, the axial dimension X1 of the upper region with respect to the axial center m is set larger than the axial dimension X2 of the lower region. Accordingly, at the time of the rotation of the shaft member 102, drawing force for the lubricating oil by the dynamic pressure generating groove G becomes relatively larger in the upper region in comparison with the lower region. By such a pressure difference in the drawing force, the lubricating oil filled into the gap between the inner peripheral surface 108a of the bearing sleeve 108 and the outer peripheral surface 121a of the shaft member 102 flows downward. Then, the lubricating oil circulates through a route that is formed of, in the following order, the thrust bearing gap of the first thrust bearing portion T1, an axial fluid passage 111 formed of the axial groove 108d1 of the bearing sleeve 108, an annular space formed of an upper end outer periphery chamfer or the like of the bearing sleeve 108, and a fluid passage formed of the annular groove 108c1 and radial groove 108c2 of the bearing sleeve 108. Then, the lubricating oil is drawn again into the radial bearing gap of the second radial bearing portion R2. By adopting such a configuration, a pressure balance of the lubricating oil is maintained, and at the same time, there can be solved such problems as generation of bubbles, which is caused by local occurrence of a negative pressure, leakage of the lubricating oil and generation of vibrations, which are caused by the generation of the bubbles, and the like. The sealing space S communicates with the above-mentioned circulation route, and accordingly, even in a case where the bubbles are mixed into the lubricating oil for some reason, the bubbles are discharged to the outside air from the oil level (gas-liquid interface) of the lubricating oil in the sealing space S in the event of circulating the bubbles together with the lubricating oil. Hence, an adverse effect by the bubbles is prevented far more effectively. The description has been made above of the embodiment according to the second invention of this application; however, the second invention of this application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the lubricating oil is exemplified as a lubricating fluid filled into the inner space of the fluid dynamic bearing device 101; however, the second invention of this application is preferably applicable also to a fluid dynamic bearing device 101 using lubricating grease, a magnetic fluid, and further, gas such as air as the lubricating fluid. Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the description has been made of the case where the second invention of this application is applied to the fluid dynamic bearing device 101, in which the shaft member 102 is on a rotation side, and the bearing sleeve 108 and the like are on a stationary side; however, the second invention of this application is preferably applicable also to a fluid dynamic bearing device 101, in which, on the contrary to the above, the shaft member 102 is on the stationary side, and the bearing sleeve 108 and the like are on the rotation side. Moreover, as shapes of the shaft member and the shaft material, forms illustrated in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are also possible. In these forms, a dynamic pressure generating groove pattern A having the dynamic pressure generating grooves G is formed only on a cylindrical portion 152b1 as the dynamic pressure generating groove forming region located on one of a clearance portion 152a of the shaft member 152 (shaft material. 152'), and no dynamic pressure generating groove is provided on a cylindrical portion 152c located on the opposite side. On an opposite side to the clearance portion 152a in the dynamic pressure generating groove pattern A, a clearance groove 152d similar to the clearance groove 102d in FIG. 10 is formed, and the flange portion 102f in FIG. 9 is mounted to a cylindrical portion 152b2 located further on an outside of the clearance groove 152d. Also in the shaft member 152 in this form, depths of the dynamic pressure generating grooves G on one side Aa and the opposite side Ab of the dynamic pressure generating groove pattern A are free from the axial gradient and acquire a balance right and left similarly to FIG. 12. Thus, stable dynamic pressure effect and radial bearing rigidity are obtained. Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the dynamic pressure generating grooves G for generating the dynamic pressure are formed by rolling on the outer peripheral surface 121a of the shaft member 102; however, the second invention of this application is also applicable to a case of forming the dynamic pressure generating grooves by rolling on the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member, which is opposed to the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns A1 and A2 of the shaft member 102, by using well-known rolling balls, instead of the dynamic pressure generating groove patterns concerned.

2019-04-22T14:20:17Z

http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20150043844

1990-09-17 Assigned to PILOT CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS, INC. reassignment PILOT CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: HAMMERSLAG, GARY R., HAMMERSLAG, JULIUS G. An elongate steerable implement is disclosed, which may be either a steerable guidewire or catheter for coronary angioplasty applications. A floppy steerable tip on a steering region at the distal end of the implement and a control device at the proximal end are connected by means of a plurality of axially movable deflection wires extending throughout the implement. Manipulation of the control permits deflection of the steering region throughout a full 360° range of motion about the axis of the implement, without axial rotation or "torquing" thereof. In another embodiment, a steering ribbon is disclosed which permits steering by lateral deflection of the tip into a deflected or bent position and then permits straightening the tip back to its original position. This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 461,049, filed Jan. 4, 1990, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,916 inventors Julius G. Hammerslag and Gary R. Hammerslag, entitled "Steerable Medical Device;" which is a continuation-in-part of parent U.S. patent application Ser. No. 295,124, filed Jan. 9, 1989; now U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,482 inventors Julius G. Hammerslag and Gary R. Hammerslag, entitled "Steerable Angioplasty Device." In a typical angioplasty procedure, a guidewire is transluminally inserted into the brachial or the femoral artery, to be positioned within the stenotic region and followed by a balloon catheter. The cardiologist usually pre-bends the distal tip of the guidewire before insertion and then rotates (or torques) the wire once it has reached a branch artery to enable the guidewire to enter the branch. If the angle of the bend has to be adjusted, the guidewire must be removed, re-bent and reinserted, sometimes several times. Particular difficulty is encountered with prebending where an artery branches at one angle, and then sub-branches at a different angle. This procedure is attended by the risk of significant trauma to the arterial lining, and, in many cases, the obstruction cannot be reached at all with the guidewire and catheter. Steering the pre-bent guidewire is further complicated by the fact that branches project at all different radial angles, thus necessitating rotation of the guidewire to the appropriate degree to enter the desired arterial branch. However, rotation of the distal end of the wire typically lags behind rotation of the proximal, control end, so that precise rotational control is not possible. Also, friction in the arteries can cause the distal end to rotate in a jerky fashion which can traumatize the vascular intima. In another application, Transluminal Laser Catheter Angioplasty (laser angioplasty), the delivery of laser energy from an external source to an intraluminal site to remove plaque or thrombus obstructions in vessels is accomplished by providing a waveguide such as a fiber optic bundle within a catheter. The nature of laser angioplasty requires an even greater ability to precisely manipulate the catheter, to control and aim the laser light at the specific plaques or thrombi to be removed. A variety of attempts have been made in the past to provide catheters which are steerable from the proximal end to enable the catheter to be aimed or advanced through non-linear body cavities. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,936 to Buchbinder, et al. discloses a balloon catheter, which is said to be steerable from the proximal end. The catheter is provided with a deflection wire going along the entire length of the catheter, which may be axially displaced to cause deflection at the distal end. However, the tip of the catheter can be bent in one direction only, and the entire catheter must be rotated or torqued to be guided. A further disadvantage of this device is the inability to effectively straighten the catheter once it has been bent. Any ability of the Buchbinder catheter depends upon the axial compression of the steering wire therein. In addition, the design requires a relatively large diameter deflection wire, which precludes extremely thin diameter catheters, such as those preferred for use for laser or balloon angioplasty applications. Thus, there remains a need for a small diameter steering device, which may be readily adapted for use in the construction of either guidewires or catheters, and which is especially suited for procedures such as balloon or laser angioplasty. Preferably, the steering device is constructed in a manner which permits a diameter as small as that of existing dilatation catheters or guidewires used in angioplasty applications, yet is capable of complete deflective movement, throughout a full 360° range of motion, without axial rotation. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an improved steerable guidewire or catheter implement of the type useful for percutaneous transluminal insertion into the coronary vascular system. The invention permits controlled negotiation of branches and turns to guide an angioplasty catheter or guidewire to an arterial stenosis or lesion or other treatment site without the need for prebending or torquing of the instrument. The distal tip on steerable implements made in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention can be controllably radially displaced in any direction, thus permitting a full 360° range of motion without the need to rotate the body of the steerable implement. In one embodiment of the present invention, a guidewire is provided having an elongate flexible shaft with a central lumen extending therethrough and a floppy resilient tip on the distal end. An axially extending steering post is disposed within a steering region on the distal portion of the flexible shaft. The steering post is pivotably secured at its proximal end to a radial support axially secured within the flexible shaft at the proximal end of the steering region, to prevent axial displacement of the steering post while at the same time permitting lateral deflection of the steering post out of parallel with the axis of the flexible shaft. At least one and preferably two or three or four deflection wires are axially movably disposed within the lumen of the flexible shaft, and extend proximally from a distal point of attachment on the steering post throughout the length of the flexible shaft to a control at the proximal end thereof. Each deflection wire passes through a notch or orifice on the radial support. In another embodiment, the steering post is provided with a wire anchor region at its distal end and a wire guide region at its proximal end. Preferably, the cross-sectional area of the post at a point intermediate the anchor region and guide region is less than the cross-sectional area of the post at least one of the anchor region and guide region, and, more preferably, is less than the cross-sectional area of the post at both the guide region and anchor region. In a further embodiment, a deflection wire anchor is disposed in the steering region of the flexible shaft, spaced apart in a distal direction from a deflection wire guide. Preferably, opposing pairs of deflection wires are formed by providing a continuous length of wire which loops at its midpoint across the distal end of the anchor, both ends extending through the flexible shaft in a proximal direction. Axial movement of any one of the deflection wires in a proximal direction displaces the axis of the steering post in a unique lateral direction, and through combinations of proximal axial displacement of more than two deflection wires, the steering post is caused to deflect laterally and rotate throughout a full 360° range of motion about the axis of the flexible shaft. In a two wire embodiment, the deflection wires are preferably disposed in parallel to and on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the device to permit bending the tip by pulling on one wire and straightening the tip by pulling on the other wire. The steerable medical device of the present invention can thus negotiate tortuous and branched arterial systems, without the need for withdrawal and multiple insertions to deflect the tip, or axial rotation of the catheter body. The steerable medical device can be readily manufactured in accordance with known techniques, and at a low per unit cost. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments which follows, when considered together with the attached drawings and claims. FIG. 12 is a partial sectional perspective view of a simplified steering device according to the present invention, with the outer tubular casing removed. FIG. 13 is an elevational perspective view of a another embodiment of a simplified steering device according to the present invention. The body 11 of steerable implement 10 may be any desired length from inches to many feet depending upon the intended application. In an embodiment useful as an angioplasty guidewire or catheter, the body 11 will typically be several feet long, and will preferably be about 135-180 cm, as is typical of existing angioplasty catheters and guidewires respectively. However, any suitable length may be used. The body 11 may be constructed in any of a variety of ways known in the art, such as by tightly winding a coil of metal wire, or extrusion of a relatively flexible biocompatible polymer such as polyethylene. Wound guidewires preferably comprise a high tensile strength wire of a resilient, non-corrosive metal such as stainless steel or platinum, and may have a circular cross-section with a diameter of from about 0.001 to 0.020 in. The wire may alternatively have a rectangular cross-section of from about 0.001 to 0.020 inches by from about 0.001 to 0.040 inches, or other variations known in the art. Construction materials and techniques for manufacturing wire wound guidewires are well known in the art, and a typical 180 cm teflon coated 0.014 inch or 0.016 inch diameter non-steerable guidewire may be obtained from U.S. Catheter, Inc., a division of C.R. Bard, Inc., located in Billerica, Mass. U.S.A. The body 11 of flexible implement 10 typically terminates at its distal end 14 in a closed tip 20. Numerous guidewire and catheter tip constructions are known in the art and need not be detailed extensively herein. In general, the tip 20 is preferably a rounded closure constructed of a resilient polymeric material such as silicone or urethane which will minimize trauma to the vascular intima, as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art. As a safety feature, to facilitate complete removal of fragments of a broken guidewire, a safety wire may be secured at one end to the inside of the tip 20, and at the other end to the post 22 or support 24. In accordance with the steering mechanism of the present invention, a steering post 22 is provided, extending in a generally axial direction within the steering region 16 of flexible body 11. Preferably, the steering post 22 is disposed coaxially within the central lumen of steering region 16 when the steering region 16 and body 11 are linearly aligned, such as when at rest. See FIG. 1. As will be described, the steering post 22 is secured in the steering region 16 in a manner that substantially prevents axial displacement thereof yet permits lateral deflection of the axis of the steering post 22 away from the axis of body 11. Post 22 preferably comprises a resilient shaft which may be molded or extruded from any of a variety of materials, such as nylon, and may have a cross-sectional dimension of from about 0.002 inches up to about 0.012 inches for use in a typical steerable angioplasty guidewire embodiment. Alternatively, a variety of resilient or springy metals in the form of wire can also be used to form post 22, such as phosphor bronze or other resilient metal. In general, it is desirable to select a material which will permit some degree of bending and return to its original shape, and will resist axial compression under the forces typically applied in the intended use of the steerable implement 10. In a particularly preferred embodiment, steering post 22 is further provided with a bead or enlarged region 26 to optimize transmission of lateral force from the steering post 22 to the wall of steering region 16. For this purpose, bead 26 is most effectively located at or near the distal end of steering post 22. Bead 26 may be formed by dipping or coating techniques, or may be a preformed member having an opening therein for sliding over the end of steering post 22. Alternatively, post 22 can be molded or milled to provide a bead 26 integrally formed thereon. Bead 26 is preferably substantially circular in a cross-section perpendicular to the axis of post 22, and the external diameter of the bead 26 is only slightly less than the interior diameter of the steering region 16 so that maximum lateral motion of the steering post 22 is transmitted to the steering region 16, but bead 26 also remains only in slidable contact with the interior surface thereof. Lateral deflection of the steering post 22 away from the axis of body 11 is accomplished by proximal axial displacement of any of a plurality of deflection wires 28 extending proximally throughout the length of flexible body 11. Although only a single deflection wire 28 or two deflection wires can be used, preferably three or four deflection wires 28 are employed to provide a full 360° range of motion of the steering region 16 about the axis of the body 11, as will become apparent. Only a single deflection wire 28 will be described in detail herein. The distal end of deflection wire 28 is secured such as by adhesives (or brazing or soldering, etc.) to the steering post 22 at the distal end thereof, or at a variety of other locations along the length of post 22. By "attached" or "secured" to the post and similar language herein, it is to be understood that the deflection wire 28 must be mechanically linked to the post 22 but need not necessarily be directly secured thereto. For example, the deflection wire 28 could be secured to an annular flange or ring surrounding the post or other structure which may be convenient from a manufacturing standpoint to provide a sufficiently secure linkage to accomplish the intended steering function. Alternatively, an eye on the end of the deflection wire can surround the post 22 and rest against a stop formed by a milled shoulder or adhesive, or other means of attachment as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, four deflection wires 28 are provided, each passing through an orifice 40 in support 24 spaced at angles of approximately 90° apart from each other along the plane of the support 24. In a three deflection wire embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, each orifice 40 is separated from each adjacent orifice by an angle of approximately 120°. The deflection wires may be made of stainless steel, nylon or any other suitable material which provides sufficient tensile strength and flexibility. The diameter of the lines can range from 0.001 to 0.005 inches or more, and suitability of particular sizes or materials can be readily determined by experimentation. A variety of alternative control devices can be envisioned for use with the steerable implement of the present invention. For example, a "joy stick" type device comprising a single lever which can be displaced to any position throughout a nearly hemispherical range of motion might be used. As a further alternative, a portion of the proximal end 12 of tubular body 11 is enlarged to a cross-section of a half inch or larger to facilitate grip. The enlarged section is provided with a plurality of axially slidable switches, one corresponding to each deflection wire 28. Manipulation of the switches by the thumb or forefinger will obtain the desired deflection of steering region 16. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, any control device will preferably be provided with a stop to prevent bending of the post 22 or steering region 16 past its elastic limit. The steering device 60 preferably is incorporated into a steerable guidewire, of the type made from an elongate flexible tubular spring coil 61 having a central lumen extending therethrough. The spring coil 61 may be further provided with an outer sheath or coating, as are known in the art, or the spring coil may, by itself, serve as the outer wall of the guidewire. As is well known in the art, the proximal end of the spring coil 61 is made up of a plurality of adjacent loops of wire. Lateral flexibility of the spring coil 61 at a distal steering region can be enhanced by providing a spacing between adjacent loops of the spring coil. These features are illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 of a previous embodiment of the present invention, and need no further discussion here. Alternatively, the adjacent loops of wire in the steering region can be in contact with one another, i.e., no axial spacing, when the steering region is in an orientation co-linear with the axis of the adjacent guidewire. Extending axially within the steering region of the spring coil 61 is a central post 62. Post 62 is preferably made from a flexible polymeric extrusion, although any of a wide variety of materials can be incorporated into the post 62 of the present invention. Most preferably, the post 62 comprises a nylon rod having a substantially circular cross-sectional area and a diameter of about 0.004 inches. Most preferably, the post 62 extends in a distal direction beyond the distal ends of wire guides 72 and for a predetermined length. Provision of such a length between the distal ends of the wire guides and effective point of attachment of the pullwires causes the steering region in operation to form an "elbow" bend, which is believed clinically desirable. In addition, the portion of post 62 disposed between the end of wire guide 72 and the guidewire tip can function as a safety wire for securing the guidewire tip against in vivo detachment. The length of the floppy tip beyond the more rigid steering region of the guidewire can be varied, depending upon a number of considerations which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, including the diameter of the vessels expected to be traversed. In one specific construction of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 11, for example, the relative dimensions are as follows. Length of each of guide 68 and anchor 72: about 0.010 inches. Axial distance between guide 68 and anchor 72: about 0.006 inches. Distance between end of anchor 72 and distal tip of guidewire: about 0.140 inches. Diameter of control post 62: about 0.004 inches. Diameter of spring wire of guidewire body: about 0.002 inches. Outside diameter of assembled guidewire: about 0.014 inches. The post 62 must at some point along its length be secured against axial movement in the proximal direction relative to the spring coil 61. From a manufacturing standpoint, it has been found convenient to secure the proximal wire guides 68 both to the post 62 and to the interior surface of spring coil 61 for this purpose as will be discussed. However, the post 62 can also be secured to the coil 61 at other locations, such as at the proximal end of an axially elongated post 62. A plurality of proximal wire guides 68 are provided for guiding each of a plurality of deflection wires 70. Preferably, four proximal wire guides 68 are provided, equally spaced about the periphery of the central post 62. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, three wire guides 68 spaced equidistant around the periphery of central post 62 will also allow complete 360° steerability of the guidewire. However, the use of four deflection wires 70 is preferred. Similarly, the guidewire can be constructed having only two or even a single proximal wire guide 68, with a commensurate reduction in the range of motion over which the guidewire may be steered. A plurality of deflection wires 70 extend axially throughout the length of the spring coil 61, each through a unique proximal wire guide 68 to the distal end 64 of post 62. Preferably, the distal end 64 of post 62 is also provided with a plurality of distal wire guides 72, corresponding to each deflection wire 70. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, four deflection wires 70 are utilized, each deflection wire 70 having a unique proximal wire guide 68 and distal wire guide 72. Each of the deflection wires 70 may be secured to the distal end of the post in any of a variety of manners, which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, such as by mechanical anchors, adhesives or thermal or chemical welding. Mechanical anchoring or welding of the distal end of deflection wire 70 may be difficult to accomplish while providing sufficient strength to allow repeated steering maneuvers of the steering device 60 without separation of the distal end of deflection wire 70 from the distal end 64 of post 62. Thus, although the preferred embodiment is effectively provided with four deflection wires 70, they are actually two continuous deflection wires which loop across the distal end 64 of the post 62. A first deflection wire 70 extends distally through distal wire guide 72, continuously around or over the distal end 64 of central post 62 and back proximally through the opposing wire guide 72 and continuing on towards the proximal end of the instrument. In this manner, all four ends of the two continuous wires terminate at the proximal end of the guidewire where they connect to a control device permitting selective axial reciprocating motion thereof. In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, proximal wire guide 68 is in the form of an elongate tubular body for receiving the corresponding deflection wire 70 therethrough. The tubular wire guide 68 preferably is comprised of a material which can be readily adhered to the central post 62, and preferably also can be adhered to the adjacent loops of spring coil 61. Polyamide tubing, such as that manufactured by Polymicro Technologies, Inc. in Phoenix, Ariz., having an axial length of approximately 0.010 inches and an inside diameter of slightly greater than 0.0015 inches, preferably about 0.002 inches, has been found particularly suitable for this purpose, and can be readily adhered to a nylon post 62 using a suitable epoxy adhesive, such as that marketed under the name Ecobond by Emmerson Cuming of Canton, Mass. The length of the tube is less important than the diameter, and the diameter must be sufficient that a deflection wire extending therethrough is capable of reciprocal motion with sufficiently low friction that steering may be accomplished. The wall thickness of the tube will directly affect the minimum diameter of the assembled steerable guidewire, and is thus preferably minimized. For the polyamide tube disclosed above, the wall thickness is preferably as low as about 0.0003 inches. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the proximal wire guide 68 is conveniently affixed to the spring coil 61 by applying an epoxy 69 thereto. Deflection wire 70 extends distally beyond the end of the proximal wire guide 68, and preferably through a distal wire guide 72. Deflection wire 70 is a fine wire of a diameter sufficient to provide enough tensile strength to allow steering of the guidewire without breaking, but small enough to permit construction of guidewires suitable for angioplasty applications. Preferably, a stainless steel wire is used, and diameters as low as about 0.0015 inches have been found functionally sufficient. However, a variety of other metals or polymers may be used, and the minimum appropriate diameter for any given material can be readily determined by one of skill in the art. The entire assembly of post 62 wire guides and deflection wires is thereafter inserted distal end first into the proximal end of a standard spring coil 61 and advanced until the proximal wire guide 68 is approximately axially adjacent the beginning of the distal flexible steering region on the spring coil 61. An epoxy or other biocompatible adhesive 69 is thereafter applied between the adjacent loops of spring coil 61 to secure the proximal wire guides 68 to the spring coil 61, thereby preventing axial movement of the post 62 relative to the spring coil 61. It has been found that polyamide tubing can be epoxied to the adjacent spring coil 61 using a 0.002 inch wire or other applicator tip under microscopic vision. However, care must be taken that the epoxy does not flow into contact with the deflection wire 70, in which case the deflection wire 70 would be unable to slide axially within the proximal wire guide 68. The steering assembly is thereafter inserted into a standard guidewire coil 78, and advanced until the proximal wire guide 80 is approximately aligned with the distal end of the flexible steering region of the coil 78. The radial outside surface of the annular sleeve 82 may thereafter be secured to the adjacent coil loops of coil 78, such as by the application of an epoxy or other adhesive 79, as has previously been described. Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, there is shown in FIG. 12 a partial sectional perspective view of a two-wire steering device 100 with the outer tubular casing removed. FIG. 13 shows a partial elevational perspective view of a another embodiment of a two-wire steering device 120 according to the present invention. The tubular outer body 111 of the simplified steering devices 100, 120 can be similar to that of any of the various embodiments previously described. In the simplified steering devices 100, 120 shown, there is provided a flexible steering ribbon 110 disposed within the central lumen of the steering region 116 of the tubular outer body. As will be discussed, "flexible" can mean either a ribbon which can be physically bent or flexed in use, or a more rigid structure provided with a narrowing thereon to form a hinge. In this embodiment, rather than complete 360° steerability, controlled steerability within a single plane is achieved. The improvement over the prior art is that the steering region of the device, once controllably bent, can be restraightened by applying a positive traction to one of the deflection wires. The steering ribbon 110 may be molded, milled or extruded of any of a variety of known flexible materials, such as spring steel, nylon or other plastic materials. Preferably, the material will permit sufficient lateral flexibility while also exhibiting sufficient axial compressive strength to optimize transfer of axial force into lateral deflection. In a preferred embodiment, ribbon 110 is constructed of nylon. The steering ribbon 110, as shown, is preferably of substantially rectangular cross-section. However, different cross-sections and dimensions may also prove suitable. Preferably, any cross section which promotes flexibility in a single plane may be provided. For example, flexibility in a single plane can be facilitated by an appropriate pinching or narrowing of the ribbon 110 such as that sometimes referred to as a "living hinge". See FIG. 13. This type of hinge may be formed in a ribbon 110 of any cross-sectional configuration, by molding, pinching, milling or stretching operations to form a narrowing having a greater propensity to bend than other portions of the ribbon 110. Preferably, the hinge is formed by pinching in a ribbon 110 having a rectangular cross section, however, any cross-sectional configuration may be used so long as flexibility in a single plane is encouraged and the ribbon 110 has sufficient rigidity and strength to withstand the forces applied in multiple flexings and straightenings needed in steering the body 111. At least one deflection wire 170 is secured with respect to the ribbon 110. In a preferred embodiment, there are two deflection wires 170, one on each of two opposing sides of the ribbon 110 with the distal most portions of the deflection wires (which may be the midpoint of a continuous, doubled back wire as previously discussed) secured with respect to the steering ribbon 110 such as by brazing directly to the steering ribbon. A brazed joint may be accomplished as previously described. Referring to FIG. 13, a hinge 175 is provided along the ribbon 110 which provides a predicted bending point along the ribbon 110 when the deflection wires 170 are displaced. In the embodiment shown by FIG. 12, the hinge is effectively provided by an axial space between a wire guide 172 and anchor 168 which can be similar to those described in connection with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. In a preferred embodiment there is one guide 172 and one anchor 168 on each side of the ribbon 110 for each of two deflection wires 170. The two guides 172 and anchors 168 are disposed opposite each other to provide the hinge 175 as the space therebetween. The guides 172 and anchors 168 function to secure the wires to the steering ribbon as described in connection with FIG. 7 for securing the wires 70 to the steering post. The length, diameter, positioning, construction and assembly of the guides 172 and anchors 168 will be readily understood by one of skill in the art by reference to the drawings and description above in connection with FIG. 7. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the hinge 175 is provided by an indentation 176 within the ribbon 110. This form of hinge is known as a living hinge due to the tendency of the hinge to return to its original position. Other forms of living hinges may also be provided. For example, the hinge 175 can be produced by providing a cut out portion in the ribbon, or can be provided by any known method of providing a hinge. Alternatively, the inherent flexibility of the ribbon may be used without the provision of a hinge. See FIG. 12. In another embodiment of the simplified steering device 100, the steering ribbon 110 may be replaced with two or more substantially parallel ribbons. In use, the steering device 100 or 120 can be steered in either of two directly opposite steering directions by displacing one of the deflection wires 170. By axial displacement of either of the two deflection wires, a range of motion of the tip of the device is achieved within a circular arc within a plane lying on the longitudinal axis of the steering device 100, 120. After the device is introduced into the vasculature or other branched system, and a branch or a turn is encountered, in order to enter the branch or turn, the device can be rotated (torqued) to align one of the two steering directions with the branch or turn to be entered. The device can be steered by axial displacement of one of the deflection wires. Advantageously, after the device has been steered toward one direction, the device can be easily straightened by displacing the deflection wire opposing the side toward which the device was steered. The device can then be further advanced through the vasculature. An advantage of the simplified steering devices 100, 120 of the present invention is that they can be operated in a manner similar to that employed on convention steering devices for coronary angioplasty and other medical procedures. Thus, one skilled in the art of the prior art procedures could learn to manipulate the steering device of the present invention with little or no additional training. wherein axial movement of one of said deflection wires in a proximal direction displaces the axis of a portion of the housing in a lateral direction and axial movement of the other of said deflection wires in a proximal direction returns the axis of a portion of the housing to its original, undisplaced position. wherein axial proximal displacement of a first of said two deflection wires causes the steering region to be displaced laterally such as to negotiate a branch or turn in an artery and axial proximal displacement of the second of said two deflection wires causes the laterally displaced steering region to substantially straighten out again. 3. A steering device as in claim 2, wherein the elongate implement comprises a flexible catheter. 4. A steering device as in claim 2 wherein the elongate implement comprises a flexible guidewire. 5. A steering device as in claim 2, wherein said steering ribbon is of rectangular cross section. wherein movement of the first of the two deflection wires in a proximal direction along the housing deflects the distal end from a first position to a second position and movement of the second of the two deflection wires in a proximal direction deflects the distal end from the second position back to the first position. 7. A steerable guidewire as in claim 6, wherein said at least two deflection wires are spaced directly opposite each other with respect to the steering ribbon so that selective proximal movement of the deflection wires will result in a range of motion of said tip within a plane which includes the axis of the flexible shaft. 8. A steerable guidewire as in claim 6, wherein said hinge comprises a living hinge. 9. A steerable guidewire as in claim 6, wherein said hinge comprises an indentation in said steering ribbon. 10. A steerable guidewire as in claim 8, wherein said hinge comprises a cut out portion in the steering ribbon. 11. A steerable implement as in claim 6, wherein said hinge comprises a space between two axially separate components disposed on said ribbon. 12. A steerable implement as in claim 11, wherein said components comprise a steering guide and anchor. wherein the axis of at least a portion of the steering ribbon is displaced laterally in one of the directions of movement of said hinge in response to axial displacement of the first of said deflection wires, thereby causing the distal end of said housing to bend out of the line of the housing longitudinal axis, and the axis of the displaced portion of the steering ribbon is returned to its original position by axial displacement of the second of the deflection wires. 14. A steerable implement as in claim 13, comprising two deflection wires. 15. The implement of claim 13, further comprising a flexible tip attached to the distal end of the housing. 16. A steerable implement as in claim 13, wherein the cross-sectional area of the steering ribbon at the hinge is less than the cross-sectional area of the steering ribbon adjacent to the hinge. substantially straightening said guidewire by axial displacement of the second of said deflection wires. 19. A steerable guidewire as in claim 18, further comprising a hinge on the steering ribbon. 20. A steerable guidewire as in claim 19, wherein the hinge comprises a region of reduced rigidity in the steering ribbon. 21. A steerable guidewire as in claim 19, wherein the cross-sectional area of the steering ribbon at the hinge is less than the cross-sectional area of the steering ribbon adjacent to the hinge.

2019-04-21T05:01:45Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5108368A/en

At the Carbone Auto Group the words "family" and "community" are interchangeable so we do everything we can to give back to the communities we serve. As a team we sponsor and actively contribute to numerous charitable organizations and causes, including The American Heart Association, America's Greatest Heart Run & Walk, American Red Cross, Alzheimer's Association, Boy Scouts of America, The Boilermaker, The United Way and The Upstate Cerebral Palsy Promise Program, just to name a few. For more information about partnering with Carbone Auto Group in its communities, please send us a note through our contact form. "On behalf of everyone we serve, I want to thank you for your recent gift to support the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI). Your generosity helps make it possible for CABVI to assist nearly 1,600 people of all ages in central New York who are coping with the challenges of vision loss. With your help, people who are blind have found meaningful employment, the dignity of earning good wages and benefits, while manufacturing thousands of products needed by the Federal and New York State Government. Children born blind or visually impaired are helped by our specialized teachers and therapists to learn and develop fully, to master self-help skills and in most cases to attend regular schools with sighted peers. Innovative efforts like Camp Abilities-CABVI, our residential camps for children who are blind, create opportunities for excellence unlike anything these kids have ever experienced. And our area's growing numbers of seniors are able to live safe, active and independent lives despite age-related vision loss, thanks to CABVI's rehabilitation programs, mobility instruction and low vision services. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of so many people! "We would like to thank Carbone Automotive Group for is donations to the Juice Classic Golf Tournament to benefit the Joe Cassella Foundation. The financial burden created when a child needs medical care can be overwhelming for parents. Your support to our organization will help families with children who are ill reduce the stress associated with medical expenses and allow them to focus on helping their children during their time of need. Without your support, we would not be able to make a difference. "On behalf of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and staff, we would lie to thank you for your support in this year's 15th Annual Chamber Choo Choo Open that took place on Friday, August 21st at Thendara Golf Course. Through you generosity we were able to have another successful and enjoyable event. We sincerely appreciate your support of this event, our community, and our Chamber. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the honor of receiving the Joseph and Inez E. Carbone Scholarship Award. The vision, positivity and investment you parents had for future generations demonstrated how we could all make a difference in society when we pursue the hopes and dreams we are most passionate about. I look forward to all that the future holds for me and this award will certainly help in achieving that. "On behalf of the staff, families, and Board of Directors at Kids Oneida, we would like to thank you for your sponsorship for our Family of the Year event and your continued support of our organization. This year we recognized the 2015 Family of the Year, The Coffin Family of Newport, NY, for their nurturing attitude and behaviors and to create awareness of the importance of nurturing in all family relationships. Nearly 1,000 people from our community enjoyed a fun filled day of games, food, bouncy houses, music, entertainment, and fireworks! With the generous support of organizations like yours, we will be able to help many of our families work toward a brighter future. Thank you all for making this year's event a success! For more information on how your donation is helping to make a difference, we invite you to visit our website at www.kidsoneida.org. You can also find information there on our upcoming events for 2016. "Thank you again for your sponsoring Hubbard Hall this season. Because of you and your support, we will be able to deliver a robust season of performances and programs throughout the year. Enclosed is a copy of the Playbill with you advertisement. This program will reach more than 8,000 individuals this year, helping us to bring the best in arts and education to the community while featuring your company as a key community and arts supporter. Enclosed also is our list of sponsor benefits for this season. We will be in touch in the coming months to ensure you receive the benefits tied to your sponsorship and that you feel honored by us for your support. Once again, thank you. We could not do what we do without you. "On behalf of the Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for your sponsorship of a hole-in-one contest for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch/Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation Golf Open on Monday, June 15, 2015. We had a fun-filled day and evening, with creative contests and exciting tournament features. Your support of the event and Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare is greatly appreciated. "Thank you to you and the Carbone Auto Group for your continued support of The Stanley Theatre. Your Carbone Auto Group Signage continues to welcome our theater patrons as they enter the lobby on their way into Stanley Theater events. Your annual sponsorship is greatly appreciated and will help us with operational costs here at The Stanley. We appreciate you support and look forward to more opportunities to work together in the future. If you have any ideas, suggestions or questions, please contact me. Thank you and we will see you at The Stanley!" "Thank you for your kind and generous support in bringing the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit to Sylvan Beach, showcasing all that is good in our beautiful resort community. To quote The Stephen Silller Tunnel to Towers Foundation coordinator, "Our community exceeded all expectations both financially and in number of visitors"… Because of your efforts, "We will never forget"…. "Thank you for your generous contribution to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society in response to the Team Sarcoma event. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and support of our mission. Your commitment ensures that the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society can continue to support musculoskeletal research. "On behalf of The Arc of Rensselaer County, I would like to thank you for your Zinnia Flower Sponsorship and generous donation of $1,000.00 that is designated to The Arc of Rensselaer County Foundation's An Evening in the Garden that was held on June 24, 2015. Your gift is truly appreciated. For 65 years strong, The Arc has existed to support individuals with intellectual disabilities so they may live productive lives in the neighborhood of their choice. Since our earliest beginnings we have relied on the generous support of our community to help us deliver innovative programs and services to people with intellectual disabilities. Today, over 725 people benefit from vocational training; supported work programs; community inclusion programs; day treatment programs; parent and family support programs; and residential programs. None of this would be possible without your continued generous support! Thanks for your support of The Arc of Rensselaer County. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated! "Thank you for your event sponsorship of $1,000 for "A Night in Tuscany" event held on June 4, 2015 at Aqua Vino Restaurant. Proceeds from the event will help Hospice to improve the quality of life of our family, friends and neighbors with an advanced, life-limiting illness. The Hospice team provides a holistic approach to care which sustains the patient and family at a very difficult time. Your gift helps to assure that Hospice will continue to "be there" when we are needed. Thank you for your continued support. "On behalf of our KEYS kids, I want to thank you for your very kind donation to the KEYS program for our Smile Experience program! Where words fail, music speaks. ~Hans Christian Anderson. At KEYS, we experience the power of music every day. Whether singing a silly echo song with a child undergoing chemotherapy treatments, dancing in the halls of the hospital with IV in one hand and the tambourine in the other or playing a lullaby while a child is being rocked to sleep in their parent's arms… KEYS is able to be there at no cost the families we serve thanks to your support. Thanks again, for all you do to help us deliver smiles to our KEYS kids! "On behalf of the Board of Director of The Women's Fund of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc., please accept our deepest thanks for your generous gift. Your donation will help us to continue to provide the resources to provide the resources needed to help women in need. The Women's Fund is dedicated to improving the lives of women of all ages in the Mohawk Valley by bringing together private and corporate resources to fund programs for their benefit. This donation will help support programs that offer women and girls in the two county region opportunities for personal growth and encourage them to become full participants in their communities. Once again, I am pleased to accept this thoughtful donation on behalf of the women and girls in our community. "Thank you for your support of the Foundation. It means so much to us when alumni and friends choose to invest in SUNY Polytechnic Institute, our students' present and future achievements, and the faculty and staff members responsible for helping our students realize their dreams. Any questions about your gift, our operating funds, or scholarships in general can be directed to me at 315-792-7273. "On behalf of the Vietnam Veterans of America Utica Chapter 944 we would like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to you for your generous support of our Patriots Run/Walk on June 13, 2015, at Griffiss Technology Park. As a result of your help our event was an overwhelming success that attracted numerous spectators and over 200 participants. In addition, your sponsorship allowed us to raise sufficient funds to continue our mission, "Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another". We shall continue to support and visit our wounded soldiers, our veterans in nursing homes, honoring our Gold Star Mothers, supporting our high school ROTC programs, and many other Military and civic events. We hope we can count on you again for your support in next year's event. "Just a quick note to thank you for sponsoring the Hole in One for the new car for our Eighth Annual "Jackie" Memorial Golf Tournament. It was a beautiful day and all the golfers had a great time. This is our largest event of the year, and we really appreciate your support. Over the last eight years, we have raised over $110,000.00. The tournament is a wonderful tribute to Jackie's memory, and its success is through the generosity of sponsors/donators and the efforts of our hardworking committee and volunteers. As we look to next year, we ask you to mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 8]th, 2016 for the Ninth Annual "Jackie" Memorial Golf Tournament. "On behalf of the WWAST, I would like to thank you for your May 14, 2015 tax deductible contribution to the Team. No goods or services were provided in exchange for this donation. The WWAST is a softball team entirely comprised of veterans and active duty service men who lost limbs and served in the military, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. The Team's mission is to raise awareness, through exhibition and celebrity softball games played around the country, of the strength and resiliency of our armed forces, highlighting their ability and inspiring others to rise above any challenge. In all that we have accomplished and continue to achieve, we acknowledge and appreciate your generous contribution and support. If you have not already done so, we hope you will have the opportunity to see the Team play in person. Please periodically check the team website, www.thewwast.org for a schedule of future games as well as news reports/videos about the Team. You can also follow the Team on its Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team Facebook page. You have the Team's best wishes. "Thank you for being part of the solution. Your generous contribution received on 5/26/15 in support of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) demonstrates your commitment to advancing FARE's mission and making the world better for people with food allergies. Your gift will help us continue our work to improve the quality of life and the health of individuals with food allergies, and to provide hope through the promise of new treatments. Thank you for your generosity and for being a part of the FARE family. Together, we've accomplished so much! - In 2014, we provided 60 community outreach grants to support local education and awareness efforts. Our in-person education events brought together nearly 1,000 food allergy experts and families, and thousands more were served by our free monthly educational webinars. We also distributed more than 150,000 free copies of our new patient packet, "Your Food Allergy Field Guide." - Our inaugural FARE Investigator in Food Allergy Awards attracted applications from talented new and mid-career investigators to the field, advancing our efforts to build a deep and scientific understanding of food allergies and a pipeline of new therapies. - We advocated at the state level to ensure that life-saving epinephrine is available in schools and by December 2014, 46 states allowed schools to stock undesignated epinephrine auto-injectors. - Our 2014 Halloween awareness campaign, The Teal Pumpkin Project, reached more than 5.5 million people on Facebook and generated news stories by leading national and local outlets. - More than 35,000 friends and volunteers in 60 communities turned out for our 2014 FARE Walk for Food Allergy! These are just a few highlights and there's so much more to share! Visit www.foodallergy.org/get-involed to stay connected and learn more about how you've made a difference by supporting our work! On behalf of FARE and the 15 million Americans with food allergies we serve each day, many thanks for your ongoing, generous support. "On behalf of the board of directors and staff of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children New York Regional Office (NCMEC/NY Mohawk Valley), we thank you for your gift. Please note that no goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution. We hope you will take pride in knowing that your continued support enables the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to carry on our efforts to locate and recover missing children and raise public awareness about ways to prevent child abduction, endangerment, and sexual exploitation. Once again, on behalf of the children and families we serve, thank you for your generosity to the 2015 Mohawk Valley Ride for Missing Children. Together we can make our children safer, one child at a time. "We so appreciate everything you've done for our team this season and over the years to help us grow FIRST and other great STEM programs our community! Please know how much it means to have the support of the Carbone Auto Group as we travel near and far to spread the word about student robotics! We never could have made it to the World Championship in St. Louis without you! "The Community Foundation is sincerely grateful for your recent memorial gift. This letter shall serve to acknowledge your charitable donation which we received on May 18th, 2015, in memory of Abigail Jeanette Freitag. The gift will be added to the Abilgail J. Freitag Memorial Fund of The Foundation being created by her family. We have notified Abigail's parents, Peter and Christine Freitag, as well as her grandparents, L. Michael and Paula Fitzgerald, of your kindness. The tribute will soon appear on our website, foundationhoc.org under About Us, Community Foundation Reports. From time to time, The Foundation is asked to create a memorial fund for a loved one whose life has been cut short far too soon. None is more heart-wrenching than the loss of a young child. We are deeply honored to create a fund for little Abilgail and only hope the thoughtfulness of donors like you can provide some measure of comfort to ease the sorrow of her loving family. Thank you for your kindness and support of the Freitag family and Abigail's memorial fund. In the future, grants will be made in Abigail's name that will bring happiness and hope to other children as her enduring legacy. "Thank you for your support of Rome Hospital Foundation's 2015 Annual Fashion Show. With your generous contribution to the event, more than $28,000 was raised for the benefit of women's health services at Rome Memorial Hospital. These vital services include prenatal and maternity care, a comprehensive Women's Imaging Center, a Breast Care Center and Lymphedema Therapy. Each year, over 100,000 residents of Rome and the surrounding communities are treated at Rome Memorial Hospital, regardless of one's ability to pay for care. Furthermore, your generosity enables Rome Hospital Foundation to enact its mission: to provide financial support and ambassadorship to Rome Memorial Hospital so it may achieve its mission, which is providing quality healthcare with compassion. Again, we thank you for your dedication to Rome Memorial Hospital, a crucial community resource. "On behalf of the Utica Public Library Board of Trustees and the young people of our community, thank you for your sponsorship of our Children's Programs at the Silver level with a donation of $500. We are very proud of the educational and cultural programs that we provide for our community's children. During our last fiscal year the Library sponsored over 810 programs with an audience of over 12,000. These presentations show the children that learning can be fun as well as educational and we are thrilled that you are a partner in this endeavor. With your investment in our children we can plan for wonderful future programs. Thank you again for your generous sponsorship. "They come from a variety of backgrounds, occupations, and circumstances, but all of our 2015 Salute to Outstanding Women Honorees share on thing - - the commitment to make a difference in our community. Thank you for your support of our 27th Annual Salute to Outstanding Women on April 9, 2015. Because of you, and the community members in attendance we netted more than $34,000. During the luncheon, six women were honored during an inspiring and empowering program. More than 370 people shared in the celebration of these women who have demonstrated significant achievement, leadership, and impact on our community. It is our commitment to provide a comprehensive continuum of care for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Oneida County and sexual violence in Herkimer County. Your support of this event ensures that more people will have access to emergency shelters, transitional housing, crisis services, therapy, advocacy, and public awareness and prevention programs. With your partnership we were able to recognize and celebrate female leaders for their contributions in various areas, making Herkimer and Oneida counties a better place to work and live. Thank you for your belief in our work, your generosity, and commitment. "Please accept my sincere thanks for your contribution in support of the St. Elizabeth Medical Center Foundation's annual Prohibition Party. Proceeds raised from the events will be used to purchase Mobile Care Phlebotomy equipment and a BloodTrack Emerge System for our laboratory. This equipment will have a lasting impact on the patients receiving care at SEMC. We look forward to seeing you on Friday, April 24, for a wondering evening at the F.X. Matt Brewery. - St. Elizabeth Medical Center Foundation, Inc. "The House of the Good Shepherd would like to thank you for your generous contribution to support the 16th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the children at The House of the Good Shepherd. The House relies on the tournament as a major source of funding for programs that are vital to changing children's lives. This would not be possible without your commitment to children! You will be receiving more information and details regarding the golf tournament to be held on Monday, June 29th at the Yahnundasis Golf Club soon. Your support will put resources into the hands of severely abused and neglected children whose chances for productive future will be cripples without help. Among priorities for this year are to provide support to meet the individual treatment needs of traumatized children with extracurricular activities and resources that build confidence and hope. Thank you for your generous contribution and supporting The House of the Good Shepherd's mission for changing children's lives! "On behalf of the New Hartford Central School District Foundation, I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation for your gift. As you know, the Foundation works closely with the Superintendent of Schools to identify district needs. It is our hope to continue to meet those needs while also building an endowment that will enable us to partner with the district to make substantial investments in our schools in the years to come. Again, thank you for your partnership and we look forward to working with you in the future! "Thank you for your gift of $8,612.00 to Hyundai Hope on Wheels. This amount was calculated based on your 2014 wholesale units. Pediatric cancer is an important health issue that affects far too many children in the U.S. At a time when they just want to be kids, these amazing youngsters are forced to deal with the very grown up disease. Hyundai Hope on Wheels have been committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer since 1998 and with the assistance of donations like yours, we are able to award research grants to children's hospitals and other institutions across the country. To see the many faces of the kids and to learn more about the specific research projects made possible in part by your generous gift, please go to www.HyundaiHopeonWheels.org . "I would like to thank the Carbone Auto Group for its generous gift to Utica College. The Carbone Auto Group's donation affirms the College's mission and our commitment to transforming lives. On behalf of UC's students, faculty, and staff, I would like to thank the Carbone Auto Group again for its support. Thank you from all of us at Kids Oneida for making this holiday season for our families a little brighter this year. The Staff and Board of Directors of Kids Oneida would like to extend its sincerest gratitude for your generosity and support of our 2014 Adopt-A-Family Program. The Adopt-A-Family Program has been providing support to Kids Oneida families since 2003, when 35 families were "adopted" by help from our community. Due to your continued support and generosity, we are so pleased to repost that, in 2014, Kinds Oneida was able to support 200 families, with over 500 children, with various supports such as food, clothing, and gifts this holiday season! Many of these families may not have been able to have such an experience without the help from our Holiday Shoppers and Donors. We have received many calls and letters from our families to say thank you and to express their appreciation. We wish you a happy and healthy New Year and look forward to your continued support of Kids Oneida in our journey towards "Keeping Families Together". "Could there be anything more rewarding than to know that you changed someone's life for the better--- especially a child's life? That's what you have done for the children at The House of the Good Shepherd. My purpose in writing is to thank you for your generous support last year and to share the enclosed brochure that describes how you made a difference in so many children's lives. The children know when their lives are touched by caring adults. As you read what they said, you can feel their sense of excitement and happiness. Be proud of them. I know I am. I am also very grateful to you because you were there at the right moment with the right resources to help the children shine! "Thank you for your recent sponsorship of the Stevens-Swan Humane Society's 10th Annual Telethon. Through the generosity of our community, we were able surpass our goal for a grand total of over $108,000! Our organization is exceptionally lucky to have such loyal and committed supporters that care as deeply about our mission as we do. Your support allows for us to continue helping the homeless, neglected and forgotten animals throughout Oneida County and surrounding areas. As we approach our 105 year anniversary of serving our community, we see more and more individuals, organizations and companies start to join us and become "superheroes" to those who cannot defend or speak for themselves. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for participating in our largest fundraiser of the year. Once again, thank you. With your help we continue to make a difference. "Thank you for your support and sponsorship of this year's American Girl Fashion Show which was held on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at the Turning Stone Resort. The fashion show was an amazing event that brought over 1,200 mothers, daughters, aunts, nieces, grandmothers and granddaughters from our community together for the purpose of increasing awareness as well as raising funds to support our children's programs and services. Your generous donation helped us to raise nearly $98,000 for children who receive services from Upstate Cerebral Palsy. Thousands of children have received services over the last 65 years and, because of your support, many more will continue to do so. We are proud of the work we do and even more proud of the individuals we work with every day. Events like the Upstate Cerebral Palsy American Girl Fashion Show ensure that we are able to continue the programs and services that help so many children reach their fullest potential. On behalf of the families, children and staff of Upstate Cerebral Palsy, thank you! We truly appreciate you continued dedication and commitment to helping create everyday miracles. "The Menands School PTA would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous contribution towards our Pancake Dinner held on January 8, 2015. Without your generosity, it would not have been possible for this event to be as successful as it was. When we come together as a community, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Your donation made it possible for our students and their families to enjoy a great meal and fun prizes. The Menands School PTA take great pride in being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for our families and community, and a strong advocate for the education and well being of every child. Your generosity has made a tremendous impact in our mission by allowing us to continue our work in supporting our children and their development. Thank you again for your generosity and support towards the Menands School PTA. Your contribution was recognized during the event as a reminder to our students that the community cares about their success. We truly appreciate your donation. "On behalf of the Vermont/New Hampshire program of Casting for Recovery, thank you for being the event sponsor for the 3rd Annual "Win, Set, Match" tennis event in Bennington this past Saturday. Financially the event was a great success and raised enough money to cover the costs for nearly 5 women to attend the 2015 retreat. In addition this is a fun event for all who participated. The club members relish the opportunity to play with an against Williams team members. One club member even returned early from a trip to Norway so as not to miss the event. This year there was a nice article on Jan. 11th in the Bennington Banner. It will help to spread the word about Casting for Recovery the "Win, Set, Match" event, the tennis center and it mentioned that Carbone was the event sponsor. On behalf of the program and the women we serve, thank you for your ongoing generosity. "On behalf of the Oriskany Sports Boosters and the Girls Varsity and JV Basketball Programs, we would like to thank you for your generous donation. The 11th Annual Holiday Hoops Tournament was a success and we could not have done it without your support. Monetary donations were used to off-set the tournament costs including officials, concession stand products, and decorations for the gymnasium. Product donations were given to the athletes and used at the concession stand. Each athlete was given a Powerade before the game. This year, the Frankfort-Schuyler Knights were the Junior Varsity Champions and the Oriskany Lady Redskins were the Varsity Champions. Jordan Sahl from Oriskany was named tournament MVP and senior teammate Hannah Hoehn joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Your generosity t our school and athletic programs has now gone unnoticed. All sponsors were listed in the program, recognized over the loud speaker between games, and displayed on a banner in the gymnasium. We truly appreciate you support for the Holiday Hoops Girls Basketball Tournament and look forward to working with you again in the near future. "On behalf of the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center (CNYVOC), I would like to thank you for your generous donation. Your commitment to helping Veterans in need within our community is sincerely appreciated. Each year the CNYVOC continues to advance its mission of enriching all Veteran's quality of life by providing comprehensive support services to all Veterans and their families. Through our services, we have seen many lives changed for the better. Your donation will allow us to continue to serve Veterans and their families in need. The goal of the CNYVOC is to continue to make a difference within the Veteran community; with the help of donations from supporters such as you, we will continue to see improvements in their lives. Thank you again for your generous support of our efforts. "I wanted to send a note to say thanks for all you have done in support of our health system. With partners like Carbone, SVHC has been able to continually improve the quality of care to our community. Thank again and have a happy and healthy 2015. "The House of the Good Shepherd's would like to thank you for your kindness and support of all of the children and families this holiday season. It is people like you who can share the spirit of giving and make the holidays specials, it a true gift to many that would not be able to have any type of celebration. We would like to thank you for your generous in-kind contribution of gift(s) to the 2014 Holiday Hopes Gift Campaign. Your commitment to the children and families at The House this year, made it possible to provide gifts for over 430 children in the Residential, Foster Care, Day Service and B2H (Bridges to Health) programs; along with helping 40 extremely needy families. You are truly making their lives better during the holiday season and all year long. There is no greater gift you can give them than letting them know you care. Once again thank you for your gifts of love and support to all the children and families here at The House. You truly make their lives better. Wishing you and your families the very best all year long! "Thank you so much for your wonderful donation to the 2nd Annual AK5K. It was wonderful to see the local community and business support that comes for this great event. "Thank you so much for all of your help and your very generous sponsorship of the recent Martina McBride concert that we hosted at The Stanley on November 14th. Your help with this event sponsorship was instrumental ultimately to the profitability of the show, as a fundraiser for us at The Stanley Theater and Valley Health Services. On behalf of their CEO Lisa Betrus, I extend their thanks as well. We rely on these specials events, along with our membership, donations, theater rentals and partnerships with the Broadway Theater League, Mohawk Valley Ballet, Players of Utica, etc. to sustain our operations. The crowd at the concert loved the show and by your company being associated with it, we're hoping all of that goodwill also extends to you as a sponsor! We appreciate your continued support and look forward to more opportunities together in the future. "Thank you for your investment in On Point for College Utica and the young people we work with to transform their lives. The transport and sponsorship support has been both greatly appreciated and key to our success. I would love to meet to thank you personally and get your further advice at your earliest convenience. "For students who have never traveled outside Utica, campus towns open their eyes. Thank you for opening new world. Would love to see you soon." I want to thank you for your help, financial or physical, our Christmas party was a big success whether you helped blow up balloons or cleared the tables..couldn't have done it without your assistance.. The smiles in the children's faces was our reward. Many blessings to you and your family for a Happy New Year! Thank you for your gift in support of the Veterans Law Clinic at Syracuse University College of Law. Your gift will allow us to create and develop the first comprehensive Veterans Legal Clinic in New York State assisting veterans with a myriad of legal needs. The Veterans Legal Clinic that you helped fund will provide invaluable representation to veterans in initial benefits claims, appeals of denials, and discharge upgrades. Veterans will also have access to legal assistance in many other areas of the law that are practiced within our clinical legal education courses. "Thank You for your generous support of Rome Hospital Foundation's 2014 Annual Gala. With support from our corporate partners and community members, this was our highest fundraising event to date, raising more than $95,000 in support of Rome Memorial Hospital. Rome Memorial Hospital maintains the legacy of its founders, insuring that comprehensive, high-quality healthcare is available, regardless of one's ability to pay, to all of our community members in and around the greater Rome area. Event proceeds provide the resources required to invest in new technologies and programs for the more than 100,000 people that come to our hospital for care each year. On behalf of Rome Hospital Foundation's Board of Directors, the 2014 Annual Gala Committee and, most importantly, those in our community benefiting from your generosity, thank you for partnering with us. Your support is sincerely appreciated. "Hi Susan- Just wanted to say thanks again for your help with Thanksgiving. We provided 112 families/487 people with full baskets including some turkeys, everyone got a gift card ranging from $20-100, loads of beautiful fresh veggies and fruits, breads, rolls, canned goods, delicious restaurant quality pies, and more, and 1 or more of the Hannaford donation boxes purchased by our neighbors that contained an assortment of staples. Plus, I lost count on how many families benefited from partial packages they needed to complete their holiday meals. The Record and The Times Union both did nice article with great pictures too in which you were cited for your generosity. We did leave a message at Hoosick Road Subaru inviting the staff to come over on distribution morning to get in the pictures and check out the operation, but unfortunately no one was able to make it I guess. "Thank you for your participation in our Purple Ribbon campaign held during the month of October. By displaying these purple ribbons you help raise awareness about domestic violence and share the message that there is no place for abuse in our homes, neighborhoods, schools or workplace. Thank you to all of our partners, and to the support of the community, a total of 1,374 ribbons were sold! Without the funds raised by Carbone Auto Group, we could not have reached this amazing total. All proceeds from the Purple Ribbon campaign benefit the YWCA Mohawk Valley domestic violence program, which includes two emergency shelters, transitional housing, a 24 hour confidential hotline, individual and group counseling, and client advocacy. These services are vital to both the intervention and prevention of domestic violence in our community. On behalf of the YWCA Mohawk Valley, we thank you for your belief in our work, your generosity and commitment. "Thank you for your recent sponsorship of Casino Night 2914 at the Northeast Classic Car Museum. Outstanding food, great fun, and your generosity made this year's event a rousing success. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank you for your support of the Northeast Classic Car Museum. " On behalf of The ARC, Oneida-Lewis Chapter, NYSARC, Thank You for adopting two families for the 2014 Holiday Giving Campaign. Your generosity will helps us provide a more festive holiday for the people we support. Again, thank you for your continuing support of our Agency and the work that we do. Wishing all a safe and happy Holiday Season!!!!!! "Thank you for supporting the 5th Annual Make-A-Wish Halloween Hoopla" "Congratulations on your Make A Difference award being presented by On Point for College. You absolutely do make a difference in our community and I thank you for the difference you make in the lives of our patients. Enjoy your special evening. Thanks again for all you do for the SEMC Foundation. You might never know the names of the participants at Casting for Recovery retreats you are helping, but please know that your support truly made a difference in their lives. This year we held 42 retreats across the country reaching nearly 600 of the 2.9 million women currently in various stages of treatment and recovery. Each survivor is seeking tools to help address quality of life and survivorship issues and learn how to move forward to overcome the challenges of breast cancer. Casting for Recovery offers these tools through innovative retreats which address both psyosocial and physical aspects of recovery, provide an opportunity to focus on renewal, and introduce a new skill that puts participants in touch with the natural world. As we provide all of our retreats free of charge to participants, we depend on your continued support and there is no way to fully express our gratitude for your loyalty. We are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of donors like you who answer the call to give. "For the homeless, the holidays can be a depressing time. They are lonely, hungry, and hurting. How does the Rescue Mission of Utica help? We offer hope to those who come to us as we provide three meals a day, safe shelter, warm clothing, Biblical counsel, and vocational training. During the holidays, and all year, we are here with an open door mending shattered lives! Sharon and her three children to be provided with warm coats to get them through the winter months, from our free clothing center. Jonathan will have a warm, safe place to sleep in our Emergency Shelter. Hector and his family to receive a food basket to help them get through the month, which will allow him to put gas in his car, pay the rent and keep the heat and lights on. Tyler to participate in our Parker House After Care Program where he will receive help with his addiction and spiritual guidance for a better life. However, we could not do all that we do if it weren't for the faithful support of caring and committed friends, like yourself. THANK you for standing with us, and thank you for your recent donation from your D/D Dance. You are an integral part of our ministry of "reaching out?changing lives" and I am so grateful for your compassion and caring heart. On behalf of the Chorbishop John Faris, the Festival of Baskets Committee, and the parishioners of St. Louis Gonzaga Church, we extend our sincerest thanks to you for your generous donation to our 14th annual fund raiser. Your contribution has fostered the ongoing community participation that makes this event a great success." "Thank you for supporting Team Adirondack Bank in helping to finish the fight against breast cancer. Your donation helped the team reach their fundraising goal of $1000.00 and then some! All proceeds have been given to the American Cancer Society as part of the Making Strides against Breast Cancer walk held on October 19th, 2014 at the Masonic Home in Utica, NY. We truly appreciate your donation and support for this cause. "The On Point for College family is very grateful for your Sponsorship gift received on 11/13/14 for our First Annual Utica Celebration Dinner which will take place on November 20. Your Sponsorship includes 12 event tickets. Since 1999, On Point for College has enrolled over 5000 students in 216 colleges and universities. We now have nearly 1000 college graduates. Included in these numbers are over 400 college enrollees from Utica and the first two graduates from the Utica program. Over 160 volunteers and mentors, along with supporters like you, make it all possible for the young people we serve to personally experience the rewards and challenges of college life, which for many of them seemed to be a dream or an impossible achievement. On behalf of the students we serve every day, know that you are making a difference. "Thank you for your support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 2014. Your September Sale-A-Thon event has made a significant impact on our service for local families, and has helped create awareness for this rare disease in your community. The philanthropic nature of the Carbone Auto Group resonates within the non-profit community. You give generously and you give often. Because of you, progress will be made. On behalf of the families served by the MDA, thank you for your support. We wish you and your families a happy holiday season. We are truly thankful for all of you! "Thank you very much for your donation to the Jewish Community Center's annual program book fundraiser. Your generous donation will help us continue providing quality programming for children, seniors and adults in the Mohawk Valley for years to come. Here's wishing you a yours a happy, holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year. Thank you once again for your support. " On behalf of the Friends of the Arc Foundation and the Pour Your Heart Out Committee, I want to take this opportunity to truly thank you for your generous support of our Friends of the Arc Pour Your Heart Out Wine & Food Tasting held Saturday October 25th at the Teugega Country Club in Rome. The proceeds from our Wine & Food tasting event will aid the Friends Foundation in its support of The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter's mission by helping to provide essential services for people with developmental disabilities right here in our own community. Your supports will reach many areas of the agency such as CollegeWorks, Guardianship, StageWorks, Summer Camp along with other essential programs and service for people we support and their families. Again, thank you for helping to make our Annual Wine & Food Tasting Event a success! "On behalf of the Board of Directors, Staff, and Advisory Board of the Cardiac Research Institute at Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) and the Event Committee Co-Chairs Mary Lyons Bradley, Connie Leist and Susan Matt, we would like to thank you for your Silver Sponsorship. We would not have been successful without your generous support. The Every Heartbeat Counts Celebration, hosted by the Advisory Board of the Cardiac Research Institute at Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) for the benefit of the institute was attended by over 260 community leaders and friends of the MMRL. The gala served well to recognize the contributions of the MMRL to the world of science and medicine as well as to highlight the honor and prestige it has brought to the Mohawk Valley. The event, held at the Jorgensen Center of Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), was a resounding success due to the efforts of many. The Event Center at MVCC was magically transformed into a fine dining experience by the committee and several community partners including the MVCC staff, Sodexo, Chester's Flower Shop, 484 Design, Connie Leist Interior, Sikora Interiors and George's Farm Products. Our guests were entertained by music from Rick Zuccaro and Friends and informed speakers Dr. Randy VanWagoner, MVCC President, Dr. Charles Antzelevitch, MMRL Executive Director and Director of Research and William J. Thomas, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York. We would like to extend a special invitation to you to visit our Institute to see firsthand the ground-breaking research conducted in the Mohawk Valley. "Thank you for your leadership, thank you for your dedication and commitment and thank you for your financial support. Without you and past members of the Great Utica Region of the American Heart Association BOD we would not have had the successes that have been attributed to the 26+ years of my tenure. No one person makes those things happen. Team work from many leaders, volunteers, corporate partners and the generous community are what made for the successes we've had. I know you will continue to support Jen and the new staff as well as Tabitha and Kristine. Again, thank you and I look forward to seeing you out in the community and at future AHA events and activities." "Over the last decade, The Community Foundation has embarked on a journey of transformational change and awakened in our community philanthropy through funding collaborations and partnerships far beyond the scope ever envisioned by our Founders. We have reinvented ourselves: our vision, our mission, our values, our strategies and our brand. This evolution toward collective impact demanded advocacy, passion and courageous leadership - all of which we found in our President & CEO, Peggy O'Shea. For ten years, Peggy had been piloting the journey. She has spearheaded our rebirth and ensured our future will be defined by meaningful change and unbridled optimism for our two counties. With her retirement, a change in leadership will be added to our innovations, but her legacy is indelible. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, all staff and volunteers, we are most grateful for your tribute to her. This letter shall serve to acknowledge the charitable gift from the Carbone Automotive Group, in honor of Peggy O'Shea. The Foundation thanks you for this thoughtful tribute to Peggy. We know you will be hearing from her personally and have no doubt she will remain a visible force and passionate advocacy for our community for years to come - a forever friend. "On behalf of the New Hartford Central School Foundation, I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation for supporting this year's Prince Charming Ball. We had our most successful ball on record this past spring. The boys not only danced with their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, but also enjoyed a robotics demonstration provided by two Perry Junior High School students. We feel certain we will be able to build upon this signature event next year. By agreeing to sponsor of the 2014 Prince Charming Ball, you enabled the Foundation to raise $18,821. As you know, the Foundation works closely with the Superintendent of Schools to identify district needs. It is our hope to continue to meet those needs while also building an endowment that will enable us to partner with the district to make substantial investment in our schools in the years to come. We hope that we will be able to count on your generous support in the coming year." "On behalf of the Board and Staff of the Women's Employment & Resource Center, I would like to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude for your generous support of our WERC Awards Luncheon. With your help, the luncheon raised over $12,000 for our Professional Pathways Program and other employment services. This event could not have have been a success without your generous assistance. We deeply appreciate the trust you have placed in our agency and our efforts to help women gain the skills necessary to secure employment, and ultimately, to realize career success. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity. Please know how very grateful we are for your support which enables us to continue helping women find the path to employment. "We would like the thank you for your donation to The Edward L. Witko Memorial Fund. Despite the weather we raised over $4000, for families of fallen police officers. We would not have been able to do this without your generous contribution. Please be assured that we always encourage our guests to support our donors and sponsors and you will be seeing us again in the near future. Again thank you so very much for supporting the Witko Tournament. "With you generous help, The Savoy Loop Road Race was an incredible success on September 6th, 2014 at the Emma L. Miller Elementary School! Your thoughtful donations made this race possible and with it a wonderful day for our community. The race grew at an impressive rate in its second year with 78 racers and 138 sponsors. Our sponsors/donors helped us raise over $7,500 for our amazing school. Thanks to you, our students will have several opportunities to have project supplied, participate in fun programs and attend education field trips- including a trip to the Boston Museum of Science! Your donation and support is greatly appreciated by so many students, educators and community members in Savoy. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! "On the behalf of the residents and staff of the Masonic Care Community, please accept our "heartfelt appreciation" for your support and participation in the 2nd Annual Mighty Run. This year's event raised $38,000.00 for our Rehabilitation Services, and $12,000.00 for our Child Care Center. Although the weather was a bit "soggy", it certainly could not "dampen" the spirit and enthusiasm shown by all who participated in one form or another. The "Mighty Mites Kid's Race" was an overwhelming success, as what child doesn't love to have permission to play in the mud and get dirty? The mighty Run too proved very successful, giving Adults an opportunity to discover their "adventurous side". Our volunteers were "mighty" indeed encouraging and smiling, while fighting the elements themselves. It goes without saying that we would not have been able to do any of this without the generous donations of our sponsors. It's wonderful to hold these events that shine a positive light on the community and life in the Mohawk Valley. The Masonic Care Community has been a part of Central New York since 1893, and we are proud to have business partners who share the love of this region with us. "Thank you for your donation. The 21 Club of CNY is a family-centered organization founded on the principle that people with Down syndrome should be fully included and supported in education, employment, and in our community. Your contribution helps us promote awareness, provide support, and connect families with the resources they need to put this principle into action. Thank you very much! "The Board of Director and I would like to thank you for your very kind and continued support of our organization. We sincerely appreciate your generous donation for our golf tournament. Humane Society of Rome, Inc. "On behalf of the Presbyterian Homes Foundation, we thank you for your very generous donation in support of Team Beebe and our 12th Annual Parkinson Awareness Walk which was help this part Saturday, September 27th. Your generosity and personal loyalty is truly valued. The money raised from the PAW will be used towards many of our Parkinson related projects such as Telemedicine, adaptive equipment, community education and many other supportive programs. We have a very successful walk this year and raised over $24,000 as we honored the Attili/Viti Family. The weather was perfect and everyone really enjoyed the day. Thank you once again for your commitment to our organization. "I would like to thank you on behalf of the Parkway Center for your generous donation to our first annual Lifetime Achievement Award event. This was an incredibly fun and successful evening thanks in large part to our community partners like you. "On behalf of the East Utica Classic Committee and the Demkowitch Family we would like to thank you for your contribution; this year's tournament wouldn't have been the huge success that it was without your support. With the Money raised during the tournament, we were able to grant a check of $5,000 to Tony Demkowitch and his wife Shauna for medical expenses for their newborn baby Kian. The unborn baby was diagnosed with Spina Bifide (Myelomeningocele), which cause a un-fused portion of the spinal cord to protrude through an opening in the lower back. The parents later learned that their baby would be eligible for a prenatal Spina Bifida surgery, which can great improve mobility and increase the chances of walking independently. The surgery was successful, but many obstacles, including ongoing expensive medical treatment remain. The Annual East Utica Charity Event aims to assist a different family in our community every year to help with their difficult journey they are facing. The speed in which this event has grown and the way the area has embraced our goal of giving back to the community that has given us so much is inspiring. The tournament itself has quickly becoming a "can't miss" annual event for one reason only. Not because of the great food and drinks. Not because of the golf or the great atmosphere. It isn't any of those things, although they are all present and accounted for every year. It's because the event embodies all the best of East Utica. East Utica's generosity is there. Our respect and loyalty to our community permeated through the room. The spirit of Utica comes alive the minute you walk into the event. Thank you again for your kind and generous support and we hope to see you next years! Please accent my sincere thank you for your very generous gift to the Mary's Theresa's Annual Charity Bazaar. A gift like yours in so helpful in assisting us to do outreach to the children and their families in the central city of Utica. The end result will be some smiles and a lot of satisfaction that can be so elusive to these people. "Thank you for the Group's support of the Mohawk Valley Frontiers' Andy Wertz Memorial Golf Tournament at Valley View Golf Course. Your generous donation as a tee sign sponsor is truly appreciated. Because of your support we are able to continue our mission of providing positive choices to the children in the community. Thank you for your generous contribution to the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) received on August 28, 2014. This donation will be used to support research focused on improving the lives of people with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Currently, there are few effective treatment options for the symptoms of PWS, and few research dollars available to develop them. With your help, we're working hard to change that. The mission of FPWR is to eliminate the challenges of Prader-Willi syndrome through the advancement of research. Thanks to your donation, we move closer to fulfilling these goals every day. Since 2003, we have been able to award over $4 million in research grants potential for advancing the understanding of PWS. Thank you for designating you gift to the Revolutionary Trails council, Boy Scouts of America through your United Way Donation. The Boy Scouts of America has service youth since 2910. Scouting aims to provide unique personal growth opportunities to an ever-increasing number of youth, helping them mature into strong adults whose values are embodied in the Scout Oath and Law. The core of the singular movement has been and will continue to be focused on character development, personal fitness, citizenship, and service to others. Your support insures that the youth of our community continue to receive the Scouting program. The Revolutionary Trails Counsel is an integral part of the social fabric of our community. Witness all of the Eagle Projects that improve parks and neighborhoods in every town. Consider the Scouting for Food program, which helps hundreds of people through the winter. How many business and government managers acquired their leadership skills from the Boy Scout program? Your gift is helping keep Scouting strong and I thank you on behalf of the nearly 3,000 youth members and over 1,000 volunteer adults. "On behalf of the Rome art and Community Center I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for you generosity. Your sponsorship will allow us to once again bring our Holiday house tradition to our community. "On behalf of the Mohawk Valley Association of Realtors and its Public Relations Committee, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your contribution to our annual golf tournament which was held on August 21st. Without your support, we would not be able to fund our Youth Scholarship program and other MVAR community-sponsored events. This event has made it possible for us to provide a $1,000 scholarship to two graduating seniors every year. It has also allowed us to support several other local charitable events. Thanks again for your continued support of our Board and its community programs. "On behalf of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and staff, we would like to express our sincerest appreciation for your participation in this year's 14th Annual Chamber Choo Choo Open at Thendara Golf Course. Together, with your involvement we were able to have a successful and enjoyable event. If you would please take a moment to offer any suggestions for improvements, or tell us what should stay the same, we can assure that the event gets better every year. Please email [email protected]. We appreciate your participation, and we hope to see you next year. - Pamela G. Matt, Esq. "Thank you for your commitment to the Southwestern Vermont Health Care Foundation. Your event sponsorship helps us generate critical support for the most current needs of our health system. You are partnering with us to bring high-quality health care and an improved medical experience to the communities we serve. Your gift recognition listing on our event publications and our 2014 Annual Report will read "Carbone Automotive Group." To make changes to your listing or if you have any questions, please call the SVHC Foundation at (802) 447-5017 or email us at [email protected]. On behalf of the Lupus Foundation of Mid and Northern New York, Inc. I would like to thank you for your Sponsor donation to The Fourteenth Annual Lupus Charity Golf Classic. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Our organization provides local service programs in education, public awareness, advocacy, and research funding. Because our organization is an all-volunteer charitable organization we rely heavily on community support to fund these services. We are grateful for your support in helping us provide programs that can improve the quality of life for those affected by lupus. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can ever be of assistance. It is only through the collaborative efforts of all of is that a cure for lupus will be discovered. Your support have brought us closer in reaching our goal of a "Life Without Lupus." "I wanted to take a moment to thank you and the entire Carbone family for the very generous support you have shown to the Hoops & Dreams Project the past few years. Your support this past summer helped us keep more than 100 kids off the streets of Utica. Thank you for helping us 'Stop the Violence' and build character. "On behalf of Feed Our Vets, we thank you for your support of using the Utica HD for our meeting place for our annual motorcycle ride in August 2013, for helping us selling raffle tickets for a 1967 Ford Mustang that we raffled off this year to raise funds and also for us to be a recipient of the 50/50 raffle at the Purple Hearts motorcycle ride on 16 August 2014. You make a difference to the mend and women who have sacrificed themselves for our freedom right here in Central New York. Thanks for your continued support of the Feed Our Vets organization. Special thanks to Steve, Lori and Chris Winters of Utica HD. In 2012, FOV gave out 48,638 pounds of food from our pantry at 205 Genesee Street, Utica, NY 13501. In 2013 we gave our an astonishing 70,541 pounds of food. So far this year, we gave out a total of 37,000 pounds of food. Our needy and hungry vets, their spouses and children also thank you. We look forward for your support in the future. If we can be of any assistance to you or your business, please feel free to contact me. "Thank you for your generous support of the 15th Annual Golf Tournament by providing Hole in One sponsorship. This year the golf tournament raised a gross total of more than $80,000, which brings the grand total over the last 14 years to $800,000 only because of you commitment to the children! Your donation will truly impact the children's lives by providing much-needed financial support for the various programs at The House. Your support is having a direct impact on the lives of the children at The House of the Good Shepherd every day. Because of you, we have been able to provide our children with treatment to help make them whole again, and realize they have potential. You help children discover that opportunities are truly available for them to seek a brighter future! Along with our top sponsors you have been the driving force of this event with your contributions over the past 15 years. Thanks to the leadership of Gregory McLean, Committee Chair, The House of the Good Shepherd has been able to meet the needs of the wonderful children in our care. On behalf of all the children who will have a better life because you joined us in believing they could do it - thank you! "Thank you to the Carbone Auto Group for your generous donation to our Bennington County Babe Ruth All Star Team."

2019-04-26T10:15:42Z

https://www.donsfordofutica.com/how-we-make-a-difference.htm

Cryptography has a long and interesting history, and has been the subject of considerable political controversy. The classic book on the history of cryptography is David Kahn's The Codebreakers. It traces codes and codebreaking from ancient Egypt to the 20th century. Diffie and Landau Privacy on the Line: The Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption covers the history from the First World War to the 1990s, with an emphasis on the US. During the Second World War, the British "Ultra" project achieved one of the greatest intelligence triumphs in the history of warfare, breaking many Axis codes. One major target was the Enigma cipher machine, a German device whose users were convinced it was unbreakable. The American "Magic" project had some similar triumphs against Japanese codes. Andrew Hodges has done a superb biography of Alan Turing, a key player among the Ultra codebreakers. Turing was also an important computer pioneer. The terms Turing test and Turing machine are named for him, as is the ACM's highest technical award. Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon is a novel with cryptography central to the plot. Parts of it take place during WW II, other parts today. Bletchley Park, where much of the Ultra work was done, now has a museum and a web site. The Ultra work introduced three major innovations. The first break of Enigma was achieved by Polish Intelligence in 1931. Until then most code-breakers had been linguists, but a different approach was needed to break machine ciphers. Polish Intelligence recruited bright young mathematicians to crack the "unbreakable" Enigma. When war came in 1939, the Poles told their allies about this, putting Britain on the road to Ultra. The British also adopted a mathematical approach. Machines were extensively used in the attacks. First the Polish "Bombe" for attacking Enigma, then British versions of it, then machines such as Collosus for attacking other codes. By the end of the war, some of these machines were beginning to closely resemble digital computers. After the war, a team at Manchester University, several old Ultra hands included, built one of the world's first actual general-purpose digital computers. Ultra made codebreaking a large-scale enterprise, producing intelligence on an industrial scale. This was not a "black chamber", not a hidden room in some obscure government building with a small crew of code-breakers. The whole operation -- from wholesale interception of enemy communications by stations around the world, through large-scale code-breaking and analysis of the decrypted material (with an enormous set of files for cross-referencing), to delivery of intelligence to field commanders -- was huge, and very carefully managed. So by the end of the war, Allied code-breakers were expert at large-scale mechanised code-breaking. The payoffs were enormous. The wartime innovations were enthusiastically adopted by post-war and Cold War signals intelligence agencies. Presumably many nations now have some agency capable of sophisticated attacks on communications security, and quite a few engage in such activity on a large scale. America's NSA, for example, is said to be both the world's largest employer of mathematicians and the world's largest purchaser of computer equipment. Such claims may be somewhat exaggerated, but beyond doubt the NSA -- and similar agencies in other countries -- have some excellent mathematicians, lots of powerful computers, sophisticated software, and the organisation and funding to apply them on a large scale. Details of the NSA budget are secret, but there are some published estimates. Changes in the world's communications systems since WW II have provided these agencies with new targets. Cracking the codes used on an enemy's military or diplomatic communications has been common practice for centuries. Extensive use of radio in war made large-scale attacks such as Ultra possible. Modern communications make it possible to go far beyond that. Consider listening in on cell phones, or intercepting electronic mail, or tapping into the huge volumes of data on new media such as fiber optics or satellite links. None of these targets existed in 1950. All of them can be attacked today, and almost certainly are being attacked. Hager's Secret Power, about the Echelon system -- the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand co-operating to monitor much of the world's communications. Until quite recently, cryptography was primarily a concern of governments, especially of the military, of spies, and of diplomats. Much of it was extremely secret. The US gov't established the Data Encryption Standard, DES, a block cipher for cryptographic protection of unclassfied documents. DES also became widely used in industry, especially regulated industries such as banking. Other nations produced their own standards, such as GOST in the Soviet Union. Public key cryptography was invented by Diffie and Hellman. Academic conferences such as Crypto and Eurocrypt began. This has led to a complex ongoing battle between various mainly government groups wanting to control the spread of crypto and various others, notably the computer industry and the cypherpunk crypto advocates, wanting to encourage widespread use. Steven Levy has written a fine history of much of this, called Crypto: How the Code rebels Beat the Government -- Saving Privacy in the Digital Age. We are literally in a race between our ability to build and deploy technology, and their ability to build and deploy laws and treaties. Neither side is likely to back down or wise up until it has definitively lost the race. If FreeS/WAN reaches its goal of making opportunistic encryption widespread so that secure communication can become the default for a large part of the net, we will have struck a major blow. The political problem is that nearly all governments want to monitor their enemies' communications, and some want to monitor their citizens. They may be very interested in protecting some of their own communications, and often some types of business communication, but not in having everyone able to communicate securely. They therefore attempt to restrict availability of strong cryptography as much as possible. Echelon, a monitor-the-world project of the US, UK, NZ, Australian and Canadian signals intelligence agencies. See this collection of links and this story on the French Parliament's reaction. The government believes not only the governments associated with Echelon are able to intercept communication systems, but that it is an activity of the investigative authorities and intelligence services of many countries with governments of different political signature. Even if they have nothing on the scale of Echelon, most intelligence agencies and police forces certainly have some interception capability. A proposal for international co-operation on Internet surveillance. Alleged sabotage of security products by the NSA (the US signals intelligence agency). The German armed forces and some government departments will stop using American software for fear of NSA "back doors", according to this news story . The British Regulation of Investigatory Powers bill. See this web page. and perhaps this cartoon. Chinese controls on net use. export laws restricting strong cryptography as a munition. See discussion below. various attempts to convince people that fundamentally flawed cryptography, such as encryption with a back door for government access to data or with inadequate key lengths, was adequate for their needs. collection of personal data by various companies. for example, consider the various corporate winners of Privacy International's Big Brother Awards. in particular, an individual with access to government or industry data collections could do considerable damage using that data in unauthorized ways. One study enumerates threats and possible responses for small and medium businesses. VPNs are a key part of the suggested strategy. Our objective is to help make privacy possible on the Internet using cryptography strong enough not even those well-funded government agencies are likely to break it. If we can do that, the chances of anyone else breaking it are negliible. There are several collections of crypto quotes on the net. See also the bibliography and our list of web references on cryptography law and policy. and a section on press coverage of FreeS/WAN. FreeS/WAN project founder John Gilmore wrote a web page about why we are doing this. The version below is slightly edited, to fit this format and to update some links. For a version without these edits, see his home page. My project for 1996 was to secure 5% of the Internet traffic against passive wiretapping. It didn't happen in 1996, so I'm still working on it in 1997, 1998, and 1999! If we get 5% in 1999 or 2000, we can secure 20% the next year, against both active and passive attacks; and 80% the following year. Soon the whole Internet will be private and secure. The project is called S/WAN or S/Wan or Swan for Secure Wide Area Network; since it's free software, we call it FreeSwan to distinguish it from various commercial implementations. RSA came up with the term "S/WAN". Our main web site is at http://www.freeswan.org/. Want to help? The idea is to deploy PC-based boxes that will sit between your local area network and the Internet (near your firewall or router) which opportunistically encrypt your Internet packets. Whenever you talk to a machine (like a Web site) that doesn't support encryption, your traffic goes out "in the clear" as usual. Whenever you connect to a machine that does support this kind of encryption, this box automatically encrypts all your packets, and decrypts the ones that come in. In effect, each packet gets put into an "envelope" on one side of the net, and removed from the envelope when it reaches its destination. This works for all kinds of Internet traffic, including Web access, Telnet, FTP, email, IRC, Usenet, etc. The encryption boxes are standard PC's that use freely available Linux software that you can download over the Internet or install from a cheap CDROM. This wasn't just my idea; lots of people have been working on it for years. The encryption protocols for these boxes are called IPSEC (IP Security). They have been developed by the IP Security Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force, and will be a standard part of the next major version of the Internet protocols ( IPv6). For today's (IP version 4) Internet, they are an option. The Internet Architecture Board and Internet Engineering Steering Group have taken a strong stand that the Internet should use powerful encryption to provide security and privacy. I think these protocols are the best chance to do that, because they can be deployed very easily, without changing your hardware or software or retraining your users. They offer the best security we know how to build, using the Triple-DES, RSA, and Diffie-Hellman algorithms. This "opportunistic encryption box" offers the "fax effect". As each person installs one for their own use, it becomes more valuable for their neighbors to install one too, because there's one more person to use it with. The software automatically notices each newly installed box, and doesn't require a network administrator to reconfigure it. Instead of "virtual private networks" we have a "REAL private network"; we add privacy to the real network instead of layering a manually-maintained virtual network on top of an insecure Internet. The US government would like to control the deployment of IP Security with its crypto export laws. This isn't a problem for my effort, because the cryptographic work is happening outside the United States. A foreign philanthropist, and others, have donated the resources required to add these protocols to the Linux operating system. Linux is a complete, freely available operating system for IBM PC's and several kinds of workstation, which is compatible with Unix. It was written by Linus Torvalds, and is still maintained by a talented team of expert programmers working all over the world and coordinating over the Internet. Linux is distributed under the GNU Public License, which gives everyone the right to copy it, improve it, give it to their friends, sell it commercially, or do just about anything else with it, without paying anyone for the privilege. Organizations that want to secure their network will be able to put two Ethernet cards into an IBM PC, install Linux on it from a $30 CDROM or by downloading it over the net, and plug it in between their Ethernet and their Internet link or firewall. That's all they'll have to do to encrypt their Internet traffic everywhere outside their own local area network. Travelers will be able to run Linux on their laptops, to secure their connection back to their home network (and to everywhere else that they connect to, such as customer sites). Anyone who runs Linux on a standalone PC will also be able to secure their network connections, without changing their application software or how they operate their computer from day to day. There will also be numerous commercially available firewalls that use this technology. RSA Data Security is coordinating the S/Wan (Secure Wide Area Network) project among more than a dozen vendors who use these protocols. There's a compatability chart that shows which vendors have tested their boxes against which other vendors to guarantee interoperatility. Eventually it will also move into the operating systems and networking protocol stacks of major vendors. This will probably take longer, because those vendors will have to figure out what they want to do about the export controls. My initial goal of securing 5% of the net by Christmas '96 was not met. It was an ambitious goal, and inspired me and others to work hard, but was ultimately too ambitious. The protocols were in an early stage of development, and needed a lot more protocol design before they could be implemented. As of April 1999, we have released version 1.0 of the software ( freeswan-1.0.tar.gz), which is suitable for setting up Virtual Private Networks using shared secrets for authentication. It does not yet do opportunistic encryption, or use DNSSEC for authentication; those features are coming in a future release. The low-level encrypted packet formats are defined. The system for publishing keys and providing secure domain name service is defined. The IP Security working group has settled on an NSA-sponsored protocol for key agreement (called ISAKMP/Oakley), but it is still being worked on, as the protocol and its documentation is too complex and incomplete. There are prototype implementations of ISAKMP. The protocol is not yet defined to enable opportunistic encryption or the use of DNSSEC keys. The Linux implementation has reached its first major release and is ready for production use in manually-configured networks, using Linux kernel version 2.0.36. There is now a release of BIND 8.2 that includes most DNS Security features. The first prototype implementation of Domain Name System Security was funded by DARPA as part of their Information Survivability program. Trusted Information Systems wrote a modified version of BIND, the widely-used Berkeley implementation of the Domain Name System. TIS, ISC, and I merged the prototype into the standard version of BIND. The first production version that supports KEY and SIG records is bind-4.9.5. This or any later version of BIND will do for publishing keys. It is available from the Internet Software Consortium. This version of BIND is not export-controlled since it does not contain any cryptography. Later releases starting with BIND 8.2 include cryptography for authenticating DNS records, which is also exportable. Better documentation is needed. Because I can. I have made enough money from several successful startup companies, that for a while I don't have to work to support myself. I spend my energies and money creating the kind of world that I'd like to live in and that I'd like my (future) kids to live in. Keeping and improving on the civil rights we have in the United States, as we move more of our lives into cyberspace, is a particular goal of mine. Install the latest BIND at your site. You won't be able to publish any keys for your domain, until you have upgraded your copy of BIND. The thing you really need from it is the new version of named, the Name Daemon, which knows about the new KEY and SIG record types. So, download it from the Internet Software Consortium and install it on your name server machine (or get your system administrator, or Internet Service Provider, to install it). Both your primary DNS site and all of your secondary DNS sites will need the new release before you will be able to publish your keys. You can tell which sites this is by running the Unix command "dig MYDOMAIN ns" and seeing which sites are mentioned in your NS (name server) records. Get a machine running Linux (say the 5.2 release from Red Hat). Give the machine two Ethernet cards. If you're an experienced sysadmin or Linux hacker, install the freeswan-1.0 release, or any later release or snapshot. These releases do NOT provide automated "opportunistic" operation; they must be manually configured for each site you wish to encrypt with. The discussion forum for people working on the project, and testing the code and documentation, is: [email protected]. To join this mailing list, send email to [email protected] containing a line of text that says "subscribe linux-ipsec". (You can later get off the mailing list the same way -- just send "unsubscribe linux-ipsec"). I update this page periodically, and there may be new information in it that you haven't seen. My intent is to send email to the mailing list when I update the page in any significant way, so subscribing to the list is an alternative. Would you like to help? I can use people who are willing to write documentation, install early releases for testing, write cryptographic code outside the United States, sell pre-packaged software or systems including this technology, and teach classes for network administrators who want to install this technology. To offer to help, send me email at [email protected]. Tell me what country you live in and what your citizenship is (it matters due to the export control laws; personally I don't care). Include a copy of your resume and the URL of your home page. Describe what you'd like to do for the project, and what you're uniquely qualified for. Mention what other volunteer projects you've been involved in (and how they worked out). Helping out will require that you be able to commit to doing particular things, meet your commitments, and be responsive by email. Volunteer projects just don't work without those things. This prototype implementation of the IP Security protocols is for another free operating system. Download BSDipsec.tar.gz. This prototype implementation of the IP Security protocols is for yet another free operating system. It is directly integrated into the OS release, since the OS is maintained in Canada, which has freedom of speech in software. > the former, which is necessary but not sufficient for the latter. against passive attacks (wiretapping and those big antenna farms). for even a site to solve, let alone to build into a whole society. build systems that automatically monitor everyone's communications. experience with it will be needed. Denker is a co-author of a paper on a large FreeS/WAN application. Information on Zero Knowledge is on their web site. Their Freedom product, designed to provide untracable pseudonyms for use on the net, is no longer marketed. Another section of our documentation discusses ways to resist traffic analysis. Various groups, especially governments and especially the US government, have a long history of advocating various forms of bogus security. We regard bogus security as extremely dangerous. If users are deceived into relying on bogus security, then they may be exposed to large risks. They would be better off having no security and knowing it. At least then they would be careful about what they said. Avoiding bogus security is a key design criterion for everything we do in FreeS/WAN. The most conspicuous example is our refusal to support single DES. Other IPsec "features" which we do not implement are discussed in our compatibility document. Various governments have made persistent attempts to encourage or mandate "escrowed encrytion", also called "key recovery", or GAK for "government access to keys". The idea is that cryptographic keys be held by some third party and turned over to law enforcement or security agencies under some conditions. A crypto quotes page attributes this to Sam Simpson. There is an excellent paper available on Risks of Escrowed Encryption, from a group of cryptographic luminaries which included our project leader. Matt Blaze found a fatal flaw in the US government's Clipper chip shortly after design information became public. See his paper "Protocol Failure in the Escrowed Encryption Standard" on his papers page. FreeS/WAN does not support escrowed encryption, and never will. The notion that choice of ciphers or keysize should be determined by a trade-off between security requirements and overheads is pure bafflegab. For most symmetric ciphers, it is simply a lie. Any block cipher has some natural maximum keysize inherent in the design -- 128 bits for IDEA or CAST-128, 256 for Serpent or Twofish, 448 for Blowfish and 2048 for RC4. Using a key size smaller than that limit gives exactly zero savings in overhead. The crippled 40-bit or 64-bit version of the cipher provides no advantage whatsoever. AES uses 10 rounds with 128-bit keys, 12 rounds for 192-bit and 14 rounds for 256-bit, so there actually is a small difference in overhead, but not enough to matter in most applications. For triple DES there is a grain of truth in the argument. 3DES is indeed three times slower than single DES. However, the solution is not to use the insecure single DES, but to pick a faster secure cipher. CAST-128, Blowfish and the AES candidate ciphers are are all considerably faster in software than DES (let alone 3DES!), and apparently secure. For public key techniques, there are extra overheads for larger keys, but they generally do not affect overall performance significantly. Practical public key applications are usually hybrid systems in which the bulk of the work is done by a symmetric cipher. The effect of increasing the cost of the public key operations is typically negligible because the public key operations use only a tiny fraction of total resources. For example, suppose public key operations use use 1% of the time in a hybrid system and you triple the cost of public key operations. The cost of symmetric cipher operations is unchanged at 99% of the original total cost, so the overall effect is a jump from 99 + 1 = 100 to 99 + 3 = 102, a 2% rise in system cost. In short, there has never been any technical reason to use inadequate ciphers. The only reason there has ever been for anyone to use such ciphers is that government agencies want weak ciphers used so that they can crack them. The alleged savings are simply propaganda. and all the email that she sent was opened at the Fort. A crypto quotes page attributes this to Ron Rivest. NSA headquarters is at Fort Meade, Maryland. Our policy in FreeS/WAN is to use only cryptographic components with adequate keylength and no known weaknesses. Similarly, we do not implement the 768-bit Group 1 for Diffie-Hellman key negotiation. We provide only the 1024-bit Group 2 and 1536-bit Group 5. Detailed discussion of which IPsec features we implement or omit is in out compatibility document. These decisions imply that we cannot fully conform to the IPsec RFCs, since those have DES as the only required cipher and Group 1 as the only required DH group. (In our view, the standards were subverted into offerring bogus security.) Fortunately, we can still interoperate with most other IPsec implementations since nearly all implementers provide at least 3DES and Group 2 as well. We hope that eventually the RFCs will catch up with our (and others') current practice and reject dubious components. Some of our team and a number of others are working on this in IETF working groups. Of course, making systems secure does involve costs, and trade-offs can be made between cost and security. However, the real trade-offs have nothing to do with using weaker ciphers. There can be substantial hardware and software costs. There are often substantial training costs, both to train administrators and to increase user awareness of security issues and procedures. There are almost always substantial staff or contracting costs. Security takes staff time for planning, implementation, testing and auditing. Some of the issues are subtle; you need good (hence often expensive) people for this. You also need people to monitor your systems and respond to problems. The best safe ever built is insecure if an attacker can work on it for days without anyone noticing. Any computer is insecure if the administrator is "too busy" to check the logs. Moreover, someone in your organisation (or on contract to it) needs to spend considerable time keeping up with new developments. EvilDoers will know about new attacks shortly after they are found. You need to know about them before your systems are attacked. If your vendor provides a patch, you need to apply it. If the vendor does nothing, you need to complain or start looking for another vendor. For a fairly awful example, see this report. In that case over a million credit card numbers were taken from e-commerce sites, using security flaws in Windows NT servers. Microsoft had long since released patches for most or all of the flaws, but the site administrators had not applied them. At an absolute minimum, you must do something about such issues before an exploitation tool is posted to the net for downloading by dozens of "script kiddies". Such a tool might appear at any time from the announcement of the security hole to several months later. Once it appears, anyone with a browser and an attitude can break any system whose administrators have done nothing about the flaw. Compared to those costs, cipher overheads are an insignificant factor in the cost of security. The only thing using a weak cipher can do for you is to cause all your other investment to be wasted. Many nations restrict the export of cryptography and some restrict its use by their citizens or others within their borders. US laws, as currently interpreted by the US government, forbid export of most cryptographic software from the US in machine-readable form without government permission. In general, the restrictions apply even if the software is widely-disseminated or public-domain and even if it came from outside the US originally. Cryptography is legally a munition and export is tightly controlled under the EAR Export Administration Regulations. If you are a US citizen, your brain is considered US territory no matter where it is physically located at the moment. The US believes that its laws apply to its citizens everywhere, not just within the US. Providing technical assistance or advice to foreign "munitions" projects is illegal. The US government has very little sense of humor about this issue and does not consider good intentions to be sufficient excuse. Beware. The official website for these regulations is run by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Export Administration (BXA). The Bernstein case challenges the export restrictions on Constitutional grounds. Code is speech so restrictions on export of code violate the First Amendment's free speech provisions. This argument has succeeded in two levels of court so far. It is quite likely to go on to the Supreme Court. The regulations were changed substantially in January 2000, apparently as a government attempt to get off the hook in the Bernstein case. It is now legal to export public domain source code for encryption, provided you notify the BXA . There are, however, still restrictions in force. Moreover, the regulations can still be changed again whenever the government chooses to do so. Short of a Supreme Court ruling (in the Berstein case or another) that overturns the regulations completely, the problem of export regulation is not likely to go away in the forseeable future. The FreeS/WAN project cannot accept software contributions, not even small bug fixes, from US citizens or residents. We want it to be absolutely clear that our distribution is not subject to US export law. Any contribution from an American might open that question to a debate we'd prefer to avoid. It might also put the contributor at serious legal risk. Of course Americans can still make valuable contributions (many already have) by reporting bugs, or otherwise contributing to discussions, on the project mailing list. Since the list is public, this is clearly constitutionally protected free speech. Note, however, that the export laws restrict Americans from providing technical assistance to foreign "munitions" projects. The government might claim that private discussions or correspondence with FreeS/WAN developers were covered by this. It is not clear what the courts would do with such a claim, so we strongly encourage Americans to use the list rather than risk the complications. The real aim of current policy is to ensure the continued effectiveness of US information warfare assets against individuals, businesses and governments in Europe and elsewhere. If the government were honest about its motives, then the debate about crypto export policy would have ended years ago. The NSA regularly lies to people who ask it for advice on export control. They have no reason not to; accomplishing their goal by any legal means is fine by them. Lying by government employees is legal. Our goal in the FreeS/WAN project is to build just such "strong cryptographic technology" and to distribute it "for all Internet users in all countries". The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has been asked to take a position on the inclusion into IETF standards-track documents of functionality designed to facilitate wiretapping. This memo explains what the IETF thinks the question means, why its answer is "no", and what that answer means. We should not be building surveillance technology into standards. Law enforcement was not supposed to be easy. Where it is easy, it's called a police state. Jeff Schiller of MIT, in a discussion of FBI demands for wiretap capability on the net, as quoted by Wired. The Raven mailing list was set up for this IETF discussion. Our goal is to go beyond that RFC and prevent Internet wiretapping entirely. Restrictions on the export of cryptography are not just US policy, though some consider the US at least partly to blame for the policies of other nations in this area. have signed the Wassenaar Arrangement which restricts export of munitions and other tools of war. Cryptographic sofware is covered there. Wassenaar details are available from the Wassenaar Secretariat, and elsewhere in a more readable HTML version. The Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) has begun a campaign calling for the removal of cryptography controls from the Wassenaar Arrangement. The aim of the Wassenaar Arrangement is to prevent the build up of military capabilities that threaten regional and international security and stability . . . An interesting analysis of Wassenaar can be found on the cyber-rights.org site. There is a note restricting some of this, but it is a sub-heading under point 1, so it appears not to apply to public domain software. . . . "technology" or "software" which has been made available without restrictions upon its further dissemination. N.B. Copyright restrictions do not remove "technology" or "software" from being "in the public domain". We therefore believe that software freely distributed under the GNU Public License, such as Linux FreeS/WAN, is exempt from Wassenaar restrictions. Most of the development work is being done in Canada. Our understanding is that the Canadian government accepts this interpretation. A web statement of Canadian policy is available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Another document from that department states that public domain software is exempt from the export controls. A researcher's analysis of Canadian policy is also available. Recent copies of the freely modifiable and distributable source code exist in many countries. Citizens all over the world participate in its use and evolution, and guard its ongoing distribution. Even if Canadian policy were to change, the software would continue to evolve in countries which do not restrict exports, and would continue to be imported from there into unfree countries. "The Net culture treats censorship as damage, and routes around it." You can help. If you don't know of a Linux FreeS/WAN archive in your own country, please download it now to your personal machine, and consider making it publicly accessible if that doesn't violate your own laws. If you have the resources, consider going one step further and setting up a mirror site for the whole munitions Linux crypto software archive. If you make Linux CD-ROMs, please consider including this code, in a way that violates no laws (in a free country, or in a domestic-only CD product). Please send a note about any new archive mirror sites or CD distributions to [email protected] so we can update the documentation. Lists of current mirror sites and of distributions which include FreeS/WAN are in our introduction section. DES, the Data Encryption S tandard, can no longer be considered secure. While no major flaws in its innards are known, it is fundamentally inadequate because its 56-bit key is too short. It is vulnerable to brute-force search of the whole key space, either by large collections of general-purpose machines or even more quickly by specialized hardware. Of course this also applies to any other cipher with only a 56-bit key. The only reason anyone could have for using a 56 or 64-bit key is to comply with various export laws intended to ensure the use of breakable ciphers. Non-government cryptologists have been saying DES's 56-bit key was too short for some time -- some of them were saying it in the 70's when DES became a standard -- but the US government has consistently ridiculed such suggestions. A group of well-known cryptographers looked at key lengths in a 1996 paper. They suggested a minimum of 75 bits to consider an existing cipher secure and a minimum of 90 bits for new ciphers. More recent papers, covering both symmetric and public key systems are at cryptosavvy.com and rsa.com. For all algorithms, the minimum keylengths recommended in such papers are significantly longer than the maximums allowed by various export laws. In a 1998 ruling, a German court described DES as "out-of-date and not safe enough" and held a bank liable for using it. The question of DES security has now been settled once and for all. In early 1998, the Electronic Frontier Foundation built a DES-cracking machine. It can find a DES key in an average of a few days' search. The details of all this, including complete code listings and complete plans for the machine, have been published in Cracking DES , by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. That machine cost just over $200,000 to design and build. "Moore's Law" is that machines get faster (or cheaper, for the same speed) by roughly a factor of two every 18 months. At that rate, their $200,000 in 1998 becomes $50,000 in 2001. However, Moore's Law is not exact and the $50,000 estimate does not allow for the fact that a copy based on the published EFF design would cost far less than the original. We cannot say exactly what such a cracker would cost today, but it would likely be somewhere between $10,000 and $100,000. A large corporation could build one of these out of petty cash. The cost is low enough for a senior manager to hide it in a departmental budget and avoid having to announce or justify the project. Any government agency, from a major municipal police force up, could afford one. Or any other group with a respectable budget -- criminal organisations, political groups, labour unions, religious groups, ... Or any millionaire with an obsession or a grudge, or just strange taste in toys. One might wonder if a private security or detective agency would have one for rent. They wouldn't need many clients to pay off that investment. As for the security and intelligence agencies of various nations, they may have had DES crackers for years, and theirs may be much faster. It is difficult to make most computer applications work well on parallel machines, or to design specialised hardware to accelerate them. Cipher-cracking is one of the very few exceptions. It is entirely straightforward to speed up cracking by just adding hardware. Within very broad limits, you can make it as fast as you like if you have the budget. The EFF's $200,000 machine breaks DES in a few days. An aviation website gives the cost of a B1 bomber as $200,000,000. Spending that much, an intelligence agency could break DES in an average time of six and a half minutes. That estimate assumes they use the EFF's 1998 technology and just spend more money. They may have an attack that is superior to brute force, they quite likely have better chip technology (Moore's law, a bigger budget, and whatever secret advances they may have made) and of course they may have spent the price of an aircraft carrier, not just one aircraft. In short, we have no idea how quickly these organisations can break DES. Unless they're spectacularly incompetent or horribly underfunded, they can certainly break it, but we cannot guess how quickly. Pick any time unit between days and milliseconds; none is entirely unbelievable. More to the point, none of them is of any comfort if you don't want such organisations reading your communications. Note that this may be a concern even if nothing you do is a threat to anyone's national security. An intelligence agency might well consider it to be in their national interest for certain companies to do well. If you're competing against such companies in a world market and that agency can read your secrets, you have a serious problem. One might wonder about technology the former Soviet Union and its allies developed for cracking DES during the Cold War. They must have tried; the cipher was an American standard and widely used. Certainly those countries have some fine mathematicians, and those agencies had budget. How well did they succeed? Is their technology now for sale or rent? Before the definitive EFF effort, DES had been cracked several times by people using many machines. See this press release for example. A major corporation, university, or government department could break DES by using spare cycles on their existing collection of computers, by dedicating a group of otherwise surplus machines to the problem, or by combining the two approaches. It might take them weeks or months, rather than the days required for the EFF machine, but they could do it. What about someone working alone, without the resources of a large organisation? For them, cracking DES will not be easy, but it may be possible. A few thousand dollars buys a lot of surplus workstations. A pile of such machines will certainly heat your garage nicely and might break DES in a few months or years. Or enroll at a university and use their machines. Or use an employer's machines. Or crack security somewhere and steal the resources to crack a DES key. Or write a virus that steals small amounts of resources on many machines. Or . . . None of these approaches are easy or break DES really quickly, but an attacker only needs to find one that is feasible and breaks DES quickly enough to be dangerous. How much would you care to bet that this will be impossible if the attacker is clever and determined? How valuable is your data? Are you authorised to risk it on a dubious bet? That is why Linux FreeS/WAN disables all transforms which use plain DES for encryption. DES is in the source code, because we need DES to implement our default encryption transform, Triple DES . We urge you not to use single DES. We do not provide any easy way to enable it in FreeS/WAN, and our policy is to provide no assistance to anyone wanting to do so. The same is true, in spades, of ciphers -- DES or others -- crippled by 40-bit keys, as many ciphers were required to be until recently under various export laws. A brute force search of such a cipher's keyspace is 216 times faster than a similar search against DES. The EFF's machine can do a brute-force search of a 40-bit key space in seconds. One contest to crack a 40-bit cipher was won by a student using a few hundred idle machines at his university. It took only three and half hours. We do not, and will not, implement any 40-bit cipher. Triple DES, usually abbreviated 3DES, applies DES three times, with three different keys. DES seems to be basically an excellent cipher design; it has withstood several decades of intensive analysis without any disastrous flaws being found. It's only major flaw is that the small keyspace allows brute force attacks to succeeed. Triple DES enlarges the key space to 168 bits, making brute-force search a ridiculous impossibility. 3DES is currently the only block cipher implemented in FreeS/WAN. 3DES is, unfortunately, about 1/3 the speed of DES, but modern CPUs still do it at quite respectable speeds. Some speed measurements for our code are available. The AES project has chosen a replacement for DES, a new standard cipher for use in non-classified US government work and in regulated industries such as banking. This cipher will almost certainly become widely used for many applications, including IPsec. The winner, announced in October 2000 after several years of analysis and discussion, was the Rijndael cipher from two Belgian designers. It is almost certain that FreeS/WAN will add AES support. AES patches are already available. Salon Magazine "Free Encryption Takes a Big Step" the privacy of Internet communications using strong encryption codes. government regulations which prohibit good privacy protection. opposition political parties, and dissidents. reducing the chance of undetected bugs or hidden security compromises. Frontier Foundation, a leading online civil rights group. Security, Inc; used by permission.

2019-04-24T03:49:53Z

https://freeswan.org/freeswan_trees/freeswan-1.99/doc/politics.html

On April 17, my 96-year-old mother passed away after a short stint in hospice care. She died surrounded by those who loved her, in the home that had been her castle for 62 years, just like she wanted. Who could ask for a better passing? Dad and Mom, New Year’s Eve 1957, in the living room. For the past several years I’ve been living in this house that I grew up in, coming and going while managing her end-of-life care. She and Dad bought it in 1956. I was barely one. Childhood there was a war-zone. Dad eventually left and Mom soldiered on, but it wasn’t really a happy home. After she retired, she lived alone for 34 more years under this roof. In those latter years, the vibe of the house morphed into a solitude that comes from triumphing over adversity. Despite my father abandoning her and his four kids, she got a job, raised us, and bought and paid for the house with her own money. She didn’t have much but she managed it smartly, using the equity in the house to keep it well-maintained. After she retired, she grew gardens, mowed her lawn, wrote poetry, read voraciously, and joined a bowling league. Her best friends were the four of us, the waitresses at the cafes where she ate lunch, and the clerks at her grocery store. She swam and walked and lived simply in her peaceful home in solitary independence. Mom made me promise that I would make sure she could die in her home. So when she could no longer care for herself, I found personal attendants Terry and Victoria on Craig’s List. The equity in the house paid their wages. We all moved into her house together and I eventually found a county program to pay them. Terry and Victoria became her sisters, her constant companions until the end. Thankfully Mom’s house had three bedrooms and a finished basement. Since her passing, I’m in contact with her. I can feel her presence when I need her, not much different than when she was alive. Whenever I had a bad day or something big happened, she knew before I told her. She would often “send out a vibe” that I was to call her, and I would get the message to “call Mom.” While being able to talk to her in Afterlife doesn’t stop the sorrow of her passing, it’s profoundly comforting to have her guide me through the pain. I cleared my calendar to administer her estate. There wasn’t much to do; her belongings were minimal. I began slowly listing stuff for sale. Some of the bigger items sold, but smaller things weren’t moving. In the freshness of my loss, I was not ready to just box up Mom’s possessions and drop them at a thrift store, even though I could clearly hear her say, “It’s just stuff!” I decided to do a giveaway. I thought she could be part of bequeathing her stuff to these strangers who answered the ads. Everyone who came was so kind and appreciative, sometimes driving across town to retrieve something like an under-the-counter plastic light that must have been 40 years old, or a badly cracked desk chair floor protector. The kindness of these strangers for my loss and their appreciation to receive the giveaway was a warm comfort in the face of the sadness. No doubt Mom was happy seeing how it was helping me. Through the summer I lived in this continually emptying house. When someone came to take away another piece of Mom’s life, time and memories peeled away like layers of an onion. In the emptiness, she appeared to me at various stages of those 62 years, but mostly the years after everyone had left and she had the house to herself. Comfort came from realizing that, after all the pain and loss she suffered early on, she eventually found peace living a solitary, independent life, in love with her family and her home. While divesting her stuff, I stayed in the back bedroom, the one I had when I was eleven. In that empty house, the shadow of that 11-year-old girl unexpectedly emerged one morning, panicked that the only person who ever stood to protect her was now gone. One night 50-some years ago, she witnessed my drunk father kick my mother down the back stairs from the same bedroom window. When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she ran out to confront them, screaming, “STOP! Just STOP! STOP HURTING EACH OTHER!” They were stunned, after a lifetime of me silently enduring their endless war by hiding in my bedroom or fleeing the house. Shortly after that, my father packed up and left for good. As he knelt in the dining room to tell that 11-year-old that he was never coming back, she was traumatized, literally torn in two: part was so relieved that the war would come to an end, and part was completely panicked that her father was leaving, forever, because of her. This 63-year-old, however, reached out to life coach and Conflict REVOLUTION trainer Robin Cordova. Together we found that child and attended to her. I created the intention to learn to mother her in ways I never received at that age. It was painstaking work, some days liberating, other days overwhelming, especially while mourning Mom. But step by step, we brought her into the light. Robin asked me to ask her to share something about herself that I might not know. She quickly replied, “I am super psychic and slightly autistic.” As an adult, I know the challenges being psychic has presented me. What must it have been like for this 11-year-old girl, growing up in a war zone? Alone in that empty house, one day at a time, I let myself feel everything she felt. She explained how frightened she was to know things, and to have senses that were so sensitive to sound, to light, to touch. I understand this now as the spectrum of what is called neurodiversity. As more layers of the onion peeled back to reveal the depth of this lifelong wound, we were now able to heal. Together we tapped into the fierce energy of my mother’s love that was wrapping around us from Afterlife and the power of the mother energy emanating from within us. With that, all of us began to relax and surrender, and finally rest. This gave me a whole new sense of compassion for myself, as well as for my mom. The house eventually sold. In the month before we closed, I set up my piano in the living room and spent my last days there playing music on the same spot where she breathed her last. She loved my music. In her final years, I got to play for her on the old piano I wrote so many songs on as a kid. But now that piano was gone, too. In the end, this home was Mom’s real husband, the structure that took care of her until death they did part. A very nice young man with a dog bought it, saying he fell in love with it the minute he set foot inside. Barbara: Good morning! It is Sunday, May 21, 2017. I am Barbara With, and we are here with the Party. Partyof12.com is where you can find all things Einsteinian from beyond the grave, news from the Party of 12, and of course information about Conflict REVOLUTION, our imagined Einstein’s miraculous process for world peace one person at a time, starting with you—or me. I’ll start with me, and you can start with you. Today we are coming from Lake Superior, on Madeline Island, on a beautiful day to be alive, as far as I’m concerned. I am excited about the show. I’m going to introduce our guest a little later, but first a recap. This is our fifth meeting this year, and looking back on the intention of the Re-Boot series, rebooting our operating systems was the intention for all of us coming together and participating in our own way in our own lives to create the perspective of world peace, one person at a time, starting with us. Over the past six months I have been to Standing Rock. I went to Paris and Copenhagen, to Tromsø, Norway, an island way close to the Arctic Circle. I was in Oslo. I went back to Standing Rock during the veterans’ gathering there, spent a bunch of time in Minneapolis. I went to Jamaica, then to Denver, Charleston, New Orleans, Corpus, and then back to Denver, and here I am again. I want to say thank you to the universe. I’m so grateful to be alive at this exciting time when we can change the course of defining who we are, defining our language. Our guest will help reiterate that as we redefine ourselves, we emerge as more generative, more peace-oriented beings, with peace generating from within us and spreading out into our local universes. I’m so grateful, and I hope you are, too. I’ve been formulating a new book in my head. I know I said I maybe wasn’t going to do that, but I’m inspired by this work, especially the work we’ve been doing. I’m thinking about the stories of Conflict REVOLUTION, how it’s miraculously transformed situations, lives, perspectives. That or a romance novel. Or maybe some erotica. I want to update on my Trigger of Trump. What triggered me about him in January was not him, per se. It wasn’t a direct mirror, but rather his opponents who wanted to call him out on his bad behavior but refused to look at that same bad behavior in their candidate. That was my sound bite, which you can clearly see revolved back to me and gave me plenty of room to learn about darker parts of myself that might be perpetuating these things. This led then into the next few months of the conflict of “Assumptions and Miscommunications,” where I perceived somebody was making assumptions about me, and so I started to revolve it and found out how many times I made assumptions. This has gone on as the year as progressed, and what I’ve learned is: the fewer assumptions, the more synchronicity. That’s my personal testimony of my life. I can’t prove it. You know that I’m kind of a scientist and I keep track of these things, and it appears in my life that synchronicity has greatly increased, on a daily, an hourly basis. That’s exciting. To sum up: when you’re doing Conflict REVOLUTION, you have to be prepared to go on a journey where you don’t know where you’re going. If you start out in January and think, “This will be about Trump”—a listener wrote in and said, “Yeah, I hate Trump, too.” And I thought, “No, that’s not quite it.” That’s not quite how Conflict REVOLUTION works. Which led to me and the trainers Robin and Cathy presenting “Conflict REVOLUTION 101”, which is available. You start out where you think you’re going and you end up somewhere better and much different than you could imagine. So I get synchronicity after following this lead. Anyway, you can look up that episode, I think I’ve also linked it to the Conflict REVOLUTION page at Partyof12.com, if you want to find out the process. It’s a process. It has a lot of leeway for you to build the process to absolutely fit your own needs and worldview. That’s the idea. This isn’t about me telling you how to do it, it’s about me showing you how it works and then you making your own operating system for yourself, for how it fits for you. It’s such exciting work. I wanted to report some of that good news. I also want to say that I’ve had a very strange experience that I want to continue to share on this particular set of airwaves, because this is why I created this set of airwaves, so I could share these things. A very old friend of mine just passed away, Lonnie Knight, an amazing musician, a man I played in bands with when I first got into music when I was 17. I met him when I was 17. When I was 18 and 19 we were in bands traveling back and forth from northern Minnesota down to Austin and back again, the trio of him and me and Fred Argir, who is also from northern Minnesota, who moved to Austin. So I joined in and got to post pictures of him and me hugging in 2013 and things from the past, we got to share all of that. It was a very unusual experience, especially because you know me to be somebody who talks to dead people, so knowing that when he passes anyway as I’m working with him, and he’s saying, “Maybe I can’t make these gigs because I’ll be too tired from chemo,” and I wasn’t going to say, “And what if you’re dead?” You just don’t do that when someone is still alive. And now here we are. He’s not really dead. I mean, he’s passed away, but now he’s having a new experience, a new relationship, with me, anyway. I’m going on with Fred to do a tribute to him, so now I’m learning all his music and it’s becoming the kind of joyful funfest that I usually have when I’m connected with people who have passed who are seeking to help be a part of the new definition we’re creating. Yes, it’s sad that we die, but on the other hand, if there’s an afterlife like Einstein has clearly explained ad infinitum for 30 years, then it’s just a new state of communication, of how we communicate. As we teach here, in [our] Einsteinian World, a huge part of it is the non-physical, even when we’re in our bodies. Even when we’re alive right now, 90% of this is a non-physical experience in the physical world, which is a tiny bit of it. But the most important part, if you’re going to be a human being, is to get into that three-dimensional, four-dimensional world in your body and perceive the human experience and live it. And now people like Leslie [Stewart] and Ken [Routson] and all of us here on the Einstein network devote ourselves not only to understanding the map of the non-physical but intending to use it for the benefit of the good of the whole at the root level. The commitment that we want to make decisions in our lives for the good of everyone involved in whatever that is, whether it’s family decisions or work decisions or decisions about one’s own inner life. We’re working for the good of the whole system. Otherwise, why would you put old, used, charred spark plugs in your car? You need all systems running well. So it will be an interesting time putting this band together and having Lonnie present. And Fred, too, has reported that Lonnie has come to him and in his young, sassy way, which I can totally see Lonnie doing (laughs), telling him to “Get over it!” Being off, busy learning. Plus, I gave Lonnie Einstein et al.: Manifestation, Conflict REVOLUTION and the New Operating System a few months before he passed, and he said he was anxious to tear into it. So who knows with that story? I am grateful for all of this study in afterlife that we’ve been doing together. In a little bit we’ll bring on our special guest today, Ken Routson. If you listened to last month’s Re-Boot, we had Ken’s spiritual partner Leslie Stewart talking about joy, a fabulous episode. If you missed it, download it, please! It’s amazing. There was some wonderful follow-up with my sister. Let’s just say, without going into too much detail, that joy did show itself in that situation we talked about. I met Ken a long time ago. I bought his first book, Beliefology: Raise Your Consciousness to Wealth, Health & Happiness! I was flummoxed at how Einsteinian it was in its core redefining of what we believe in. I don’t think we had much communication then. But when he came to me with his book The Gifts of Autism & Alzheimer’s to work with him as a publisher’s helper, like Santa’s helper, I helped with that book, which was really interesting to me. Before we bring Ken on, I want to share about the client I had, Dorothea, who changed my life, and her autistic son. I think he was 33 at the time, Nick. He was severely autistic; he had never spoken a word. He had the familiar Sufi-like hand movements. He was obsessed with shuffling cards and flipping through magazines. He made high, squeaky dolphin noises. But he and his mother had a telepathic communication. She felt all her life as if he talked to her in her head, so she hired me to channel him with the purpose of proving to her – or not – that she was really doing this. My presence with him, because he didn’t speak, most of it was non-physical communication, was completely mystic. It was the first time I’d sat in front of somebody who was in this state. I felt as if I were sitting in front of a mystic. While we were sitting by the river doing a reading, he got up and walked down into the woods, the wilder part of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. She went running after him. He got to the river and she said, “He is so terrified of water. This is unprecedented, that he would just walk through there.” There were little creeks he had to step over. She told me was that she was going to see her daughter play at a county fair one day. She took the car and parked with Nick on a residential street outside the foregrounds. Nick usually sat in the car and waited. But that day he got out of the car and started walking down the street with great purpose. She got out of the car and started running after him. “Where are you going?” He walked five houses down, and with great intent picked a house, walked up the sidewalk and around to the back of the house, where he went up three steps that had no back on them—and that, too, she said, was something that would just terrify him. He went into the house, which was surprisingly unlocked. She ran after him, mortified, and came into the kitchen of the house. He had gone down the hall, in a room, and shut the door. She was standing there flummoxed. “What can I say to anyone who encounters us?” In a few minutes she heard the toilet flush. He retraced his steps and got back in the car. My experience with Dorothea is longer than that, but working with them inspired me to write the only screenplay I’ve ever written, Gravity. It’s about a theoretical Nick who can communicate telepathically and begins early, going into the dreams of Rose, who then becomes a famous author and is united with Nick and his mother and they go off on a journey to try to “cure” autism. Autism ends up curing them, as it were. That is my experience with the autism piece of it. And one last thing, about my mother. My mother, as many of you who have been with me know, has been successfully installed in her home that she bought in 1956 and paid for all by herself, with two amazing caregivers who are now part of our family. She’s very, very happy. She’s lost all memory of anything having to do with anything in her life. She doesn’t remember giving birth, my ex-husband. She remembers her children and her grandchildren. She watches the Game Show Network all day and sleeps a lot. But I’m so very blessed that I can go and share my sadness about Lonnie’s death and see how she’s doing. The funny thing was, on Mother’s Day, my sister Chris and I were visiting and I said, “Ah, President Donald Trump!” And she said, “Ha ha ha! That will never happen!” We had to break the news to her. She was quite shocked, but of course it doesn’t really matter to her. It never would have anyway. But enough of me. Joining us is Ken Routson, an author, speaker, consultant, life coach, and workshop facilitator. He’s been nationally recognized for his contributions in developing day programs and residential supports for people with disabilities. Welcome, Ken! Good morning! Ken: Good morning to you and everyone, those visible, those physical and those who are not physical! Barbara: (laughs) Which is quite a few! You have at your side Leslie Stewart, it’s a little bit of a two-fer today, maybe? Ken: Yes! In fact, I want to read a couple paragraphs that she wrote about her perspective about Mom, both the “old Mom” and the “new Mom.” [Ken’s mother before and after Alzheimer’s.] This is part of a chapter where she talks about her experience with Mom. I’d like to read the last two paragraphs of her wonderful, inspirational words. Ken: “This type of shift in mood is why it is so important for care providers to learn how to nurture and redirect anxious and agitated people by establishing rapport and cultivating an interactive atmosphere of trust and unconditional love and acceptance. One of the gifts of Alzheimer’s is the short-term memory. If the person is gently redirected, they will often forget their previous experience or event and come into the moment with their new activity. Mama Fern’s Alzheimer’s taught me that life doesn’t have to be over if we receive a bad diagnosis” That’s with any diagnosis, cancer, Alzheimer’s, anything. That’s me saying that. Barbara: Wow! So Mama Fern was your mother. Having gone through this whole thing with my mother and having to set my mother up and the stiff learning curve that any child goes through when you’re helping your mother who doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, it was stressful. What was it about your mother that started you to wonder if she was suffering from Alzheimer’s? I thought that they can’t really diagnose it as Alzheimer’s, or can they? Am I wrong on that? Ken: It depends on which neurologist or which doctor you talk to I don’t really think that there’s any one specific MRI or anything that could do that because also, I believe that some people, like Raun Kaufman with autism, his story was depicted in a very popular television show, I think it was in 1979, called “Son-Rise.” He was severely autistic, had many behaviors. The parents took him all over the country to find a school to help him, and every school they found not only their experience with him, but the other people in that school would have worse behaviors after they attended school than before. So they sat down in their own living room. Raun liked to spin plates. They would sit down and spin plates with him; they entered his world. Ken: To back up a little, when taking care of my mom, I saw a lot of characteristics similar to those in people with autism I’ve worked with for forty-plus years. When I started studying the science of the brain and the science of Alzheimer’s and autism, it’s personal, from all of my analysis and research, it’s only my opinion that most—not all—Alzheimer’s is due to long-term, chronic stress and constant emotional turmoil that floods the body with toxic cortisone and other toxic adrenalin types of neurotransmitters, and that and inflammation burn up the immune system, causing the body to attack itself. My mom had real severe rheumatoid arthritis, where all her fingers and toes started to cross each other and curl up. I think almost all autoimmune disease, whether it’s fibromyalgia, cancer, or whatever, is due to long-term, chronic stress and resistance. Barbara: That makes a lot of sense to me. As I’ve looked at my mother, who has not only kept her wits about her, which is one archaic way of saying it, but has resisted the mainstream big pharma Western medicine pipeline. Granted, she had some prescription drug addiction, but she wouldn’t just jump and go to the doctor. I often wondered if the fact that my mother was so emotional—she was an adult in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, when a woman was not supposed to be crying all the time, but she did anyway, and she was outspoken. And she had the attitude that life was going to take care of her, and it always did, very well. Even now we laugh that this is exactly what my mother would manifest. I don’t think she had the kind of stress that you’re talking about. Like you said, there’s not a particular MRI that you can take, but had she started forgetting things and a bunch of us had said, “Oh, you must be getting dementia, we’re going to prove you have that and define it as that,” who knows what definitions would have surrounded all that? Ken: Another reason I think a lot of people get Alzheimer’s is that they never got the joy of life. They’ve never enjoyed life. Happiness is a choice, and some people have trouble with that. They see the world as a struggle, as misery. In many cases, Alzheimer’s is God’s or nature’s way of acting as a natural anesthetic. Before, my mom was very much a worrier. She tried to control people’s lives even when we were grown. She was very uptight. She couldn’t sit and look at clouds. After, Leslie and I would take her for rides and she would just look at clouds for 45 minutes and talk about how beautiful they are. She was so much more peaceful. Except for when people were trying to control her, like, when we would take her home or my sister took care of her or she went back to the nursing home or assisted living, she would have behaviors. Ken: It was a blessing, because she was so much more relaxed when she had Alzheimer’s than she ever was before. Barbara: Wow! Plus she could go to California! Ken: At first I went through all the stages of loss that Elizabeth Kübler-Ross talks about, the anger, the bargaining. And at the end, I found acceptance, and once I made peace—that’s so important in any diagnosis, especially terminal diagnoses—once you make peace with it, you can see the gifts. When my mom died, I went through the loss of two mothers, the one who was very controlling, a worrier, who was very nervous and uptight, and the last mom who was so child-like, like the beautiful, inspirational passage that Leslie wrote. Life is good if we get out of our own way. Ken: You had mentioned about synchronicities earlier. Leslie and I are starting to see where almost every 10 minutes we talk about something, and then we turn on the television and they’re talking about it. You pick up a book, and whatever the last question you had was, the answer is there. Life is for us if we get out of our own way. Barbara: I think there’s an uptick in it. I can’t tell if it’s because I’ve come through something or because we’re all going through it together. Ken: I think it’s an acceleration of energy, everything. So many people are unconscious. Thanks so much for all your Einsteinian work, because as I talk about in Beliefology, we all have been so unconscious, and just now we’re opening our eyes to the beauty of the world, how life supports us at every turn if we just get out of our own way. Barbara: I don’t want to go into any detail about my sister, but she did that. She got out of her own way and synchronicity brought a series of events that led her exactly to where she needed to go to get to that joy. The question I had asked, for those listening, was that my sister’s son was brutally murdered and of course, what a horrible, horrible thing! How do you bring joy to it? Barbara: Let’s go to Beliefology. I looked for my copy that I’m sure you signed, but I couldn’t find it, which is fine. I’ve downsized several times since then. But I do remember very clearly writing to you and saying, “Oh, my gosh! This is so Einsteinian!” or however I said it. And then I don’t remember how I got to you again. Ken: It came out in 1997. Because back in the ’80s, Leslie and I moved from Dayton, Ohio, to Fort Lauderdale. There were many, many people all throughout south Florida hungry for this information. The timing was great. What led me to my inspirational path was, I was born with severe learning disabilities, I had aphasia also. I could not fluently express myself until I was in the fourth grade. Ironically enough, later on, much of my career I was paid well for talking and communicating. Life is so fascinating. Ken: I had a massive inferiority complex and an alcohol addiction. When I was 19 years old, Spirit led me to an institution. I didn’t even know what it was. In fact, I was pretty high the first time I went. It was originally a sanitarium for people with tuberculosis. I walked up and they said, “You must be here to volunteer.” There were children there I never knew existed. I ended up volunteering in there for, like, 70 hours a week. It was like I had a purpose. I let go of the things that weren’t that good influences on me. I stopped drinking. I started to pick up and read every book I could about self-help, about psychology, the power of positive thinking. Suddenly I ran into the Seth material. I’ve always been a curious person, and the Seth material put all those pieces into a cohesive, comprehensive understanding of how we create our reality. Ken: As I traveled the country doing Seth seminars, many of my students had people, family members, people at work they couldn’t share the Seth material with. The wanted a book that would explain things like what we call love and attraction and how we create our reality. As Seth coined so famously, as Jane Roberts wrote back in the ’60s, “You create your reality, and the point of the power is in the present.” They wanted something that didn’t have all of what regular people thought was “ooga-booga.” So I came out with the book Beliefology: Raise Your Consciousness to Wealth, Health & Happiness! And talk about how your life reflects your beliefs! Change your beliefs, transform your life. Our beliefs are like magnets, just like a garage door opener. People can believe that that little gadget can open the door or the remote can control the TV, but so many people have trouble thinking that you attract everything, 100% of things in your life, according to your beliefs and emotions and ideas. Barbara: I think people often don’t think that at least from our Einstein model here that the universe is flowing out of us, through our bodies, which is the projector and perceptor of the universe. Ken: Like the television, the radio stations. You have all those electromagnetic data that have to have the TV, just like the computer. We are the terminals or the computers for our inner self. In your introduction, you were so right. Everything physical has a non-physical counterpart. The physical is such a small part of what Seth calls the framework to inner reality. Barbara: I ate up those Seth books when I was very young, too. I was always impressed by the science end of it. It seemed more scientific to me than it did spiritual. Barbara: When your book came out? Ken: The new edition. It originally came out in 1997. It sold like hotcakes. Oprah did not yet have that Secret that got a lot of people into the law of attraction. The timing on the first edition was great. But many people wanted it, and it was out of print. That’s why in 2007 I decided to do a second edition. Before the Internet and Facebook, I had many letters from people all over the world telling me how Beliefology changed their lives, and how it was so simple. They also liked how I talked about how especially because of the paternalistic, hierarchical God, how in society we have created God in our human image instead of feeling what Father-Mother God is. In Beliefology I go into our beliefs that we’ve been taught about God. It’s very important for us to develop our own personal relationship with the God of our beliefs, the Christ-consciousness that I think is more than just for Christians. Barbara: Yes. In our map Compassion is the fifth fundamental force of the universe. Everything overlaps there as well. So much overlapping in that system. And I can see why people—I often feel the Einstein work is too complex. I want something simpler, which is why we did ConRev 101, very basic, parboiled-down to the basic, basic stuff. It’s the theory of everything, the maps of the entire universe and how matter is manifest. It’s a lot of information. How much don’t we need to get to the average person? Ken: It surely is. The sciences and data stuff—who wrote the wonderful, beautiful thing, speaking of politics? Ken: My favorite doctor. Everyone should read Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself. And the doctor Peter Whitehouse, I’d like to read, if you don’t mind, his endorsement for The Gifts of Autism & Alzheimer’s. Barbara: Yup! That hits my sweet spot. I am so much a proponent of mind over medicine, and so far, so good. I haven’t been hit with some catastrophic thing, but every time I think, “I should go to the doctor and get some medicine,” then I respond, “No. My spirit will guide me to what I need to do to heal this.” So far, so good. Ken: Leslie’s title is one of my favorite titles of any book, Leslie’s and the people she translates for, the collective consciousness known as Orion. As that wonderful book says, Trust & Allow the Process of Life In-Joy! Barbara: And as I found out last month and even stated when we were talking, I was a skeptical person. There’s a part of me that resists the idea that there are times when you cannot be in joy, you just cannot. When you’ve just found out your son was stabbed 31 times on his front steps, you can’t be in joy. But yes, I have to say, after what I’ve seen happen over the past month, you can be so appreciative and excited and in the moment, like you’ve been talking about, the present moment, the miraculous moment when a mysterious force is creating this body and letting me send the universe out and bring it back to perceive it. That alone, regardless of what’s going on, is so miraculous that it changes your relationship to what’s going on. In that way you can bring change to what’s going on if it’s not joyful, or you detach from the physical world as the primary reality and go into the non-physical of eternal, unending energy. Ken: Do you have a play you wrote about your experience with the fellow with autism, Nick? Ken: Yes. My current research for my next book is Neuroplasticity and Epigenetics: Let’s Stop Scaring Ourselves to Death. Oh, that epigenetics! For you in the audience, Google “epigenetics” or “Joe Dispenza.” In Change the Habit of Being Yourself, he talks a lot about epigenetics. And Bruce Lipton talks about epigenetics, about how we create the genes, not the other way around, how consciousness presupposes matter. I would love for you to write a book on your experience channeling the autistic young man, expressing some of his feelings and thoughts. Ken: It’s was like that with Alzheimer’s, too, because they’re still there. I’m looking forward to you reading, if you would like at some point, I know you’re very busy, in chapter 8 in this book, it’s “Is Anyone In There?” So many doctors and scientists think it’s parts of the brain, like the hippocampus, where your memory is, that the afterlife experience, or when you die and come back, that that is a biological sensation and repercussion. I’d be interested in having your feedback and Einstein’s feedback on that chapter because this is important. This is a part of their spiritual evolutionary growth of Alzheimer’s. In my mom, you could see her explore other realities, and then she would come back to this reality. She wouldn’t know who I was or anybody else, she’d think I was her brother, and she’d always see her father. And the next week all of a sudden she’d be very lucid. Ken: I think Orion said Alzheimer’s is kind of like if you can imagine a DVD with all the tracks, and they just shift from track to track. We took my mom for a ride one time, she took us to the street where she had lived when she first came to Dayton, and over a three-day period she named all those people, she talked about all these people she had known in school when she lived there. She flipped back to that track on that DVD. I don’t know if it was after her death or right before, we found a scrapbook with all those people she had named, they actually existed in the late ’40s. Ken: And this was a person who did not even recognize us. So all of that’s in there. It’s not gone. Anybody listening to this or listening to or reading the files that I’m sure we’ll share, don’t put your loved one in a nursing home unless you just can’t take care of them, and if you do, go see them! So many people in my research put loved ones in a nursing home and they never saw them again because they said, “They won’t know. I would rather remember them the way they were.” And they miss such a wonderful part of this purposeful process that’s a part of life. So many people discovered what I did, that there is life after the Alzheimer’s diagnosis, not just for the people with Alzheimer’s, but also for the loved ones and the caretakers. There’s a gift there that can also help them in their life to learn mindfulness. That’s the biggest thing that my mom taught Leslie and me: mindfulness. Being in the moment. Barbara: It’s interesting you bring that up. That was my other experience with Alzheimer’s. It was in 1994 when I was first channeling groups and realizing that I could communicate with people who had passed on. My friend said, “My mother is deep into an Alzheimer’s coma,” whatever they call it, and whoosh! She appeared to me like a dead person. We started talking, and she said things like, “I want my blue blanket.” And my friend said, “Oh, my gosh, she wasn’t allowed to bring her favorite blue electric blanket to the nursing home.” She wanted her hot tub. Like you said, the family had stopped visiting her. She was just a vegetable. It led to a renewed interest in her family coming to see her. They eventually moved her out of that nursing home because they found out they weren’t treating her well, and they got her in a better place. Barbara: That confirmed the idea I have about Alzheimer’s and dementia, like you have said in your book, that it’s a protection, in a way, of aging, but also it’s a way to see other realms. I don’t know about you, but I’m always exploring in the non-physical. Ken: One of your initial questions was when we first saw signs. When she was in assisted living, Leslie would bring pictures of our vacations, and she would see animals or children that weren’t in the pictures. But then how do we know? And she’d look out the window when we’d go up our drive and she’d say, “Isn’t that a beautiful dress that little girl’s got on?” And Leslie and I started to think, “She is actually tapping into other frequencies, other probable realities that are actually there.” It’s amazing. There’s a chapter I wrote about the extraordinary gifts of autism and Alzheimer’s, about people with autism, savants, like the one guy, he’s an autistic savant like Rain Man, and he would go over Paris or New York in a helicopter, get back to his studio, and draw the skyline exactly, without missing a building or a window. Barbara: Wow! I’ve been appearing on a radio show, “Mack Maloney’s Military X-Files.” They have all sorts of fascinating stories. We were talking about remote viewing. Psychics have a specialty, what they do naturally. For whatever reason, my psychic gifts were married to Einstein, which is great. I don’t think I could do that kind of accurate remote viewing, but that’s what he’s doing. He could go to work for the military. Ken: Leslie wrote me a note here that I should mention about the time in the hospital when she looked out the window and she said, “Oh, there’s Russia!” and she started to name cities and places in Russia that I don’t think she knew physically in her non-Alzheimer body and brain. The human mind is amazing. We scientists and metaphysicians like ourselves haven’t scratched the surface of the mind-body-spirit connection. Barbara: And we are just barely understanding the structure of how matter is manifest. I personally happen to think that this body of work I’ve done for Einstein is pretty complete, but even with E=mc squared, it took decades before people would recognize what Einstein had done. I was telling the story on that radio show about the time in 1983 when I was living in kind of a haunted house on Madeline Island. The owner had left and asked me not to let anybody come and party in the house. I woke up in the middle of the night to a big party. I was going to tell everyone to leave, and as I opened the door from my bedroom to go downstairs, there was no one there. This happened three times, until I just willed myself to go to sleep amidst the party. Barbara: Then in 1994 I was married in that house. I had an abreaction the night of my wedding, of listening in the same room I had been in to the party and going back to 1983. That opens up questions about, like you’re saying, the amazing body-mind-spirit connection and also, how is it that there’s a wormhole through time where I can hear 1994? Barbara: And I don’t know what the answer is, but that’s what I believe happened. Ken: Seth talks about the multi-dimensional reality we all live in, how all time is simultaneous. I love stories like you just told. They’re fascinating and thought-provoking. Barbara: I want you to talk once again about your new book. Ken: Neuroplasticity and Epigenetics. Neuroplasticity is how we can rewire our brain and our whole neurological physical biology. Epigenetics is about how we turn on some genes and turn off some genes by our beliefs and our lifestyle. That’s why there are families where many people are very severely diabetic, but one or two aren’t, and that is because of their lifestyle, their belief system, their emotional demeanor. Attitude is everything. They turn off those propensities of genes and chromosomes that have a probability of leading to becoming diabetic and affecting your pancreas. It’s so much about your beliefs. That’s why Bruce Lipton, who wrote The Biology of Belief, talks about epigenetics. The rest of the title is Let’s Stop Scaring Ourselves to Death. Barbara: (laughs) I love that! Ken: Because we do such damage, including me. I picked up a lot of the worry characteristics from my mom. Orion talks about learning how to change our habitual responses, our habitual emotional responses, how to get in touch with that. And Joe Dispenza, with the wonderful title of his book, Changing The Habit of Being Yourself, because we’re habitual creatures. That is the toughest job, the essential prerequisites to being a deliberate creator, creating the life of your choice, or allowing it. It happens when you get into a partnership between your physical ego self and enhance that partnership with your inner oversoul self. Barbara: Yup. We call it aligning to Compassion, where the whole system is operating just as it was designed to do, where Emotions are flowing, and as they flow, they bring the voice of Intuition, which is the voice of Compassion, and they hit the Intellect and they get defined in some way. That I think is the place where we start to redefine. We’ve been taught to define Emotion in such a way that people limit it and suppress it, which is part of inflammation and illness. But when we can start to marry even the worst-appearing emotions of anger or sadness to a deep, regenerative definition, this is the beautiful, passionate part of you! Let it flow! Take a breath! Ken: Energy emotion, the energy in motion, and where the mind goes, energy flows. Barbara: Our time is up. Thank you so much, Ken and Leslie! Ken: Oh, absolutely! Thank you for all of your work. Your work with autism has totally fascinated me. I’ll want more. You haven’t quenched my thirst yet. Barbara: (laughs) OK. I’ll pull out my treatment for the screenplay and send it to you. I had thought this morning that we would do a channel, but I’ll forgo that for right now. Thank you, everyone, for coming. Next month I have an open slot. I don’t know who will be with us, but hopefully it’ll be someone at least half as fascinating as Ken and Leslie have been! Thank you so much. See all Barbara’s products and services at www.barbarawith.com.

2019-04-21T08:24:38Z

https://partyof12.com/tag/neurodiversity/

The titles to lands under the acts of the Legislature of the State of Pennsylvania providing for the sale of the landed estate of John Nicholson in satisfaction of the liens the state held on those lands, and the proceedings under the same, are valid. These acts, and the proceedings under them, do not contravene the provisions of the Constitution of the United States in any manner whatsoever. The words used in the Constitution of Pennsylvania in declaring the extent of the powers of its legislature are sufficiently comprehensive to embrace the powers exercised over the estate of John Nicholson. In the circuit court, the plaintiffs in error instituted an ejectment for a tract of land in the County of Franklin in the State of Pennsylvania. They showed title to the land, as the heirs of John Nicholson, who was seized of the same at the time of his death under a warrant, survey, and return of survey and payment of the purchase money to the state. The title of the defendants was regularly derived from a sale of the lands of John Nicholson made under authority of the State of Pennsylvania towards satisfying the lien claimed by the state for the debts due by John Nicholson arising from his defalcation as the comptroller general of the state. The constitutionality and validity of that lien were denied by the plaintiffs. On 13 April, 1782, John Nicholson was, by an act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, appointed comptroller general of the state and was entrusted with large powers for the collection of the debts due to the state, the settlement of public accounts, and the management of the funds of the state. Mr. Nicholson acted as comptroller for twelve years, during which time he was impeached, tried, and acquitted. He afterwards, on 19 April, 1794, resigned the office. balances were found to be due by Mr. Nicholson to the State of Pennsylvania. On an account, No. 1, headed, "Dr., John Nicholson, account in continental certificates with the State of Pennsylvania, Cr.," the balance was $51,209.22, and on another account, No. 2, headed "Dr., John Nicholson, account, three percent stock, in account with the State of Pennsylvania, Cr.," the balance was stated to be $63,731.06. The original accounts were given in evidence on the trial in the circuit court, and also counterparts of them, signed by the respective officers, upon which were endorsements, one in the handwriting of Mr. Nicholson, the other in that of his counsel, in a suit instituted against him for the recovery of the debts due to the state. A suit was commenced in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania by the state against John Nicholson, to September term, 1793, for the loss sustained by the state on certain certificates which it was alleged he had improperly subscribed, and a verdict was obtained against him on 18 December, 1795, for £42,08l 8s. 10d. No execution was ever issued on this judgment. To September term, 1795, another suit was instituted by the State of Pennsylvania against John Nicholson, being an action of trover for certain continental certificates and funded stock of the United States. Judgment was entered in this suit on 20 March, 1797, on the following agreement, signed by the attorney general of the state and by the counsel for the defendant. judgment shall be entered. Certificates and receipts to be credited also with the charges of the funded debt. Errors against the commonwealth, if any, also to be corrected. The sum for which judgment is now entered, to be altered by the subsequent calculation of the comptroller general alone. Supreme court costs taxed at $35.35." Executions were issued on the judgment in the year 1798, and afterwards, in 1803, to many counties in the state, and proceedings to condemn the lands of the defendant took place. Between 8 March, 1796, when the first settlement of the accounts of John Nicholson was made, and 21 March, 1797, when the state judgment was entered, many judgments were obtained by the private creditors of Mr. Nicholson which remained unsatisfied on the records. On some of these judgments executions were issued and levies made on the real estate of the defendant prior to the executions levied by the state on the same lands. Mr. Nicholson was arrested under executions by private creditors, and died in prison in December, 1800. His heirs were then minors, and they all left the state prior to 1804. By the sixth section of this act, if the governor is dissatisfied with a settlement or of opinion that a legal discussion will tend to the furtherance of justice, he may direct a suit, which shall be proceeded in as in other civil actions. By an act passed 1 April, 1790, the office of register general having been created, all accounts were first to be settled by him, and afterwards examined by the comptroller general, and then transmitted to the executive council for its approbation. And by the fifth section, all settlements under this act shall have the same force and effect and be subject to the same appeal as those made formerly by the comptroller general. After the passage of these acts, the constitution of the state was changed and the executive power was vested in a governor instead of the executive council. On 14 January, 1791, an act was passed by which all duties directed to be done by the president and executive council shall be done by the governor. This act was limited to the end of the session. On 13 April, 1791, the Act of 1 April, 1790, was continued to the end of the then session, but with a proviso that in all cases where accounts examined and settled by the comptroller and register or either of them have heretofore been referred to the executive authority, to be by it approved and allowed or rejected, the same shall only in future be referred to the governor when the comptroller and register shall differ in opinion; but in all cases where they agree, only the balances due on each account shall be certified by the said comptroller and register to the governor, who shall thereupon proceed in like manner as if the said accounts had been referred to him according to the former laws on the subject, and provided always that in all cases when the party or parties shall not be satisfied with the settlement of the accounts by the comptroller and register, or when there shall be reason to suppose that justice has not been done to the commonwealth, the governor may and shall, in like manner and upon the same conditions as heretofore, allow appeals or cause suits to be instituted, as the case may require. By the Act of 28 March, 1792, this law was continued until the end of the next session. By two other acts it is continued to the end of the session of 1793-1794. "That in all cases where, by the laws of the commonwealth, the supreme executive council, or the president or vice-president thereof, is mentioned as having power and authority to carry the same into effect, the governor for the time being shall be deemed and taken to be in the place and stead of the same supreme executive council, or the president or the vice-president thereof, and shall have and exercise all the powers in them, or any or either of them, vested, unless such powers have been and are by law vested in some other officer or officers, person or persons, or shall be inconsistent with the provisions contained in the existing constitution of the commonwealth. By this act, all accounts are in the first instance to be submitted to the register, who shall adjust and send them to the comptroller, who, if he approve the settlement, shall return the same to the register. But if he disapprove and they cannot agree, shall transmit the same to the governor, who shall decide, provided that in all cases where the parties shall be dissatisfied with the settlement of their accounts, an appeal shall be allowed." On 31 March, 1806, an act was passed by the Legislature of Pennsylvania entitled "an act for the more speedy and effectual collection of certain debts due to this commonwealth." The following is a summary of the first ten sections of that act. Sec. 1. Commissioners appointed with powers to procure copies of deeds and other writings relating to the real estate of John Nicholson. Sec. 2. The commissioners to receive, on application, copies of all necessary papers, from the land officers, without fees. Sec. 3. To ascertain as near as may be the quality and extent of the estate of John Nicholson in each county, subject to the lien of the commonwealth. Sec. 4. To average the demand of the commonwealth on the several estates subject to the lien and make report to the governor, who shall cause the same to be sold, &c., on the payment of the sum assessed on any particular estate by any person claiming an interest therein, the commissioners empowered to convey to such persons the estate or lien thereon. be authorized to compromise with individuals or the managers of land companies. Sec. 6. In what cases the commissioners may purchase in the property for the use of the state. 4th, 5th and 6th sections repealed and supplied. Sec. 7. Commissioners to take oath or affirmation for the faithful discharge of their duties. Sec. 9. Empowered to recover, by due course of law, books and papers, &c. Sec. 10. Commissioners of the several counties prohibited from selling any of the lands of John Nicholson for taxes. Sec. 11. And be it further enacted that in any case where the said John Nicholson, in his lifetime, had or held lands in partnership or in common with any other person or persons, the said commissioners, or a majority of them, are hereby authorized to cause partition to be made of the said land, by writ of otherwise, in order to ascertain the respective interests of the said part-owners, as well as the separate interest of the said John Nicholson, and if it shall be necessary to make said partition by writ, in case of disagreement between the parties, the said commissioners or a majority of them, shall be made parties to such writ, either plaintiffs or defendants, and such partition, so made, shall be as available in law as if the same had been made by the said John Nicholson in his lifetime, and the costs thereof shall be paid equally by the parties, as in other cases, and the said commissioners shall be allowed for their part of such costs in the settlement of their accounts. Further legislating on this subject, on 19 March, 1807, an act was passed entitled "A supplement to an act, entitled An act for the more speedy and effectual collection of certain debts due to this commonwealth.'" made by the commissioners, or a majority of them, at least twenty days' notice shall be given of the time and place of sale, by advertisement in the newspaper printed in the county where the lands respectively lie, if any be there printed, and if not in the newspaper printed nearest to such county, and also in two papers printed in the city of Philadelphia, provided that nothing contained in this section shall operate to abridge the powers of compromise vested in the said commissioners by the fourth section of this act." time of the commencement of the liens of the commonwealth against the estate of the said John Nicholson, which said conveyances, or copies of the records thereof, shall be prima facie evidence of the grantee's title, provided that the respective bodies or tracts of land sold under this act shall be subject to the payment of the purchase money thereof." "Sec. 3. The said commissioners or a majority of them are hereby authorized and empowered to expose any body of lands late the property of the said John Nicholson, late deceased, which are subject to the lien of the commonwealth to sale under and by virtue of the process to be issued by the governor as aforesaid, either in gross or by separate tracts as to them or a majority of them may appear most advisable." "Sec. 4. The said commissioners or a majority of them shall have full power to settle, by compromise or otherwise, with any person or persons who in any manner may allege title to any of the lands late the property of the aforesaid John Nicholson, deceased, on such terms as to them may appear most eligible, and their proceedings therein shall be final and conclusive on the commonwealth, and upon any compromise made with any person or persons, the said commissioners or a majority of them, at the request of the party and upon his or their paying the consideration money into the state treasury or securing the payment of the same may and shall execute and deliver an assignment under their hands and seals of so much of the liens of this commonwealth against the estate of the late John Nicholson as may be equivalent to the consideration paid or secured to be paid as aforesaid by such party, and from the date of such assignment, the whole amount thereof shall be principal, bearing legal interest, and the holder or holders of such assignments, or his or their assigns may at any time proceed upon the liens of this commonwealth to sell the lands which may constitute the subject of such compromise." commissioners are enjoined to make a special return into the office of the secretary, who shall, as in other cases, register the return, which shall vest in the commonwealth all the title to the property so purchased, which the said John Nicholson had therein, at the date of the commonwealth's liens, and the lands so purchased shall be disposed of in such manner as shall hereafter be directed by law, provided that no purchase, either directly or indirectly, shall be made in behalf of the commissioners aforesaid in their own right, nor shall any of the property of John Nicholson be vested in them otherwise than as in trust for the commonwealth. The succeeding sections have no application to the questions in this case." "1. That the accounts between John Nicholson and the commonwealth or some of them were so settled and adjusted that the balances or sums of money thereby found due to the commonwealth were good and valid liens on all the real estate of John Nicholson throughout the State of Pennsylvania." "2. That the judgments rendered by the supreme court of the state in favor of the commonwealth against John Nicholson also constituted good and valid liens upon all his real estate throughout the state. That the several acts of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, passed on 31 March, 1806, and on 19 March, 1807, are not repugnant to nor in violation of the Constitution of the United States or of Pennsylvania, but that they are good and valid laws and a rightful exercise of the powers of the Legislature of Pennsylvania; that the whole law of the case is therefore in favor of the defendants." The defendants were purchasers of the land for which this suit was instituted under the provisions of these laws. on the points stated at large in the arguments, and in the opinion of the court. Exceptions were also taken during the trial to the ruling of the court in matters of evidence, which also sufficiently appear in the arguments of counsel and the opinion of this Court. 1st. As violating the Constitution of Pennsylvania. 2d. As violating the Constitution of the United States. 3d. As inconsistent with the principles of private rights and natural justice, and therefore void, though not to be brought within the description of a violation of any constitutional stipulation. 1. To maintain the argument upon which the counsel for plaintiffs rely to establish the unconstitutional character of the acts under which the sale was made to defendants, the plaintiffs' counsel commence with an effort to remove out of his way the liens to satisfy which the legislature professes to pass the acts authorizing the same. It appears from the record that at the time of passing the acts which constituted this board of commissioners, to-wit, in 1806 and 1807, the state claimed to hold four liens upon the lands of John Nicholson. 1st. A judgment for special damages, amounting to £42,08l. 8s., entered December 18, 1795. 2d. A settled account of March 2, 1796, for $58,429.24, afterwards reduced to $51,209.22. 4th. A judgment confessed and entered March 21, 1797, for $110,390, with certain special matter attached to the confession, wholly immaterial to the present controversy. The evidence of dated and circumstances might seem to lead to the opinion that the first judgment, or the consideration of it, was incorporated into the settlements, and that the judgment of 1797 covered the whole. But of this there is no sufficient evidence, and the several liens must, on the facts in proof, be considered, as they are exhibited on the record as substantive and independent. provision in the law of enforcing satisfaction of the lien by sale or otherwise. It is made to be a dead weight upon the hands of both debtor and creditor, without the means of relieving the one or raising satisfaction for the other. A great proportion of the argument for plaintiffs, both here and below, was devoted to the effort to prove that the two settlements enumerated were not subsisting liens, at the time of passing the two acts of 1806 and 1807, under which the sale was made to the defendants. But from this, as a subject of adjudication, we feel relieved by the two decisions cited from the 4th volume of Yeates' reports, since it appears that this very lien of 3 March, 1796, has been sustained by a decision of the highest tribunal in that state as long ago as 1803 (Smith v. Nicholson), and that again in 1805, this decision was considered and confirmed and acted upon in another case in which the several applications of the principles established in the first case came under consideration. United States v. Nicholls. Now the relation in which our circuit courts stand to the states in which they respectively sit and act is precisely that of their own courts, especially when adjudicating on cases where state lands or state statutes come under adjudication. When we find principles distinctly settled by adjudications, and known and acted upon as the law of the land, we have no more right to question them or deviate from them than could be correctly exercised by their own tribunals. the want of notice of the settlement, the want of its being entered in the books of the accounting officer; the balance not being struck in dollars and cents; that the order of settlement was reversed; and as the plaintiffs' counsel proposed to establish by evidence, that it was not a final and conclusive adjustment of all the existing debits and credits between the parties. Into the examination of most of these arguments the court below has entered with a view to estimating and repelling their sufficiency to shake the settlement in which the lien of the settlements is claimed. But we cannot feel ourselves at liberty to pursue the same course, since it supposes the existence of a revising power inconsistent with the authority of adjudications on which the validity of those liens must now be placed. The rule of law being once established by the highest tribunal of a state, courts which propose to administer the law as they find it are ordinarily bound in limine to presume that whether it appears from the reports or not, all the reasons which might have been urged pro or con upon the point under consideration had been examined and disposed of judicially. It is next contended that the judgment of March, 1797, had absorbed or superseded the liens of the settled accounts. This ground they proposed to sustain by giving in evidence the journals of the House of Representations of the commonwealth exhibiting certain reports of the register general and of the committee of ways and means, conducing to prove that this judgment was rendered for the identical cause of action on which the settlements were founded. This evidence was rejected by the court, and that rejection constitutes one of the causes of complaint on which relief is now sought here. But this Court is satisfied that, supposing the evidence of these journals sufficient to prove the identity and in other respects unexceptionable, establishing that fact would not have benefited the cause of the plaintiffs. On this point there is an unavoidable inference to be drawn from the case of United States v. Nicholls, for in that case the lien of a settlement of prior date in favor of the state was sustained against a subsequent mortgage to the United States, although, as the case shows, there was a judgment upon the same cause of action with the settlement, of a date subsequent to the mortgage to the United States, and obtained upon an appeal from the settlement. Mr. Dallas, for the United States, argue, that this appeal suspended the lien, but no one seems to have imagined that the judgment superseded or absorbed the settlement. If to this be added what was asserted by defendants' counsel and acquiesced in by the plaintiffs', that by a settled law of Pennsylvania a judgment in an action of debt upon a previous judgment does not destroy the lien of the first judgment, it puts this question at rest. In approaching the acts of 1806 and 1807, we are then authorized in assuming that at the time they were passed, the state held unsatisfied liens upon the lands of John Nicholson to a large amount under the two settlements of 1776, without any legal means of raising the money by sale, and also judgments to a great amount which, by reason of the death of Nicholson and the want of a personal representative, they were equally precluded from all ordinary means of having satisfied. Thus circumstanced, the legislature passed those acts, the professed and unaffected and only object of which was to raise, from the sale of John Nicholson's land, money sufficient to satisfy the liens of the state. In justice to the moral as well as legal and constitutional character of those laws, it is proper to give an outline of their provisions. all the lands affected by lien throughout the state; then to assess each ratably, according to the amount of the debt, instead selling each and all as they could be discovered, at the same time allowing a discretion in the commissioners to compromise with persons claiming an interest in the lands and to assign over an interest in the lien proportionate to the sum received upon such compromise, of course obviating so far the necessity of a resort to a sale or to litigation. "any body of lands, late the property of the said John Nicholson, deceased, which are subject to the lien of the commonwealth under and by virtue of process to be issued by the governor either in gross or by separate tracts as to them, or a majority of them, may appear most advisable," but there is nothing which authorizes or requires the commissioners to sell all the lands of J. Nicholson or an acre more than what is necessary to satisfy the liens, and so the words just recited import, since after raising by sale enough to satisfy the liens, it could no longer be predicated of any of those lands that "they are subject to the liens of the commonwealth," in the language of the section which gives the power to sell. And it is true also that the money is required to be paid by the purchasers into the treasury, but this is obviously a measure solely intended to secure the proceeds from again falling into dangerous hands, and if the power to sell be limited, by its very nature and terms, to the raising of enough to satisfy these liens, on what ground can exception be taken to this precaution? How can it work an injury to heirs or creditors, to say nothing of a reasonable dependence upon the justice and good faith of the country to refund any surplus, supposing the commissioners were at liberty to raise a surplus by sale. discretionary power given to sell "in gross, or by separate tracts" when it is considered how very possible it was that sales might be effected in gross when they could not be made in detail. Speculators might not be induced to adventure otherwise, and the separation of contiguous tracts might often destroy or diminish the value of each. After presenting this expose of the design and operation of these laws, we shall search in vain, in the constitution of the state or the United States or even in the principles of common right, for any provision or principles to impugn them, and on this point I am instructed to report it as the decision of this Court that the words used in the Constitution of Pennsylvania in declaring the extent of the powers of its legislature are sufficiently comprehensive to embrace the powers exercised over the estate of Nicholson in the two acts under consideration, and that there are no restrictions, either express or implied, in that Constitution sufficient to control and limit the general terms of the grant of the legislative power to the bounds which the plaintiffs would describe to it. For myself individually, I must use the privilege of assigning the reasons which claim my concurrence in that opinion. The objection made to the exercise of this power is that it is one of a judicial character, and could not exist in the legislature of a country having a constitution which distributes the powers of government into legislative, executive, and judicial. I will not pause to examine the question whether the subjection of property to the payment of judgments be in fact a matter appertaining essentially to judicial power or whether, after deciding that the debt is due, the judgment action does not cease, and all that follows is the exercise of legislative or executive power; another view of the subject will, in my opinion, dispose of this question. to make what most jurists would pronounce an imperfect separation of those powers; she has not thought it necessary to make any imperative provision for incorporating the equity jurisdiction, in its full latitude, into her jurisprudence, and the consequence is, as it ever will be, that so far as her common law courts are incapable of assuming and exercising that branch of jurisdiction, her legislature must often be called upon to pass laws which bear a close affinity to decrees in equity. Of that character are the acts of 1806 and 1807 under consideration. The relations in which the state and John Nicholson's estate stood to each other presented a clear case for equitable relief -- a lien on the one hand, and property to satisfy it on the other -- but no common law means of obtaining a sale. Thus circumstanced, is there anything in the Constitution of Pennsylvania to prevent the passing of these laws? in the jurisprudence of a country for its full exercise, the consequence must ever be that after the common law courts have engrafted into their practice as much as can be there assumed, the legislature is compelled to exercise the rest or else leave a large space for the appropriate field of judicial action unoccupied. A specimen of this will be found in the early legislation of the State of South Carolina, in which, before the establishment of a court of equity, laws are frequently found authorizing administrators or others to sell lands for the payment of debts and for similar purposes. And it has been admitted in argument that similar laws are of frequent occurrence in Pennsylvania. The provisions of the Constitution of that state on the subject of legislative and judicial power, are as follows. Art. 1, § 1. "The legislative power of this commonwealth shall be vested in a general assembly, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representations." Art. 4, § 5. "The judicial power of the commonwealth shall be vested in a supreme court, in courts of oyer and terminer and general jail delivery, in a court of common pleas, orphans' court, register's court, and a court of quarter sessions of the peace of each county, in justices of the peace, and in such other courts as the legislature may from time to time establish." "The supreme court and the several courts of common pleas shall, besides the powers heretofore usually exercised by them, have the powers of a court of chancery so far as relates to the perpetuating of testimony, the obtaining of evidence from places not within the state, and the care of the persons and estates of those who are non compos mentis, and the legislature shall vest in the said courts such other powers to grant relief in equity as shall be necessary, and may from time to time enlarge or diminish those powers or vest them in such other courts as they may judge proper for the due administration of justice." It is clear from these quotations that the legislature possess all the legislative power that the body politic could confer, except so far as they are restricted by the instrument itself. It is really clear that the constitution recognizes the distinction between common law and equity powers, and the existence of equity powers beyond what it has vested in the supreme court. But what provision has it made for the exercise of those powers? No other than this that the legislature shall vest in the said courts such other powers to grant relief in equity as shall be found necessary. But where is the limitation prescribed to the legislature in judging of the necessity of vesting such powers? They have not thought it necessary to invest their courts with such powers, and if the reason which influenced them in judging it unnecessary was that they held themselves competent to afford the necessary relief by the exercise of legislative power, where is the restriction in the constitution that controls them in thus extending or applying the powers with which they hold themselves to be constitutionally vested? They are sought in vain. "They may from time to time enlarge or diminish those powers or vest them in such other courts as they shall judge proper for the due administration of justice." Now they have, by the first section of the same article, the power to establish what courts they please, and suppose they thought proper to have vested the whole equity jurisdiction, not specifically disposed of, in a board of commissioners instead of vesting specific powers in such a board, where is the constitutional provision that inhibits such an act of legislation? The plaintiffs contend that it is to be found in the bill of rights of that state or in the Constitution of the United States. very different idea from that of the means by which the lien is to be enforced; the one is the right, the other is the remedy; the one constitutes the contract and the other the remedy afforded by the policy of the country, where it is not provided by the terms of the contract, for enforcing or effecting the execution of it. The first is unchangeable without a violation of right; the other may be subject to change at the will of the government. And it may be further observed in the present instance that the reference to a judgment in the supreme court is clearly descriptive or illustrative of the meaning of the legislature with reference only to the binding efficacy of the lien given on these public accounts. The second express contract is found by the plaintiffs in the confession of judgment on 21 March, 1797, and the violation of this also is not enforcing it by judicial process. This is obviously an attempt to give the character of a contract to that which is nothing more than an obligation, or duty, or necessity imposed by the laws of society. The confession of a judgment does indeed create a contract, but it is only on the side of the defendant, who thus acknowledges or assumes upon himself a debt, which may be made the ground of an action. But on the side of the plaintiff, the necessity of resorting to certain means of enforcing that judgment is not an obligation arising out of contract, but one imposed upon him by the laws of the country. Again, it may by answered, if there was in fact such a contract imputable to the state, the performance had become impossible by the act of God and of the party himself by his death and by that confusion of his affairs which prevented everyone from assuming the character of his personal representative. him under his grant, for in the very act, the full effect of the transfer of interest to him is recognized and asserted; because it is his, is the direct and only reason for subjecting it to his debts. But it is asserted that in this case, the community sits in judgment in its own cause, when it affirms the debt to be due for which the land is subjected to sale, and then subjects the land to sale to satisfy its own decision thus rendered. This view of the acts of the state is clearly not to be sustained by a reference to the facts of the case. As to the judgment of 1797, that is unquestionably a judicial act; and as to the settled accounts, the lien is there created by the act of men who, quoad hoc, were acting in a judicial character, and their decision being subjected to an appeal to the ordinary, or rather the highest of the tribunals of the country, gives to those settlements a decided judicial character, and were it otherwise, how else are the interests of the state to be protected? The body politic has its claims upon the constituted authorities, as well as individuals; and if the plaintiffs' course of reasoning could be permitted to prevail, it would then follow that provision might be made for collecting the debts of everyone else, but those of the state must go unpaid whenever legislative aid became necessary to both. This would be pushing the reason and nature of things beyond the limits of natural justice. It is next contended that the acts of 1806 and 1807 are unconstitutional and void because contrary to the ninth section of the Pennsylvania bill of rights, which provides, in the words of Magna Charta, that no one shall be deprived of his property but by the laws of the land. This exception has already been disposed of by the view that has been taken of the nature and character of those laws. It has been shown that there is nothing in this provision either inconsistent with natural justice or the constitution of the state; there is nothing of an arbitrary character in them. that those amendments do not extend to the states, and this observation disposes of the next exception, which relies on the seventh article of those amendments. As to the sixth section of the Pennsylvania bill of rights, we can see nothing in these laws on which to fasten the imputation of a violation of the right of trial by jury, since, in creating the lien attached to the settled accounts, the right of an appeal to a jury is secured to the debtor, and as to the inquest given under the execution law, with a view to ascertaining if the rents and profits can discharge the debt in a limited time, as a prelude to the right of selling, we are well satisfied that there is no more reason for extending the provision of the amendment to that inquest than there would be to the inquest of a coroner or any other mere inquest of office. The word "trial," used in the sixth section, clearly points to a different object, and the distinction between trial by jury and inquest of office is so familiar to every mind as to leave no sufficient ground for extending to the latter that inviolability which could have been intended only for the former. The one appertains to a mere remedy for the recovery of money, which may be altered at any time without any danger to private security; the other is justly regarded in every state in the Union as among the most inestimable privileges of a freeman. The two remaining grounds urged for impugning the constitutionality of these laws have been disposed of by observations already made. could not have availed the plaintiffs, the court could have committed no error in rejecting it, whatever may have been the reasons given for the rejection. This cause came on to be heard on the transcript of the record from the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Pennsylvania, and was argued by counsel, on consideration whereof it is ordered and adjudged by this Court that the judgment of the said circuit court in this cause be and the same is hereby affirmed with costs.

2019-04-19T04:28:22Z

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/32/469/

Natural Psoriasis Treatment Program – The Psoriasis Program is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked. Whether you’re aware of it or not, there’s a major problem today surrounding conventional psoriasis treatments. And unfortunately you’re caught right in the middle of it… Today, 99% of psoriasis treatments, medically-based and naturally-based alike, don’t work, because they are missing key pieces to the psoriasis puzzle. It’s time you start thinking outside of the box and take a more Revolutionary Approach to Psoriasis. I’ve walked countless psoriasis patients over the past twenty years through this same process with the same amazing results. I’m a Functional Medicine Practitioner, Naturopathic Physician, Health Researcher and Presenter, and author of The Psoriasis Program. About twenty seven years ago, after discovering this research and dealing with my own health problems, I found my calling in life and started a private health consulting practice where today I continue to consult with clients from across the world. Since I started sharing my work online, my consultancy has grown rapidly having reached more than 25,000 people across more than 70 countries. I take pride in empowering psoriasis sufferers just like you across the world to take control of their own health instead of relying on a failing medical system that continues to do nothing to improve treatment standards and ignores the very research that holds the keys to the psoriasis puzzle. And in case you were wondering… Over there to the left, that’s a picture of me and my mother, my favorite patient! I spent many years searching for answers to my patients health problems and it has been a lot of research as well as trial and error to say the least. I’m sure you can relate to some of the same painful experiences that many of my psoriasis clients have experienced in the past. Ever since I was young, I’ve taken a big interest in health, exercise and nutrition. I always took care of myself and considered myself to be quite healthy. But as I got to my twenties, that’s when reality hit me. While I did have a few minor symptoms of a candida yeast infection, it wasn’t until I started putting in long hours at work and was under a lot of emotional stress that my health began taking a turn for the worse. I developed a major candida yeast infection and different kinds of skin problems, which I didn’t know at the time were some of the classic signs of psoriasis. But then things quickly got worse. My energy levels were on the decline and I got increasingly depressed and anxious. My skin was becoming increasingly worse as was my digestive system. I developed many different allergies, leaky gut syndrome and constipation after taking several rounds of antibiotics. My doctor prescribed different creams for my skin and virtually ignored my candida infection. It became increasingly more difficult to function at my work and my relationship with my wife broke down as a result of my increasing anxiety and depression. Needless to say, my health was severely affecting my career, my professional as well as my social life! Psoriasis can have a devastating effect on the intimate lives of many of its sufferers. This is one of those hidden and unseen consequences of a chronic condition like psoriasis, and a problem not many feel easy talking about. Do you hate spring and summer? Many chronic psoriasis sufferers hate warmer weather when others can wear more revealing clothing. Imagine looking forward to summer again! Imagine never having to worry again about applying all those messy or expensive products that just treat the symptoms and never address the cause? I spent many years looking for answers for my psoriasis patients, only to fail miserably time and time again. I have even studied under one of the most well respected doctors in the field of natural medicine, Dr. James L. Wilson (who coined the phrase “adrenal fatigue”) as well as having attended many international functional medicine courses globally. I have also worked in various psoriasis clinics with doctors specialising in advanced natural psoriasis treatments, learning from the best. Considering the fact that what I was learning was considered to be the most advanced and innovated form of natural and integrative healthcare available anywhere today, I had very high hopes for getting my patients the answers they needed. I started researching and studying all the best books on psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and natural healing by authors such as Dr. John Pagano, Dr. Alan Gaby, Dr. Michael Murray and many more. After gaining in depth knowledge on psoriasis from natural health experts, international medical conferences and through my association with natural skin specialists, I discovered that the best results were obtained by treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients in my clinic over a prolonged period of time, figuring out what worked and what didn’t work through sheer trial and error and plenty of patience. Not only did this explain why everything I had tried earlier did NOT work, but it explained WHY I just wasn’t getting the long term results I was looking for my psoriasis patients that I now get. I discovered through my extensive research of psoriasis, the digestive system must be healed first before serious psoriasis relief can be expected. The psoriasis patient would do well to understand the link between stress, their immune system and their skin outbreaks. The skin must be treated with natural oils instead of chemical preparations that suppress symptoms and cause side-effects. In the very early days, I started working with only a handful of psoriasis patients and wasn’t surprised that I was only getting average results with this chronic condition like many health-care professionals. It wasn’t until I actually started specialising in psoriasis and began my online psoriasis consultancy utilising my Psoriasis Program that I realised just how BIG this problem really was and that my life would never be the same. After having been in practice for twenty-seven years and having seen thousands of patients with psoriasis, I’ve worked out a blueprint…. Fast forward to today, I’m helping psoriasis patients all around the world. Ignoring psoriasis or just ‘treating symptoms’ is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. The longer you continue to just “deal” with the symptoms, they worse they become and the longer it takes you condition to heal. It’s NOT YOUR FAULT that you just can’t seem to get rid of your psoriasis because you’ve been LIED to! Did You Know That Some Of The Most Commonly Prescribed Drugs Can Actually CAUSE Psoriasis? A study conducted and recently published in The Clinical and Aesthetic Journal of Dermatology (Jan. 2010) mentioned that there are over 50 commonly prescribed drugs that are implicated in the “initiation, exacerbation or aggravation” of psoriasis. Do you take a drug AND have psoriasis? Is your psoriasis caused, exacerbated or aggravated by this drug? Maybe it’s time for a fresh NEW NATURAL approach, one that does not require the use of toxic and expensive pharmaceutical preparations. Did You Know That Half Of Psoriasis Patients Are Unhappy With Conventional Psoriasis Treatment? A study conducted and recently published by JAMA Dermatology from 2003 – 2011 found that half of all patients with moderate to severe psoriasis don’t even receive treatment, reasons being that the treatment is too costly (25,000 dollars per year for new drugs) or just plain ineffective. Are you happy with your medical treatment of psoriasis? Maybe it’s time for a fresh NEW NATURAL approach, one that tackles the very CAUSE of your psoriasis triggers and flare-ups! If you have moderate to severe psoriasis, you’re at a much greater risk of developing certain diseases. Individuals with psoriasis are at an elevated risk to develop other chronic and serious health conditions such as heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, many other auto-immune diseases and even diabetes. People with severe psoriasis can even have a significantly elevated risk of heart attack. Perhaps by now you’re beginning to understand the significance of psoriasis and how it can affect your overall health. Simply ignoring psoriasis or by just treating the symptoms with drugs and creams is a serious mistake that can have severe long term consequences to your health. That’s like ignoring a noise your car makes instead of fixing it. Before you know it you’ve got a car that fails to perform or even worse, just doesn’t start one day. Fixing the noise when you first discovered it would have saved you a lot of time, money, and effort, not to mention the years of potential problems. Having psoriasis is similar. You can change your future and your health from developing into a major medical complication by simply fixing your underlying (and often ignored) health problems associated with psoriasis today. But, heart disease, and other auto immune diseases are not the only diseases that psoriasis can lead to. Research continues to show involvement of psoriasis in a number of chronic diseases that all stem from the same potential immune dysfunction that psoriasis causes, including diseases like diabetes and even Parkinson’s Disease. While modern medicine continues to rely on the same illogical and poor symptomatic psoriasis drug treatment methods, over half of all psoriasis patients in America alone refuse conventional psoriasis medical treatment due to the high cost in addition to very poor outcomes. Luckily, you’re smart enough not to fall into that trap! What is critical to understand when it comes to your psoriasis is that there’s a lot more involved than simply the skin itself. Focusing solely on your skin lesions (or joint pain with psoriatic arthritis) is one of the quickest paths to failure. There’s an entire underlying immune and digestive system that needs to be properly addressed if you ever want to win the battle with chronic psoriasis. If you don’t address your underlying health then it’s like trying to fill a bucket that is continually leaking. No matter how much water you add, if the bucket continues to leak you’ll never be able to keep it full. The same goes for your skin. It doesn’t matter how many drugs, supplements or creams you take, if your immune and digestive system has leaks then you’ll never be able to get enough vital nutrition to your skin cells and your health will increasingly suffer as time goes by. If you treat the underlying causes you will be in a much better position to get significant long-term relief. Did you know that over three-quarters of ALL psoriasis patients in fact have a big problem with candida yeast infections? Numerous studies now validate this, but your doctor most probably will be ignoring this and just treating your skin instead. If you ignore the fact that there is a high probability that you may have a yeast overgrowth in your digestive system, you are missing the boat. You Simply MUST Remove The Wrong Foods That Are Suppressing Your Immune System Undermining Your Digestive System. Internal Cleansing Is A Most Important Step; Regardless Of How “Clean” Your Diet Or Lifestyle Has Been. Understand That Psoriasis Is The External Manifestation Of Accumulated Toxins. Detox Is Not To Be Skipped If You Want To Get Rid Of Psoriasis. The Way To Build A Foundation For Good Health Is To Remove The Internal Toxins That Have Accumulated, Preventing Further Continuation Of A Major Psoriasis Trigger. I’ve Outlined A Special 3-Stage Psoriasis Detox In Detail In A 46 Page Book All About Internal Cleansing And Detox. Stress Is One Of The Primary Psoriasis Triggers, Learning HOW To Manage Stress On A Day To Day Basis Is A Critical Factor In Your Recovery From Psoriasis. Use Natural Medicines On Your Skin Instead Of Chemicals, It Will Mean Less Chance Of Side Effects And You Will Avoid Toxins Building Up In Your Body. Amongst Other Natural Oils, Jojoba Oil, It Is One Of The Best Oils To Use When You Have Scalp Psoriasis. While Emu Oil Is One Of The Most Nourishing Oils You Will Ever Use On Your Skin For Psoriasis. Most Doctors Believe That Dietary Supplements Play Either No Role Or Only A Minor Role When It Comes To Healing Their Psoriasis, This Is Incorrect Thinking. When It Comes To Beating Psoriasis, You Simply Must Supply Your Body With The Right Nutrients It Needs To Reduce Inflammation, Boost And Improve Immunity, Repair Your Skin, And To Speed Wound Healing. I’ve Written A 100-Page Book That Outlines The Core Program Supplementation Program, And Will Teach You The Best Vitamins, Minerals, Herbal Medicines And Herbal Teas That Will Aid In Eradicating Your Psoriasis. Let’s face it, life is too short to let psoriasis hold you back from living the life you’ve always wanted, full of energy, motivation, fun, and pure enjoyment. You just have to make the decision that you’re no longer going to settle for a poor quality of life. You just have to be willing to stand up and take your health into your hands. You deserve better, and you know it. But you need a plan. You need a road map that can show you the way to your destination, a life with minimal disruption from psoriasis. You are about to discover one of the biggest breakthroughs in psoriasis and natural treatment research. Unlike any other approach you may have attempted before, the Psoriasis Program addresses every facet of psoriasis from every possible trigger and cause, the inflammation, right down to the very best natural skin treatments . The Psoriasis Program has been used by thousands of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis sufferers in over 50 countries with unparalleled success. It breaks psoriasis treatment down into a simple, easy to understand, and step-by-step approach that anyone of any age or any stage of psoriasis can use, even if you’ve been treated with strong psoriasis drugs for many years. You don’t have to continue relying on doctors who have no answers, nor spend thousands of dollars to see skin specialists who still aren’t trained to effectively address all of your needs when it comes to helping you improve all aspects of your health, besides just your skin. The purpose of the Psoriasis Program is to put the power back into your hands and to arm you with the knowledge to naturally and permanently reduce those psoriasis outbreaks and reclaim your life! For years my psoriasis patients were getting the run-around by doctors and dermatologists and not getting very far following the advice of the natural health doctors either. I can tell you now that that most of my patients have followed enough dead-end streets and failed enough times when it came to recovery from their psoriasis. When I formulated the Psoriasis Program my goal was simple, it was to create the most complete natural solution that covers every facet of natural psoriasis recovery and in a way that was simple and easy to understand, follow, and implement in your life. This isn’t some confusing or incomplete program that’s going to leave you stuck with more questions than when you started and with no clue where to even begin. The Psoriasis Program was designed for REAL PEOPLE, just like you. THE PSORIASIS PROGRAM isn’t some confusing or incomplete book that’s going to leave you stuck with more questions than when you started and with no clue where to even begin. The Psoriasis Program was designed for REAL PEOPLE, just like you. It was designed to be the most comprehensive and clinically effective natural psoriasis solution treatment program yet created. The Psoriasis Program is comprised of five easy-to-follow stages and is comprised of 13 individual downloadable e-books (almost 600 pages). Over many years of working with psoriasis patients in my clinic, I’ve noticed that some can find a treatment program quite confusing. So I also added a very easy to follow and simple timeline chart in The QUICK START Guide (the second book) that makes it absolutely clear what you need to do and exactly when you need to do it. In each book, I have explained exactly what you need to do to beat your psoriasis. But that’s not all… I’ve also explained exactly why you need to follow these steps, and I have included the scientific research into the best natural treatment methods that backs this up. There are more than 40 delicious recipes to get you started, lists of my top psoriasis-fighting foods, and even a detailed shopping list you can print out and take to the store with you if you sign-up for my FREE online 12-part Psoriasis Program course. Just go to www.thepsoriasisprogram.com and sign-up today! I have done everything I can to make your psoriasis treatment as simple and easy to understand as I can. AMAZING, No Psoriasis The Past 6 Months! I Have Plenty Of Confidence Now! I Feel Fantastic And Never Realized My Skin Could Look This Great! The Psoriasis Program is your ultimate natural treatment manual to healing psoriasis. This most comprehensive program is going to take you through everything that you need to know about healing your psoriasis naturally, in simple and easy to understand terms. I guarantee, there’s no medical jargon to confuse you! There is a reason why the Psoriasis Program is one of a kind, and that’s because it contains so much unique cutting-edge information it will amaze you. Don’t continue to be misled and lied to by mainstream healthcare and the corporate chemical industries who care only about their own profits and not your health, let me show you information that can really help you recover from psoriasis based on more than two decades of clinical naturopathic practice, countless psoriasis patients as well my own independent research into the best possible natural treatments for psoriasis. The complete and comprehensive Psoriasis Program is the ultimate bible of how to heal your psoriasis, stop the causes and the underlying inflammatory disease process as well as achieve optimal health for the rest of your life. Just take a look at the 13 e-books that make up the Psoriasis Program, you won’t find a more complete and clinically proven natural psoriasis program anywhere like this, I guarantee it! This book is a good and comprehensive introduction to psoriasis. I explain exactly what psoriasis is, what your main triggers and the most likely causes are. Learn the 3 main types of psoriasis and the factors that determine your recovery, Learn how to avoid aggravations and flare-ups as well as the 12 psoriasis perseverance tips. Discover that Psoriasis Program is a detailed and well-researched plan to eliminate your psoriasis forever. The QUICK START guide was designed to get you straight into the Psoriasis Program. A simple no nonsense step-by-step guide on exactly what to do and when to do it. No need to wade through hundreds of pages looking for answers, getting confused. Each of the 5 key steps is explained, and you will learn the key hints and tips on getting results FAST. Hints and tips on what to do if you still need and all else fails. You will find this guide handy! More than 100 pages on some of the best diet and nutrition information on psoriasis you will find. Designed as an introduction to the comprehensive 3-stage Psoriasis Diet program. I highly recommend that you read it before you start on the Psoriasis Diet. This book will lay the foundation for great digestive and immune health, leading to optimal health and lasting freedom from psoriasis. The most comprehensive book written yet about dietary treatment of psoriasis. More than 100 pages, packed with information that explains the three-stage psoriasis diet in detail. The diet begins with a one to two week cleanse, and is very simple to follow. You won’t have to starve yourself and you will still be able to eat many of those foods you love. Comprehensive lists of the foods to eat and avoid (and why) during your treatment. This book explains what leaky gut syndrome (intestinal permeability) is, and its implications with psoriasis. Learn why healing your digestive system is one of the most important aspects of psoriasis recovery. Understand why your immune system becomes overwhelmed by toxins causing inflammation and what you can do to rectify it quickly. Frequent flare-ups CAN be resolved by learning this priceless information! The information is worth the price of the program alone. Learn all about the strong connection between a yeast infection and psoriasis. Candida is one of the prime psoriasis triggers, causing its persistence as well as aggravation in many people. In a recent study, 21 out of 34 people with psoriasis were found to have athlete’s foot. Researchers have consistently found a relationship with Candida albicans in the digestive system of those with chronic psoriasis, This book will teach you how to recognize if you have a yeast infection if you have psoriasis, and what to do about it. Learn HOW to resolve your yeast infection in your conquest to become and remain psoriasis free for life. This 50 page book explains all you need to know about cleansing and detox if you have psoriasis. The BEST results are obtained by assisting psoriasis patients in internal cleansing by opening up and improving elimination, especially the bowels, kidneys, skin and lungs. This valuable book outlines my 3-stage psoriasis detoxification program, specifically targeted for those with chronic or recurring psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Learn basic as well as advanced detox concepts, and understand why you need to keep your bowels, liver and kidneys clean if you want to be free of psoriasis. Learn the vital connection between your immune system, your digestive system, stress in your life and how your skin is affected. Many people don’t know or fully understand the connection between stress, immunity and psoriasis, and this book explains all. You will learn how to rebuild your immune system and restore the integrity of your body’s stress system . Most all psoriasis sufferers have varying degrees of stress- related health complaints that can and should be improved, and by doing so will pave the way for a successful and permanent eradication of psoriasis. This key information is missing in every book I’ve seen on psoriasis. Your complete and long-term recovery from psoriasis may very well be dependent on learning and applying the essence of this book. Understanding about how and why your lifestyle influences the severity of your psoriasis is information you need to know if you want to recover. Anxiety, tension and stress all increase your skin aggravation and keep you in an inflammatory state, I’ll show you what to do about it. This book contains 80 pages packed with the best advice on how to adopt a healthy and balanced lifestyle to beat your psoriasis forever! More than 30 pages packed with the best information on what to do with your skin when you have psoriasis. Learn my top 10 psoriasis skin-care tips, the best creams, ointments and oils to use. Discover specialized psoriasis skin formulations from the world’s best skin doctors. Learn the two absolutely best natural oils to use, and the four reasons why you need to use oils and creams regularly. Many tips on bathing, scalp care, many specialized essential oil psoriasis formulations, and lots more! This book even contains several psoriasis skin-care recipes you can make up at home. This 20 page booklet explains all the treatments that your doctor or dermatologist may recommend, outlining the different kinds of drugs and their side-effects. I explain all about the current topical psoriasis treatments, UV treatment, systemic therapy, disease modifying agents, and the kinds of drugs that have been implicated in actually causing psoriasis. This is a very handy guide if you are currently taking any conventional medicine treatment for your psoriasis. Learn the truth! A 40 page booklet that outlines the various tests available to you, particularly to show you the underlying digestive and immune problems that may well be stopping your recovery. Targeted testing can uncover your individual causes and triggers of psoriasis, yet is often ignored by most health-care professionals. Discover that appropriate testing will provide you with a personalized framework for accurate diagnosis and highly targeted treatment. I’ll show you how and why testing can give you the best chances of a full recovery. This specialized information is simply not available anywhere else, and it could make all the difference! The latest research into specialized psoriasis-fighting foods, and a list of my the most effective psoriasis supplements. A comprehensive book describing the best foods, supplements and herbal medicines that have the best effect on reducing the inflammatory process, inhibiting and eradicating unwanted bacteria, yeasts and parasites from the body, as well as balancing the pH of the body. A very handy book indeed, as it will also teach you the best vitamins, minerals, herbal medicines and herbal teas that will aid in eradicating your psoriasis. I outline the core psoriasis supplementation program in this booklet. I want to be completely honest with you – this program is not for everyone. This revolutionary program is ONLY meant for people who are serious about overcoming their psoriasis and making the best most out of life. I won’t lie to you, it does take commitment to follow the program as designed for maximum results. And, if you’re looking to find the newest secret supplement or magic pill then you’re definitely in the wrong place because there is no (and never will be) a magic fix or a silver bullet and your health. Unless you’re willing to make the effort to eliminate the underlying cause your psoriasis and lay down a solid foundation of health that will keep your digestive and immune system healthy for life then you will never achieve the permanent results that my most satisfied psoriasis patients achieve. How ready are you to take back your life? How good is it going to feel to wake up every day and focus on what matters most in your life instead of merely struggling to accept your psoriasis? How important is it to you to have beautiful skin, and what will you do with your life since you’ll be in complete control and look and feel amazing? You can continue to do nothing and struggle through a life of psoriasis, watching your health continue to suffer and decline. Or, you can join me today and take back your life and your health and put an end to your suffering once and for all. So, it’s no exaggeration that the Psoriasis Program could easily save you thousands of dollars in healthcare costs not only in your lifetime – but quite possibly each year with the way things are going. No other investment, whether it be bricks and mortar or the stock market or otherwise can offer you that good of an investment! No matter what happens in life, all you ever really have is your health, right? It is your MOST IMPORTANT investment. Now, if I worked with you one-on-one then your investment would amount to 150.00 per hour, this is what all of my psoriasis patients pay to achieve unprecedented results each and every time. While personal consultations are one of the best investments that you could make with chronic psoriasis, I’m not going to ask you for that kind of investment. Having all the thirteen books that make up The Psoriasis Program is the BEST of my psoriasis knowledge all distilled into one exceptional program, and the investment you make is less than a third of my hourly rate! Did You Think For One Moment That I Was Going To Leave You Stranded? Life was meant to be a beautiful experience, not some ruthless and embarrassing struggle with your skin. And I’m going to lead you down that lost path, back where you lost control of your life a long time ago. And if you ever get confused along the way or forget which way you were going then I’ll be right there with you all the way, to point you in the right direction. Does the author have more than twenty years of experience in treating chronic psoriasis, is he or she trustworthy, does he or she have a significant online presence, is he or she available for you to seek professional guidance from by way of a Skype consultation? Is the author going to give you not only his or her extensive psoriasis natural treatment program at a bargain price, but on top of that give you an extensive online psoriasis recovery learning program – entirely FREE? And that’s just one of the many things that separate me from just about any other practitioner or author on psoriasis out there. Plus, I can guarantee that you will not find the amazing and highly effective natural treatment methods that I show you in any book or any other psoriasis treatment program. I can guarantee this! To go that extra mile, I’ll be providing you with a Psoriasis Program E-Mail Course to help you with every step of way.You will receive my 12-part email course that will take you through the entire Psoriasis Program! This email coaching is designed to ensure that you stay motivated and hold you fully accountable, which are both important keys to success in every aspect of life. They also help answer any questions you might have along the way. This is something that I typically only offer my clients but that I’m opening up to you, today for FREE! One of the main reasons you may well be doing the Psoriasis Program is to enjoy the freedom that you are about to experience being FREE from all those skin lesions and/or joint pain, and eating healthy is one of the most important foundations of the Psoriasis Program that will allow you to achieve your objective sooner rather than later. While I do provide more than enough dietary tools and resources that you really don’t even need to think about food (just eat it!), I also wanted to give you the advantage of having the most detailed and specialized psoriasis shopping guide available anywhere! The advantage of this most comprehensive 13 page good food guide is that it walks you through exactly what you CAN eat, and what the BEST foods are if you have chronic psoriasis. This is the same guide I sell for 50.00 in my clinic, and it’s yours for FREE as an added bonus if you purchase The Psoriasis Program! Imagine beautiful skin, imagine being able to wear any clothes you like. NO MORE embarrassment! Imagine being able to actually look forward to summer! Imagine a restful night’s sleep, waking completely rested, full of energy, and ready to start the day. Imagine going through your day and being able to concentrate on work and your family without feeling overwhelmed with stress or anxiety about your skin! Imagine no more drugs with side effects or messy creams or ointments. Imagine the cost savings! Think about that about that for a moment. Where will you be and how will you look and feel in 6 months if you don’t get started with the Psoriasis Program today? Do you honestly think that you’ll see any improvement in your psoriasis? I didn’t think so. Even though thousands of people have had success with this program, I know you may feel a little hesitant because you don’t want to have wasted your time and money and purchased something that wasn’t right for you. I understand that. We’ve all been there. But I also know that you need to take a chance and give it a shot, otherwise, you will never get any closer to living a life free of psoriasis. Stop hiding your body under all that clothes! Show off your body with complete confidence when you learn how to become completely free of itchy, scaly psoriasis! It doesn’t matter what caused your psoriasis or how severe it is. My natural psoriasis treatment program will start showing you results in just weeks – I guarantee it! Try it for a full 60 days and see for yourself! P.P.S. The Psoriasis Program is offered as a discounted downloadable program that provides you instant access immediately after you order. Upon purchase you will be directed to a download page where you will be able to download the adobe acrobat PDF files, which can easily be viewed on both Mac and PC. You can take the e-books to your print shop where they can easily print them off for you and make separate spiral bound books for you at a low-cost. WRONG! If The Psoriasis Program doesn’t AMAZE you, if the sheer quality of the content of this MOST comprehensive psoriasis self-help natural course doesn’t take you by surprise then I’d like to know what is better out there! I’ve seen ALL the books and programs on psoriasis self-help, and they are ALL pathetic in my opinion. I’ve spent 27 years treating patients just like you and have had MANY disappointed patients telling me they felt RIPPED OFF after buying books about psoriasis treatment online. I’ve NEVER had anybody tell me this about The Psoriasis Program. What have you got to lose? You even have a 60 days to prove me wrong, a two month no questions asked refund policy. What could be more fair than that! The Psoriasis Program is available in digital (e-book) PDF format.The Psoriasis Program consists of a series of PDFs that are easily downloaded directly to your computer, eBook reader, or other personal device. This allows you to save on the cost of the materials and shipping. This is a great cost saving, because you are not paying for shipping or printing costs. You may decide to print one or more books however, and this can be easily done. I completely understand! Maybe you think you’ve tried everything when it comes to your psoriasis. Yet, I can guarantee that you haven’t tried this yet. The Psoriasis Program is based on the latest breakthroughs in psoriasis diet and natural medicine treatment research. If you’re still struggling with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis or not managing it well (like 50% of those with psoriasis) then you deserve to live the life you want. If you’re struggling with any of the common psoriasis symptoms such as cracked skin, itchy skin, bleeding or weeping skin, embarrassment, anxiety, drug side effects, digestive issues, hair, skin, and nail problems, sleeping problems, poor quality of life, etc. — then the Psoriasis Program is DEFINITELY designed for somebody just like you! But you’ll never know unless you try it. And it’s backed by a “no questions asked” 60-day money back guarantee. So, what do you really in all fairness have to lose? That depends on your idea of healthy. In my clinical experience of 27 years, what the majority of people consider healthy can potentially be damaging their digestive and immune system. What I show you will completely blow you away! I’ve based my Psoriasis Diet on the very latest research as well as work by all the foremost experts in psoriasis, including Dr. John Pagano, Dr. Alan Gaby, Dr. Michael Murray, Dr. Andrew Weil, Chris Kressler M.S., L.Ac., and many more. YES! Food allergies are caused by digestive leakiness due to one or several causes including pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, and dysfunctional metabolism of the cells that line your digestive tract due to stress and other causes. When unable to properly energize, these cell membranes become weakened allowing undigested food particles to permeate directly into your bloodstream. By improving your diet and lifestyle, and restoring energy production to your digestive tract, these cells will regain their rigid structure and food allergies will resolve. Many of our clients report not only amazing improvements in digestion but also food allergies that have resolved, some partially but most of them completely over time. Absolutely! I’ve helped a thousand or more psoriasis sufferers gain complete freedom from drugs regardless of how long they were taking them. Once the correct balance is restored to your digestive system, you start to eat the right kinds of foods and avoid those foods or drinks that cause inflammation you will notice a big difference. But once you incorporate the right kind of lifestyle and get rid of those chemical creams and ointments entirely and start to use natural skin treatment protocols you will notice massive changes. I’ll show you how to wean off drugs, and how you can systematically lessen your dependency till you no longer need them – ever again. The short answer is yes. With psoriatic arthritis there is both a digestive and immune component that need to be addressed and the pain and immobility is driven primarily by your inability to down-regulate inflammation. This means you take drugs to ‘switch-off’ the pain, and these drugs slowly wreck your digestive system, keeping your increasingly reliant on them. The good news is that once you correct the inappropriate inflammatory response by correcting the underlying digestive and immune dysfunction, the skin as well as the joints can both heal and help restore proper function. The result is far less pain and inflammation, and no more reliance on powerful steroid and other anti-inflammatory drugs that wreck your body in the long run. Current science and research continue to show that many diseases stem directly from poor digestive and immune dysfunction, as well as hidden or stored toxins. You see, when you have psoriasis you may have a weakened immune response and have various other dysfunctions such as hormonal or digestive that can make you more prone to other auto-immune illnesses, an increased chance of infections and also a higher risk of food allergies or food sensitivities. Therefore, psoriasis can negatively affect any and every part or system of your body, promoting many other health issues such as acute and even chronic illness. In my experience, by improving your digestive and immune system I have seen significant carry over into significant improvement in health and often times a complete resolution of many other underlying health issues. There are many diseases and dysfunctions that have been linked to psoriasis and here’s a short list of some of the commonly discussed ones: Crohn’s disease, diabetes, depression, Metabolic syndrome, obesity, osteoporosis, uveitis and liver disease and even heart disease and cancer. Crohn’s Disease: There is a connection between psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. In a recent study of women with psoriasis, 10 percent developed a form of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis. Diabetes: People with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a 2012 study. People with severe psoriasis, in particular, are 30 percent more likely to have type 2 diabetes. Depression: Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis can cause considerable emotional distress for people, including low self-esteem, and an increased chance of mood disorders, such as depression. Metabolic Syndrome: There is a significant association between psoriatic disease and metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions that include heart disease, abdominal obesity and high blood pressure. A national sample of more than 6,500 people found that 40 percent of those with psoriasis had metabolic syndrome, compared with just 23 percent of the general population. More women with psoriasis had metabolic syndrome than men. Obesity: Researchers have known for some time that people with psoriatic disease are more likely to be obese than the normal population. Recent studies continue to examine the relationship between the two. One study showed that children with psoriasis were at much greater risk of being obese, while another showed being overweight at 18 increased the risk of developing psoriatic arthritis. Osteoporosis: A study of people with psoriatic disease showed that 60 percent of patients had osteopenia, an early form of the bone disease, osteoporosis, and 18 percent had progressed to osteoporosis. Uveitis: Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis raise your risk of developing uveitis, an inflammatory disease of the eye. About 7 percent of people with psoriatic arthritis will develop uveitis, according to recent studies. Liver Disease: People with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis may be at greater risk for developing a liver condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to recently published studies. Cancer: A number of studies have found that people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have an increased risk of certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer. Cardiovascular Disease: Research continues to link psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, especially in people with severe psoriasis. People with severe psoriasis are 58 percent more likely to have a major cardiac event and 43 percent more likely to have a stroke, according to one study. Yes, you may need more help. You may need support. You may need clarification. You may have questions. I’ve been doing this long enough now to know what most of those questions will be, and I’ve answered ALL of the basic questions and many of the advanced questions in the Psoriasis Program itself. For those questions that aren’t answered here or in the program itself, rest assured that you will have on-going email support. You will be fully supported 100% of the way — and that’s my promise to you!

2019-04-21T07:00:34Z

http://healthproductsoffers.com/product/natural-psoriasis-treatment-program-the-psoriasis-program/

Encoding continuous sensory variables requires sustained synaptic signalling. At several sensory synapses, rapid vesicle supply is achieved via highly mobile vesicles and specialized ribbon structures, but how this is achieved at central synapses without ribbons is unclear. Here we examine vesicle mobility at excitatory cerebellar mossy fibre synapses which sustain transmission over a broad frequency bandwidth. Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching in slices from VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice reveal 75% of VGLUT1-containing vesicles have a high mobility, comparable to that at ribbon synapses. Experimentally constrained models establish hydrodynamic interactions and vesicle collisions are major determinants of vesicle mobility in crowded presynaptic terminals. Moreover, models incorporating 3D reconstructions of vesicle clouds near active zones (AZs) predict the measured releasable pool size and replenishment rate from the reserve pool. They also show that while vesicle reloading at AZs is not diffusion-limited at the onset of release, diffusion limits vesicle reloading during sustained high-frequency signalling. At the early stages of auditory, vestibular and visual pathways, information is transmitted at high rates across specialized ribbon synapses (de Ruyter van Steveninck and Laughlin, 1996; Matthews and Fuchs, 2010). At these synapses, vesicular release is sustained by a large number of highly mobile vesicles (Holt et al., 2004; Rea et al., 2004) and a ribbon-like scaffold that is thought to rapidly capture and deliver vesicles to the release sites (Griesinger et al., 2005; Khimich et al., 2005; LoGiudice et al., 2008; Graydon et al., 2014). Downstream of ribbon synapses, sensory information is transmitted by conventional synapses formed by afferent and sensory nuclei neurons that sustain rate-coded signalling over a broad frequency bandwidth (Taschenberger and von Gersdorff, 2000; Saviane and Silver, 2006; Bagnall et al., 2008; Hallermann et al., 2010). Some of these conventional synapses, such as those formed by cerebellar mossy fibre terminals (MFTs) or vestibular nerve fibres, have a readily releasable pool (RRP) of only 1–2 vesicles per AZ, which are docked and primed and ready for release. A much larger releasable pool (RP) containing 200–300 vesicles resides nearby and these vesicles can be supplied to the AZ, docked and primed at a combined rate of 40–80 s−1 (with all three steps referred together as reloading) to refill the RRP (Saviane and Silver, 2006; Hallermann et al., 2010; McElvain et al., 2015). Even when the large RP is depleted by sustained high-frequency stimulation, release rates of 7–8 s−1 can be sustained by replenishment from a large vesicle reserve pool (R) at these synapses (Saviane and Silver, 2006; McElvain et al., 2015). Because these conventional synapses lack ribbons, and central synapses are thought to contain mostly immobile vesicles (Jordan et al., 2005; Lemke and Klingauf, 2005; Shtrahman et al., 2005; Lee et al., 2012), it is unclear how vesicles are supplied to AZs during sustained high-frequency signalling. Vesicles are actively transported within axons at ~1–5 µm/s (Brown, 2003), but passive diffusion is thought to dominate vesicle translocation within the presynaptic terminals of both ribbon (Holt et al., 2004; Rea et al., 2004; LoGiudice et al., 2008; Graydon et al., 2014) and conventional central synapses (Tokuoka and Goda, 2006). Presynaptic terminals are packed with macromolecules and cytoskeletal elements, as well as vesicles and mitochondria (Harris and Weinberg, 2012; Wilhelm et al., 2014). The rate of vesicle diffusion will therefore be determined not only by the cytoplasmic viscosity, but by the cytoskeletal matrix (Luby-Phelps et al., 1987) and organelles including vesicles (Gaffield et al., 2006), as well as binding to these elements (Shtrahman et al., 2005) via fine protein connectors (Siksou et al., 2007; Fernández-Busnadiego et al., 2013). These factors, together with the tortuous paths required to diffuse around large organelles, are thought to explain why vesicle mobility in crowded presynaptic terminals is substantially lower than that of vesicle-sized beads in cytoplasm (Luby-Phelps et al., 1987; Gaffield et al., 2006). Hydrodynamic interactions between vesicles are another potentially important determinant of their mobility. Hydrodynamic forces arise from the displacement of fluid as nanoscale objects move through solution. Studies of protein diffusion in red blood cells and bacteria (Doster and Longeville, 2007; Ando and Skolnick, 2010) show hydrodynamic interactions reduce the mobility of macromolecules. Moreover, studies of colloidal suspensions of vesicle-sized beads demonstrate hydrodynamic interactions are particularly strong in crowded environments, when the volume fraction of the diffusing objects is high (van Blaaderen et al., 1992; Tokuyama and Oppenheim, 1994; Segrè et al., 1995). However, nothing is known about how hydrodynamic interactions affect vesicle mobility within axon terminals. Quantifying the physical determinants of vesicle mobility within crowded presynaptic terminals could therefore provide new insights into vesicle supply at central synapses. We have investigated the physical determinants of vesicle mobility in cerebellar MFTs, large central glutamatergic synapses that sustain broad-bandwidth rate-coded sensory signalling (Saviane and Silver, 2006; Hallermann et al., 2010). To do this, we combined fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) in Venus-tagged VGLUT1 (VGLUT1Venus) knock-in mice (Herzog et al., 2011) with serial-section electron microscopy (EM), electron tomography and 3D reaction-diffusion modelling of the presynaptic environment. Our results establish that most vesicles within MFTs are highly mobile and hydrodynamic interactions and vesicle collisions are major determinants of their mobility. Moreover, simulations of vesicle diffusion at 14 reconstructed AZs indicate that, while vesicle diffusion does not limit vesicle reloading at the onset of sustained high-frequency signalling, it does limit vesicle reloading at late times due to significant vesicle depletion near the AZ. The simulations also predict both the size of the functional RP and the vesicle replenishment rate from the reserve pool. We investigated vesicle mobility within cerebellar MFTs using FRAP (Figure 1) at near-physiological temperature (35°C) in acute slices obtained from young-adult (P22-33) VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice (Herzog et al., 2011). In the cerebellar input layer, VGLUT1 is expressed in MFTs arising from several pre-cerebellar nuclei (Gebre et al., 2012; Hisano et al., 2002). Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from postsynaptic granule cells (GCs) confirmed EPSC amplitudes, kinetics and short-term plasticity of cerebellar MFT-GC synapses in VGLUT1Venus mice were similar compared to wild-type mice (Figure 1—figure supplement 1). Moreover, previous work showed the expression and subcellular distribution of VGLUT1Venus is indistinguishable from that of native VGLUT1 in wild-type mice (Herzog et al., 2011). The advantages of studying vesicle mobility using VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice rather than lipophilic dyes such as FM1-43 include the ability to use acute slices rather than primary cultures, and the capacity to monitor fluorescence of both mobile and immobile vesicles. FRAP of vesicles in MFTs of VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice. (A) A VGLUT1Venus-labelled MFT near the surface of a cerebellar slice. Blue ellipse denotes xz dimensions of iPSF. Inset, lower magnification. Scale bars: 5 µm. (B) Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements from 15 locations within a single MFT (bottom, gray lines; note logarithmic timescale) using 2-ms low-intensity laser probe pulses before and after a single 0.5-ms high-intensity laser bleaching pulse (top; note logarithmic y-scale). Fluorescence measured without the bleaching pulse in the same MFT from 14 random locations (red lines; interleaved with recordings with bleaching). Data were normalized to the average fluorescence of the first 3 probe pulses (f0) before bleaching. Filled black and red circles are means ± SEM. Black and gray horizontal lines denote measurement windows for f1s and f5s reported in C. (C) Average fluorescence recovery for 62 MFTs at 1 s (black; f1s, average 0.4–1.7 s) and 5 s (gray; f5s, average 2.7–6.9 s) after bleaching, normalized between f0 and fb, where fb is the fluorescence just after bleaching (average 0.02–0.08 s). (D) Same as B but gray lines are averaged FRAP curves from 62 MFTs (3–24 recordings per MFT) and black circles are the weighted population average, computed by Equation (1). MFTs expressing VGLUT1Venus were visualized with conventional fluorescence microscopy (Figure 1A). To assay vesicle mobility, we positioned a diffraction-limited laser focal spot within a MFT and recorded fluorescence using the confocal spot detection method. The intensity of a brief bleaching pulse was set to produce a modest reduction in fluorescence (~35%) to ensure the bleached volume did not extend significantly beyond the core of the illumination point-spread function of our microscope (iPSF; FWHM xy = 0.30 µm, z = 1.32 µm; e−2 volume = 0.31 µm3). Fluorescence was monitored before and after the bleaching pulse using brief low-intensity probe pulses that produced little cumulative bleaching (Figure 1B, red circles). Since the iPSF was considerably smaller than the MFTs (Figure 1A, blue spot), which are typically 7 × 10 µm, we made multiple FRAP recordings from several locations within the same MFT (Figure 1B). While the individual FRAP measurements were variable, fluorescence almost always exhibited a strong recovery within 10 s (grey lines) indicating unbleached and bleached vesicles were free to move in and out of the confocal volume. The mean fluorescence recovery was determined for each MFT by averaging the individual FRAP measurements (black circles). To determine whether fluorescence recovery varied between MFTs, we calculated the fluorescence at two times, 1 s (f1s) and 5 s (f5s), during the recovery. Distributions of f1s and f5s across 62 MFTs were unimodal with mean 35 ± 2 and 63 ± 2%, respectively (Figure 1C). We therefore calculated a population mean FRAP curve by performing a weighted mean across all 62 MFTs (Figure 1D). The time of half recovery (t1/2) of the average FRAP curve was 0.8 s and 77% of the bleached fluorescence recovered within 10 s. These results indicate the majority of vesicles within MFTs are highly mobile. To test whether our FRAP measurements reflected the movement of vesicles within MFTs, we performed several manipulations known to slow or speed vesicle mobility. Reducing the temperature from 35° to 21°C slowed the fluorescence recovery (Figure 2A; f1s = 35 ± 2 vs. 25 ± 3%, respectively, p<0.01; n = 62 vs. 36 MFTs). Moreover, the Q10 of the t1/2 was 1.5, which is closer to that expected for passive diffusion (Q10 ~ 1.3) than for active transport in axons (Q10 ~ 3; Forman et al., 1977). Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton with 10 μM cytochalasin-D and 10 μM latrunculin-B (n = 60 MFTs) sped the fluorescence recovery compared to control conditions (f1s = 45 ± 2 vs. 35 ± 2%, respectively, p<0.001). In contrast, 5 μM jasplakinolide (n = 44 MFTs), a peptide that stabilizes actin filaments in vitro (Bubb et al., 2000), slowed fluorescence recovery compared to control conditions (f1s = 27 ± 2 vs. 35 ± 2%, p<0.01). These results suggest actin filaments within MFTs (Hirokawa and Yorifuji, 1989) have a modest effect on vesicle mobility. Modulation and quantification of vesicle mobility in MFTs. Application of okadaic acid (OA; n = 42 MFTs), a nonspecific phosphatase inhibitor, dramatically sped the fluorescence recovery (Figure 2B; f1s = 64 ± 5 vs. 35 ± 2%, p<0.001, unequal-variance t-test), consistent with other studies (see Table 1, legend; Jordan et al., 2005; Shtrahman et al., 2005; Gaffield et al., 2006). Moreover, OA decreased the immobile fraction from 25% to 10–15%, indicating the immobile fraction can be attributed to immobile vesicles rather than large immobile organelles. Estimates of Dlong under various experimental conditions. STRD: Standard ACSF. -drift: data corrected for tissue drift (Figure 2—figure supplement 1); all other measurements are not drift corrected. CD + LB: 10 µM cytochalasin-D plus 10 µM latrunculin-B. Jaspla: jasplakinolide. OA: okadaic acid. Rosco: roscovitine. Values for Dlong and t1/2 (± STDV) were computed by fitting experimental FRAP curves (Figure 2A,B) to Equation (2). The effect of OA on vesicle mobility in the MFT is in close agreement with that reported by Shtrahman et al. (2005) who report Dlong = 0.10 µm2/s for hippocampal boutons in OA. While our results do show a reduction in the immobile vesicle fraction, this reduction is not enough to account for the large increase in Dlong. Instead, the increase in Dlong is more likely due to a reduction in protein interactions between the vesicles and cytoskeleton, as suggested by Shtrahman et al., in which case the effects of OA will be reflected in a change in Dcyto. Using data from Figure 5, we estimate Dcyto = 0.515 µm2/s in OA, a four-fold increase from control conditions (0.127 µm2/s). To examine the potential role of synapsin in MFTs (Hirokawa and Yorifuji, 1989) we applied the Cdk5 inhibitor roscovitine (n = 45 MFTs), which has been shown to increase vesicle mobility in hippocampal synapses from wild-type but not synapsin-knockout mice (Orenbuch et al., 2012). We found 50 µM roscovitine had no detectable effect on the rate of fluorescence recovery (Figure 2B; f1s = 38 ± 3 vs. 35 ± 2%, p=0.3) suggesting that, as for ribbon synapses (Mandell et al., 1990), there is little synapsin-based vesicle clustering at the centre of MFTs. Finally, we repeated our FRAP experiments using paraformaldehyde-fixed slices (n = 17 MFTs), where subcellular components, including vesicles, were immobilized by cross-linking, and found fluorescence recovery was nearly absent (Figure 2B). However, there was a small but consistent increase in fluorescence after 2 s due to slow tissue drift (Figure 2—figure supplement 1A–C). A simple linear correction for the drift allowed a more accurate estimate of the control FRAP curve (Figure 2—figure supplement 1D). Together, these results confirm our FRAP measurements reflect the diffusion of vesicles within MFTs, suggest vesicle mobility is reduced by the presence of a network of actin filaments in the cytoplasm, and indicate synapsin has little impact on vesicle mobility within the interior of MFTs. Vesicle mobility is often quantified by calculating the ‘effective’ diffusion coefficient, also known as the long-time self-diffusion coefficient (Dlong), which reflects the mobility of a diffusant on long time scales (van Blaaderen et al., 1992). We quantified Dlong of vesicles in MFTs by fitting our average control FRAP curve to an analytical solution of the diffusion equation (Axelrod et al., 1976). This gave Dlong = 0.018 ± 0.005 µm2/s for the raw control FRAP curve and 0.025 ± 0.003 µm2/s after correcting for tissue drift (Figure 2C, red line; Figure 2—figure supplement 1D; Table 1). In contrast to the diffusion model, which matched our data closely, the fit of a model of directed flow (Axelrod et al., 1976) was poor (Figure 2C, yellow line). Moreover, the fit of the weighted sum of the diffusion and flow models converged on diffusion (98%), suggesting diffusion underlies vesicle mobility in MFTs. Because some of the assumptions underlying the analytical diffusion model only approximated our experimental conditions, we also used 3D finite-difference reaction-diffusion simulations that explicitly modelled these conditions (Materials and methods). The FRAP simulation that best matched the drift-corrected data had a Dlong similar to that obtained with the analytical solution (p=0.84, F-test; Figure 2C, blue line). A comparison of our best estimate for Dlong in MFTs (0.025 µm2/s) with that estimated at other synapses (Figure 2D) indicates vesicle mobility is higher in MFTs than at other conventional central synapses and the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), but comparable to that measured at ribbon synapses. Densely packed organelles within presynaptic terminals are expected to lead to crowding effects (Wilhelm et al., 2014) that could affect vesicle mobility (Gaffield et al., 2006). To quantify vesicle and mitochondrial densities within the central region of MFTs, where our FRAP measurements were predominantly made, we performed serial-section EM (Figure 3A). Quantitative analysis of 3D volumes (0.2–0.4 µm3, n = 3) revealed a vesicle density of 3930 ± 262 per µm3 (or 118 ± 8 per µm2 in 2D) in regions not occupied by mitochondria, consistent with previous measurements from MFTs (Palay and Chan-Palay, 1974). To convert this density into a volume fraction, we estimated the mean volume occupied by a vesicle by performing high-resolution 3D electron tomography on MFTs. Vesicle diameters exhibited an approximately normal distribution with a mean of 41.1 ± 0.2 nm (256 vesicles around 3 AZs; Figure 3—figure supplement 1), again consistent with previous measurements (Palay and Chan-Palay, 1974). Taking into account vesicle membrane proteins (Takamori et al., 2006), and the cubic relationship between vesicle radius and volume, indicates the mean volume occupied by a vesicle is equivalent to a sphere with 44 nm diameter. Using this diameter, we computed a vesicle volume fraction of 0.17 ± 0.01 of the non-mitochondrial volume (Figure 3B). The average volume fraction occupied by mitochondria was 0.28 ± 0.04. Hence, this analysis shows the central region of the MFT is a highly crowded environment with 40% of the volume occupied by vesicles and mitochondria. EM measurements of vesicle and mitochondrial densities within MFTs and Monte Carlo simulations of FRAP experiments. (A) Electron micrograph of a cerebellar MFT from adult mouse showing vesicles and mitochondria (m). Scale bar: 0.5 µm. (B) Mean density of vesicles and mitochondria (black lines) computed from electron micrographs from 3 MFTs (gray circles), where the vesicle density is computed for the non-mitochondrial volume. Vesicle volume fraction was computed assuming a diameter of 44 nm in fixed tissue (Figure 3—figure supplement 1E). (C) Left: xz cross section (3 × 3 µm) through the 3D Monte Carlo model of the MFT simulating live tissue conditions, showing randomly placed 49 nm vesicles (0.17 volume fraction) that are mobile (green) or immobile (light gray, 25%), and clusters of mitochondria (dark gray, 0.28 volume fraction). Differences in vesicle diameters reflect their different cross sections in a single plane. Blue shading denotes iPSF. Right: xy (top, 3 × 3 µm) and xz (bottom: 3 × 7 µm) cross sections of iPSF and cPSF (Figure 3—figure supplement 2). Scale bars: 0.5 µm. (D) FRAP simulations for model in C with (black) and without (red) the bleaching pulse, showing individual trials (lines) and averages (filled circles). Top: bleaching rate (k) of Equation (4) used for probe and bleaching pulses. To investigate the impact of organelle crowding on vesicle mobility in MFTs, we modelled vesicle diffusion in 3D using a hard-sphere Monte Carlo algorithm (Cichocki and Hinsen, 1990) that explicitly simulated the movement of individual vesicles and their collisions (Figure 3C). In these simulations, vesicle movement on each time step was determined by the short-time vesicle diffusion coefficient (Dshort) which defines the rate of diffusion before collisions occur. Vesicles were not allowed to overlap with themselves or mitochondria. Since simulations mimicked conditions of live tissue, we corrected our measured vesicle diameter for the 11% tissue shrinkage in fixed tissue (Korogod et al., 2015) giving an equivalent diameter of 49 nm. The spatial extent of the bleaching reaction was set by the iPSF, and the average fluorescence during the probe pulses was computed by spatially weighting the fluorescence according to the measured confocal PSF (cPSF) of our microscope (Figure 3C, right; Figure 3—figure supplement 2). Approximately 300 vesicles were located within the cPSF (Figure 3C, left). When the timing and intensity of the bleaching reaction were set to match the bleaching and probe pulses used in our FRAP experiments, FRAP curves from the Monte Carlo simulations (Figure 3D) exhibited remarkably similar behaviour to our experimental FRAP curves (Figure 1B). Only two parameters were varied in these experimentally constrained simulations: Dshort and the fraction of immobile vesicles. To find the values of these two parameters that produced a FRAP curve that best matched our experimental FRAP curve, we used a parameter search and chi-square (χ2) criterion (Figure 4A,B). The log of the χ2 calculated from the simulated and experimental FRAP curves had a minimum at Dshort = 0.060 µm2/s and a 25% immobile fraction (68.3% confidence intervals 0.055–0.070 µm2/s and 24–25%, respectively). To better understand how vesicle collisions reduce vesicle mobility, we examined how vesicle diffusion, computed from the mean square displacement (MSD) of the mobile vesicles, changed as a function of time (D(t) = MSD/6t; Figure 4C). At short times, before any vesicle collisions, D(t) ≈ Dshort (0.060 µm2/s). At longer times, however, as vesicles collided with themselves and mitochondria, D(t) fell to a steady-state value of 0.025 µm2/s. Hence, over the 10 s period of our FRAP experiment, D(t) reached a similar Dlong estimated from our analytical and finite-difference approaches (Figure 2C). Indeed, comparison of the FRAP curve computed from our best-match Monte Carlo simulation with that computed from our best-match finite-difference simulation showed a close match (Figure 4D). These results indicate steric interactions introduce a pronounced time dependence to vesicle diffusion and over long timescales vesicle collisions reduce vesicle mobility by a factor of 2.4 (i.e. Dlong/Dshort = 0.42). Estimation of vesicle diffusion coefficients Dshort and Dlong. (A) Parameter search for the best match between the average drift-corrected control FRAP data (Figure 2C) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations (Figure 3C,D) across a range of Dshort and % immobile vesicles, expressed as log(χ2). Black star denotes smallest χ2 (Dshort = 0.060 µm2/s, 25% immobile vesicles). Ellipse denotes 68.3% confidence region for two degrees of freedom (χ2 < 2.30). The vesicle step size (dr = 2 nm) was sufficiently small to avoid discretization error and the simulation space (a 2 µm cube) was sufficiently large to avoid boundary effects (Figure 4—figure supplement 1). (B) Best-match simulation (red) compared to control FRAP data (open circles). Gray denotes 68.3% confidence. (C) D(t) for best-match conditions in A with steady-state value (Dlong = 0.025 µm2/s; black dashed line) computed from a double-exponential fit for t > 10 ms. Inset, D(t) on a logarithmic timescale with average time to first collision (gray dashed line, 0.46 ms) when steric interactions start to reduce vesicle mobility. (D) Same as B but with added best-match finite-difference (FD) simulation with Dlong = 0.028 µm2/s (blue). Log(χ2) = 0.8 (MC) and 0.5 (FD). To understand how steric interactions affect vesicle mobility under different conditions, we explored the effect of different vesicle volume fractions, immobile vesicle fractions and mitochondria volume fractions on vesicle mobility. In the absence of immobile vesicles and mitochondria, increasing the vesicle volume fraction from 0 to 0.5 reduced vesicle mobility (measured as Dlong/Dshort) in a near-linear manner (Figure 5A, red circles) as previously reported (black squares; Cichocki and Hinsen, 1990). Adding immobile vesicles further reduced the diffusion coefficient of the mobile vesicles (Gaffield et al., 2006) and as the fraction of immobile vesicles increased, this effect became increasingly nonlinear. Finally, adding mitochondria reduced vesicle mobility to a similar extent across all vesicle densities (blue open circles). For conditions within MFTs, the reduction in vesicle mobility due to collisions between mobile vesicles was 30%, while that due to collisions with immobile vesicles and mitochondria was 13% and 32%, respectively. These results show vesicle collisions are a major determinant of vesicle mobility at a central synaptic terminal. Effects of steric and hydrodynamic interactions on vesicle mobility. (A) Effect of steric interactions on Dlong, normalized to Dshort, as a function of the vesicle volume fraction and % immobile vesicles. In the absence of immobile vesicles, the results matched those of Cichocki and Hinsen (black squares; 1990). Also shown is Dlong/Dshort for a 0.28 mitochondria volume fraction and 25% immobile vesicle fraction (blue open circles), with dashed blue line denoting average conditions at the centre of MFTs (0.17 vesicle volume fraction in the non-mitochondrial volume). Dlong was computed for an infinitely small vesicle step size (dr = 0) via linear extrapolation (Figure 5—figure supplement 1). Lines are polynomial fits. Error bars are smaller than symbols. (B) The effect of hydrodynamic interactions on Dshort, normalized to Dcyto, as a function of the vesicle volume fraction for conditions when all vesicles are mobile (red line; Equation 5; Tokuyama and Oppenheim, 1994) or when 25% are immobile (blue line; Equations 6,7). (C) D(t) for MFT conditions in A showing initial value (Dcyto), the reduction due to hydrodynamic interactions (Dshort) and to both hydrodynamic and steric interactions (Dlong). Inset, schematic diagram of hydrodynamic interactions between vesicles (top) and a combination of hydrodynamic and steric interactions (bottom). (D) Combined effect of steric and hydrodynamic interactions on Dlong/Dcyto as a function of vesicle volume fraction when all vesicles are mobile (red circles; computed via multiplication of data in A with data in B) compared to the theoretical prediction of Tokuyama and Oppenheim (black line; Equation 8). Blue circles denote the same MFT conditions as in A. Red and blue lines are polynomial fits. Hydrodynamic interactions have long been known to be a major determinant of the self-diffusion of nanoscale beads in crowded colloidal suspensions (van Blaaderen et al., 1992; Segrè et al., 1995). Unlike steric interactions, hydrodynamic interactions occur on a very fast timescale, so their effect on vesicle diffusion can essentially be considered instantaneous. To estimate the effect of hydrodynamic interactions on vesicle diffusion in MFTs, we used an analytical approach that is accurate across a wide range of volume fractions (Tokuyama and Oppenheim, 1994). We quantified the effect of hydrodynamic interactions by calculating the ratio of Dshort to the ‘free’ unhindered diffusion coefficient of a single vesicle in cytoplasm (Dcyto). As shown in Figure 5B, Dshort/Dcyto shows an approximately linear relationship with vesicle volume fraction (red line). However, introduction of randomly dispersed immobile vesicles at 25% produced a nonlinear dependence between Dshort/Dcyto and the total vesicle volume fraction (blue line; Freed and Muthukumar, 1978; Michailidou et al., 2009). For the vesicle volume fraction found at the centre of MFTs, Dshort/Dcyto = 0.47 (dashed blue line) suggesting hydrodynamic interactions reduce vesicle mobility by two-fold within MFTs. As hydrodynamic interactions act on a microsecond timescale, the vesicle diffusion coefficient D(t) is expected to decrease from Dcyto to Dshort almost instantaneously (Figure 5C). On the other hand, vesicle collisions take longer to occur, so their effect on D(t) is expected to occur on a millisecond to second timescale. At these longer timescales, both hydrodynamic and steric interactions are therefore present. The different timescales of hydrodynamic and steric interactions suggest they can be treated as independent processes, allowing their combined effect to be calculated via a simple multiplication: Dlong/Dcyto = Dshort/Dcyto × Dlong/Dshort (Figure 5D; red circles and black line; Medina-Noyola, 1988; van Blaaderen et al., 1992). For the conditions at the centre of MFTs, the combined effect of hydrodynamic interactions and vesicle collisions resulted in an 80% reduction in vesicle mobility (Dlong/Dcyto = 0.19; dashed blue line). This suggests the diffusion coefficient of dilute vesicles in cytoplasm, in the absence of crowding effects, is 0.127 µm2/s, which is only a factor of 3.5 lower than that of dilute 50 nm beads in the cytoplasm of 3T3 cells at 37°C (0.45 µm2/s; Luby-Phelps et al., 1987). A likely explanation of the lower value of Dcyto for vesicles than beads is that vesicle protein interactions with the cytomatrix slow vesicle mobility. To understand how hydrodynamic and steric interactions could influence vesicle supply at AZs, we quantified the morphological properties of 14 AZs using 3D reconstructions from high-resolution serial-section EM (Figure 6A,B). The AZ area, closely opposed to the postsynaptic density, varied across synaptic contacts (0.009–0.039 µm2) with a mean of 0.017 ± 0.002 µm2 (n = 14). This is smaller than most other central synapses which can have 10-fold larger areas (Xu-Friedman and Regehr, 2004; Harris and Weinberg, 2012; Holderith et al., 2012). When expressed as the diameter of a circular disk, our AZ measurements correspond to a range of 108–222 nm, with mean 145 ± 8 nm. EM measurements of vesicle density near MFT AZs. (A) Serial-section electron micrographs containing a cerebellar MFT-GC synaptic junction (EM series #3). Scale bar: 100 nm. (B) 3D reconstruction of the synapse in A showing an AZ (red), synaptic vesicles (yellow) and postsynaptic GC dendrite (blue). (C) Vesicle count (top) as a function of distance from the AZ computed from 3D reconstructions as in B (n = 14; 22 nm bins). Counts of 0 for first bin are not shown (n = 3). Vesicle density (bottom; left axis; count per volume) for the total volume surrounding the AZ (black) or restricted volume within the vesicle cloud (red circles), and the vesicle volume fraction within the vesicle cloud computed using 4.4 nm voxels (blue line; right axis). Dashed line denotes vesicle density measured at the centre of the MFT (Figure 3B). To determine the spatial extent of vesicles near the AZ, we designated those regions in the 3D reconstructions that contained vesicles as freely diffusible space, and all other regions as non-diffusible space (Materials and methods). We refer to the region of diffusible space extending from each AZ face as the vesicle ‘cloud’. Vesicle density within the vesicle cloud was calculated either by counting the number of vesicle centre points falling within its boundaries, or by computing the volume fraction occupied by the vesicles (Figure 6C, bottom; red circles and blue line respectively). The vesicle density reached 5652 ± 377 per µm3 at 30 nm from the AZ. This corresponds to a volume fraction of 0.25, assuming a vesicle diameter of 44 nm in fixed tissue, which is 50% higher than the volume fraction at the center of MFTs (0.17). Vesicle density declined with distance from the AZ, converging to the density estimated at the centre of the MFT for distances >100 nm. These results suggest an accumulation of vesicles extends ~2 vesicle diameters from the AZ. The total number of vesicles increased monotonically with distance from the AZ, from 2 ± 1 within 22 nm, to 48 ± 6 within 100 nm and 252 ± 34 within 300 nm (Figure 6C, top). These results show that, while there are few docked vesicles at the AZ, hundreds of vesicles reside nearby. The similarity in vesicle density within the cloud and in the MFT interior (Figure 6C, bottom; red circles and dashed horizontal line, respectively), plus the irregular shape of the vesicle clouds, suggests diffusional barriers imposed by intracellular organelles and/or the plasma membrane are present in the AZ region. To examine this, we quantified the spatial dependence of the vesicle density assuming all of the space surrounding the AZ is diffusible (Figure 6C, bottom; black circles). This approach gave a similar estimate of the vesicle density close to the AZ, but beyond 150 nm from the AZ the density rapidly declined, reaching 15% of the peak value by 400 nm from the AZ. This suggests that, beyond 150 nm, intracellular organelles, cytoskeletal barriers and/or curvature of the plasma membrane create a significant amount of non-diffusible space (Figure 3A). Indeed, quantification of the mean distance from the AZ to the nearest mitochondrial membrane revealed mitochondria are located within 270 ± 20 nm (n = 29) of the AZ. These results suggest that the diffusible space available to vesicles is restricted near the AZ of MFTs and that vesicle density only increases above that found in the MFT interior within 100 nm of the AZ release face. To examine the effectiveness of diffusion in supplying vesicles to AZs, we modelled vesicle diffusion in the vicinity of the 14 reconstructed AZs using our measured 3D geometries (Figure 7A). We assumed Dcyto was identical to that measured in the centre of the MFT and regions outside the vesicle cloud consisted of non-diffusible space since these regions contained no vesicles in the EM reconstructions. The most distal regions of the vesicle cloud were coupled to a large reserve of vesicles to mimic replenishment from the centre of the MFT. Hydrodynamic interactions were simulated using analytical expressions that accounted for local variations in vesicle density and the effect of the plasma membrane, which reduced vesicle mobility as vesicles approached the AZ (Figure 7—figure supplement 1). In our initial simulations, vesicles that collided with the AZ were instantaneously ‘released’ without any delay. Under these conditions the vesicle release rate equals the rate at which vesicles are supplied to the AZ via diffusion, which we here simply call the vesicle supply rate. Diffusion-mediated vesicle supply to 14 MFT AZs. (A) xy cross sections through a Monte Carlo simulation of a 3D AZ reconstruction (Figure 6B; EM series #3) showing non-diffusible space (gray) surrounding the vesicle cloud and AZ (red), and reserve vesicles surrounding the cloud with restricted access. The immobile vesicle fraction was 25% (gray circles). For mobile vesicles within the cloud (green circles) Dshort was computed via a local density measurement, and hydrodynamic interactions arising from the plasma membrane (Equations 9 and 10) reduced Dshort as vesicles approached the AZ (Figure 7—figure supplement 1B). Vesicles that touched the AZ were instantaneously released. Only the central part of the simulation is shown. Scale bar: 0.5 µm. (B) Vesicle supply rate to the AZ for 14 AZ reconstructions (Figure 6) and their average (blue line). Black line denotes AZ in A. (C) Average control in B compared to the same simulations repeated for: vesicle-to-vesicle connectors and vesicle-to-AZ tethers with 100-ms lifetime for vesicles <150 nm of the AZ (orange; C-100 ms), no hydrodynamic interactions (No HI; yellow), no hydrodynamic or steric interactions between vesicles (No HI or SI; green; vesicles were simulated as dimensionless points; Dlong = Dcyto = 0.127 µm2/s) and an ‘open’ geometry where the vesicle cloud is continuous with the reserve (red). See Figure 7—figure supplement 2. (D,E) Average supply rate between 0–2 ms and at 100 ms computed for conditions in C and for connectors and tethers with 1 ms lifetime (C-1 ms). (F) Cumulative number of vesicles supplied to the AZ for simulations in C. (G) Same as F but for 100 s. Line fit to the control (black dashed line; 50–100 s) illustrates back extrapolation used to compute the RP size and the vesicle supply rate from the slope. (H,I) Supply rate between 50–100 s and pool size (as illustrated in G) for conditions in C. Estimates for an infinitely small vesicle step (dr = 0) for control conditions are similar to those shown here for dr = 5 nm (Figure 7—figure supplement 3). Gray shaded regions denote range of experimentally measured values. At the earliest simulation times (0–2 ms) the vesicle supply rate varied between 25–4000 s−1, with a mean of ~1000 s−1 (Figure 7B–D). The average vesicle supply rate declined to ~200 s−1 by 10 ms when ~5 vesicles had been released (Figure 7F). These values are well above the experimental vesicle reloading rates of 40–80 s−1 per functional release site estimated at MFT-GC synapses during brief bursts of high-frequency stimulation (Saviane and Silver, 2006; Hallermann et al., 2010) and obtained during continuous depolarization of the presynaptic terminal (Ritzau-Jost et al., 2014). Even when vesicles were accumulated close to the AZ by simulating the effects of vesicle-vesicle binding due to fine protein connectors (Figure 7—figure supplement 2; Siksou et al., 2007; Fernández-Busnadiego et al., 2013), which reduced vesicle mobility by five-fold close to the AZ (Figure 7—figure supplement 1), the maximal vesicle supply rates remained higher than the experimental vesicle reloading rates (Figure 7D). These results suggest that at early times vesicle diffusion does not limit vesicle reloading at the AZ. At intermediate times (~100 ms), when ~15 vesicles had been released, vesicle supply rates to the AZ approached the experimental vesicle reloading rates (Figure 7C,E,F), raising the possibility vesicle reloading could be limited by diffusion during sustained release. To investigate this, we focussed on later times (50–100 s) when the cumulative number of vesicles supplied to the AZ increased linearly with time, indicating the supply rate was constant (Figure 7G, blue line). The slope of the linear portion of the cumulative supply functions gave a mean vesicle supply rate of 7 ± 1 s−1 (Figure 7G,H) which is remarkably similar to the vesicle release rates per release site measured at MFTs (8 s−1; Saviane and Silver, 2006) and vestibular nerve synapses (7 s−1; McElvain et al., 2015) during long trains of stimuli. Moreover, the back-extrapolation method for estimating the size of the pool of vesicles that can be depleted during the train (i.e. RRP+RP) gave an average of 237 ± 40 vesicles (Figure 7I), similar to values obtained for EPSC trains at MFTs (300; Saviane and Silver, 2006) and vestibular nerve synapses (200; McElvain et al., 2015). The close agreement between our experimentally constrained models of vesicle diffusion at AZs and experimental measurements suggests vesicular release is diffusion-limited during sustained high-frequency signalling once the RRP and RP are depleted. Examination of vesicle density close to the AZ during sustained release revealed that it falls dramatically, reaching a steady state after ~20 s (Figure 7—figure supplement 1, control conditions). However, vesicle mobility increased substantially during vesicle depletion due to reduced hydrodynamic and steric interactions, resulting in a shallow concentration gradient and a constant vesicle supply rate at late times. To better understand the role of physical factors in vesicle supply to MFT AZs, we first removed hydrodynamic interactions from our simulations. This increased the vesicle supply rate at early, intermediate and late times (Figure 7C–E,H), indicating fast hydrodynamic interactions between vesicles play a key role in slowing vesicle supply to the AZ. Interestingly, removing steric interactions (by shrinking vesicles to points) had little additional effect to removing hydrodynamic interactions at early and intermediate times (Figure 7C–E). However, at late times, removing vesicle collisions increased vesicle supply to the AZ by a factor of 2 (Figure 7C,G,H) consistent with their effect on vesicle mobility over long time scales (Figure 5D). These results show the physical interactions arising from vesicle crowding limit the maximal vesicle supply rate to the AZ. Next, we examined how the restricted diffusible space in the vicinity of the AZ affected vesicle supply. To do this we ‘opened up’ the 14 AZ geometries by removing the non-diffusible space surrounding each AZ and filled it with vesicles at the density measured at the centre of MFTs, thereby combining the RP and reserve pools (Figure 7—figure supplement 2). For open geometries, the average vesicle supply rate at early times was the same as that for the control geometries (Figure 7C). However, after ~1 s, the average vesicle supply rate for the open geometries levelled off to 55 s−1, resulting in a seven-fold higher supply rate than the control (Figure 7G,H). Back extrapolation produced a pool size estimate of only 16 ± 3 vesicles (Figure 7I). These results suggest the presence of diffusion boundaries arising from membrane invaginations, intracellular organelles and possibly the actin cytomatrix (Sankaranarayanan et al., 2003; Guillet et al., 2016) limit diffusion-mediated vesicle supply to the AZ. Moreover, by determining the limiting vesicle supply rate during sustained release and thus the size of the pool of vesicles that can be depleted before release and supply rates equalize (excluding those replenished during that time), the geometry of the diffusible space close to the AZ determines the size of the functionally defined RP. To examine how vesicle docking and priming (molecular and positional) and release probability affect our conclusions, we simulated 100 Hz MFT spike trains (Figure 8) assuming 1 or 2 release sites per AZ and a release probability of 0.5 (Saviane and Silver, 2006; Hallermann et al., 2010). To examine the limiting case, we assumed the total time for docking and priming (τd+p) was equal to the measured RP→RRP vesicle reloading time at these AZs (16.7 ms; Figure 8—figure supplement 1). As expected, the initial release rate was lower than that for conditions of instantaneous release and, after the RRP was released, the vesicle release rate became limited by τd+p and the release probability (Figure 8A–C). However, at later times during the train (>1 s), the release rate converged with that for instantaneous release, indicating that it had become limited by the diffusion-mediated vesicle supply (Figure 8A). Back extrapolation analysis of cumulative release at late times during the 100 Hz train gave estimates for the limiting vesicle release rate and RP size that were similar to that obtained with instantaneous release, irrespective of whether 1 or 2 release sites were present (Figure 8D,F,G). These more realistic simulations of release during 100 Hz trains therefore support our finding that vesicle release becomes diffusion-limited during sustained high-frequency signalling. Furthermore, back extrapolation analysis of the open-geometry condition revealed that the release rate rapidly becomes limited to ~30 s−1, resulting in a RP pool of only 2 ± 1 vesicles (i.e. close to the RRP; Figure 8E–G). While the exact values of the functional pool estimated from back extrapolation of the open-geometry condition may be prone to some error, because of its small size and the fact that the replenishment rate is higher than the release rate (Neher 2015), the more than 100-fold reduction in the RP estimate compared to that for measured vesicle clouds shows that the diffusible space around the AZ is a major determinant of the RP pool size. AZ simulations of release during a 100 Hz stimulus train with vesicle docking, priming and stochastic release. (A) Average vesicle release rate during simulations of a 100 Hz stimulus train across 14 AZs (control geometries) each with an RRP of 1 (dark blue line) or 2 (light blue line) vesicles (i.e. 1 or 2 release sites) and a release probability of 0.5. Reloading of the RRP was mediated by diffusion followed by a delay of 16.7 ms to account for docking/priming (τd+p; Figure 8—figure supplement 1). Diffusion-limited vesicle supply rate to the AZ is shown for comparison (dashed blue line; instantaneous release condition from Figure 7C). Dark gray lines denote the maximal steady-state release rates (after the initial release of the RRP) for 1 or 2 release sites (30 and 60 s−1, respectively); rates falling below these lines indicate vesicle diffusion is limiting vesicle release. Red line shows release from an AZ with an RRP of 1 and the same τd+p for open geometry conditions during a 100 Hz train. Diffusion-limited vesicle supply rate to the open geometry AZ is shown for comparison (dashed red line; instantaneous release condition from Figure 7C). (B) Average release rate between 0–10 ms computed for conditions in A (note difference in window length of early release compared to Figure 7D due to 10 ms inter-stimulus intervals). Open symbols denote instantaneous release conditions (INST). RS: release site. (C) Average release rate at 100 ms computed for conditions in A. At these times the release rates are limited by τd+p and the release probability (horizontal dark gray lines for 1 and 2 release sites), not by vesicle diffusion. (D) Cumulative number of vesicles released during 100 Hz train for control conditions (solid blue lines). At late times the simulations of stochastic release during the train overlap with those for instantaneous release (dashed blue line) and have similar slopes (dashed and solid black linear fits, respectively). (E) Cumulative number of vesicles released for open-geometry conditions. Release during the 100 Hz train simulation with one release site (solid red line) is approximately half the diffusion-mediated AZ supply rate for the open-geometry configuration (dashed red line, and solid back line fit). (F,G) Supply rate between 50–100 s and pool size computed from linear fits to data in D and E. Dark gray lines in F as for A. Light gray shaded regions denote range of experimentally measured values. We have investigated the physical determinants of vesicle mobility and supply within a large central mammalian axon terminal. Our results show 75% of vesicles within cerebellar MFTs are highly mobile, and hydrodynamic interactions and vesicle collisions arising from organelle crowding are major determinants of vesicle mobility. 3D reconstructions of 14 AZs from high-resolution serial-section EM revealed ‘clouds’ of vesicles near the AZ exhibiting variable shapes and sizes. Simulations of vesicle diffusion at these reconstructed AZs suggest that, at early times during high-frequency presynaptic activity, diffusion-mediated vesicle supply is substantially faster than the experimentally measured vesicle reloading rates. However, at later times, during prolonged presynaptic activity, when the RP becomes depleted, the rate of vesicular release becomes limited by diffusion-mediated supply to the AZ. These AZ simulations predict the size of the experimentally measured RP and the vesicle replenishment rate from the reserve pool. Hence, our results identify the major physical determinants of vesicle diffusion within the crowded environment of presynaptic terminals, show vesicle mobility at an excitatory central synapse is comparable to that at ribbon synapses and suggest passive diffusion limits vesicle supply to AZs during sustained high-frequency release. Moreover, our results provide a structural basis for the functionally defined ~300 vesicle RP at MFT AZs. Our results show that crowding within presynaptic terminals gives rise to two types of physical interaction that slow vesicle mobility. Fast hydrodynamic interactions arising from fluid displacement influence vesicle mobility on both short (microsecond) and long (millisecond to second) timescales. In contrast, effects of vesicle collisions (Gaffield et al., 2006) are only felt on long time scales. The combined effects of these interactions result in a vesicle diffusion coefficient that evolves with a characteristic time course that depends on the vesicle density (Figure 5C). Given the strength of hydrodynamic interactions in crowded environments, it is surprising their effects have only recently been investigated in biological systems in the context of protein diffusion (Doster and Longeville, 2007; Ando and Skolnick, 2010). Our results extend these studies by showing hydrodynamic interactions are likely to be a major determinant of vesicle diffusion in synaptic terminals. Indeed, taking account of hydrodynamic and steric interactions arising from vesicle crowding explains much of the discrepancy between Dlong of vesicles and 50 nm beads in cytoplasm (Luby-Phelps et al., 1987). Hence, our results identify the main physical determinants of vesicle mobility in a central axon terminal and highlight the need to consider hydrodynamic interactions within crowded intracellular environments. By quantifying how hydrodynamic and steric interactions vary with vesicle volume fraction and the fraction of immobile vesicles, it is possible to predict the vesicle mobility near the AZ and across different types of synapses (Table 2). At MFTs our quantitative model of vesicle mobility predicts that vesicle diffusion slows down from 0.025 μm2/s within the MFT interior to 0.012 μm2/s in the vicinity of the AZ. Thus, physical interactions slow vesicle mobility even in the absence of binding to tethers and connectors (which could slow diffusion further to 0.002 μm2/s). For ribbon-type bipolar cells, which have a vesicle density comparable to MFTs, our model of vesicle mobility predicts Dlong = 0.014 μm2/s, which matches well to the value measured in goldfish (0.015 μm2/s; Holt et al., 2004), but cannot account for the exceptionally high mobility found in lizard (Rea et al., 2004). Nevertheless, our framework does predict the low vesicle mobility at the NMJ (predicted 0.006 μm2/s vs. measured 0.005 μm2/s; Gaffield and Betz, 2007), where vesicle density is more than double that within the MFT (0.33 vs. 0.17 volume fraction). Measurements of vesicle mobility in small central synapses are more numerous but highly variable. Our modelling predicts that Dlong is low within the middle of the vesicle cluster in small boutons (0.002 μm2/s). This is similar to some FRAP-based estimates (Shtrahman et al., 2005) and recent single-vesicle tracking measurements (0.003 μm2/s; Lee et al. 2012). Moreover, our predicted Dlong falls within the wide range of estimates of vesicle mobility using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (Figure 2D, pink symbols; Yeung et al., 2007; Jordan et al., 2005), but these estimates depend on the diffusion/binding model applied (Jordan et al., 2005; Shtrahman et al., 2005; Yeung et al., 2007). Synapsin-based immobilization of vesicles appears prevalent in small boutons (Orenbuch et al., 2012), consistent with reports that most vesicles are immobile (Shtrahman et al., 2005; Lee et al., 2012). Moreover, there is a rapid vesicle exchange with the axon (Staras et al., 2010; Herzog et al., 2011) where mobility is high (Lee et al., 2012). Our simulations suggest that the low mobility of vesicles in small central synapses is largely due to strong steric and hydrodynamic interactions arising from the high vesicle density. Moreover, although the presence of tethers/connectors will restrict vesicle mobility further, their effects will only be strong if they have long lifetimes (i.e. slow unbinding). While the properties of vesicle mobility within small synapses is still uncertain, our results show that to understand the variations in vesicle mobility across synapses, it is necessary to account for the physical interactions arising from organelle crowding. Predictions of vesicle mobility for different types of synaptic terminals. For the MFT, 3D vesicle (ves) densities were computed from 2D densities by diving by the slice thickness (0.03 µm). The total vesicle volume % was computed assuming a 44 nm vesicle diameter in fixed tissue. It was assumed the immobile vesicle volume fraction near the AZ was the same as in the MFT centre (4%). For the MFT centre computation, the non-diffusible volume (vol) is the mitochondria volume fraction; for the cloud and AZ face computations, the non-diffusible volume is the non-diffusible space within the vesicle clouds computed from the 14 AZ reconstructions. D0 was computed via the Stokes-Einstein equation assuming a 49 nm vesicle diameter for in vitro conditions at 35°C. Diffusion constants and ratios are from Results (see Figure 5). Hydrodynamic (hydro) effects from the membrane wall near the AZ were computed via Equations (9) and (10), and are average β between 50 and 100 nm from the wall, where β = (2β||+β⊥)/3. Measured Dlong near the AZ face is not available (NA): vesicles close to AZs are too small to be detected by our FRAP measurements. For the NMJ, the 2D vesicle density is the average of those reported in Mantilla et al. (2004) and Coleman et al. (2008). The total vesicle volume % was computed assuming a proportional relationship with the MFT vesicle density and volume fraction. The immobile vesicle % and measured Dlong is from Gaffield and Betz (2007). D0 was computed assuming a 49 nm vesicle diameter and 37°C. Data for the ribbon synapse is from Rea et al. (2004). The 3D vesicle density was computed assuming 250,000 vesicles with 50 nm diameter inside a hemisphere with 6 µm diameter. The non-diffusible volume was set to zero since Figure 3A of Rea et al. shows few mitochondria. D0 was computed assuming a 50 nm vesicle diameter and 22°C. Note, our estimate of Dlong is 10-fold smaller than the measured Dlong of Rea et al., but is comparable to the measured Dlong of another study of ribbon-type synapses in bipolar cells (value shown in brackets; 0.015 µm2/s; Holt et al., 2004). For the hippocampal boutons, the 2D vesicle density is from Li et al. (1995) and Schikorski and Stevens (2001). The total vesicle volume % was computed assuming a proportional relationship with the MFT vesicle density and volume fraction. The immobile vesicle % is from Shtrahman et al. (2005). D0 was computed assuming a 49 nm vesicle diameter and 37°C. Values for measured Dlong derived from fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) vary widely, depending on the model used to fit to the data (5 × 10−5 to 0.054 µm2/s; Figure 2D, pink symbols), but our predicted Dlong most closely matches that of a fit to pure diffusion (0.0043 µm2/s; Shtrahman et al., 2005) and the measured Dlong of Lee et al. (0.003 µm2/s; 2012) who tracked single vesicles using quantum dots. For all terminals, Dcyto/D0 was assumed to equal that in the MFT centre (0.01). Dshort/Dcyto was computed as the blue line in Figure 5B. Dlong/Dshort was computed using data in Figure 5A. Our 3D EM reconstructions revealed the AZs of MFTs are small and surrounded by a cloud of vesicles that is highly variable in shape and size. Our analysis shows that on average there are only 2 vesicles at the AZ face, suggesting few vesicles are docked and release ready at each AZ. This potentially explains why multi-vesicular release (Wadiche and Jahr, 2001) is not a dominant form of release at MFTs (Sargent et al., 2005). Away from the AZ face, the vesicle density falls to a level comparable to the density measured at the centre of the MFT. The accumulation of vesicles at the AZ face has a similar spatial extent as the AZ cytomatix protein Bassoon (~100 nm), which speeds vesicle reloading at MFTs (Hallermann et al., 2010) possibly via vesicle clustering (Mukherjee et al., 2010). Our experimentally constrained simulations suggest diffusion can supply vesicles to the AZ at the onset of high-frequency signalling (<100 ms) faster than the measured vesicle reloading rates of 40–80 s−1 (Figure 7C), even in the presence of protein filament connectors and tethers (Siksou et al., 2007; Fernández-Busnadiego et al., 2013). This suggests factors other than diffusion, such as docking and priming, limit vesicle reloading at the onset of sustained release. Ca2+-dependent mechanisms that speed docking and priming (Neher and Sakaba, 2008) would therefore be most effective at accelerating vesicle reloading at the early stages of high-frequency signalling, but increasing vesicle mobility or reducing the immobile fraction would be effective later, once vesicle depletion occurs. Previous studies of vesicular release at cerebellar MFTs (Saviane and Silver, 2006; Hallermann et al., 2010; Sargent et al., 2005) and vestibular nerve synapses (McElvain et al., 2015) suggest that each AZ has an RRP of 1–2 vesicles and a RP of ~200–300 vesicles (Figure 8—figure supplement 1). Remarkably, 3D AZ reconstructions predict the size of the RRP and our simulations predict the RP from the spatial positions of the vesicles, the diffusible space surrounding the AZ and our model of vesicle mobility. Furthermore, once the RP is depleted, our simulations predict a vesicle supply rate of 7 s−1, which matches the release rates of 7–8 s−1 recorded at these synapses (Saviane and Silver, 2006; McElvain et al., 2015). Because glutamate refilling is 100-fold slower than these rates (Hori and Takahashi, 2012), rapid local endocytosis (Watanabe et al., 2013) is unlikely to be responsible for these limiting rates. Our results therefore suggest that, during sustained high-frequency release, vesicle supply from the reserve pool to the AZ is limited by vesicle diffusion from the interior of the MFT. Thus, diffusion rather than docking and priming potentially limits the rate at which continuous sensory variables, such as head velocity (Arenz et al., 2008) and joint angle (van Kan et al., 1993), are transmitted. Moreover, the fact that increasing diffusional access to the AZ effectively eliminates the functionally defined RP indicates the shape and extent of the vesicle cloud associated with an AZ is a major determinant of the RP, because it sets the rate of supply from the reserve pool. This structural property could therefore contribute to the heterogeneous functional properties of MFTs (Sargent et al., 2005) originating from different precerebellar nuclei (Chabrol et al., 2015). Thus, our results provide the structural basis for a functionally defined vesicle pool and show diffusion ultimately limits vesicle supply during sustained high-frequency signalling at a central synapse. The generation and general characterization of the VGLUT1Venus (Slc17A7ct(venus)Nbr) knock-in mouse line was published previously (Herzog et al., 2011); all experiments using this line were performed with littermates derived from crossing homozygous VGLUT1v/v mice (F2 SV129/ola x C57BL/6 genetic background). All animal experiments were conducted in strict accordance with the United Kingdom Home Office Animals Scientific Procedures Act of 1986, and approved by the UCL ethics review board. All mice were anaesthetized with ketamine or isoflurane during surgical procedures. Two C57Bl6 mice (P28 and P30) were anaesthetized with ketamine (35 mg) and transcardially perfused with 0.9% saline, then with 2% paraformaldehyde and 1% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M Na-acetate buffer (pH = 6) for 2 min, then with 2% paraformaldehyde and 1% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M Na-borate buffer (pH = 8) for one hour. Four VGLUT1Venus mice (all P28) were anaesthetized with ketamine (35 mg) and transcardially perfused with 0.9% saline, then with 4% paraformaldehyde and 0.1% or 0.05% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M Na-phosphate buffer for 25 min. After perfusion, brains were dissected and 60 µm sections were cut from the cerebellar vermis. Sections from VGLUT1Venus mice were immunoreacted for either VGLUT1 or GFP using anti-VGLUT1 (1:500 dilution; Synaptic Systems Cat# 135 302, RRID:AB_887877; Goettingen, Germany) or anti-GFP (1:1000 dilution; Millipore Cat# AB3080P, RRID:AB_91338; Billerica, Massachusetts) primary antibodies, respectively. Sections were then washed, incubated with biotinylated or 0.8 nm gold-coupled (Aurion, Wageningen, The Netherlands) secondary antibodies. Reactions were visualized with either silver enhancement (Aurion SE-EM kit) or a DAB reaction. Following reactions, sections from the C57Bl6 mice were washed in 0.1 M PB then treated with 1% OsO4 and 1% uranyl acetate before dehydration and embedding in Epoxy resin. Small blocks from the sections were re-embedded and 30 nm serial ultrathin sections were cut for 3D reconstruction (Holderith et al., 2012). Images were taken with a Jeol JEM1011 electron microscope equipped with a bottom-mounted CCD camera (Cantega; Olympus Soft Imaging Solutions, Münster, Germany). 3D reconstructions and measurements were performed using Synapse Web Reconstruct (RRID:SCR_002716; http://synapses.clm.utexas.edu/tools/reconstruct/reconstruct.stm). MFTs from VGLUT1Venus mice were qualitatively analysed at low and high magnification and compared to those obtained from C57Bl6 mice. All GFP- and VGLUT1-immunopositive MFTs were large, contained clusters of mitochondria and had vesicle densities similar to those found in C57Bl6 mice. The cloud of vesicles surrounding the AZs were also apparent with variable size. The proximity of mitochondria to AZs was also highly variable, similar to that found in C57Bl6 mice (data not shown). Serial sections (200 nm) from C57Bl6 mice were cut and collected onto copper slot grids. Fiducial markers were introduced at both sides of the grids (Imig et al., 2014). Single-axis tilt series were acquired in FEI Tecnai G2 Spirit BioTWIN transmission EM operating at 120 kV and equipped with an Eagle 4K HS digital camera (FEI, Eindhoven, The Netherlands). Tomographic volumes were reconstructed using IMOD (Kremer et al., 1996; RRID:SCR_003297) and exported as z-stacks for analysis. Vesicle diameters were measured using Reconstruct, defined as the distance between the outer parts of the membrane bilayers at the plane where the diameter was largest. Vesicle count was computed as a function of distance from the AZ face for 14 3D reconstructions. To do this, the distance from a vesicle’s centre to the nearest point of the AZ face was measured for each vesicle and a histogram of the distances constructed using 22 nm bins. In order to compute the vesicle density as a function of distance to the AZ, we limited the diffusible space to the outermost extremity of the vesicle ‘cloud’. To do this, we divided the space surrounding the AZ into 44 nm voxels and defined voxels as diffusible only if they contained any part of a vesicle (Figure 7A). The vesicle density was computed within the cloud as a function of distance from the AZ by sorting the diffusible voxels as a function of their distance to the AZ and counting the number of vesicle centre points that fell within each bin and dividing by the sum of the voxel volumes. The vesicle density was also calculated by subdividing the 44 nm voxels into 4.4 nm voxels and computing the volume of voxels that fell within the vesicles and dividing by the total volume of the diffusible voxels. To calculate the vesicle density when assuming all space surrounding the AZ is diffusible, we divided the vesicle count as a function of distance from the AZ (22 nm bins, as described above) by the space surrounding the AZ in 22 nm thick bands. Parasagittal slices of the cerebellar vermis were prepared (Nielsen et al., 2004) from VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice (P22–33, n = 19). FRAP in the cerebellar slices was performed on a custom spot confocal system (Prairie Technologies, Middleton, Wisconsin; DiGregorio et al., 2007) at 35°C unless stated otherwise. Data was acquired and analyzed using NeuroMatic (RRID:SCR_004186; http://www.neuromatic.thinkrandom.com) that runs within the IGOR Pro environment (RRID:SCR_000325; WaveMetrics, Portland, Oregon). Laser light (488 nm) was focussed to a diffraction-limited spot with 100x objective lens (1.0 NA, Olympus). The bleaching pulse was 28.5 µW (after the objective) of 0.5 ms duration and probe pulses were 0.04 µW of 2 ms duration. The ACSF contained (in mM) 125 NaCl, 2.5 KCl, 2 CaCl2, 1 MgCl2, 1.25 NaH2PO4, 26 NaHCO3 and 25 glucose. Okadaic acid (2 μM), cytochalasin-D (10 μM) plus latrunculin-B (10 μM), jasplakinolide (2 or 5 μM) and roscovitine (50 µM) were added to the ACSF where specified. FRAP recordings were discarded if they had an unstable baseline fluorescence or large jumps in fluorescence. MFTs were discarded if they had less than 3 FRAP recordings. To test for potential phototoxicity, we repeated our measurements using half the laser power during the bleaching pulse (16 MFTs, 156 total locations, 1 mouse), which produced ~13% bleaching from baseline fluorescence, rather than ~35% under control conditions, and computed f1s and f5s values. However, no significant differences were found for half-power conditions compared to control conditions for f1s (40 ± 5 vs. 35 ± 2%, respectively, p=0.4, unequal-variance t-test) and f5s values (59 ± 7 vs. 63 ± 2%, p=0.6, unequal-variance t-test), consistent with results of finite-difference FRAP simulations for full- and half-power bleaching (not shown). We also tested for time-dependent changes in the FRAP recordings within single MFTs by comparing f1s and f5s distributions computed from the first 4–10 and last 4–10 recordings taken from a single MFT. Restricting the analysis to those MFTs with at least 8 recordings (n = 47, 6 mice), we found no difference between f1s values of the first and last recordings (38 ± 2 and 37 ± 2%, respectively, p=0.8, paired t-test) and f5s values of the first and last recordings (63 ± 3 and 63 ± 3%, p=0.8, paired t-test) indicating the laser was not inducing time-dependent changes in vesicle mobility within single MFTs. To test for photoactivation of bleached Venus (McAnaney et al., 2005), we compared FRAP recordings with 21 probe pulses after the large bleaching pulse (n = 82; Figure 1B, top) to recordings with 11 probe pulses (n = 79; recorded within the same MFTs from a P45 and P51 mouse) and found no significant difference (f1s = 33 ± 5 vs. 41 ± 4%, respectively, p=0.17, unequal-variance t-test). Since photoactivation of bleached Venus should result in a faster fluorescence recovery with a larger number of probe pulses, these results demonstrate the small brief probe pulses used in our FRAP experiments did not cause photoactivation of bleached Venus. where j is the MFT index number, nj the number of recordings for a given MFT, and xji the average of these nj recordings. where f0 is the fluorescence before bleaching, K is the bleaching parameter that determines the level of fluorescence immediately after bleaching (fb = (1−exp(−K))/K), and τD is the characteristic diffusion time defined as τD = ω2/4Dlong. Parameter ω is the half-width of the illumination beam at e−2 of the peak height which we estimated to be 0.23 µm from our iPSF. We computed the FK summation for n = 0–19, which was sufficient to approximate the infinite series. To determine Dlong, Equation (2) was fitted to our normalized control data by letting parameters K and Dlong vary while fixing f0 = 1 and ω = 0.23 µm. To allow a variable steady-state fluorescence (finf) during the fit, FK was transformed as follows: fK = fb + (finf − fb)(FK − fb)/(1 − fb). Results of the fit were: Dlong = 0.018 ± 0.005 µm2/s, K = 0.94 ± 0.05, finf = 0.917 ± 0.011. After drift correction, results of the fit were: Dlong = 0.025 ± 0.003 µm2/s, K = 0.97 ± 0.03, finf = 0.883 ± 0.004. One caveat of using Equation (2) to estimate Dlong is that its accuracy relies on the following assumptions about our experimental paradigm: (1) the bleaching pulse is brief compared to the rate of diffusion, (2) bleaching is a simple irreversible first-order reaction, (3) the bleaching volume is small compared to the total volume of the synaptic terminal (4) iPSF and cPSF have the same Gaussian intensity profile in the xy direction and are infinite in the z direction (i.e. both are the same Gaussian beam), (5) fluorescence detection causes no additional bleaching during the fluorescence recovery phase, (6) there is a homogeneous concentration of diffusant and (7) diffusion is isotropic. While assumptions (1), (2) and (3) are reasonable for our experimental paradigm, assumptions (4–7) may not be strictly correct. To test assumptions (4) and (5), we used a 3D finite-difference reaction-diffusion simulation approach (see below) that explicitly modelled the bleaching and probe pulses and the spatial properties of the iPSF and cPSF of our microscope (Figure 3—figure supplement 2). Comparison of the fit to our drift-corrected control data (where Dlong = 0.025 µm2/s) to a finite-difference simulation with Dlong = 0.025 µm2/s showed a close agreement, with only a slightly slower rate of recovery for the finite-difference simulation (not shown; t1/2 = 0.58 vs. 0.66 s). Only a small increase in Dlong to 0.028 µm2/s of the finite-difference simulation was necessary to produce matching FRAP curves (Figure 2C). Similarly, to test assumptions (4–7), we used a 3D Monte Carlo simulation approach (see below) that included long cylindrical mitochondria, which form non-diffusible regions and are therefore likely to introduce anisotropic diffusion. Nevertheless, we found a close agreement to the finite-difference simulation that simulates a homogeneous concentration with isotropic diffusion (Figure 4D). These results suggest that the assumptions required to apply Equation (2) are reasonable for our experimental paradigm and it should therefore produce a reasonable estimate of Dlong. FRAP experiments were simulated in 3D space using an extended version of D3D, an in-house finite-difference reaction-diffusion simulator (Nielsen et al., 2004; DiGregorio et al., 2007; Nakamura et al., 2015). The voxel size was 50 nm and the time step (dt) was set by a stability restriction parameter (Crank, 1975) which was tested to be sufficiently small. The expression for iPSF was the same as that derived for the measured emission PSF of our microscope (Figure 3—figure supplement 2A,B), but using a light wavelength of 488 nm instead of 515 nm. The expression of cPSF (a Gaussian function with FWHMxy = 255 nm and FWHMz = 916 nm) was derived from fluorescence measured from 110 nm beads (Figure 3—figure supplement 2C). Both iPSF and cPSF were positioned so their peaks were aligned at the centre of the simulation geometry (Figure 3C). Values of iPSF and cPSF were computed at the centre of each voxel, and these values were used for bleaching and fluorescence detection. The e−2 volume of iPSF (0.31 µm3) was computed by summing the volume of voxels with an iPSF value > e−2. The e−2 volume of the cPSF was 0.15 µm3, which is small compared to the volume of the MFTs (30–60 µm3; Jakab and Hámori, 1988; Kim et al., 2013). To take advantage of xy symmetry and reduce simulation time, we simulated one-quarter of the entire space. If a displaced vesicle resulted in overlap with another vesicle, or a non-diffusible voxel, the vesicle stayed at the same location; otherwise the vesicle was moved to the new location. Vesicles were not allowed to overlap with the simulation borders, except when computing D(t), in which case periodic boundary conditions were used. where t is time, dt is the time step and k is the bleaching rate that is scaled by a normalized 3D spatial weighting function defined by iPSF described above. Average fluorescence of all vesicles was computed according to a normalized 3D spatial weighting defined by cPSF described above. The vesicle step size dr was set to 2 nm which was small enough to avoid discretization error (Figure 4—figure supplement 1A). We compared simulated FRAP curves for cubic geometries in the range 1.5–3.0 µm and found a 2 µm cube produced negligible border effects for simulations with Dshort < 0.080 µm2/s and was therefore sufficiently large to simulate the centre of a large MFT (Figure 4—figure supplement 1B). For FRAP simulations with added drift (Figure 2—figure supplement 1B), mitochondria were simulated as non-diffusible volumes specified by x, y and z coordinates, rather than non-diffusible voxels as shown in Figure 3C, so that drift could be applied to the mitochondria’s x, y and z coordinates. If a vesicle moved outside the geometry it was returned to the opposite side of the geometry (i.e. periodic boundary conditions) with a fluorescence value of 1.0 to simulate unbleached vesicles moving into the simulation space. One potential caveat to our quantification of vesicle mobility is the possibility our measured FRAP represents the movement of small clumps of vesicles rather than individual vesicles. However, this should not unduly affect our results since the vesicle volume fraction, rather than the vesicle size, primarily determines the hydrodynamic and steric contributions to Dlong (Medina-Noyola, 1988). Moreover, inspection of EMs of the interior of the MFT suggests vesicles are dispersed. Interestingly, vesicles exhibit a negative potential, which generates an electrostatic repulsive force, which could explain why vesicles do not tend to aggregate in clumps (Ohsawa et al., 1981). For AZ simulations, we used the 3D reconstructions from our EM data. The diffusible space was determined by the outer surface of the vesicle cloud as described above. In one of the 14 AZ reconstructions, a low vesicle density resulted in space close to the AZ being ‘filled in’ by our algorithm. As the presence of non-diffusible space so close to the AZ seemed unlikely, we expanded the diffusible space surrounding this AZ by two vesicle diameters (the dimensions of the high-vesicle-density zone; Figure 6C). To remove the effects of fixation shrinkage in our EM data, the geometries, including AZs, were scaled up by 11% (Korogod et al., 2015). After scaling, vesicle diameters and voxel widths were 49 nm. Because we used a uniform vesicle diameter of 49 nm, rather than a distribution, small overlaps between vesicles occurred. To alleviate this problem we used an algorithm (Lubachevsky and Stillinger, 1990) that first shrank vesicles until there were no overlaps and then allowed them to randomly move, slowly expanding until they reached a diameter of 49 nm. To maintain high vesicle densities close to the AZ (Figure 6C) vesicles <200 nm from the AZ were not allowed to move more than 24.5 nm from their original location; all other vesicles were not allowed to move more than 49 nm. We verified the average vesicle density near the AZ was similar before and after removing vesicle overlaps (Figure 7—figure supplement 1A). To create a vesicle reserve surrounding the reconstruction geometries, the geometries were expanded and populated with vesicles at a 17% volume fraction of which 25% were immobile (Figure 7A). Final simulations had ~13,000 mobile vesicles. To create ‘open’ geometries, non-diffusible voxels surrounding the AZ were converted to diffusible space and populated with vesicles as for the reserve. The final simulations had ~17,000 mobile vesicles. For all AZ simulations, dr = 5 nm, which was sufficiently small to avoid significant discretization error (Figure 7—figure supplement 3A,B). Simulations were repeated 20 times for each AZ and averaged. To investigate how filament connectors might influence vesicle properties near the AZ, we performed simulations whereby vesicles <150 nm from the AZ rapidly formed connectors with neighbouring vesicles (average 1.5 connectors per vesicle; Siksou et al., 2007; Fernández-Busnadiego et al., 2013) if they were <10 nm of one another. Once connected, vesicles were not allowed to diffuse more than 10 nm from each other, thereby simulating flexible protein filaments (Graydon et al., 2014). A connector on rate of 10,000 s-1 was used and each bound connector had a lifetime that was randomly sampled from an exponential distribution with mean equal to the inverse of the connector unbinding rate (1000 or 10 s-1). Filament tethers to the AZ (Fernández-Busnadiego et al., 2013) were simulated in a similar fashion. In this case, vesicles became ‘tethered’ to the AZ if they were <8 nm from it. The same on and off rates of the connectors were used and no more than 2 vesicles could be tethered to the AZ at one time. Because the vesicle density increases close to the AZ (Figure 6C) the effects of vesicle-vesicle hydrodynamic interactions are expected to be larger near the AZ. Hence, for those vesicles within the vesicle cloud, we used the local vesicle volume fraction surrounding each vesicle to compute the vesicle’s Dshort and dr on every time step of the AZ simulations. The local vesicle density was computed within a distance of 4 vesicle radii from the vesicle’s centre (Urbina-Villalba et al., 2003). Dshort was computed from the ratio Dshort/Dcyto (Figure 5B) assuming our estimate of Dcyto = 0.127 µm2/s and 0.04 immobile vesicle volume fraction. To compute the vesicle supply rates in Figure 7, release events were counted within the following windows: 0-10 ms in 2 ms bins, 10-100 ms in 10 ms bins, 100-1000 ms in 100 ms bins, 1-10 s in 1 s bins, 10-100 s in 10 s bins. Release counts were converted to rates by dividing the bin count by the bin duration and the number of simulation repetitions (20). The cumulative vesicle counts were computed within the same windows. The vesicle release rates and cumulative vesicle counts in Figure 8 were computed in the same manner, except for using a single 10 ms bin within the first window as this corresponds to the stimulus interval of the 100 Hz train. Final release rates and counts were displayed as continuous functions by drawing lines between the midpoint of each consecutive bin. where Γff is the far-field-only Dshort, i.e. the short-time self-diffusion coefficient in the absence of near-field hydrodynamic interactions, derived from previously published computer simulations (Banchio and Brady, 2003). Note that when Γff ≈ Γm (e.g. with a low Φm) then Equation (7) reduces to Γmix′≈ΓmΓmix. where Φm is the mobile vesicle volume fraction and H(Φm) is defined in Equation (5). This equation was used only for comparison purposes in Figure 5D. Values for β' were then used to appropriately scale the vesicle steps in the x, y and z directions computed during each time step. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) and fit parameters as ± standard deviation (STDV). Experimental and simulation results were compared with a chi-square criterion and experimental means were compared using the Student’s t-test (unpaired two-tailed equal-variance unless stated otherwise) where p<0.05 was considered significant. Model comparisons were computed via an F-test. No statistical method was used to predetermine sample sizes. Java code to reproduce the finite-difference and Monte Carlo reaction-diffusion simulations is available at https://github.com/SilverLabUCL/D3D_eLife. The Journal of Chemical Physics 118:10323. Journal of Cell Biology 160:817–821. Journal of Biological Chemistry 275:5163–5170. Journal of Cell Biology 201:725–740. The Journal of Chemical Physics 68:2088. Brain Structure and Function 217:165–180. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 4:a005587. Journal of Cell Biology 108:111–126. Journal of Statistical Physics 60:561–583. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta 648:206–214. Journal of Chemical Physics 96:4591–4603. Thank you for submitting your article "Physical determinants of vesicle mobility and supply at a central synapse" for consideration by eLife. Your article has been reviewed by two peer reviewers, one of whom is a member of our Board of Reviewing Editors, and the evaluation has been overseen by Gary Westbrook as the Senior Editor. The reviewers have opted to remain anonymous. The reviewers have discussed the reviews with one another and the Reviewing Editor has drafted this decision to help you prepare a revised submission. This manuscript examines vesicle mobility and supply at mossy fibre synaptic terminals (MFTs), to determine how these parameters contribute and are putatively rate limiting during high release activity. Using a combination of 3D ultrastructural analysis, measurements of vesicle diffusion and simulations, the authors convincingly conclude that vesicle diffusion is the main rate limiting factor in vesicle supply, which is surprising as this would limit the impact of vesicle tethering and priming processes at least on a long time scale, previously considered to be the critical rate limiting step in preparing vesicle for fusion. 1) As stated in the text MFTs in contrast to e.g. small hippocampal boutons offer the advantage of being clearly larger than the confocal bleaching volume. However, exactly this fact might account for the differences in measured SV mobilities compared to hippocampal boutons: the confocal volume for FRAP or FCS measurements in the latter case almost inevitably contains the volume close to the active zone (in axial direction the volume extends far beyond the small bouton boundaries). This is less likely the case in FRAP experiments in the MFTs which measured 7 to 10 µm according to the authors: thus, rather volumes in the middle of the MFT at some distance to the AZs where the SV density is lowest (Figure 6) are probed. Although multiple or at least three measurements were made per terminal at different locations the large axial extent of the bleaching volume implies that mostly volumes away from the small AZs are covered. Given this and that the '3D reconstructions revealed the AZs of MFTs are small and surrounded by a cloud of vesicles that is highly variable in shape and extent', could the measured fast rates of fluorescence recovery predominantly reflect fast SV movements at the fringes of these SV clouds and even in-between clusters from different AZs? Here, overall SV densities are small and thus the dynamics might be much higher than within the densely packed areas close to the AZ, where SVs in EM tomograms even appear interconnected by short filaments, which might highly reduce their mobility. In summary, given the experimental design of the FRAP measurements and the geometry of MFTs with their inhomogeneous SV distributions, there was concern about the claim that these results 'show diffusion ultimately limits vesicle supply during sustained high-frequency signaling at a central synapse'! SV supply and mobility at the AZ simply have not been and cannot be easily measured in this preparation. a) Using linear back extrapolation is known to underestimate the RRP due to the fact that the replenishment rate is not constant but depends on the depletion of the RRP (for a full RRP at steady-state the net replenishment rate is 0) (Neher, 2015). This error is larger for higher replenishment rates, which could explain the low RRP for the open geometry. Since in the simulations all vesicles are tractable, accurate estimates of the replenishment rates over time should be calculated and used for more accurate RRP estimates in the default- and open geometry. b) It is not clear how (molecular) priming is addressed in the model. Primed vesicles in the RRP are most likely docked at/tethered to the membrane via (partial?) assembly of SNARE-complexes and are therefore not free to diffuse (?). One would expect that this stabilizes an RRP of a certain size, independent of the geometry of the diffusible space but dependent on the number of available docking sites. This is supported by the fact that deletion of priming molecules like Munc13 and Munc18 produce a complete loss of RRP without affecting the geometry of the terminal. The impact of molecular priming on the RRP in the diffusion model should be discussed in the context of this evidence. c) A well-established method to assess the RRP is the application of hypertonic solutions. Interestingly, although this manipulation most likely has a strong impact on the geometry of the diffusible space (shrinkage), concentrations beyond 500mM have a strong effect on release kinetics but not on the total release or steady-state priming rates at the end of the stimulus. The authors should discuss how these findings can be reconciled with the model. 3) Priming/RRP replenishment is sped up in a Ca2+ dependent manner during high frequency stimulation (Sakaba & Neher, 2001). This suggests an active flow of vesicles in the direction of the AZ during or a change in mobility properties of the vesicles. The authors should discuss how this fits in their model. 4) Software or scripts should be made available to the community as supplementary material via eLife or via a public repository for computational models for neuroscience. We agree that our measured long-time vesicle diffusion coefficient (Dlong) predominantly reflects the mobility of vesicles at the centre of the MFT rather than close to the AZ (as stated in the original version of the manuscript). Nevertheless, inspection of our reconstructions near the AZ shows that, except for a highly localized region extending only 100 nm from the AZ face, the vesicle density in the vesicle cloud is similar to that calculated within the non-mitochondrial space within the MFT interior (Figure 6C, red symbols vs. dashed horizontal line). We now state this more explicitly in the Results (subsection “Quantification of the morphology around the AZ”). It is important to stress that our approach is not to simply estimate Dlong at the centre of the MFT and apply it to the AZ. Rather, we have developed an experimentally constrained quantitative model of vesicle mobility within crowded environments, which has enabled us to predict (and simulate) how vesicle diffusion changes as vesicles approach the AZ due to the increased vesicle density and presence of the membrane. This is possible because we account for the hydrodynamic and steric interactions arising from local variations in vesicle density, the cloud geometry and the presence of the AZ face itself. We now explicitly show in new Figure 7—figure supplement 1 how vesicle diffusion slows down in the vicinity of the AZ in our Monte Carlo simulations (down from 0.025 to 0.012 μm2/s, and even to 0.002 μm2/s in the presence of connectors). Our model not only predicts the measured release rate during prolonged stimulation and the releasable pool at MFT AZs, it also predicts the diffusion coefficient of vesicles across different types of synapses. For example, our model predicts Dlong of ribbon synapses in bipolar cells, which have a vesicle density comparable to MFTs (predicted 0.014 μm2/s vs. measured 0.015 μm2/s). It also predicts the lower mobility at the NMJ where vesicle density is more than double that within the MFT (0.33 vs. 0.17 volume fraction; predicted 0.006 μm2/s vs. measured 0.005 μm2/s). While measurements of vesicle mobility in small central synapses are more variable, our model predicts that Dlong is low within the middle of the vesicle cluster in small boutons (prediction 0.002 μm2/s), which is similar to recent single-vesicle tracking measurements (0.003 μm2/s; Lee et al. 2012). Moreover, this predicted Dlong falls within the wide range of estimates of vesicle mobility using FCS data (Figure 2D, closed pink symbols). We have added a new table to the revised manuscript that compares the prediction of vesicle mobility across different synapses with existing measured values (Table 2). We have also modified the Discussion to include these new data (Comparison of vesicle mobility across synapses). During the initial stages of sustained vesicular release, our results show that vesicle diffusion does not limit vesicle supply. This is because under resting conditions there is a high concentration of vesicles close to the AZ and supply rates via diffusion are high, even in the presence of tethers and connectors (1000 s-1; Figure 7D) which reduce mobility to 0.002 μm2/s. At intermediate times (~100 ms), the vesicle density falls and vesicle supply is reduced to ~40 s-1 in the presence of tethers and connectors (Figure 7E). At longer times, when the releasable pool (RP) becomes depleted, the vesicle concentration in the vicinity of the AZ drops well below that in the MFT interior (see new Figure 7—figure supplement 1). Under these conditions diffusion-based vesicle supply becomes rate limiting for release and the presence of connectors has little effect (Figure 7H). We now link vesicle supply to depletion and diffusion more clearly in the revised manuscript (Results section, subsection “Models of diffusion-limited vesicle supply to the AZ during sustained release”), and explain why release becomes diffusion limited during sustained high-frequency signalling, even when diffusion is substantially slowed by connectors. We agree with the referees that estimation of functional vesicle pools depend on a number of factors, but in this case it is possible that some confusion has arisen due to the nomenclature we used to describe the vesicle pools in the original submission. In the revised manuscript we now define 3 pools in the Introduction (first paragraph). Vesicles belonging to the readily releasable pool (RRP) are those that are docked and primed at the face of the AZ. Our EM data suggests there are ~2 vesicles docked at each small AZ (145 nm diameter). In contrast, vesicles in the releasable pool (RP) correspond to the ~300 non-docked vesicles per AZ, but they must be supplied to the AZ, then docked and primed (with all three steps referred to as reloading) before they transition to the RRP. Finally, vesicles in the reserve pool (R) correspond to a still larger pool that are supplied more slowly and are presumably further away from the AZ. We now illustrate these pools and their experimentally measured transition rates in a cartoon (Figure 8—figure supplement 1). As the reviewers highlight, estimating the RRP can be difficult with back extrapolation because the pool size per connection is small (1-2 vesicles per AZ) and the reloading rate from the RP is fast at MFTs (40-80 s-1) and may be activity dependent (Hallermann et al. 2010). Moreover, the cumulative vesicle release plots of our Monte Carlo simulations did not reach steady state for control conditions until after 20 seconds. For this reason we did not attempt to estimate the RRP with the back extrapolation method. Instead, we estimated the RP (plus RRP) which is large (~300 vesicles per AZ), and since the R->RP replenishment rate is slow, the error due to back extrapolation should be relatively small. We now discuss the back extrapolation method and the pitfalls highlighted in Neher (2015) in the context of our analysis (first paragraph of Discussion). For the open-geometry simulations there is a much higher diffusion-mediated supply rate (~55 Hz) than for the control AZ simulations. Since little vesicle depletion occurs during prolonged release under open-geometry conditions, equalization of release and replenishment rates occurred rapidly, resulting in a small number of vesicles being released before the release rate becomes constant. To examine this in more detail, we carried out more realistic simulations of release during a 100 Hz train, which included the measured RP->RRP reloading rate and a release probability (new Figure 8). While this did not alter the RP size estimated from the reconstructed AZ simulations with back extrapolation under control conditions (237 for instantaneous release vs. 217 for 100 Hz train), the RP estimated for open-geometry conditions was substantially reduced compared to instantaneous release (16 for instantaneous release vs. 2 for 100 Hz train) as predicted by Neher (2015). While it is clear that starting with a full RRP and having fast replenishment is likely to add some error in these latter estimates, the fact that the RP for the open geometry is 100-fold lower than the RP for the measured control cloud geometry, and is close to the size of the tiny RRP, confirms that the cloud geometry is a major determinant of the functional RP. Indeed, these simulations indicate that, when the diffusional barriers that define the extent of the vesicle cloud are removed, the RP no longer exists as an entity, with only the RRP and an effectively infinite reserve pool remaining. We now link these results to vesicle depletion and mobility during sustained release for the different simulation conditions (see new Figure 7—figure supplement 1). Moreover, since the physical extent of the pool identified with back extrapolation is unclear, we now describe it as the size of the pool of vesicles that can be depleted before release and supply rates equalize (excluding those replenished during that time; Results section, subsection “Models of diffusion-limited vesicle supply to the Az during sustained release”). This allows a more intuitive explanation of these effects since it is easy to understand why the geometry of the diffusible space around the AZ sets the R->RP supply rate. We did not explicitly model molecular priming in our original simulations because it is fast in MFTs when compared with the R->RP replenishment rate. However, in light of the referees’ comments on estimating pool size, we have now included new simulations that mimic release during a 100 Hz train that include the delay introduced by docking and molecular/positional priming and the measured release probability at MFT AZs. Although these processes slowed vesicular release early in the train, they did not affect the limiting release rate at late times or the RRP pool size estimated via back extrapolation (new Figure 8). Our EM data suggests there are ~2 vesicles next to the AZ face. If these correspond to docked and primed vesicles in the RRP, they are probably immobilized. However, since they represent less than 1% of the RP pool, it seems unlikely they can stabilize the 300 vesicles in the RP. Indeed, we have carried out an extensive set of simulations that include both tethers (filaments attaching vesicles to the AZ face) to multiple docking sites and connectors (filaments between vesicles), systematically varying the binding kinetics and number. While inclusion of these flexible 10 nm filaments within 150 nm of the release face can sustain the higher concentration of vesicles within 100 nm of the AZ release face, they still allow vesicle-AZ collisions to occur at well above the measured reloading rate (Figure 7D). The fact that the concentration of vesicles beyond 100 nm of the release face is similar to that in the MFT interior is consistent with diffusional equilibration of the vesicle concentration and restricted diffusional space. To our knowledge, hypertonic solutions have not been used at the mossy fibre to granule cell synapse. A recent paper (Schotten et al. eLife, 2015) argues that their effects are predominantly to lower the activation energy for fusion rather than the AZ hit rate. This conclusion is based on measurements of hypertonic-solution evoked release and modelling of the activation energy for vesicle fusion and on the observation that hypotonic solutions specifically release primed vesicles (Rosenmund and Stevens, 1996), which are bound to the plasma membrane with the fusion machinery preassembled, and are not therefore affected by diffusion-limited vesicle supply. Indeed it is difficult to predict how rapid cell shrinking would affect diffusion-based supply, since it is unclear whether the increase in the concentrations of vesicles or slowing of diffusion by steric and hydrodynamic interactions and viscosity will increase or decrease the AZ hit rate. Since our study is focused on supply from the RP and reserve pools, we feel that discussing how sucrose affects the RRP is beyond the scope of this study. Our results suggest that diffusion-mediated vesicle supply to the AZ is fast at early times and that most of the RP->RRP vesicle reloading time (12-20 ms) is taken up by docking and priming. This suggests that, at the onset of high-frequency signalling, Ca2+-dependent processes that speed docking and priming would be most effective, but that increasing vesicle mobility or reducing the immobile fraction would be effective once vesicle depletion occurs. Interestingly, our simulations reveal that when vesicle depletion lowers vesicle density at the AZ, vesicle mobility is automatically increased due to reduced steric and hydrodynamic interactions (see new Figure 7—figure supplement 1). We now discuss our findings in the context of activity-dependent increases in reloading in the Discussion (Discussion section, subsection “Supply of vesicles to the AZ and structural correlates of the reasonable pool”). We will make the simulators and scripts available for download from GitHub. We thank Nils Brose for supplying the VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice, Stefan Hallermann for providing electrophysiological data on wild-type mice, Noemi Holderith for performing electron tomography and Diccon Coyle for providing technical assistance. We would also like to thank J Ashmore, D Attwell, T Fernández-Alfonso, F Lanore, B Marin, A Valera and T Younts for their comments on the manuscript. Animal experimentation: Animal experiments were conducted in strict accordance with the United Kingdom Home Office Animals Scientific Procedures Act of 1986, and approved by the UCL ethics review board. All mice were anaesthetized with ketamine or isoflurane during surgical procedures. © 2016, Rothman et al.

2019-04-26T13:57:47Z

https://elifesciences.org/articles/15133

Eco1/Ctf7 is essential for the establishment of sister chromatid cohesion during S phase of the cell cycle. Inactivation of Ctf7/Eco1 leads to a lethal phenotype in most organisms. Altering Eco1/Ctf7 levels or point mutations in the gene can lead to alterations in nuclear division as well as a wide range of developmental defects. Inactivation of Arabidopsis CTF7 (AtCTF7) results in severe defects in reproduction and vegetative growth. To further investigate the function(s) of AtCTF7, a tagged version of AtCTF7 and several AtCTF7 deletion constructs were created and transformed into wild type or ctf7 +/– plants. Transgenic plants expressing 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆299–345 (AtCTF7∆B) displayed a wide range of phenotypic alterations in reproduction and vegetative growth. Male meiocytes exhibited chromosome fragmentation and uneven chromosome segregation. Mutant ovules contained abnormal megasporocyte-like cells during pre-meiosis, megaspores experienced elongated meiosis and megagametogenesis, and defective megaspores/embryo sacs were produced at various stages. The transgenic plants also exhibited a broad range of vegetative defects, including meristem disruption and dwarfism that were inherited in a non-Mendelian fashion. Transcripts for epigenetically regulated transposable elements (TEs) were elevated in transgenic plants. Transgenic plants expressing 35S:AtCTF7∆B displayed similar vegetative defects, suggesting the defects in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants are caused by high-level expression of AtCTF7∆B. High level expression of AtCTF7∆B disrupts megasporogenesis, megagametogenesis and male meiosis, as well as causing a broad range of vegetative defects, including dwarfism that are inherited in a non-Mendelian fashion. The precise establishment and release of sister chromatid cohesion are vital for cell division during mitosis and meiosis [1-3]. The cohesin complex, which forms a ring to entrap sister chromatids, is composed of four subunits: a heterodimer of Structural Maintenance of Chromosome (SMC) proteins, SMC1 and SMC3, an α-kleisin, Sister Chromatid Cohesion1 (SCC1) in somatic cells or REC8 in meiotic cells and SCC3 [2,4,5]. The core cohesin complex associates with a number of factors during the cohesion cycle [1-3,6-8] and its association with the chromosomes is controlled by modifications, such as acetylation, phosphorylation, sumoylation and proteolysis [9-13]. Sister chromatid cohesion is established during S phase by the Establishment of Cohesion protein, ECO1/CTF7 [14-18]. In budding yeast, ECO1/CTF7 acetylates lysine residues K112, K113 of SMC3 and K84, K210 of SCC1 to stabilize the ring and keep it closed [10,19,20]. ECO1/CTF1 is an essential gene in many organisms with the complete inactivation of CTF7 resulting in lethality [1-3,14-16,21]. Inactivation or mutations in ECO1/CTF1 leads to a broad range of defects, including chromosome mis-segregation, defects in DNA double strand break repair, defects in homologous recombination and transcriptional alterations [14,15,17,21-25]. Humans contain two ECO1/CTF7 orthologs, ESCO1 and ESCO2 . Mutations in ESCO2 lead to Roberts syndrome (RBS), which is associated with a variety of defects including growth retardation, limb reduction/asymmetric limb growth, cleft lip/palate and missing fingers/toes [26,27]. Arabidopsis contains a single CTF7 ortholog (AtCTF7), which can complement the temperature-sensitive yeast ctf7-203 mutant . AtCTF7 encodes a 345 amino acid protein, containing a PIP box at residues 82 to 86, a C2H2 zinc finger motif at residues 92–130 and an acetyltransferase domain from residues 184 to 335. The acetyltransferase domain can be further separated into three motifs: D (amino acids 184–204), A (amino acids 266–301) and B (amino acids 311–335). Motif D provides the framework of the acetyltransferase domain. Motif A participates in acetyl-CoA binding and is critical for catalytic activity, while motif B is the most C-terminal region and participates in substrate recognition and catalytic activity regulation [28,29]. Variations in AtCTF7 expression have been shown to result in a wide range of defects. Plants heterozygous for a T-DNA insertion in AtCTF7 grow normally but their siliques contain approximately 25% arrested seeds, consistent with the belief that CTF7 is an essential protein . However, Atctf7 homozygous plants can be detected at very low frequencies . Atctf7 plants exhibit a wide range of developmental defects, including extreme dwarfism and sterility with Atctf7 meiocytes exhibiting abnormal chromosome segregation and defective sister chromatid cohesion. Knockdown of AtCTF7 mRNA levels using RNAi leads to growth retardation and defective sister chromatid cohesion . Finally, overexpression of full length AtCTF7 with the CaMV 35S promoter leads to ovule abortion, but plant growth is not affected . To further investigate the roles of CTF7 in Arabidopsis and to identify AtCTF7 interacting proteins, transgenic plants expressing AtCTF7 constructs that encode either TAP-tagged or non-tagged versions of full length or truncated AtCTF7 were generated and analyzed. Transgenic plants that express a truncated version of AtCTF7, missing motif B, from the 35S promoter exhibited impaired reproduction and vegetative growth. Ovules in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants displayed alterations in cell identity and the timing of megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis, while male meiocytes exhibited alterations during meiosis II. The transgenic plants also displayed alterations in vegetative growth that were not inherited in a Mendelian fashion. An AtCTF7 construct missing the C-terminal 46 amino acids (∆299-345) was generated, fused with NTAP and expressed from the CaMV 35S promoter in wild-type Columbia plants (35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B; Additional file 1: Figure S1). Twenty out of the 36 independent lines examined exhibited reduced fertility, with fertility levels varying significantly between the lines. Plants exhibiting a weak phenotype, which accounted for two of the 20 reduced fertility lines, produced shorter siliques with reduced numbers of seeds, but the seeds appeared normal (Figure 1Aii). For example Line 19 produced 39.2 ± 3.9 seeds per silique (n = 35) compared to wild type plants that produce 54.2 ± 4.1 seeds per silique (n = 35). Anthers from Line 19 plants were smaller and contained reduced numbers of pollen (574 vs 1175 in wild type), but the pollen appeared viable (Figure 1Bii). The other 18 reduced fertility lines exhibited more severe defects. These plants produced siliques containing large numbers of unfertilized ovules and aborted seeds (Figure 1Aiii). Unfertilized ovules appeared as white dots, resembling the situation in atctf7-1 plants . Aborted seeds appeared white and plump, similar to seeds containing arrested embryos in Atctf7-1 +/− plants . Seed set varied considerably between the lines, ranging from 13.3 ± 5.6 seeds per silique to 34.7 ± 8.4 seeds per silique. Anthers from these plants typically contained reduced numbers of pollen, much of which was not viable. For example, anthers from Line 11 produced on average approximately 210 pollen, of which only 20% was viable (Figure 1Biii). Given that most lines exhibited severe fertility defects, one representative line (#11) was chosen and characterized in detail. 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants exhibit reduced fertility. (A) Open siliques from wild type (Ai) and 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B (Aii,Aiii) plants. i, Wild type silique with full seed set. ii, Silique from a 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plant (Line 19) exhibiting a weak phenotype. iii, Silique from a 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plant (Line 11) exhibiting a strong phenotype. Arrows indicate shriveled, unfertilized ovules. White stars show white, plump seeds, which aborted after fertilization. Scale bar = 0.5 cm. (B) Alexander staining of mature anthers from wild type (i) and 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B (ii, iii) plants. i, Wild type anther. ii, Anther from Line 19. The anther is smaller and contains less pollen; all the pollen is viable. iii, Anther from Line 11. The anther is smaller and contains low numbers of viable pollen. Scale bar = 50 μm. (C). Expression analysis of AtCTF7 in wild type and 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Transcript levels of total AtCTF7 (35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B and native AtCTF7) and native AtCTF7 are increased in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants with Line 11 plants exhibiting the highest levels. Buds of wild type, non-dwarf, 4th generation Line 11 plants and 4th generation Line19 plants were used for this experiment. Data are shown as means ± SD (n = 3). The reduced fertility phenotype of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants suggested that co-suppression may be lowering AtCTF7 transcript levels in the lines. Therefore, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to examine transcript levels of native AtCTF7 as well as the CTF7 transgene. Surprisingly, total AtCTF7 (35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B and native AtCTF7) transcript levels were approximately seven-fold higher in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants than CTF7 transcript levels in wild type plants, while native AtCTF7 transcript levels were almost three-fold higher in the transgenic plants (Figure 1C). Therefore, the transgenic lines contained high levels of AtCTF7∆B transcripts along with elevated levels of native AtCTF7 mRNA, indicating that the observed phenotypes are not the result of reduced AtCTF7 expression. Instead these results suggest that the 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct may be exerting a dominant negative effect. Reciprocal crossing experiments were carried out to determine the effect of the 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct on male and female gametes. The 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct was transmitted at reduced levels through both male and female gametes (Additional file 1: Table S1), consistent with our preliminary results that both male and female fertility were affected in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Nonviable seeds were obtained when 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants were used as either the male or female parent; however the relative proportion of nonviable seed was three times greater (9.3% verses 31.3%) when 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants served as the female. The number of nonviable seeds was greatest (65%) in self-pollenated plants. Therefore, while both male and female gametes are affected, the 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct has a greater effect on female reproduction. Inheritance of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B-associated defects from both parents has a compounding effect on seed production. Previous studies showed that inactivation of AtCTF7 via T-DNA insertion or reduction in AtCTF7 mRNA levels via RNAi disrupts sister chromatid cohesion, resulting in uneven chromosome segregation during meiosis and ultimately reduced pollen viability [17,18]. The reduced fertility observed in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants suggested that meiosis might also be affected in these lines. Therefore, chromosome spreading experiments were carried out to examine the effect of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B expression on male meiosis. Male meiocytes in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants resembled wild type during early stages of meiosis, with normal chromosome morphology during pachytene (Figure 2A,E), diakinesis (Figure 2B,F) and metaphase I (Figure 2C,G). The first noticeable defect was observed at telophase I when lagging chromosomes were observed (Figure 2D,H), followed by mis-segregated chromosomes at prophase II (Figure 2M). More than twenty individual chromosomes were typically observed in meiocytes beginning at metaphase II (Figure 2N), indicating that sister chromatid cohesion was prematurely lost. Chromosomes did not segregate evenly at anaphase II (Figure 2O) resulting in the production of polyads with varying DNA contents at tetrad stage (Figure 2P). Similar to atctf7 plants, a small number of relatively normal meiocytes were also observed throughout meiosis with fewer normal-appearing meiocytes in later stages of meiosis. For example, the percentages of defective meiocytes observed at various stages of meiosis in Line 11 were: metaphase I: 0% (0/41), telophase I: 6.8% (7/87), prophase II: 23.5% (24/102), metaphase II: 40.7% (24/59), anaphase II: 56.8% (25/44) and telophase II: 64.0% (114/178). 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B male meiocytes exhibit defective meiotic chromosome segregation. (A-D) and (I-L) Wild type meiocytes. (E-H) and (M-P) 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B meiocytes. A, E pachytene; B, F diakinesis; C, G metaphase I; D, H telophase I; I, M prophase II; J, N metaphase II; K, O anaphase II; L, P telophase II. Lagging chromosomes and/or chromosome fragments are denoted with arrows. Meiotic chromosomes are stained by 4’, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Scale bar = 10 μm. Immunolocalization experiments were then carried out to examine the distribution of the meiotic cohesin protein SYN1 in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B male meiocytes. Consistent with meiotic chromosome spreading experiments the overall distribution of SYN1 was not dramatically affected in meiocytes of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants (Additional file 1: Figure S2). SYN1 exhibited diffuse nuclear labeling during interphase with strong signal observed on the developing chromosomal axes from early leptotene into zygotene (Additional file 1: Figures S2A,D). During late zygotene and pachytene the protein lined the chromosomes (Additional file 1: Figures S2B,E,C and F). SYN1 was released normally from the condensing chromosomes during diplotene and diakinesis and similar to the situation in wild type, SYN1 was barely detectable on chromosomes by prometaphase I. Therefore, cohesin appears to load and be removed normally from meiotic chromosomes in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Previous studies showed that ovule development is very sensitive to AtCTF7 levels [16-18]. Approximately 50% of the ovules from Atctf7-1 +/–plants contain non-degenerated antipodal nuclei , while ovules from atctf7 plants degenerate early . RNAi directed reduction of AtCTF7 mRNA levels, as well as 35S-mediated increases in AtCTF7 transcript levels result in ovule arrest at Female Gametophyte (FG) 1 stage [16,18]. To elucidate the function(s) of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B in ovule development, ovules from wild type and Line 11 plants were analyzed by differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. In wild type siliques, archesporial cells are specified from the subepidermal cell layers and differentiate into megaspore mother cells, which are initially unpolarized and become polarized prior to the start of meiosis (Additional file 1: Figure S3A). Two rounds of meiosis produce a tetrad of four haploid megaspores (Figure 3C,D; Additional file 1: Figure S3B-E) . Prior to FG1, the megaspore mother cell, dyad and tetrad are all adjacent to L1 cells (Figures 3A-D) . When the ovule reaches FG1, the megaspore at the chalazal-end differentiates into the functional megaspore while the other three megaspores undergo programmed cell death (Additional file 1: Figures S3F, G; Figures S4B, C) [34,35]. In wild type siliques, adjacent ovules are similar in size and point in opposite directions (Figures 3A,B). Early ovule development is disrupted in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Wild type (A-D) and 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B (E-I ) ovules were analyzed by differential interference contrast microscopy. (A) Pre-meiotic ovule containing a single megaspore mother cell (MMC; stage 1-II). (B) Pre-meiotic ovule at stage 2-III. Inner and outer integuments start to initiate. (C) Meiotic ovule containing a dyad after meiosis I (stage 2-IV). (D) Meiotic ovule containing a tetrad after meiosis II. (E-F) 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules at pre-meiotic stages. (E) Right ovule containing an abnormal, enlarged cell (white arrow) adjacent to a MMC-like cell (black arrow). Adjacent ovules are different in size. (F-F’) Left ovule containing two abnormal, enlarged cells (white arrows) adjacent to a MMC-like cell (black arrow). Ovules are different in size and stage (left: stage 1-II, right: stage 2-III) and point in the same direction. (G-I) 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules at meiosis. (G) Ovule containing a large cell with prominent nucleus (arrow) resembling a MMC. An extra cell is present at the position of the degenerated megaspores, between the MMC and L1 cells. (H) Ovule containing a MMC-like cell with a prominent nucleus in the central region of the ovule. Ovule is enlarged and extra cells are between the MMC and L1 cells. (H’) Magnified view of MMC from H. (I) Ovule containing two cells with prominent nuclei (arrows) in the central region of the ovule. The two cells are separated and resemble a dyad. Extra cells surround the dyad. (I’) Magnified view of I. Size bar = 10 μm. Developmental stages are defined according to Schneitz et al. . In mutant plants, defects were observed in ovules very early in development. Approximately 30.4% (41/135) of the ovules observed were defective at the premeiosis stage. Abnormally enlarged sub-epidermal cells were observed adjacent to normal looking megaspore mother cells in some pre-meiotic ovules (Figure 3E,F’). Adjacent ovules were often different in size and sometimes pointed in the same direction (Figure 3 F,F’). A functional megaspore was not identified in some ovules even though their shape and size was beyond FG1. Instead, large cells with prominent nuclei and megaspore-like characteristics were found in the position of a normal embryo sac (Figures 3G-I). Ovules containing either one megaspore-like cell (Figure 3G,H) or two megaspore-like cells with dyad characteristics (Figure 3I) were also observed. This suggested that meiosis is delayed, altered and arrested in most megaspores. Extra cells were also observed between the megaspores and the L1 layer of cells (Figure 3G-I). In WT plants, a small number (6.7%, 8/120) of ovules were found to contain twin megaspore mother cells; however no defects were observed during or after meiosis. In Line 11 plants, 14.1% (19/135) of the ovules contained multiple megaspore mother-like cells at pre-meiosis. Furthermore, 72.5% (50/69) of ovules with dyads contained extra cells between the dyad and L1 layer, and 27.5% (19/69) the dyads were in elongated shape. Ultimately 50.4% (64/127) of the ovules observed were defective at FG1 stage. Therefore, alterations in archesporial cell differentiation, the onset and progression of meiosis and possibly somatic cell identity are observed in ovules of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. The effects of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B on megagametogenesis were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and DIC microscopy. During wild type megagametogenesis, the functional megaspore undergoes three rounds of mitosis accompanied by nuclear migration, fusion, degeneration and cellularization to form the final embryo sac (Additional file 1: Figures S3H-L; S4D-J). At FG1, the functional megaspore undergoes mitosis to produce a two-nucleate embryo sac (FG2; Additional file 1: Figure S3H). Formation of a vacuole between the two nuclei marks stage FG3 (Figure 4,D and L; Additional file 1: Figures S3I, S4D). During FG3 the ovule becomes curved and the inner integument embraces the nucellus. A second round of mitosis produces a four-nucleate embryo sac (FG4; Figure 4E,M; Additional file 1: Figures S3J, S4E). This is followed by migration of the two chalazal nuclei from an orthogonal orientation to a chalazal-micropylar orientation. After nuclear migration, a third round of mitosis gives rise to eight nuclei in a 4n + 4n configuration (FG5; Additional file 1: Figure S3K). The two polar nuclei, one from each side, meet at the embryo sac’s micropylar half and fuse to form the central cell, while the antipodal nuclei start to degenerate (Additional file 1: Figure S4H). The central cell has formed and the antipodal nuclei are completed degenerated by FG7 (Additional file 1: Figures S3K, S4I). Prior to fertilization, one synergid nucleus degenerates, such that the embryo sac consists of one egg cell, one central cell and one synergid nucleus (FG8; Additional file 1: Figures S3L, S4J). Embryo sac development is delayed and arrests early in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules. (A-E) and (J-M) Wild type ovules. (F-I) and (N-P) 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules. (A) FG0 ovule. No FM is identified. (B) Early FG1 ovule showing the FM and DM. The nucellus is not surrounded by the integument. (C) FG1 ovule. The nucellus is surrounded by the outer integument but not the inner integument. (D) FG3 ovule containing a two-nucleate embryo sac. The nucellus is enclosed by the inner integument. (E) FG4 ovule containing a four-nucleate embryo sac. (F-I) Embryo sac development in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules observed by CLSM. (F) Ovule containing megaspore(s). (G) Ovule containing a FG1 embryo sac. Chalazal end megaspore becomes functional megaspore like (FML) and the other megaspores are degrading. (H) FG1 embryo sac. FML locates at a more chalazal position. (I) FG3 embryo sac containing two nuclei with a vacuole between them. (J-M) Embryo sac development in WT ovules visualized by DIC (also see Additional file 1: Figure S3). (J) Meiotic ovule containing a dyad (stage 2-IV). (K) FG1 ovule. FM (arrow) is uni-nucleate. (L) FG3 ovule, containing an embryo sac with two nuclei and a vacuole. (M) FG4 ovule. (N-P) Embryo sac development in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules observed by DIC. (N) FG1 embryo sac. The nucellus is surrounded by the outer integument and the inner integument. Extra cells are present between the FM (arrow) and L1 cells. (O-O’) Ovule containing a two-nucleate embryo sac. Non-degenerated L1 cells are present. (P) Ovule with a FG3 embryo sac. FMLs are identified as having distinctly bright nuclear autofluorescence and DMs contain a diffuse signal throughout the cells, but no clearly defined nucleus, defined according to Barrell and Grossniklaus . Size bar = 10 μm. Developmental stages in CLSM and DIC are defined according to Christensen et al. [34,35] and Schneitz et al. , respectively. Ovule development is typically synchronous in wild type sliques with predominately one or two developmental stages present in a given pistil (Additional file 1: Table S2). In contrast, 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovule development appeared slowed and asynchronous (Additional file 1: Table S3). Female gametophytes in the same pistil were often at several different stages, indicating that the synchrony of gametophyte development was disturbed and embryo sac maturation was delayed. Ovules containing a megaspore (Figures 3G,H’), FG1 embryo sacs with a functional megaspore-like cell and degrading megaspores (Figures 4G,H,N), and abnormal FG2 and FG3 embryo sacs were commonly observed in the same slique (Figure 4I,O-P). Ovules containing degraded/degrading megasporocytes, and degrading FG1 embryo sacs were also observed (Additional file 1: Figures S5A-D). Alterations in nuclear division appeared to precede arrest in some megaspores (Additional file 1: Figure S5E-H). Most embryo sacs arrest at FG2/FG3; although some terminal ovules appeared to progress beyond FG3 (Additional file 1: Table S3). Common phenotypes included degraded/degrading nuclei (Additional file 1: Figure S5J-K), degenerated embryo sacs (Additional file 1: Figure S5M), polar nuclei fusion defects (Additional file 1: Figure S5N) and vacuole development defects (Additional file 1: Figure S5N-P). To determine if the alterations observed in Line 11 are representative of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants in general, ovules from other lines exhibiting severely reduced fertility (#13 and #15) were examined. Similar to the situation in Line11, pre-meiotic ovules from Line15 contained abnormally enlarged sub-epidermal cells adjacent to megaspore mother-like cells (Figures 5A-C). During meiosis, ovules contained abnormal cells adjacent to degenerated megaspores (Figures 5D-Q). Some ovules contained functional megaspore-like cells (Figure 5F-H,Q). Mature ovules contained differentiated functional megaspore-like cells (Figures 5R,S) and female gametophytes with various defects (Figures 5U,V). Similar to Line 11, female gametophytes from Lines 13 and 15 developed slowly and asynchronously; embryo sacs arrested at FG1 and FG3 (Additional file 1: Figure S6A,C). Additional alterations not observed in Line 11 were also identified, including some ovules that appeared to contain two functional megaspore-like cells (Additional file 1: Figure S6B). In some ovules the middle megaspores appeared to differentiate into functional megaspore-like cells while the megaspores at the chalazal-end degenerated (Additional file 1: Figure S6D), suggesting that ovule polarity was disrupted. All together, 30.4% (48/158) ovules examined in Line 15 plants displayed alterations at pre-meiosis; 66.0% (68/103) of the ovules were defective at meiosis and 79.3% (73/92) of the ovules were defective at FG1. Therefore, common defects associated with NTAP:AtCTF7∆B include a delay and alterations in both megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis with embryo sacs arresting at various stages of development. Phenotypes of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules from Line 15. (A-C) Pre-meiotic 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules containing abnormal enlarged cells (white arrows) adjacent to megaspore mother cell-like cells (MMC like; black arrows). (D) Pre-meiotic ovule containing a MMC with degenerating nucleus. (E-Q) Meiotic ovules containing abnormal enlarged cells (white arrows) adjacent to DMs (stars). Cells with functional megaspore-like (FML) characteristics are indicated by black arrows in F, G, H and Q. The abnormal cell in Q contains two nuclei (white arrows). (R-S) Post-meiotic ovules containing FMLs. (R) The FML is associated with abnormal cells, which are not degenerating (white arrows). (S) Extra cells/nuclei are present between the DM (star) and FML. (T) Ovule containing two abnormal cells (white arrows) adjacent to the DM (star). (U-V) Post-meiotic ovules containing female gametophytes with one nucleus. DM, degenerated megaspore are denoted by stars; FML, functional megaspore like; MMC, megaspore mother cell. Size bars, 10 μm. Because the ovules of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants appeared to exhibit a delay in the onset of meiosis, qRT-PCR was carried out to examine transcript levels for several genes important for meiosis and ovule development (Additional file 1: Figure S7A,B). Transcripts for WUS1 , MMD1 , SPO11-1 and ZYP1a were elevated between two and three fold in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants relative to wild type. Transcript levels of DMC1 , SYN3 [43,44] and OSD1 showed modest increases, while the transcript levels of other genes were unchanged (Additional file 1: Figures S7A,B). During the analysis of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B reduced fertility lines, plants displaying vegetative defects began to appear in the T2 or T3 generations. Specifically, later generations grew progressively worse in 12 of the 18 independent severely reduced fertility lines examined. The remaining six lines continued to display reduced fertility, but did not exhibit vegetative defects through the seventh generation. A wide range of morphological defects was observed in the 12 lines (Figure 6). The defects varied between lines and between progeny of the same line. The observed vegetative abnormalities included dwarf plants, fused stems and disruption of phyllotaxis (Figures 6C-E). 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plant morphology changes in later generations. (A) Wild type Columbia plant. (B-E) Morphological alterations get progressively worse in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants through self-pollination. (B) Second generation plants are normal, but reduced fertile. (C) Both dwarf and non-dwarf, reduced fertile plants are observed in third generation plants. (D) Fourth generation plants. (E) Sixth generation plants, showing a higher frequency of dwarf plants. Defects such as reduced apical dominance (arrow) and phyllotaxis disturbances (asterisks) are observed. (F-I) Representative 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B dwarf plants. Inflorescence defects include acaulescent (G), multiple inflorescence branches at the first node (H) and no inflorescence (I). Leave defects include aberrant rosette size and shape (F, H and I). (J) atctf7-1 plant showing an early senescence phenotype (arrow). Plants B to I are from Line 11. All plants are grown under the same conditions. Plants in A-H and J are approximately 30 days old; plant in I is 40 days old. Scale bar = 5 cm in A-E and 2 cm in F-J. The proportion of plants exhibiting vegetative alterations increased in successive generations. Likewise, the severity of the vegetative alterations also became successively worse in subsequent generations. For example, the frequency of dwarf plants increased from approximately 18% in the third generation to 82% by generation six (Figure 6; Table 1). The dwarf phenotype also became more severe with later generations containing smaller, more defective plants. Dwarf plants varied in morphology and exhibited a range of alterations, including acaulescent plants, floral abnormalities, homeotic changes and irregular leaves (Figure 6F-I). While some of the most severe 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B dwarf plants resembled atctf7-1 plants (Figure 6J), in general the phenotype was less severe than atctf7-1 plants. Furthermore, while most atctf7-1 plants exhibit early senescence, 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants typically did not. In order to determine if the phenotypic alterations were due to increased 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B expression, native CTF7 and total CTF7 levels were measured in both dwarf and non-dwarf plants of three different generations of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants, which showed progressively more severe phenotypes. Native CTF7 levels ranged from 2.6-3.7 fold above wild type in the different plants, while total CTF7 transcript levels were elevated 5.4-7.6 fold relative to wild type. However, no consistent difference was observed between dwarf and non-dwarf plants or between one generation and the other. Therefore, the phenotypic differences observed are not due to dramatic changes in AtCTF7∆B transcript levels. Plants were from Line 11. Seeds from reduced fertile, non-dwarf plants and from dwarf plants were collected and sown separately. Rather, and most surprisingly, the dwarf phenotype was not inherited in a Mendelian fashion (Table 1). When dwarf plants were selfed they produced a mixture of dwarf and non-dwarf, reduced fertile plants. The frequency of dwarf plants produced from selfed dwarf plants was similar to the frequency of dwarf plants resulting from selfing a non-dwarf plant. The stochastic appearance of the dwarf phenotype and variation in phenotypes suggested that the alterations could be the result of epigenetic changes. In order to investigate this possibility, qRT-PCR was carried out to measure the expression levels of several epigenetically regulated transposable elements (TEs), including MU1, COPIA 28 and solo LTR , as well as several genes associated with epigenetic events [47-50]. Expression levels of MU1, COPIA 28 and solo LTR were increased between five (MU1) and 24 fold (COPIA 28) in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants (Figure 7A). Subtle changes were also observed in the transcript levels of several siRNA associated genes (Figure 7B). ARGONAUTE1 (AGO1), RDR2 and mir156 transcript levels were reduced approximately 40-60% while AGO4 transcripts were elevated slightly. Transcript levels of HDA19 and RDM4 were also decreased approximately 50% (Figure 7B), while transcript levels of the canonical DNA methylation genes, MET1 and DMT7, did not vary significantly (Figure 7B). Transcript levels of epigenetically regulated transposable elements and other select genes in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. (A) Transcript levels of MU1, COPIA28 and soloLTR, are increased dramatically in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. (B) Transcript levels of genes associated with epigenetic events are differently affected. HDA19 and RDM4 transcript levels are decreased, while MET1 and DMT7 transcripts are not altered. (C) Transcript levels of cell cycle genes, CYCB1.1, CYCA1.1 and RBR, and DNA repair genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2B, are increased. Buds of wild type and non-dwarf, reduced fertile 4th generation Line 11 plants were used. Data are shown as means ± SD (n = 3). Transcript levels of several cell cycle (RBR, CYCB1.1 and CYCA1.1) and DNA repair (BRCA1 and BRCA2B) genes have previously been shown to be elevated in atctf7 plants . These genes were tested and found to also be elevated in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants (Figure 7C). The similarities in morphological defects and expression patterns observed between 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B and atctf7-1 plants are consistent with the hypothesis that the 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct is exerting a dominant negative effect. Finally, experiments were carried out to determine if the 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B-associated defects are due to the presence of the N-terminal tag or the absence of the acetyltransferase B motif. A 35S:AtCTF7∆B construct was generated and transformed into wild type Columbia plants (Additional file 1: Figure S1). Eight out of the 13 35S:AtCTF7∆B transgenic lines examined exhibited reduced fertility, with the 35S:AtCTF7∆B defects typically appearing more severe than those in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants (Additional file 1: Figure S8). Like 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants, dwarf plants were not observed until the third generation in 35S: AtCTF7∆B plants. However, dwarf plants appeared at higher frequencies and their phenotypes were more varied than 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants (Additional file 1: Figure S8B). For example, the viability of Line 21 decreased with successive generations, such that seeds from this line were not viable by the 4th generation. Likewise, while abnormalities associated with 35S:AtCTF7∆B plants were similar to those observed in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants, additional alterations were also present. For example, 35S:AtCTF7∆B Line 24 segregated for two types of plants, those without an inflorescence and “normal” reduced fertility plants (Additional file 1: Figure S8C). 35S:AtCTF7∆B Line 29 plants produced siliques that pointed downward and contained fewer seeds (46.4 ± 2.5 versus 54.2 ± 4.1 per silique in WT; n = 35) (Additional file 1: Figure S8D). This phenotype is similar to bp/knat1 mutations . Finally, in order to investigate which aspect(s) of the 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct was causing the fertility and growth defects, several additional constructs were generated and introduced into wild type or Atctf7-1 +/− plants. Wild type plants transformed with a 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7 construct (Additional file 1: Figure S1) resembled 35S:AtCTF7 plants . Specifically, the plants grew normally and produced pollen, but exhibited reduced female fertility. A CTF7:AtCTF7∆B construct (Additional file 1: Figure S1) was also created and transformed into Atctf7-1 +/–plants. The native CTF7 promoter is expressed at low levels throughout the plant . Wild type plants containing the CTF7:AtCTF7∆B construct exhibited normal growth and development and normal fertility levels (52.0 ± 2.2 seed/silique, n = 33 versus 54.2 ± 4.1 seed/silique in wild type, n = 35). No alterations were observed in six different transgenic lines over six generations. atctf7-1 plants containing the CTF7:AtCTF7∆B construct were obtained in T2 populations, but at frequencies (7%, 6/86) much lower than expected (25%) if the construct complemented the atctf7-1 mutation. While these plants were dwarf, they grew better than atctf7-1 plants (Additional file 1: Figure S8E). Somewhat similar to 35S:AtCTF7∆B plants, plant morphology varied between plants with some plants appearing acaulescence or producing fewer rosette leaves. The plants produced approximately 40 ovules per silique; however they failed to set seed; siliques contained aborted ovules resembling atctf7-1 plants (Additional file 1: Figure S8G). Therefore, the defects observed in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants are caused by high-level expression of AtCTF7∆B and not the presence of the NTAP tag. Rather, the presence of the NTAP appears to reduce the severity of the alterations, either by reducing the stability or activity of the protein, possibly by affecting its interaction with other proteins. Further, expression of a truncated version of CTF7, missing the B motif, can restore some vegetative growth to atctf7-1 plants; however the plants are still completely sterile. Therefore, an intact acetyltransferase domain is required for full CTF7 activity. The acetylation of cohesin complexes at conserved lysine residues by CTF7/Eco1 plays an essential role in the establishment of cohesion during S phase and therefore nuclear division. Consistent with this, CTF7/Eco1 null mutations are typically lethal. Organisms expressing altered CTF7/Eco1 levels or point mutations in the protein typically display relatively normal levels of cohesin during nuclear division, but exhibit a range of developmental alterations. For example, mutations in the N-terminus of the protein typically lead to defects in cohesion and often chromosome loss during mitosis . In contrast certain mutations in the C-terminal acetyltransferase domain of yeast CTF7/ECO1 have little effect on S-phase cohesion and chromosome segregation, but cause an increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. Likewise, Roberts Syndrome in humans has been linked to point mutations in ESCO2. Cells from patients with Roberts Syndrome are typically hypersensitive to DNA-damaging agents and show premature centromere separation; however, only 10–20% of cells show abnormal mitosis [27,53]. Finally, numerous studies have shown that cohesin mutations or reductions in cohesin levels result in transcriptional alterations that can have far-ranging developmental consequences . Generally similar results have been obtained from studies on CTF7 in plants. Arabidopsis plants heterozygous for a T-DNA insertion in AtCTF7 grow normally but produce approximately 25% aborted seeds, consistent with the conclusion that CTF7 is an essential protein . Likewise knockdown of AtCTF7 mRNA levels leads to growth retardation and defective sister chromatid cohesion . However, unlike other organisms, homozygous Atctf7 plants have been detected at very low frequencies . Atctf7 plants exhibit a wide range of developmental defects, including extreme dwarfism and sterility. In our current study we show that high-level expression of a truncated form of AtCTF7 results in reduced fertility and dramatic alterations in vegetative growth. Specifically, plants that express a 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆299–345 construct exhibit defects in male and female meiocytes, with female reproduction being affected more dramatically. Male meiocytes exhibited chromosome fragmentation and uneven chromosome segregation during meiosis II that resulted in abnormal pollen development and ultimately pollen abortion. Ovules contained abnormal megasporocyte-like cells during pre-meiosis, megaspores that experienced elongated and aborted meiosis and defective megaspores and embryo sacs that arrested at various stages. A broad range of vegetative defects was also observed beginning in T2 generations of AtCTF7∆B transgenic plants. The appearance of these defects was stochastic and inherited in a non-Mendelian fashion. Comparison of AtCTF7∆B transgenic plants with AtCTF7 RNAi and atctf7 plants and CTF7/Eco1 mutants in other organisms suggests that CTF7 may have multiple roles in the cell. Inactivation of AtCTF7 by T-DNA insertion or a reduction in AtCTF7 levels by AtCTF7-RNAi lead to alterations in chromosome condensation and sister chromatid cohesion during early meiotic prophase followed by defects in homologous chromosome pairing and segregation later in meiosis [17,18]. The effect of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B on male meiocytes was less severe and occurred later in meiosis. The first noticeable defect was the appearance of lagging and broken chromosomes during telophase I (Figure 2H). Twenty or more individual chromosomes were often observed beginning at metaphase II, suggesting that cohesion might be prematurely lost. Overexpression of AtCTF7∆B did not have a noticeable effect on the initial establishment of cohesion, as the distribution of SYN1 on meiotic chromosomes was normal throughout prophase (Additional file 1: Figure S2). Likewise, chromosome condensation, sister chromatid cohesion and homologous chromosome pairing were normal during male meiotic prophase in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. This suggests that AtCTF7∆B does not affect the bulk of meiotic cohesin complexes to a significant extent, but rather may alter centromeric cohesin levels, or possibly cohesin interactions with SGO1 or PATRONUS . In contrast to male reproduction, the effect(s) of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B on female reproduction are observed earlier and are more variable than those in atctf7 and AtCTF7 RNAi plants. Over expression of AtCTF7 from the 35S promoter or knockdown of AtCTF7 using RNAi blocks early ovule development, typically at FG1 or FG2 [16,18]. In contrast, atctf7 ovules in AtCTF7+/–plants develop normally, but arrest soon after fertilization . In all three situations the alterations are relatively uniform with arrest occurring at a specific developmental stage. In contrast, 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B causes pleiotropic ovule/seed defects. NTAP:AtCTF7∆B lines displayed a wide range of defects, including additional abnormal cells adjacent to gametic cells, delayed/arrested meiosis, the production of functional megaspore-like cells of which some are mis-positioned, and delayed and altered embryo sac development. Although alterations were commonly first observed prior to and during meiosis, most megaspores progressed to FG2 or FG3 before arresting (Additional file 1: Table S3). 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B lines exhibited relatively normal vegetative growth and development for the first two generations. However, severe vegetative abnormalities began to appear starting in the T2 or T3 generations of different lines. The defects, which included dwarf plants, fused stems and disrupted phyllotaxis (Figure 6C-E), varied between lines and between progeny of the same line. The proportion of plants exhibiting vegetative alterations as well as the severity of the vegetative alterations increased in successive generations. It is interesting to note that phenotypic variability is very common in RBS patients [26,27]. The delayed appearance of vegetative defects and the increased frequency of defects in subsequent generations could result from the accumulation of defects in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Consistent with this possibility is the observation that ctf7/eco1 mutations are commonly associated with sensitivity to DNA damaging agents . As expected, both 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B and atctf7 plants contain elevated transcript levels for DNA repair and recombination genes (Figure 7; Additional file 1:Figure S7) . While the vegetative defects in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7 plants may result from spontaneous mutations, the situation is clearly more complex as the dwarf phenotype is not inherited in a Mendelian fashion (Table 1). When dwarf plants were selfed they produced a mixture of dwarf and non-dwarf, reduced fertile plants. Further, the frequency of dwarfs in the progeny of selfed dwarf plants was similar to the frequency of dwarf plants resulting from selfing of non-dwarf plants. This raised the possibility that epigenetic alterations may be present in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Consistent with this possibility is our observation that transcript levels of MU1, COPIA 28 and solo LTR were increased between five (MU1) and 24 fold (COPIA 28) in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants (Figure 7A). Subtle changes were observed in the transcript levels of several siRNA associated genes. AGO1, RDR2 and mir156 transcript levels were reduced approximately 40-60% while AGO4 was elevated slightly. HDA19 and RDM4 transcripts were also decreased approximately 50% (Figure 7B). Our observation that epigenetic alterations may be present in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants is consistent with the alterations we observe in female reproduction. Recent studies have shown that embryo sacs are enriched for transcripts of proteins involved in RNA metabolism and transcriptional regulation, and that they display distinct epigenetic regulatory mechanisms [57-59]. Disruption of genes in small RNA regulatory pathways, such as AGO1, AGO9, DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1) and MEIOSIS ARRESTED AT LEPTOTENE1 (MEL1), leads to multiple gametic cells at premeiosis, abnormal meiotic divisions, gametic cell fate alterations and twin female gametophytes [33,59,60]. For example, mutations in AGO9, which participates in small RNA silencing by cleaving endogenous mRNAs, results in additional gametic cells in pre-meiotic ovules, which may skip meiosis and twin female gametophytes in post-meiotic ovules . Several of these defects are observed in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules before and during meiosis. Moreover, AGO9 participates in the epigenetically regulated silencing of TEs . At this time it is not clear if the apparent epigenetic alterations we observed are the direct result of high-level NTAP:AtCTF7∆B expression or a secondary effect. For example, it is possible that NTAP:AtCTF7∆B expression directly affects the expression of genes involved in epigenetic regulation. The involvement of cohesin complexes in transcriptional regulation is well documented in other organisms . It is also possible that the changes we observe are an indirect effect of NTAP:AtCTF7∆B expression. For example, previous studies have shown that eco1/ctf7 mutations result in defects in nucleolar integrity, rRNA production, ribosome biogenesis and protein biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human [25,61]. In Arabidopsis, mutations in genes participating in mRNA production and rRNA/ribosome biogenesis slow mitotic progression in female gametophytes and result in pleiotropic defects in embryo sacs [58,59,62-66]. For example, mutations in SLOW-WALKER1 (SWA1), which participates in 18S pre-rRNA processing, results in asynchronous megagametophyte development, and embryo sac arrest over a wide range of stages . Likewise, mutations in ribosomal protein genes lead to defects in inflorescence, leaf and plant stature in Arabidopsis, similar to those observed in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants [66-69]. Therefore, many of the alterations we observe in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants could be the result of alterations in rRNA biogenesis or ribosome biogenesis, which in turn could indirectly impact epigenetic pathways. The alterations observed in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants appear to result from the presence of high levels of AtCTF7∆B and not a reduction of native AtCTF7 levels or the presence of the NTAP. 35S:AtCTF7∆B plants exhibit similar, if not more dramatic phenotypes than 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants, indicating that the NTAP is not responsible for the observed phenotypes. Likewise, expression studies show that in addition to high AtCTF7∆B transcript levels, transgenic plants also contain elevated levels of native AtCTF7 transcripts (Figure 1C). Therefore, the 35S:AtCTF7∆B construct does not cause co-suppression. Consistent with this are the apparently normal SYN1 cohesin patterns observed in male meiocytes (Additional file 1: Figure S2). Interestingly, the elevated levels of native AtCTF7 transcript suggest that the cellular cohesion status is altered to some extent in AtCTF7∆B plants and that a feedback loop exists to monitor and maintain cohesion levels in plants. High-level expression of AtCTF7∆B appears to exert a dominant negative effect, resulting in a relatively wide range of alterations. Less clear is how high level expression of AtCTF7∆B exerts its effect or if the alterations we observe are all related. Deletion of the last 46 amino acids of the acetyltransferase domain is expected to eliminate most of the actyltransferase activity. High-level expression of the protein may directly compete with native AtCTF7 for cohesin substrates resulting in an overall reduction or redistribution of cohesin levels throughout the genome. These changes could in turn result in a wide range of transcriptional alterations, similar to the situation observed in other organisms . While this is the most-likely effect, it may not explain all of the observed alterations. For example, to our knowledge apparent epigenetic alterations have not been observed in either AtCTF7 RNAi or atctf7 plants [17,18]. Therefore, it is also possible that the 46 amino acid deletion alters acetyltransferase specificity such that the protein acts on off targets. For example, CTF7 has been shown to not acetylate histones; however if altered substrate specificity resulted in the acetylation of histones, then changes in chromatin structure could produce some of the alterations we observe. Finally, the possibility also exists that the deletion may alter the interaction of AtCTF7 with other proteins, either directly or indirectly involved in maintaining chromatin structure. Further experiments are required to determine how specifically AtCTF7∆B is acting, why male and female reproduction respond differently to alterations in AtCTF7 levels and what role, if any AtCTF7 plays in epigenetic regulation. Proper levels of AtCTF7 are critical for proper plant growth and development with female gametophytes being most sensitive to changes in AtCTF7 activity. High level expression of NTAP:AtCTF7∆B results in pleiotropic defects in reproduction and vegetative growth. High levels of AtCTF7∆B may affect small RNA processing, which in turn appears to result in epigenetic alterations. These results indicate that CTF7 may play multiple roles in plant cells. Wild type Arabidopsis thaliana plants (ecotype Columbia), the SALK_059500 (ctf7-1) insertion line and all transgenic plants described in this report were grown in Metro-Mix200 soil (Scotts-Sierra Horticultural Products; http://www.scotts.com) in a growth chamber at 22°C with a 16-h-light/8-h-dark cycle as described . T-DNA insertion and transgenic plants were genotyped by PCR with primer pairs specific for the T-DNA and wild-type loci. The AtCTF7∆B cDNA fragment (1–894 bp nucleotides, AtCTF7∆299–345) was digested with NdeI/HindIII and cloned into pIADL14 as described . The 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct was generated using Gateway-compatible binary vectors containing the NTAP tag ((NTAPi) ; a gift from Dr. Qinn Li lab, Miami Univeristy). AtCTF7∆B, 1–894 bp cDNA nucleotides, was first PCR-amplified with primers (1111/1201) and cloned into the pENTR vector, which was then fused with the binary vector by LR recombination reactions (Invitrogen) to make the final 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B construct. 35S:AtCTF7∆B was generated by cloning the AtCTF7 cDNA (1–894 bp) as a NcoI/SpeI fragment into the binary vector pFGC5941. The 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7 construct was generated by the Gateway method with the corresponding primers. The AtCTF7 promoter (1.3 kb upstream of the ATG) was amplified, digested and cloned into the 35S:AtCTF7∆B construct. All the constructs were confirmed by DNA sequencing. The primers used are listed in Additional file 1: Table S4. Each construct was mobilized into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL-1 and transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana using the floral dip method . Transgenic plants were screened by BASTA and further confirmed by PCR. Buds of wild type and 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B Line 11 4th generation plants were harvested and pooled separately. For 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B samples, buds were only harvested from reduced fertile, non-dwarf plants or dwarf planys separately. Total RNA was extracted with the Plant RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), and 10 μg of RNA was treated with Turbo DNase I (Ambion, http://www.invitrogen.com/site/us/en/home/brands/ambion.html) and used for cDNA synthesis with an oligo(dT) primer and a First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Roche, http://www.roche.com). PCR was performed with the SYBR-Green PCR Mastermix (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) and amplification was monitored on a MJR Opticon Continuous Fluorescence Detection System (Bio-Rad). Expression was normalized against β-tubulin-2. At least three biological replicates were performed, with two technical replicates for each sample. Student’s t-test was conducted to identify transcripts that exhibit statistically significant variation at the 95% confidence level. Sequences of primers used in these studies are presented in Additional file 1: Table S4. Pollen morphology and viability were compared in flowers of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants and wild-type plants using Alexander staining . Male meiotic chromosome spreads were carried out on floral buds fixed in Carnoy’s fixative (ethanol:chloroform:acetic acid: 6:3:1) and prepared as described previously . Chromosomes were stained with 4,6-diamino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI, 1.5 μg ml−1; Vector Laboratories, Inc. Burlingame, CA, USA) and observed with an Olympus BX51 epifluorescence microscope system. Images were captured with a Spot camera system (Diagnostic Instruments Inc., http://www.spotimaging.com) and processed. Meiotic stages were assigned based on chromosome structure and morphology . SYN1 immunolocalization studies were carried out as previously described . Primary antibodies for SYN1 were raised from rabbit and diluted 1:500. The slides were detected with Alexa Fluor 488 labeled goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody (1:2000; Molecular Probes, http://zt.invitrogen.com/). Slides were stained with DAPI and observed under an epifluorescence microscope. Inflorescences from 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants and wild type plants were collected and fixed in 4% glutaraldehyde under vacuum for 2 hrs, dehydrated in a graded ethanol series (40%, 60%, 80%, 100% steps for 1 h each), and cleared in a 2:1 mixture of benzyl benzoate:benzyl alcohol. Ovules were dissected under a stereo dissecting microscope, mounted and sealed with coverslips. Ovules were observed on a Zeiss Axioskop microscope under differential interference contrast microscopy optics using a 40 objective as described . Images were collected and processed. Ovules were also observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy [34,35]. Images were collected and projected with Olympus Flouview 2.0 software (http://www.olympus-global.com/) and analyzed with Image Pro Plus (Media Cybernetics; http://www.mediacy.com). All pistils from individual inflorescences were dissected and the ovules stages were recorded [34,35]. The supporting data of this article are included with the article and its additional files. The authors thank Richard Edelmann and Matthew L. Duley for their assistance in the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and the Makaroff lab for technical support and helpful discussions. This work was supported by a grant (MCB0718191) from the National Science Foundation to CAM. Additional file 1: Figure S1. Schematic diagrams of wild type AtCTF7 and AtCTF7 constructs used in this study. Table S1. Transfer efficiency of 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B mutants. Figure S2. SYN1 distribution pattern is not altered in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B male meiocytes. Figure S3. Female gametophyte development in wild type plants, revealed by differential interference contrast microscopy. Figure S4. Female gametophyte development in wild type plants, revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Table S2. Female gametophyte development in wild type plants. Table S3. Female gametophyte development in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Figure S5. 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B ovules exhibit various defects during meiosis and mitosis. Figure S6. Female gametophytes from Line 13 and Line 15 resemble those from Line 11. Figure S7. Transcript levels of select genes in female gametophyte development are increased in 35S:NTAP:AtCTF7∆B plants. Figure S8. Morphological alterations are associated with 35S:AtCTF7∆B and atctf7-1 plants transformed with CTF7pro:AtCTF7∆B. Table S4. Primers used. DL and CM designed the experiments. DL performed the experiments. DL and CM prepared the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

2019-04-25T00:46:13Z

https://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12870-015-0452-2

The imprint of Hasidism and Hasidic tales in modern Jewish literature has already received some attention from scholars, and the literary significance of Hasidic mamarim and other mystical texts has also been noted. This paper seeks to take the interdisciplinary study of Hasidism and modern Jewish literature one step further, tracing some of the ways that Chabad Hasidism’s internal tradition of “literary mysticism” has intervened in the broader trajectory of modern Jewish literature. My first task in this paper is to trace internal developments in the Chabad literary tradition over the course of the nineteenthth century, and to demonstrate how this internal trajectory was given broader expression in Khayim gravitser, a Yiddish novel by Dr. Fishl Schneersohn of Rechytsa, Berlin, and Tel Aviv (1888-1958). The second part of this paper takes a closer look at the Hebrew poet Avraham Shlonsky (1900-1973), who translated Schneersohn’s novel from the original Yiddish, and at the ways that the novel’s title character might be seen as an avatar for Shlonsky’s own self-identification as a Hasidic rebel, traveling between opposing shores. Taken as a whole, this paper aims to complicate the neat chronology that bifurcates modern Jewish literature from its Hasidic roots, and show that both Schneersohn and Shlonsky actually continued the Hasidic literary tradition of Chabad even as they embraced alternative literary forms in the cause of new agendas. This paper began as a contribution to a seminar organized at the 2017 AJS conference by Yitzhak Lewis, which explored the imprint of Hasidic writing on modern Jewish literary production. I would like to thank him and the other participants, as well as the editors of In geveb - Madeleine Cohen and Jessica Kirzane - and also the peer reviewers, for providing the honest and clear criticism that enabled me to turn it into a finished piece. In 1981 the late scholar and hasid Yehoshua Mondshine published an article titled “Chabad Motifs in Shmuel Yosef Agnon’s ‘The Banished’.” 1 1 Yehoshua D. Levanon, “Motivim Chabadiyim be“hanidaḥ” lesh”i agnon,” in Bikoret uparashanut 16 (February 1981): 135-155. Mondshine routinely used the pseudonym “Levanon” for work intended for academic publications. Following Mondshine’s persuasive reading, the key passage in Agnon’s tale is a statement given by the “zaken,” who is none other than the “Admor Hazaken” or “Alter Rebbe” of Chabad, R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1813): “Master of the world! I forego all that you have in your world, your Garden of Eden and even the gates of light. I cede all to you, master of the world. I desire only you, you alone!” 2 2 Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Kol sipurav shel shmuel yosef agnon, Vol. 2, Elu ve’elu (Jerusalem: Schocken, 1998), 44. On the widespread attribution of this statement to R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi in Chabad sources see, most notably, R. Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (the Tsemakh Tsedek), “Shoresh mitsvat hatefilah,” Section 40, in Derekh mitsvotekhah (Revised Edition, Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 1991), 275 [138a]; R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Hayom yom (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 1943), 113 (entry for the 18th of Kislev). See also Mondshine, “Motivim Chabadiyim,” notes 26 and 27. “The Banished” (Hanidakh) is a tale of Hasidic vengeance, in which the grandson of the avowed mitnaged (“opponent” of Hasidism) Avigdor internalizes the sentiment of Chabad’s founder, ultimately experiencing an “ascent of the soul,” a mystical and literal death, as “with terrific passion and awesome might” (בהתלהבות איומה ובגבורה נוראה) he declaims the passage in the Song of Songs, “draw me, we will run after you; the king brought me to his chambers.” (Song of Songs, 1:4.) As Agnon put it, “his soul was emitted with his speech.” 3 3 Agnon, Elu ve’elu, 45. While other scholars have also paid attention to Hasidic motifs in Agnon’s literary oeuvre, for the most part this was not understood as symptomatic of Hasidism as a literary force, nor of the importance of Hasidism for modern Jewish literature more generally. 4 4 For more on the Hasidic influence on Agnon see Gedaliah Nigal, Shi”i agnon umekorotav haḥasidiyim: iyun be’arba’ah misipurav (Ramat Gan: The Kurzweil Institute, Bar Ilan University, 1983) [Hebrew]. Recent scholarship has nevertheless begun to challenge the tendency to represent modern Hebrew literature as emerging in “a straight line” from the Haskalah movement, and also the tendency to dismiss the literary quality of Hasidic writing. Ken Frieden and Lily Kahn, for example, have both looked anew at Hasidic literary forms; Frieden has argued that Hasidic writers and the Yiddish language both contributed to modern Hebrew style; 5 5 Ken Frieden, “Neglected Origins of Modern Hebrew Prose: Hasidic and Maskilic Travel Narratives,” AJS Review 33(1) (2009), 3-6; idem., “Innovation by Translation: Yiddish and Hasidic Hebrew in Literary History,” in Justin Cammy et al (eds.), Arguing the Modern Jewish Canon: Essays on Literature and Culture in Honor of Ruth R. Wisse (Cambridge, Mass.:Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, 2008), 417-425. Kahn has demonstrated that biblical forms actually comprise “a substantial component” of Hasidic grammar, in tandem and in fusion with rabbinic and Yiddish forms. 6 6 Lily Kahn, A Grammar of the Eastern European Hasidic Hebrew Tale (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2015), 4-7. The essay weaves disparate social, political, and religious realities together into a picture that commands assent, if it is successful, and changes the nature of what is experienced going forward. But this perceptual change also brings emotional and subjective factors into play, like the valorization of “brokenness” and the sorrow that accompanies ritual practice in a broken, post-khurbn world. Furthermore, it cannot be emphasized strongly enough that in this context, the literary production of affect is meant not just to change the way people feel about the world, but also to effect change directly upon the world and cosmos. 9 9Ibid., 419. The delivery, study, and repetition of such mamarim by the successive rebbes and their hasidim was fundamental to Chabad’s trajectory as an intellectual and social movement. Seeman reminds us that mamarim of this kind are “the norm rather than the exception in Hasidic literature” noting that they seek “to “enlighten” the world literally as well as figuratively, and to bring real salvation.” 10 10Ibid., 420. A more recent and more substantive contribution to the study of the textualized teachings of Hasidism that is especially notable for its literary approach is Ora Wiskind Elper’s monograph, Hasidic Commentary on the Torah. 11 11 Ora Wiskind-Elper, Hasidic Commentary on the Torah (London: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2018). It is important to note, however, that these studies do very little to probe the interface between the internal literary tradition of Hasidism and the development of modern Jewish literature more generally. It transpires that some scholars have looked at the imprint of Hasidism and Hasidic tales in modern Jewish literature, and other have looked at the literary significance of Hasidic teachings. Yet the ways in which Hasidism’s internal tradition of “literary mysticism” has intervened in the broader trajectory of modern Jewish literature remains all but unexplored. An important exception to this rule is Alyssa Masor’s work on the rise of the “literary neo-hasid.” She devotes one chapter to Dr. Fishl Schneersohn of Gomel, Berlin, and Tel Aviv (1888-1958), and to the intersections of Chabad thought and psychological work in his Yiddish novel, Khayim gravitser. 12 12 Alyssa Masor, The Evolution of the Literary Neo-Hasid (PhD thesis, Columbia University, 2011), Chapter 4. We should note, however, that Masor only deals with parts one, two, and three of the novel, and not with the fourth part, which is not readily available in the original Yiddish. But Masor does not contextualize Schneersohn’s work in the wider context of Hasidic literary history, nor does she pay attention to the afterlife of his Yiddish novel in a celebrated Hebrew translation. 13 13 The first iteration of Khayim gravitser was published in Berlin in 1922, in separate Yiddish and German editions. But it only included the first of its four parts. The second and third parts were published in 1926, also in Berlin. The fourth part was serialized in the New York paper Der morgen zhurnal in the years 1937 and 1938, but was never compiled into a single volume. Some parts, including the epilogue, remain in manuscript and have never been published in their original Yiddish form. The Hebrew translation was serialized in the Tel Aviv paper Hatsopheh, in the years 1938-40, and published in its complete form as a single volume in 1940, 1956 and 2013. For the sake of convenience all references in this paper will be to the 2013 edition, accept for longer excerpts where I include and cite the original Yiddish. Other than these exceptions my translations are also primarily based on the Hebrew edition. For the most part the differences between the Hebrew and the Yiddish are more stylistic than substantive. My purpose in this paper is to build on Masor’s contribution and show that Schneersohn’s novel represents a transitional link in a modern Jewish literary trajectory that has not previously been explored by scholars. This is a trajectory that begins with the internal literary tradition of Chabad Hasidism, and is then given new expression beyond the normative circumscriptions of the Chabad community, in both Yiddish and in Hebrew, and through the genres of fiction, translation, and poetry. The Chabad Hasidic culture of Medinat raysen (Byelorussia) intersects with the literary and cultural institutions of Central and Western Europe, and then with the formation of modern Israeli culture and identity. Nicham Ross has argued that for neo-Hasidic writers, including I. L. Peretz, “Hasidism was indeed perceived … as a promising spiritual reservoir, containing a subversive element that might serve as a precursor for a truly contemporary approach to Jewish identity, an approach that bore potential for anchoring and even inspiring the soul of the modern Jew.” 14 14 Nicham Ross, “I. L. Peretz’s “Between Two Mountains”: Neo-Hasidism and Jewish Literary Modernity,” in Modern Jewish Literature: Intersections and Boundaries, eds. Sheila E. Jelen, Michael P. Kramer, L. Scott Lerner (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011), 104. Accordingly, this paper goes beyond questions of literary influence to focus more centrally on the role that Khayim gravitser plays in the negotiation of new forms of Jewish identity, both for its author, and later for its translator, the Hebrew poet Avraham Shlonsky, whose engagement with his Chabad heritage has heretofore remained all but unexplored. I will argue that Khayim gravitser provided a lens via which Schneersohn and Shlonsky each examined their respective paths between tradition and modernity. It is noteworthy that Ross and Masor have both pointed out that most neo-Hasidic writers did not actually see themselves as Hasidim in any sense, but appropriated Hasidism’s perceived tradition of rebellion against tradition in order to counteract their own feelings of alienation from Jewish tradition. Indeed, Masor has argued that Peretz, for example, is as much a neo-Maskilic writer as a neo-Hasidic one. 15 15 Masor, Evolution, vi. On the related evolution of Michael Levi Rodkinson from Hasid to neo-Hasid, and from neo-hasid to maskil, see Jonatan Meir, Literary Hasidism: The Life and Works of Michael Levi Rodkinson, trans. Jeffrey G. Amshalem (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2016). By contrast, I will argue, Schneersohn and Shlonsky continued to see themselves as Chabad Hasidim even as they each, to varying degrees, shed normative expressions of Hasidic identity and left the circumscriptions of traditional Hasidic life behind them. While Schneersohn sought to create a Hasidic synthesis of tradition and modernity, Shlonsky specifically expressed his Hasidic religiosity through rebellion. I will further argue that important symptoms of this continuity are the literary and personal relationships between Schneersohn and the sixth rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, R. Yosef Yitsḥak Schneersohn (1880-1950), and between Shlonsky and the seventh rebbe, R. Menachem M. Schneerson (1902-1994). Part 1 of this paper deals with the more basic question of literary influence, arguing that Khayim gravitser represents a modern adaption of the intertextual methodology developed by the Chabad masters in the 19th century, and that its central motifs of spiritual exile and journeying have strong parallels in Chabad literature. Part 2 examines the Chabad dialectics of acosmism and innerworldly mysticism, and of intellectualism and simple faith, as reflected in Khayim gravitser and in the formation of Schneersohn’s own spiritual worldview. Part 3 turns to the dialectic of rebellion and religiosity in Khayim gravitser and in the writings of Shlonsky, its translator, exploring additional aspects of Shlonsky’s continued identification and interaction with Chabad till the end of his life, and its reflection in his poetic compositions. Taken as a whole this paper aims to complicate the neat chronology that bifurcates modern Jewish literature from its Hasidic roots, and show that both Schneersohn and Shlonsky actually continued the Hasidic literary tradition of Chabad even as they embraced alternative literary forms. R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi had three disciples who drew the waters of Chabad directly from his well, and who went on to become Chabad leaders, thinkers and teachers in their own right. Scholars have already devoted much attention to the differences that distinguished R. Aharon Ha-levi Horowitz of Strashelye (1766-1828) and R. DovBer Schneuri of Lubavitch (1773-1827). 16 16 See Khayim Meir Heilman, Bet rabi (Berditchev, 1902), Part 1, Chapter 26; Louis Jacobs, Tract on Ecstasy (London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1963); Idem., Seeker of Unity: The Life and Works of Aharon of Starosselje (London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1966); Naftali Loewenthal, Communicating the Infinite: The Emergence of the Chabad School (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1990), 100-138, and 167-174 and 195. See also Rachel Elior, The Paradoxical Ascent to G-d: The Kabbalistic Theosophy of Chabad Hasidism (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993). Less research has been done on the third of these disciples, R. Menachem Mendel Schneersohn of Lubavitch (1789-1866). 17 17 For biographical details see Heilman, Bet rabi, Part 3; Tzvi M. Rabinowicz ed., The Encyclopedia of Hasidism (Jason Aronson Inc., 1996), 429; Shalom Dov Ber Levine, Toldot Chabad berusyah hatsarit (Kehot Publication Society, 2010),107-155; Ilia Lurie, Edah umedinah: ḥasidut Chabad be’imperiyah harusit, 5588-5643 (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2006). Better known as the Tsemakh Tsedek, after the title of his halakhic responsa, the latter was a grandson of R. Schneur Zalman, and both the nephew and son-in-law of R. Dov Ber. 18 18 See Heilman, Ibid., Part 2, Chapter 6, Note 2; Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Reshimot hayoman (New York: Kehot Publication Society, 2006), 198, note 1. Though he lived in Lubavitch during R. Dov Ber’s tenure he developed an independent approach to the perpetuation and expansion of R. Schneur Zalman’s teachings. What set the Tsemakh Tsedek apart was that he did not merely see himself as part of an oral culture, in which teachings were audited, memorized, repeated and elaborated, but instead paid particular attention to the transcriptions of his grandfather’s teachings. The primary mode of his own intellectual activity was manifest in his engagement with these transcripts as texts, and in his intertextual analysis of his grandfather’s literary legacy. 19 19 See Eli Rubin, “’The Pen Shall Be Your Friend’: Intertextuality, Intersociality, and the Cosmos - Examples of the Tzemach Tzedek’s Way in the Development of Chabad Chassidic Thought,” Chabad.org <chabad.org/3286179> (accessed November 15, 2017). On intertextuality in kabbalistic literature more generally, see Daniel Abrams, Kabbalistic Manuscripts and Textual Theory: Methodologies of Textual Scholarship and Editorial Practice in the Study of Jewish Mysticism (Magnes Press / Cherub Press, Jerusalem, 2nd edition 2013). The Tsemakh Tsedek’s interpolations of commentary glosses (hagah’ot), usually marked by parentheses, are laced with countless cross-references to other mamarim of R. Schneur Zalman, as well as to his authoritative Likutei Amarim—Tanya, and serve to highlight the significance of specific texts and to point out the complications and insights that emerge when they are placed in dialogue with one another. These glosses also situate R. Schneur Zalman’s teachings in their broader Kabbalistic and Rabbinic context, with frequent citations to Talmudic, Midrashic, Zoharic, Cordoverian and Lurianic texts. This intertextual method allowed for an interpretive boldness that yet remained rigorously grounded in the original texts of his grandfather’s teachings. 20 20 See Nochum Grunwald, “Hashitot vehashit’tiyut bederushei rabeinu hazaken: Hagdarat vesivug shel shitot vede’ot bemerḥavei ketavav shel admor hazaken bemishnat hatsemaḥ tsedek,” in Harav, ed. Nochum Grunwald (Mechon Harav, 2015), 573-586. Cf. Ariel Roth, “Reshimu—maḥloket ḥasidut lubavits vekopust,” Kabbalah 30 (2013): 243, n. 122; Schwartz, Maḥshevet Chabad, 158-186. In 1866 the Tsemakh Tsedek passed away. Several of his sons, and later grandsons, set up contemporaneous Chabad courts in various Belarusian towns. His seat in Lubavitch was filled by his youngest son R. Shmuel (1834-1882), known by the acronym Maharash. 21 21 Heilman, Bet rabi, Part 3, Chapter 8. For more on the sons of the Tsemakh Tsedek, their tenures of leadership, and their successors, see the series of articles by Amram Blau, published in the Heikhal habesht journal, issues 16-23. See also Albert Kaganovich, The Long Life and Swift Death of Jewish Rechista (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2013), 160-161. Kaganovich’s gratuitous and self-admittedly “grotesque” comparison of internal Chabad historiography to Leninism is belayed by the work of Blau, and overlooks the fact that one of the primary transmitters of Chabad history, the author of the authoritative Bet Rabi, was allegiant to the Kopust branch of Chabad rather than that of Lubavitch. The latter also took up his father’s intertextual method and created an entirely new genre of Chabad literary activity, namely the hemshekh (“series”). Rather than only delivering self-contained discourses, he began the practice of serializing them, intensely exploring a single theme over several weeks or months. Each discourse in the series has its own beginning, middle, and end, but is also a continuation of a larger thematic framework that extends beyond its own conclusions. This allowed Maharash to engage in more sustained scrutiny of a single topic, and to develop a greater degree of synthesis between an array of ostensibly different topics, so that a richer and more comprehensive understanding is developed. 22 22 The present discussion of the hemshekh is largely a restatement of arguments developed in Eli Rubin, “Hemshekh Vekakhah Ha-gadol: Treading the Path of Redemption, Unveiling the Face of Effacement,” Part 1, Chabad.org <Chabad.org/3646993> (accessed November 15, 2017). Also see R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Torat menachem hitvaaduyot 5746, Vol. 1 (Lahak, 1990), 163-165; Idem., Torat menachem hitvaaduyot 5750, Vol. 1 (Lahak, 1990), 113-114; Naftali Loewenthal, ““The Thickening of the Light”: The Kabbalisitc-Hasidic Teachings of Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch in Their Social Context” in Jonatan Meir and Gadi Sagiv (eds.), Chabad Hasidism: History, Thought, Image (The Zalman Shazar Center: Jerusalem, 2016), 10*-13*. Prima facie, the emergence of the hemshekh might appear to be the exact reverse of the hagah’ot favoured by the Tsemakh Tsedek. In truth, however, Maharash followed his father’s example by paying close attention to the textual corpus he had inherited from the first three rebbes in the main Chabad line of transmission. In his own mamarim he drew heavily on theirs, often quoting large segments of text verbatim. Crucially, though, these are not mere restatements, but rather components of a systematic reinvestigation, in which old ideas are embellished, rescrutinized,and recontextualized in the service of new arguments. Yet the real power of the hemshekh derives from the way he organized the material, linking the teachings together, and marshaling them in a demonstrative tour de force. Placed within a contextual flow, otherwise isolated teachings discover new momentum and—supported by Maharash’s incisive embellishments—advance a compelling thesis. In this way, the hemshekh is actually an innovative continuation of the intertextual approach pioneered by the Tsemakh Tsedek. The Tsemakh Tsedek applied the intertextual method on a point-by-point basis, providing something akin to a running commentary that draws on other sources to contextualize and elaborate. The Maharash applied the intertextual method to construct an entirely new edifice, a sustained reconsideration of a single central theme. It is notable that the image of the traveler, staff in hand, is likewise central to Fishl Schneersohn’s novel, Khayim gravitser. At the end of his first tumultuous night in the woods following the burial of his beloved son, the title character breaks off a branch from a tree, fashions himself a staff, and sets out to tread a new path, the path of one whose soul has fallen but who is yet determined to walk onward. He still carries that staff in the novel’s epilogue as he exits the “great hall” in Lubavitch to encounter reconciliation and ascent. 24 24 Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 121 and 545. On the motif of walking in Hasidic teachings more generally see Elliot Wolfson, “Walking as a Sacred Duty: Theological Transformation of Social Reality in Early Hasidism,” in Hasidism Reappraised, ed. Ada Rapoport-Albert (London: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1997), 180-207. More significant than this shared image is the shared debt to the Tsemakh Tsedek’s literary legacy. Of course, the Tsemakh Tsedek (“the Rebbe”) figures in Schneersohn’s novel, and a key element in Gravitser’s fall is related to an imbalance that emerges, and is slowly exacerbated, in his relationship with the Rebbe. 25 25 See Masor, Evolution, 219. But the novel also constitutes a further iteration of the Tsemakh Tsedek’s intertextual method; Schneersohn tells us that the mamarim that feature as plot devices in Khayim gravitser are based on his own transcripts of authentic Chabad mamarim. 26 26 See Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 20, n. 6: “Many Hasidim had the ability to grasp the rebbe’s mamarim and to transcribe the teachings that they heard in writing. These transcripts were called “hanaḥot,” and thereby the rebbe’s mamar would be circulated in various hanaḥot. The Chabad mamarim and anecdotes that are integrated into our story, are reworked based on our personal transcripts.” See also Masor, “The Evolution of the Literary Neo-Hasid,” 233: “The rebbe’s maymarim (sic) in the first volume… sound convincingly like real maymarim.” The editor of the 2013 edition of Khayim gravitser, Natanel Lederberg, has also identified some specific mamarim that may have served as sources, but more research needs to be done to scrutinize these possibilities and to better understand specific lines of textual transmission and how Schneersohn used his textual sources. We must also bear in mind that Chabad mamarim were transcribed, copied and repeated in many iterations, and that far more material is available from the Lubavitch line of Chabad than from the Kopust line of which Schneersohn was a descendant. In weaving existing teachings into the larger structure of a novel, Schneersohn puts them into conversation with one another, constructing a broader and more complex ideological edifice. Accordingly, one might think of Khayim gravitser as a modern Jewish literary version of the hemshekh. How familiar Schneersohn was with the innovations of his great-great-uncle, Mahahrash, and how conscious he may have been of resonances between the hemshekh and his own novelistic project, remain open questions. But it is undeniable that both of them were indebted to the Tsemakh Tsedek, and to the Chabad culture of textual engagement and transmission to which they were heirs. 27 27 On Chabad’s nineteenth-century manuscript culture see Israel Sandman, “Chabad’s 19th Century Manuscript Boom,” Chabad.org <Chabad.org/3949906> (accessed July 30, 2018). It is also undeniable that there is a fundamental difference between these two manifestations of Chabad’s intertextual tradition, the hemshekh and the novel. Hemshekhim were crafted by functioning rebbes and delivered within the traditional context of the Chabad-Lubavitch court; Khayim gravitser, by contrast, was written by the grandson of a rebbe who had left the traditional context in which he grew up and was now trying to recapture it in literary form. The serialized mamarim of a hemshekh were not only placed in dialogue with one another, but were also placed in dialogue with all the native elements of Hasidic life, practice and experience. The teachings were organically contextualized by a living culture of song, soul, spirit, prayer and lore, and thereby were transformatively integrated into the life stories of those who received them, transcribed them, repeated them, memorized them and lived by them. Schneersohn, however, began his literary project in Berlin, at some distance from the native context and culture of Chabad. Accordingly, in Khayim gravitser it was necessary for all of the wider cultural dimensions of Chabad Hasidism to be novelistically reconstructed—for the context to be imaginatively conjured and incorporated within the text. Chabad’s theological and comosological teachings encompass two fundamental principles that are ostensibly in deep tension with one another. The first is the principle of divine unity, or singularity, encoded in the verse “ayn od milvado” (“there is none other than He alone,” Deuteronomy 4:35.) 28 28 For the locus classicus see R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, “Shaar hayiḥud veha’emunah,” in idem., Likutei amarim tanya (Vilna: The Widow and Brothers Romm, 1900 / Brooklyn: Kehot Publication Society, 1956), 76b-81b [152-162]. The second is encoded in the Midrashic dictum, “the Holy One, blessed be He, desired a dwelling in the lower realms,” which is enshrined in Chabad texts as the ultimate telos of creation, the Torah, and the mitzvot. 29 29 Variations of this statement appear in Midrash Tanchuma, Bechukotai 3 and Nasso 16, and in Bereishit Rabbah 3. See R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Likutei amarim tanya, Chapter 36, 45b-46b [90-92]. For further discussion of the development of this midrashic notion in Chabad thought see Nochum Grunwald, “Dirah betaḥtonim kemusag uketorah iyunit” in Harav, 506-562; Eli Rubin, “Intimacy in the Place of Otherness,” Chabad.org <Chabad.org/2893106> (accessed July 30, 2018). The first gestures towards the acosmistic insignificance or nullity of the physical world, while the second leads to the opposite conclusion, that it is precisely the physical world and the indwelling of G-d therein that is of utmost significance. Inherent to the Chabad worldview, it might be argued, is a dialectic between acosmism and innerworldly mysticism, between the redemptive quest for G-d’s transcendent essence and the exile of the soul within the corporeal forms of earthly existence. 30 30 On the centrality of such dialectics in early Chabad thought see Rachel Elior, The Paradoxical Ascent to God: The Kabbalistic Theosophy of Chabad Hasidism, trans. Jeffrey M. Green (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993), 33-5. Cf. Yoram Jacobson, “Bimevokhei ha’ayin ubemevukhat hayesh,” Qiryat Sefer 68 (1998): 231. For a more comprehensive and nuanced discussion of the body as the means through which one transcends the limitations of the body see Elliot Wolfson, Open Secret: Postmessianic Messianism and the Mystical Revision of Menahem Mendel Schneerson (Columbia University Press, 2009), 143-150. On the Weberian concept of “innerworldly mysticism” and its manifestation in Hasidism, see Philip Wexler, Mystical Sociology: Towards Cosmic Social Theory (New York: Peter Lang, 2013), 157–158. This tension can be found in all three of the literary artifacts before us, in Hanidakh, Vekakhah, and Khayim gravitser. A closer look at the different representations of this dialectic will serve to demonstrate the more complex conception that emerges as a result of Schneersohn’s deeper engagement with Chabad’s internal literary and intellectual tradition via the more developed literary form of the novel. This is especially highlighted when Schneersohn’s novelistic treatment of this theme is compared to the treatment found in Agnon’s short story. While Agnon’s story grasps hold of only one pole of this dialectic, Schneersohn offers two competing views of how the two poles of this tension can collide or be reconciled in the life of the individual Hasid. As noted at the outset of this article, in Hanidakh Agnon invokes the famous declaration of R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, “ I desire only You!” But he inserts an additional clause that is not found in Chabad sources, and which is not insignificant. Here I emphasize this addition: “Master of the world! I forego all that you have in your world, your Garden of Eden, and even the gates of light. I cede all to you, master of the world. I desire only you, you alone!” 31 31 Agnon, Elu ve’elu, 44. To attain ultimate union with G-d, it is implied, one must “forego” worldly life. Indeed, in Agnon’s tale, the protagonist’s ascent of the soul is synonymous with his earthly death. Absent Agnon’s additional clause, however, R. Schneur Zalman’s original statement is a rejection of all levels of spiritual revelation, but it is not usually understood to entail a rejection of earthly life. On the contrary, in one version it is recorded that R. Schneur Zalman continued to exclaim: “I would have long expired, but your Torah and commandments hold me!” 32 32 As cited in Yehoshuah Mondshine, Migdal oz (Kfar CChabad: Machon Lubavitch, 1974), 173. This can be read as a declaration that the Torah and commandments, which are vested only in the physical realm, provide the most concrete connection with the divine essence, thereby holding R. Schneur Zalman back from spiritual expiration. If we contemplate this well, we will understand the great stature of this [physical] world (olam hazeh), in which created and limited man is able to create pleasure for his creator. The entirety of life in the world-to-come, on the other hand, is only that man receives pleasure and satisfaction—and there is no comparison between the pleasure of man and the pleasure experienced by G-d. Considering this, the satisfaction of man too, in this world, will be increased far beyond the pleasure of life in the world-to-come… Therefore, the delightful sweet experience of the pleasure that must be attained from the fact that we cause pleasure before G-d in performing the commandment [in this world] cannot even be compared to the pleasure that will be attained in the world-to-come. 34 34 Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn, Likutei torah—torat shmuel, shaar teshah asar, sefer 5637 vol. 2, vekakhah—5637 (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2013), Section 12, 412-413 . דו ביסט שוין גאר פארטיג, צופרידן — דארפסט שוין ניט קיין עליה, קיין תשובה. און אזוי פארשכורט ווילט זיך שיר שוין אפילו א "קליין ווערימל" ווערן, ווייל, באמת, צופרידנקייט, ווי אזוי זי זאל ניט זיין, איז די גורל פון ווערים, שלעפט צו דער ערד, און דער נמאסער מלוכה פון קריכענדיגע — פון דאנען גייט א גלייכע וועג אין שענק. אפילו יינגלאך אין חדר וויסען דאך שוין די הייליגע קלארע ווערטער: נר ה' נשמת אדם. ווארום ווי אין א ליכט ציהט זיך דער גאנצער פלאם פון א נשמה נאך אויבן צום שורש. און דאס מיינט טאקע דער אלטער רבי זכרונו לברכה: קיין גן-עדן התחתון, רבונו של עולם, וויל איך ניט, קיין גן-עדן העליון בעט איך ניט, כ'וויל נאר דיך אליין. You are already ready, complete, and satisfied, you don’t need anything at all, not ascent and not repentance (teshuvah). You already desire to become “a little worm,” for self-satisfaction is in truth like the fate of worms, drawn to the earth, to the filthy kingdom of crawling things. From there runs a straight path to the tavern. Even school children know the holy and clear words, “a candle of G-d is the soul of man” [Cf. Proverbs, 20:27], like the light of a candle so is the entire flame of the soul drawn ever upward, to the root. And this is truly the meaning of the words of the Alter Rebbe of blessed memory, which we mentioned earlier: Master of the world! For your lower Garden of Eden I have no desire, your higher Garden of Eden I do not seek. I do not desire anything but you alone! 35 35 Khayim gravitser, 61. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 1, page 68. Gravitser’s interpretation of this statement as expressing an insatiable spiritual thirst actually coheres with the one represented in Agnon’s tale. But as the plot develops it becomes clear that Gravitser’s unrelenting ascent is itself a form of wrongheaded drunkenness, and that it is he who is about to fall, figuratively and literally, into the tavern’s depths. 36 36 For more on Gravitser’s fall and his drunken dance in the tavern, see Masor, Evolution, 219, 221, and 226-229. איך וויל אייך זאגן דעם גאנצן אמת. ערשט צוריק מיט א פאר טעג בין איך געקראכן אויף הימל, כ'האב, דוכט זיך, מיט אלע מיינכע רמ"ח אברים דערהערט, אז ס'איז אין עוד מלבדו. ניטא גארנישט חוץ אים. ממילא איז דאך אזא זאך ווי טויט א פשוטער דמיון. זיינען מיר געגאנגען אלע מיט געזאנג נאך דער לויה פון מיין בן-יחיד, כדי צו באגראבן דעם טויט. גאר אין מיטן התלהבות האט אהן מיין ידיעה דאס הארץ אנגעהויבן פשוט ווי טאן אויפן געשטארבענעם זון. מיר ווערט טונקל אין די אויגן און איך קען ניט איינשטיין. אז טויט איז א דמיון, איז דאך הארצווייטאג אודאי א דמיון. פארוואס-זשע קען איך אנטקעגן דעם ניט ביישטיין? איר פארשטייט, איך באגראב דעם טויט, און דאס הארץ, דער גוף באגראבט מיך. האב איך שוין גלייך דערזעהן, אז מיינע גאנצע התלהבות איז אויך נאר א פארשפיצטע תאוה פון גוף, א געשריי פון הייס בלוט וואס זוכט ריינעם שפירט טון זודיגע התלהבות. בסך-הכל הייסט עס, אז איך האב פשוט געשיכורט מיט דעם אין עוד מלבדו. The entire truth, I’ll tell you all of it. Only a few days ago I was climbing the heavens. In all my two hundred and forty eight limbs I felt, ostensibly, that “there is nothing beside Him” (ayn od milvado). There is nothing at all other than He. Accordingly, something like death is nothing but a figment of imagination alone. We were all following, with a song, after the bier of my only son [Yosele], in order to bring death to burial. But in the midst of the enthusiasm, my heart, without my knowledge, simply began to wail for my son who had passed. My eyes darkened, and I could no longer withstand it. If death is a fantasy, a wailing heart is fantasy all the more so. If so, why can I not stand firm against it? Do you understand? I am burying death, and the heart and the body are burying me. Immediately I realized that my enthusiasm too is nothing more than the sophistry of the body’s lust, the screaming voice of bubbling blood, which demands raw alcohol and passionate enthusiasm. All things considered, in other words, I was simply drunk with “ayn od milvado.” 37 37 Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 161. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 2, pages 100-101. Gravitser’s ascent initially brings him to a state that transcends all worldly reality and empties it of all meaning. His acosmistic quest for G-d is a kind of escapism, in which the world and its troubles are ignored rather than enfolded and repaired within G-d’s singular embrace. In the face of the death of his only son, his rapture does not bring him comfort but leads him to denial. When he is finally overcome by the sheer force of his personal tragedy his acosmistic faith falls apart. With the howl of a wounded animal he runs from Yosele’s graveside without reciting the mourner’s kaddish. 38 38Ibid., 92. אין יוסעלעס שטוב איז פינסטער געווען. די קינדערלאך זיינען שוין לאנג געשלאפן. איין לאהלה איז געזעסן ארום אפענעם פענסטער און מיט שטיל גליענדע פארחלומטע אויגען געקוקט אין די גרויסער נאכט אריין. אהן א צאל, טאקע ממש גאר אהן א צאל ליכטיגע שטערן האבן פון דעם הימל אויף דער ערד אראפגעלויכטן … הימל און ערד, בוימער און גראזן — אלץ שטייט אומבאוועגלאך — פארגאפט. א שטיל, כלות-הנפשדיג שטיל געזאנג האט אין דער גרויסער נאכט געפלאטערט. לאהלע האט תמימותדיג-פארגאפט די הענט אויף דער ברויסט צונויפגעלייגט. זי האט שוין ווייס ווי אזוי אויף אייביג אין זיך איינגעזאפט דאס גרויסע געזאנג פון אין עוד מלבדו! In Yosele’s house it was dark. The children already slumbered in sleep. Leah alone sat next to the open window, and with dreamy eyes, bright with gentle flame, she gazed into the great night. Bright stars without number, literally without any number at all, shone from the heavens above to the earth below… Heaven and earth, trees and grass, all stand without movement, enraptured. A gentle song, gentle enough to call the soul toward G-d, floated within the great night. With simple rapture Leah folded her hands upon her heart. And G-d is the one who knows that absorbed within her forever is the great melody of ayn od milvado.— ayn od milvado! 40 40Ibid., 93. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 1, page 112. Leah experiences the singular being of G-d as an immanent presence that embraces all the multifariousness of earthly existence, enflaming her soul and caressing her broken heart. In the novel’s original form Schneersohn leaves us with this image, suggesting that Leah’s simplicity allows her to grasp an innerworldly mystical truth that evaded Gravitser despite all his passion, prayer and learning. The novel’s second part begins with a detailed account of the very different way in which Gravitser experiences that very same night. For him the trees and grass stand as a heretical denial of ayn od milvado, and he berates them with wild shouts: “Whatever happens to Khayim Gravitser will happen, but you, trees and grass, heaven and earth, you shall certainly truly know that indeed there is nothing aside from Him… ayn od milvado!” 41 41Ibid., 98. Gravitser is broken by the reality of the world, by the reality of death, and the question that drives the novel to its ultimate conclusion is if and how he can ever find repair. Gravitser’s journey takes him beyond the world of Chabad, where he tests what might be perceived as another form of religious escapism, the more traditional Talmudism of the so called Mitnagdim (“opponents” of the Hasidim). Along the way he also spars with a secular Jew who scorns the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim in equal measure. Throughout he never loses his Chabad identity and outlook. Yet he comes to recognize the value that inheres in other forms of Jewish engagement, and even seems to absorb some of these values, reshaping and remaking himself through a process of struggle and synthesis. Unlike other neo-Hasidic writers who appropriated Hasidism in order to justify their own break from traditional forms of Jewish learning and life, Schneersohn seems to use the title character of his novel as an avatar for his own struggle to keep his Chabad identity intact even as he absorbs, adopts and adapts knowledge and cultural practices from outside of the Chabad tradition. As Masor has argued, Schneersohn sought to create a Hasidic and scientific synthesis, formulating a universal psychological and pedagogical vision that he hoped would help his fellow humans to heal their souls. 42 42 Masor, Evolution, iii, vii and 200-207. It seems to me that the basis of this synthesis, for both Gravitser and Schneersohn, is the fundamental faith in the Chabad principle of divine unity, that “there is nothing aside from He.” It is this principle that allows them, each in their own way, to face the outside world; to see that the outside can ultimately be enfolded within; to see that a diversity of apparently conflicting modes can ultimately be synthesized and made transparent to the singular being of G-d. Through all the ups and downs of the book, the Chabad slogan “ayn od milvado” gives both the protagonist and the author the strength with which to struggle onward. אנשים כאלו מאחר שאינם בציור שכל ומדות איז וואס איז ער, רק העצמי שבו … מי שהוא בציור שכל ומדות הוא בציור איזה דבר ולבוש, אבל אנשים פשוטים זיי האבן ניט קיין דבר המלביש, והעבודה הוא מצד העצמי. Since such [simple] personalities do not express themselves via the forms of intellect and emotion, therefore what is this individual? Only the essence that is within … An individual whose personality is vested in the forms of intellect and emotion, [conversely,] is circumscribed by the forms of these extraneous vestments. But simple people are not circumscribed by any external vestment, and their service of G-d is driven by the essence. 44 44 R. Yosef Yitsḥak Schneersohn, Sefer hasiḥot - 5689 (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2010), 27. The mixture of Hebrew and Yiddish in this text reflects the hybridity inherent in the textual transcription of the oral word, as in European rabbinic culture these two languages are generally used for writing and speech respectively. In Khayim gravitser the title character is an intellectual and emotional giant, and yet the essential wholesomeness most powerfully personified by Leah eludes him. 45 45 For Schneersohn’s explicit musings on the spiritual qualities of other personifications of this “wholesome simplicity,” in addition to Leah, who are encountered by his title character see Khayim gravitser, 554-5. After all of Gravitser’s experiences he seems as broken-hearted at the book’s conclusion as when he first ran from the graveside of his son. But he has somehow attained a kind of anguished peace, and seems resolved to make the best of a broken world with his wife, Sarah, as his partner. Sarah in turn describes to him the simple, luminous, faith of Leah. In the moment before Gravitser’s fall, as Leah stood at her dead husband’s side, she absorbed and internalized the “simple and yet staggering” perception that “life and death, pain and joy, interlock and merge like waves in the great song … the song of ayn od milvado.” 46 46Khayim gravitser, 557. Despite her loss, she grasps the inherent holiness and preciousness of “the entire world, all of life.” 47 47Ibid., 558. איז איצט עטוואס אומגעריכטס פארגעקומן. די זעלביקע פרייד פונם גרויסן געזאנג, וואס איז (בשעת יאסעלעס לויה) געקומן פון חיימן צו לאה'לען, האט זיך איצט אין לויטערער איינפאכקייט און תמימות'דיקער קלארקייט אומגעקערט צוריק פון לאה'לען צו חיימן. אין אט דער ליכיטער איינפאכקייט האט חיים מיט אמאל דערזען, אז קיינע ראנגלענישן און זוכענישען קענען ניט שטערן די גרויסע פרייד פון דער נשמה. מ'דארף טאן אויף דער וועלט אלץ וואס מ'קען און מער ווי מ'קען. מ'דארף הארעווען שטענדיג אויף זיך און אויף דער וועלט, — נאר אין יעדער ארבעט, אין יעדער אטעם, אפילו אין ביטערן צווייפעל און געראנגעל, דארף מען שטענדיג פיהלן און דערהערן, ניט אויף א רגע אפצורייסן זיך, דעם אייביקן גרויסן געזאנג פון "אין עוד מלבדו". When she saw Khayim a great joy came over her. And here, something indeed occurred that was not at all anticipated. The joy of the great song that came (at the time of Yosele’s passing) from Khayim to Leah’le, now returned, with pure simplicity and with complete clarity, from Leah’le to Khayim! With clear and shining simplicity Khayim suddenly saw that no confusions and dilemmas, and no demands and struggles, can cloud, or need to cloud, the great joy of the soul. We must do all that we can in the world, and more than we can. We must constantly strive for ourselves and for the entire world. But in each effort and in every breath, even in bitter despair and confusion, one must constantly feel and absorb—never tearing oneself away for a moment—the eternal great song of ayn od milvado. — ayn od milvado! 48 48Ibid., 561-562. This segment has not previously been published in the Yiddish original, and I am grateful to Ri J. Turner who found the Yiddish manuscript of the last two chapters and the epilogue in Schneersohn’s archive at Tel Aviv University and generously shared them with me. This concluding passage is effectively a mini manifesto that makes the overarching message of its author clear. It is also a succinct summary of the philosophy of life articulated by the author’s ancestor, R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi in Likutei amarim—tanya, and espoused by Hasidism more generally: We can only meet and overcome the overwhelming challenges of earthly life through the joyous knowledge that we, and all worldly events, are enfolded within G-d’s embrace. 49 49 For the locus classicus on this doctrine in Chabad thought see R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Likutei amarim tanya, Chapters 26-9, 32b-38a [64-75]. For further discussion see Naftali Loewenthal, “The Ethics of Joy,” Chabad.org, <Chabad.org/2219688>, esp. from time code 16:19 and on (accessed August 1, 2018). For some, like Leah, this knowledge is an intuitive and axiomatic faith. For others, like Gravitser, this knowledge must be discovered, excavated from beneath the weighty facades of intellectual, emotional, ideological, and spiritual conceit. Though originally composed in Yiddish, Khayim gravitser has only appeared in complete form in the Hebrew translation of Avraham Shlonsky, who was celebrated not only for his own literary creations but for his translations of Shakespeare, Pushkin and other classic authors. Critics have pointed out that Shlonsky endowed his translations with his own literary aesthetic, making them his own. 50 50 See Rina Lapidus, “‘Yivgeni oneigin’ shel aleksander pushkin betargumo shel avraham shlonsky,” Jerusalem Studies in Hebrew Literature (2006): 253-70. Indeed, in reflecting on “the art of translation” Shlonsky himself argued that “poetic accuracy or precision is formed by the melody, the forms, the rhythms, the pauses - not necessarily by the meaning of the words … A language of a people isn’t contained in a dictionary, a lexicon or a concordance. It is the biography of a people which reflects its language.” Shlonsky was less interested in the precise meaning of the individual words, and more interested in capturing the “wealth of association” and the ressanononce of “how a people rejoices, how it weeps and how it lives, in short its spiritual and physical life.” 51 51 Avraham Shlonsky, “Some thoughts on the art of translation,” trans. Mickey Yudkin, Jewish Quarterly, 18 (1970): 2-6. Shlonsky’s translation of Khayim Gravitser introduces additional biblical and rabbinic phrases or references that do not appear in the original, and—thereby a heightened degree of elegance. Nevertheless, the earthier aesthetic of the original Yiddish is faithfully echoed, albeit in a more nostalgic key. In this case we should perhaps be less surprised at the success of Shlonsky’s rendering. After all, it was the spiritual and physical life of his own people, the language and culture of his own family, that Shlonsky sought to relive in the new Hebrew context. A closer look at his engagement with this novel complicates the normative view of Shlonsky as concerned purely with the creation of a new Zionist literary aesthetic with an anti-diasporic agenda. This follows the argument of Naomi Brenner, that “if Shlonsky articulated the Zionist stance that Yiddish was the language of the diaspora and had no place in Hebrew national culture, he also inscribed Yiddish into his poetics and poetry, revealing a personal and aesthetic attachment that was much harder to banish.” 52 52 Noami Brenner, “A Multilingual Modernist: Avraham Shlonsky between Hebrew and Yiddish,” Comparative Literature 61, no. 4: 367-387. Scholars have already noted Shlonsky’s Chabad roots, and that in his childhood he and his family were especially close to their neighbors and cousins, the Schneersohns, whose oldest son would later become known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe—R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Scholars have likewise noted ways in which the broad themes of religion and secularism, tradition and modernity are given expression in his literary work. 53 53 On Shlonsky’s early life and relationship with his Schneersohn cousins see Hagit Halperin, “Ben rambam le-buknin,” Moznaim, Vol. No. 8 (2000): 7-11 [Hebrew]. For some discussions of the dialectic between religion and secularism in his poetry see Herbert Bronstein, “The Prayers of a Secular Poet,” The Journal of Religion 50(4) (Oct., 1970): 386-407; Ari Ofengenden, “‘Days Will Come and They Will Demand an Account. What Will I Give?”: The Dynamics of Secularization in Abraham Shlonsky’s Writings,” Hebrew Studies 51 (2010): 329–350. For a more general discussion see Shachar Pinsker, ““Never Will I Hear The Sweet Voice Of God”: Religiosity and Mysticism In Modern Hebrew Poetry” Prooftexts 30(1) (Winter 2010): 128-146. Less has been done, however, to probe the specific influence of his Hasidic background, and of Hasidic ideas. 54 54 See Haim O. Rechnitzer, “From Honolulu via Mt. Gilboa to Tel Aviv: the Rise and Fall of Shlonsky’s Messianic Halutz,” Hebrew Studies 55 (2014): 261–284; Idem., “When Joseph met Zuleika – the theo-political underpinning of Joseph in Shlonsky’s early poetry and its critique of the halutz ethos” Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 15:3 (2016): 504-519. Rechnitzer does argue that more attention should be paid to Hasidic sources, but in applying this argument tends to focus on secondary sources, most of which deal with the teachings of Rabbi Aharon Ha-levi Horowitz of Strashelye, an important figure in the 2nd generation of Chabad, which are only of very general relevance to Shlonsky’s engagement with Chabad. Moreover, his later interactions with his aforementioned cousin—including face-to-face meetings as well as correspondence—have never been considered in relation to his literary work. 55 55 See “Pegishah ben emunah vehashirah,” Maariv (March 25, 1977): 22. <http://jpress.org.il/olive/apa/nli_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=MAR%2F1977%2F03%2F25&id=Ar02201&sk=D1114FAE> (accessed November 15, 2017); Yonatan Shlonsky, “Harabbi milubavits veavraham shlonsky—kesher meyuḥad” Higayon beshigayon (accessed November 15, 2017). Scattered references to Hasidism and to hasidic figures can be found in his writings, as can more ambiguous illusions. But Shlonsky’s translation of Khayim gravitser is likely his most direct and substantive literary engagement with the Chabad facet of his identity and deserves to be more carefully examined within the wider context of his literary work and life story. — ניין! כ'וועל דיר, רבונו של עולם, מיין נשמה ניט אפגעבן … און אז דו וועסט פארשליסן פאר מיר אלע טויערן פון תשובה, וועל כ'זיי מיט מיין קאפ צוברעכן … כ'בעט נישט קיין רחמים און כ'וויל ניט קיים עולם הבא. א פארלארענער, א געפאלענער, א פושע-ישראל, כ'וויל דיר דינען מיט וואס איך פארמאג … "אין עוד מלבדו!". ניין, ניין! כ'וועל דיר מיין נשמה ניט אפגעבן. — No! I shall not give you my soul, Master of the World … Even if you lock before me all the gates of return, I will smash them with my head… I do not request mercy and I do not want your World to Come. Lost and fallen, a Jewish-sinner, I will serve you with all that I have … ayn od milvado! No, no! I shall not give you my soul. 59 59Ibid., 120. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 2, page 43. Shlonsky may well have found, in the figure of the “fallen” Gravitser, an avatar for his own prefered stance of “steadfastness against G-d … againstness … that very great heresy, which is true religiousness.” 60 60 Avraham Shlonsky, “Dor bli don kikhotim.” On Gravitser as a rebel see Masor, Evolution, 219, 232, and 246. In an earlier essay Shlonsky explicitly associated his “againstness” with the Hasidic leader Rabbi Levi Yitsḥak of Berditchev who refuses to accept and submit to G-d’s judgement and instead upholds Torah’s judgment of the Creator. Citing a saying by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotsk, Shlonsky disdains the mitnagdim who love the Torah rather than G-d. 61 61 Avraham Shlonski, “Maḥana’im: Bet. Mum u’metom,” Torim, July 1933. As cited in Ari Ofengenden, “Days Will Come,” 336; Idem., Abraham Shlonsky: An Introduction to His Poetry (Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2014), 72-73. איך טרענק זיך, רחמנא ליצלן, אין מיין אייגענע בלאטע … און אז מ'טרענקט זיך אין בלאטע, מוז מען לויפן צוריק צום גרויסן שליאך מיט די פעסטע סלופעס. אפשר וועל איך זיך נאך ראטעווען. טאקע שוין וועל איך אנטלויפן פון דאנען. אהין, אהין, צו די טרוקענע מתנגדים. חסידים מוזן האבן חיות און שמחה, טענץ און בראנפן. נאר מתנגדים קענען דינען דעם אויבישטערן אויף דעם אויסגעשטיינערטן טרוקענעם שליאך. I am drowning, G-d save me, in my own swamp … And when a person is drowning in a swamp, against his will he turns back and bolts for the great road. Perhaps I will yet save myself. Immediately I will up and flee from here. To there, to there, to the dry mitnagdim. Hasidim require inspiration and joy, dance and alcoholic spirits. But the mitnagdim are able to serve G-d’s name on the paved, dry, roadway. 64 64Ibid., 235. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 2, pages 203-4. Also see Masor, Evolution, 222. Even as he sets out for the cities of the mitnagdim, the sweet voice of the Baal Shem Tov echoes in Gravitser’s ears, “Listen to me, Khayim my beloved, in truth and in literal actuality, ayn od milvado.” 65 65Ibid., 293. We might suggest that Gravitser is on his way to carving out a more complex conception—which will diffuse his rebellious spirit—namely that the “the paved, dry, road” is the sure way to re-enter the embrace of G-d, to affirm that there is indeed “nothing other than Him.” To put it differently, it dawns on Gravitser that the Alter Rebbe’s ecstatic sentiment, “You alone I desire,” is given its fullest realization in the latter’s further exclamation, “I would have long expired, but your Torah and commandments hold me!” 66 66 As cited in Yehoshuah Mondshine, Migdal oz, 173. It seems that it is the force of these dialectics—between acosmism and innerworldly mysticism, between rebellion and religiosity—that ultimately compels Gravitser to return “to the holy wellspring of Chabad, to the Rebbe, to the world of Chabad in Lubavitch, from whence his soul truly drew its vitality all his life.” 67 67 Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 517-518. To return, however, is not to relinquish his identity as a fallen soul, nor his clear eyed vision of the spiritual and ethical shortcomings of the mitnagdim and the hasidim alike. Nevertheless, a moment arrives in which he cannot withstand “the flaming desire of the swooning soul, which longs to taste, in Lubavitch, the hasidic taste of an expiring soul … But how can he experience devekut, Hasidic soul ascent, when in that experience itself he feels his own fall? On this point, truthfully, he cannot respond to himself with a coherent answer.” 68 68 Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 520. בה רבו כוכב עם סרפד? Upon which a star fought with a thistle? My son!” 69 69 Avraham Shlonski, Meshirey hapruzdor ha’arukh (Ramat Gan: Sifrat Po’alim, 1968), 26. — This was in that effervescent period, the pioneer times, the good times. I lived in the sands near Tel Aviv, is some hole. From my window could be seen the headstones of an ancient cemetery. That day my brother came to me, from the Galil, and we decided: It will be a night of celebration for us this evening! (With a wide smile, true pride:) We are a Chabad family! We smash vessels, literally and figuratively. Nu, we sat and we sang, we danced, we drank, and lo, someone is approaching, pacing heavily through the sands. I recognized him immediately: Bialik! My brother and the rest of the party [disbelieved me, exclaiming] — “No!” Again we danced in an ecstatic circle dance (maḥol shel devekut), and my brother casually pulled Bialik into the midst of the ring, and he is panting and dancing, dancing and breathless. We all sat to drink a shot, and from one thing to another Bialik began to talk of the incarnation of melodies, the intonation of songs, of the fact that every song that comes to us, even the most un-jewish, becomes jewish, receiving the spice and finesse of “yiddishkayt”! And my brother, with the rest of the party who did not know the identity of the speaker, nodded their heads to one another, as if to say: Not bad! Not bad! Here is a run-of-the-mill Jew, unpretentious, bourgeois, and with such a mouth that drips pearls—amazing! 70 70 Raphael Bashan, “Ben hasidut Chabad udevekut be…mapam” Maariv, January 15, 1960 <http://jpress.org.il/Olive/APA/NLI_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=MAR%2F1960%2F01%2F15&id=Ar01000&sk=68ABC2B3> (accessed November 15, 2017). Clearly this was an important moment for Shlonsky. The lengthy description of this episode is carefully orchestrated by the narrator, and the details are far from incidental. It is therefore particularly noteworthy that Shlonsky seems to deliberately contextualize his entire encounter with Bialik—and his subsequent entry into the uppermost stratum of Hebrew literary society—as something “casually pulled” into the idiosyncratic Hasidic dance that was the mainstay of his inner life. With soulful emotion I received your letter … and in my heart were resurrected memories of our days in Ekaterinoslav … And in my soul were renewed those hours of meeting and dialogue in your private room in Brooklyn a few years ago. Many echoes from that conversation rise up from the pages of my latest book of poetry, “From the Poems of the Long Corridor,” which I send to you today … 72 72 “Pegishah ben emunah vehashirah,” Maariv (March 25, 1977): 22 <http://jpress.org.il/olive/apa/nli_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=MAR%2F1977%2F03%2F25&id=Ar02201&sk=D1114FAE> (accessed November 15, 2017). It is inevitable that the essence and the inner must rebel against its outer skin, which stands against it, and find expression by which to reveal itself. It is not so relevant whether you specifically intended this, but the opening of your collected works is [the poem] “Revelation” (hitgalut), “and the lad was serving G-d … speak, for your servant is listening,” 74 74 Following Shmuel I, 3:1 and 10. and only afterward comes the collection itself. It is my hope, as noted, that this is not incidental, and all the more so that it is not merely my own naive interpretation… 75 75Ibid.. This is a call for Shlonsky to “rebel” against his “outer skin” by serving and listening to G-d in the traditional sense, and thereby giving embodied revelation to his inner spirit. In other letters the Rebbe makes this more explicit. He was attuned to Shlonsky’s self understanding as a rebellious hasid, and sought to incite a fresh rebellion against what had by then become the new tradition of secular Jewish literary society. 76 76 See Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Igrot Kodesh Vol. 26 (New York: Kehot Publication Society, 2006), 352-353, and further sources cited in Boruch Oberlander and Elkanah Shmotkin, Early Years: The formative years of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as told by documents and archival data (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2016), 73. And the polemic of the secular and the celebration. And the doubts of whether to retreat or approach. Shall be determined by the tension of the bow. 77 77 Shlonski, Meshirey hapruzdor ha’arukh, 7. The particular path of the Jewish mystical experience leads out of the specificity of this one tradition, but it does so in a manner that compels walking the path repeatedly to find the way out. If one contemplates the possibility of following the path to get beyond the path definitively, then one is off the path and thus will never get beyond the path. To traverse the path of law one must travel the path of law. 78 78 Elliot R. Wolfson, Venturing Beyond: Law and Morality in Kabbalistic Mysticism (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 262-263. This is a paradox that has animated Chabad from the outset, and whose synthesis, we have seen, is the telos of Gravitser’s journey too. The author of Likutei amarim—tanya, whose lyrical discourses were published in Likutei torah, also wrote Shulkhan arukh harav, an updated version of the Code of Jewish Law. We have already noted that his grandson, the Tsemakh Tsedek, is so named after the title of his halakhic responsa. Contemporary Chabad emissaries, or shlukhim, set themselves apart from other Jewish activists by their equally enthusiastic embrace of each person’s transcendent spirit, on the one hand, and of the circumscriptions of halakhic ritual, on the other. Yehoshua D. Levanon, “Motivim Chabadiyim be“hanidaḥ” lesh”i agnon,” in Bikoret uparashanut 16 (February 1981): 135-155. Mondshine routinely used the pseudonym “Levanon” for work intended for academic publications. Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Kol sipurav shel shmuel yosef agnon, Vol. 2, Elu ve’elu (Jerusalem: Schocken, 1998), 44. On the widespread attribution of this statement to R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi in Chabad sources see, most notably, R. Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (the Tsemakh Tsedek), “Shoresh mitsvat hatefilah,” Section 40, in Derekh mitsvotekhah (Revised Edition, Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 1991), 275 [138a]; R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Hayom yom (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 1943), 113 (entry for the 18th of Kislev). See also Mondshine, “Motivim Chabadiyim,” notes 26 and 27. For more on the Hasidic influence on Agnon see Gedaliah Nigal, Shi”i agnon umekorotav haḥasidiyim: iyun be’arba’ah misipurav (Ramat Gan: The Kurzweil Institute, Bar Ilan University, 1983) [Hebrew]. Ken Frieden, “Neglected Origins of Modern Hebrew Prose: Hasidic and Maskilic Travel Narratives,” AJS Review 33(1) (2009), 3-6; idem., “Innovation by Translation: Yiddish and Hasidic Hebrew in Literary History,” in Justin Cammy et al (eds.), Arguing the Modern Jewish Canon: Essays on Literature and Culture in Honor of Ruth R. Wisse (Cambridge, Mass.:Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, 2008), 417-425. Lily Kahn, A Grammar of the Eastern European Hasidic Hebrew Tale (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2015), 4-7. Don Seeman and Shaul Magid, “ Mystical Poetics: The Jewish Mystical Text as Literature,” Prooftexts 29(3) (2009): 317-323. Don Seeman, “Apostasy, Grief, and Literary Practice in Chabad Hasidism,” Ibid., 398-432. Ora Wiskind-Elper, Hasidic Commentary on the Torah (London: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2018). Alyssa Masor, The Evolution of the Literary Neo-Hasid (PhD thesis, Columbia University, 2011), Chapter 4. We should note, however, that Masor only deals with parts one, two, and three of the novel, and not with the fourth part, which is not readily available in the original Yiddish. The first iteration of Khayim gravitser was published in Berlin in 1922, in separate Yiddish and German editions. But it only included the first of its four parts. The second and third parts were published in 1926, also in Berlin. The fourth part was serialized in the New York paper Der morgen zhurnal in the years 1937 and 1938, but was never compiled into a single volume. Some parts, including the epilogue, remain in manuscript and have never been published in their original Yiddish form. The Hebrew translation was serialized in the Tel Aviv paper Hatsopheh, in the years 1938-40, and published in its complete form as a single volume in 1940, 1956 and 2013. For the sake of convenience all references in this paper will be to the 2013 edition, accept for longer excerpts where I include and cite the original Yiddish. Other than these exceptions my translations are also primarily based on the Hebrew edition. For the most part the differences between the Hebrew and the Yiddish are more stylistic than substantive. Nicham Ross, “I. L. Peretz’s “Between Two Mountains”: Neo-Hasidism and Jewish Literary Modernity,” in Modern Jewish Literature: Intersections and Boundaries, eds. Sheila E. Jelen, Michael P. Kramer, L. Scott Lerner (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011), 104. Masor, Evolution, vi. On the related evolution of Michael Levi Rodkinson from Hasid to neo-Hasid, and from neo-hasid to maskil, see Jonatan Meir, Literary Hasidism: The Life and Works of Michael Levi Rodkinson, trans. Jeffrey G. Amshalem (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2016). See Khayim Meir Heilman, Bet rabi (Berditchev, 1902), Part 1, Chapter 26; Louis Jacobs, Tract on Ecstasy (London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1963); Idem., Seeker of Unity: The Life and Works of Aharon of Starosselje (London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1966); Naftali Loewenthal, Communicating the Infinite: The Emergence of the Chabad School (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1990), 100-138, and 167-174 and 195. See also Rachel Elior, The Paradoxical Ascent to G-d: The Kabbalistic Theosophy of Chabad Hasidism (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993). For biographical details see Heilman, Bet rabi, Part 3; Tzvi M. Rabinowicz ed., The Encyclopedia of Hasidism (Jason Aronson Inc., 1996), 429; Shalom Dov Ber Levine, Toldot Chabad berusyah hatsarit (Kehot Publication Society, 2010),107-155; Ilia Lurie, Edah umedinah: ḥasidut Chabad be’imperiyah harusit, 5588-5643 (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2006). See Heilman, Ibid., Part 2, Chapter 6, Note 2; Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Reshimot hayoman (New York: Kehot Publication Society, 2006), 198, note 1. See Eli Rubin, “'The Pen Shall Be Your Friend': Intertextuality, Intersociality, and the Cosmos - Examples of the Tzemach Tzedek’s Way in the Development of Chabad Chassidic Thought,” Chabad.org <chabad.org/3286179> (accessed November 15, 2017). On intertextuality in kabbalistic literature more generally, see Daniel Abrams, Kabbalistic Manuscripts and Textual Theory: Methodologies of Textual Scholarship and Editorial Practice in the Study of Jewish Mysticism (Magnes Press / Cherub Press, Jerusalem, 2nd edition 2013). See Nochum Grunwald, “Hashitot vehashit’tiyut bederushei rabeinu hazaken: Hagdarat vesivug shel shitot vede’ot bemerḥavei ketavav shel admor hazaken bemishnat hatsemaḥ tsedek,” in Harav, ed. Nochum Grunwald (Mechon Harav, 2015), 573-586. Cf. Ariel Roth, “Reshimu—maḥloket ḥasidut lubavits vekopust,” Kabbalah 30 (2013): 243, n. 122; Schwartz, Maḥshevet Chabad, 158-186. Heilman, Bet rabi, Part 3, Chapter 8. For more on the sons of the Tsemakh Tsedek, their tenures of leadership, and their successors, see the series of articles by Amram Blau, published in the Heikhal habesht journal, issues 16-23. See also Albert Kaganovich, The Long Life and Swift Death of Jewish Rechista (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2013), 160-161. Kaganovich’s gratuitous and self-admittedly “grotesque” comparison of internal Chabad historiography to Leninism is belayed by the work of Blau, and overlooks the fact that one of the primary transmitters of Chabad history, the author of the authoritative Bet Rabi, was allegiant to the Kopust branch of Chabad rather than that of Lubavitch. The present discussion of the hemshekh is largely a restatement of arguments developed in Eli Rubin, “Hemshekh Vekakhah Ha-gadol: Treading the Path of Redemption, Unveiling the Face of Effacement,” Part 1, Chabad.org <Chabad.org/3646993> (accessed November 15, 2017). Also see R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Torat menachem hitvaaduyot 5746, Vol. 1 (Lahak, 1990), 163-165; Idem., Torat menachem hitvaaduyot 5750, Vol. 1 (Lahak, 1990), 113-114; Naftali Loewenthal, ““The Thickening of the Light”: The Kabbalisitc-Hasidic Teachings of Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch in Their Social Context” in Jonatan Meir and Gadi Sagiv (eds.), Chabad Hasidism: History, Thought, Image (The Zalman Shazar Center: Jerusalem, 2016), 10*-13*. Published as Likutei torah—torat shmuel, shaar revi’iy, vekakhah—5637 (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 1945); Likutei torah—torat shmuel, shaar teshah asar, sefer 5637 Vol. 2, vekakhah—5637 (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2013). Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 121 and 545. On the motif of walking in Hasidic teachings more generally see Elliot Wolfson, “Walking as a Sacred Duty: Theological Transformation of Social Reality in Early Hasidism,” in Hasidism Reappraised, ed. Ada Rapoport-Albert (London: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1997), 180-207. See Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 20, n. 6: “Many Hasidim had the ability to grasp the rebbe’s mamarim and to transcribe the teachings that they heard in writing. These transcripts were called “hanaḥot,” and thereby the rebbe’s mamar would be circulated in various hanaḥot. The Chabad mamarim and anecdotes that are integrated into our story, are reworked based on our personal transcripts.” See also Masor, “The Evolution of the Literary Neo-Hasid,” 233: “The rebbe’s maymarim (sic) in the first volume… sound convincingly like real maymarim.” The editor of the 2013 edition of Khayim gravitser, Natanel Lederberg, has also identified some specific mamarim that may have served as sources, but more research needs to be done to scrutinize these possibilities and to better understand specific lines of textual transmission and how Schneersohn used his textual sources. We must also bear in mind that Chabad mamarim were transcribed, copied and repeated in many iterations, and that far more material is available from the Lubavitch line of Chabad than from the Kopust line of which Schneersohn was a descendant. On Chabad’s nineteenth-century manuscript culture see Israel Sandman, “Chabad's 19th Century Manuscript Boom,” Chabad.org <Chabad.org/3949906> (accessed July 30, 2018). For the locus classicus see R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, “Shaar hayiḥud veha’emunah,” in idem., Likutei amarim tanya (Vilna: The Widow and Brothers Romm, 1900 / Brooklyn: Kehot Publication Society, 1956), 76b-81b [152-162]. Variations of this statement appear in Midrash Tanchuma, Bechukotai 3 and Nasso 16, and in Bereishit Rabbah 3. See R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Likutei amarim tanya, Chapter 36, 45b-46b [90-92]. For further discussion of the development of this midrashic notion in Chabad thought see Nochum Grunwald, “Dirah betaḥtonim kemusag uketorah iyunit” in Harav, 506-562; Eli Rubin, “Intimacy in the Place of Otherness,” Chabad.org <Chabad.org/2893106> (accessed July 30, 2018). On the centrality of such dialectics in early Chabad thought see Rachel Elior, The Paradoxical Ascent to God: The Kabbalistic Theosophy of Chabad Hasidism, trans. Jeffrey M. Green (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993), 33-5. Cf. Yoram Jacobson, “Bimevokhei ha’ayin ubemevukhat hayesh,” Qiryat Sefer 68 (1998): 231. For a more comprehensive and nuanced discussion of the body as the means through which one transcends the limitations of the body see Elliot Wolfson, Open Secret: Postmessianic Messianism and the Mystical Revision of Menahem Mendel Schneerson (Columbia University Press, 2009), 143-150. On the Weberian concept of “innerworldly mysticism” and its manifestation in Hasidism, see Philip Wexler, Mystical Sociology: Towards Cosmic Social Theory (New York: Peter Lang, 2013), 157–158. As cited in Yehoshuah Mondshine, Migdal oz (Kfar CChabad: Machon Lubavitch, 1974), 173. See Rashi’s commentary to Leviticus, 1:9 and Numbers 28:8. Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn, Likutei torah—torat shmuel, shaar teshah asar, sefer 5637 vol. 2, vekakhah—5637 (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2013), Section 12, 412-413 . Khayim gravitser, 61. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 1, page 68. For more on Gravitser’s fall and his drunken dance in the tavern, see Masor, Evolution, 219, 221, and 226-229. Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 161. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 2, pages 100-101. Ibid., 93. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 1, page 112. Masor, Evolution, iii, vii and 200-207. See the relevant discussion and citations in Netanel Lederberg, “Aḥrit davar: haderekh el ha’adam,” in Schneersohn, Khayim gravitser, 571-2. R. Yosef Yitsḥak Schneersohn, Sefer hasiḥot - 5689 (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2010), 27. The mixture of Hebrew and Yiddish in this text reflects the hybridity inherent in the textual transcription of the oral word, as in European rabbinic culture these two languages are generally used for writing and speech respectively. For Schneersohn’s explicit musings on the spiritual qualities of other personifications of this “wholesome simplicity,” in addition to Leah, who are encountered by his title character see Khayim gravitser, 554-5. Ibid., 561-562. This segment has not previously been published in the Yiddish original, and I am grateful to Ri J. Turner who found the Yiddish manuscript of the last two chapters and the epilogue in Schneersohn’s archive at Tel Aviv University and generously shared them with me. For the locus classicus on this doctrine in Chabad thought see R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Likutei amarim tanya, Chapters 26-9, 32b-38a [64-75]. For further discussion see Naftali Loewenthal, “The Ethics of Joy,” Chabad.org, <Chabad.org/2219688>, esp. from time code 16:19 and on (accessed August 1, 2018). See Rina Lapidus, “‘Yivgeni oneigin’ shel aleksander pushkin betargumo shel avraham shlonsky,” Jerusalem Studies in Hebrew Literature (2006): 253-70. Avraham Shlonsky, “Some thoughts on the art of translation,” trans. Mickey Yudkin, Jewish Quarterly, 18 (1970): 2-6. Noami Brenner, “A Multilingual Modernist: Avraham Shlonsky between Hebrew and Yiddish,” Comparative Literature 61, no. 4: 367-387. On Shlonsky’s early life and relationship with his Schneersohn cousins see Hagit Halperin, “Ben rambam le-buknin,” Moznaim, Vol. No. 8 (2000): 7-11 [Hebrew]. For some discussions of the dialectic between religion and secularism in his poetry see Herbert Bronstein, “The Prayers of a Secular Poet,” The Journal of Religion 50(4) (Oct., 1970): 386-407; Ari Ofengenden, “‘Days Will Come and They Will Demand an Account. What Will I Give?": The Dynamics of Secularization in Abraham Shlonsky’s Writings,” Hebrew Studies 51 (2010): 329–350. For a more general discussion see Shachar Pinsker, ““Never Will I Hear The Sweet Voice Of God”: Religiosity and Mysticism In Modern Hebrew Poetry” Prooftexts 30(1) (Winter 2010): 128-146. See Haim O. Rechnitzer, “From Honolulu via Mt. Gilboa to Tel Aviv: the Rise and Fall of Shlonsky's Messianic Halutz,” Hebrew Studies 55 (2014): 261–284; Idem., “When Joseph met Zuleika – the theo-political underpinning of Joseph in Shlonsky's early poetry and its critique of the halutz ethos” Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 15:3 (2016): 504-519. Rechnitzer does argue that more attention should be paid to Hasidic sources, but in applying this argument tends to focus on secondary sources, most of which deal with the teachings of Rabbi Aharon Ha-levi Horowitz of Strashelye, an important figure in the 2nd generation of Chabad, which are only of very general relevance to Shlonsky’s engagement with Chabad. See "Pegishah ben emunah vehashirah,” Maariv (March 25, 1977): 22. <http://jpress.org.il/olive/apa/nli_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=MAR%2F1977%2F03%2F25&id=Ar02201&sk=D1114FAE> (accessed November 15, 2017); Yonatan Shlonsky, “Harabbi milubavits veavraham shlonsky—kesher meyuḥad” Higayon beshigayon (accessed November 15, 2017). Avraham Shlonsky, “Dor bli don kikhotim,” in Yalkut eshel: tseror ma'amarim u-reshimot, (Tel Aviv: Sifriyat Po'alim, 1960), 42-45. As cited in Ari Ofengenden, “Days Will Come,” 333-334; Idem., Abraham Shlonsky: An Introduction to His Poetry (Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2014), 67-68. Ibid., 120. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 2, page 43. Avraham Shlonsky, “Dor bli don kikhotim.” On Gravitser as a rebel see Masor, Evolution, 219, 232, and 246. Avraham Shlonski, “Maḥana’im: Bet. Mum u’metom,” Torim, July 1933. As cited in Ari Ofengenden, “Days Will Come,” 336; Idem., Abraham Shlonsky: An Introduction to His Poetry (Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2014), 72-73. Ibid., 235. In the original Yiddish this appears in Volume 2, pages 203-4. Also see Masor, Evolution, 222. As cited in Yehoshuah Mondshine, Migdal oz, 173. Avraham Shlonski, Meshirey hapruzdor ha’arukh (Ramat Gan: Sifrat Po’alim, 1968), 26. Raphael Bashan, “Ben hasidut Chabad udevekut be...mapam” Maariv, January 15, 1960 <http://jpress.org.il/Olive/APA/NLI_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=MAR%2F1960%2F01%2F15&id=Ar01000&sk=68ABC2B3> (accessed November 15, 2017). In a letter from Zvi Meir Steinmetz (Tzvi Ya’ir) to Shlonsky he notes that “a few weeks before her passing [in 1964] Rebbetzin Chana told me of your visit to her…” See Mordechai Menashe Laufer, “Hitkatvut meyuḥedet bemitsvat harabi,” Hitkashrut #820 (April 2010): <http://www.cChabad.org.il/Magazines/Article.asp?ArticleID=6726&CategoryID=1385> (accessed November 16, 2017). “Pegishah ben emunah vehashirah,” Maariv (March 25, 1977): 22 <http://jpress.org.il/olive/apa/nli_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=MAR%2F1977%2F03%2F25&id=Ar02201&sk=D1114FAE> (accessed November 15, 2017). Following Shmuel I, 3:1 and 10. See Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Igrot Kodesh Vol. 26 (New York: Kehot Publication Society, 2006), 352-353, and further sources cited in Boruch Oberlander and Elkanah Shmotkin, Early Years: The formative years of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as told by documents and archival data (Brooklyn, NY: Kehot Publication Society, 2016), 73. Shlonski, Meshirey hapruzdor ha’arukh, 7. Elliot R. Wolfson, Venturing Beyond: Law and Morality in Kabbalistic Mysticism (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 262-263. Rubin, Eli. “Traveling and Traversing Chabad’s Literary Paths: From Likutei torah to Khayim gravitser and Beyond.” In geveb, October 2018: https://ingeveb.org/articles/traveling-and-traversing-chabads-literary-paths-from-likutei-torah-to-khayim-gravitser-and-beyond. Rubin, Eli. “Traveling and Traversing Chabad’s Literary Paths: From Likutei torah to Khayim gravitser and Beyond.” In geveb (October 2018): Accessed Apr 21, 2019.

2019-04-21T09:00:06Z

https://ingeveb.org/articles/traveling-and-traversing-chabads-literary-paths-from-likutei-torah-to-khayim-gravitser-and-beyond

The Trade Union Bill and Social Media by Christian Fuchs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://fuchs.uti.at/1518/. The British government is planning to introduce legislation (“Trade Union Bill”) that reforms the planning and conduct of industrial actions. first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, third reading. On September 14, 2015, the bill passed the second reading and with 317 yes-votes (“Aye”) and 284 no-votes (“Noes”) moved into the committee stage. The Trade Union Bill suggest to change the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 so that a 50% turnout is required in the strike ballot for industrial action to be legal (Trade Union Bill, §2) and a support of 40% of all persons entitled to vote is required in “important public services” (§3). Important public services include according to this bill draft health services, education of those aged under 17, fire services, transport services, decommissioning of nuclear installations and management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, border security (§3 [2F]). The draft also wants to introduce union members’ opt-in to contribute to political funds (§10). And it says that unions must appoint a picket supervisor, who wears a badge at the picket line, make him or her known to the police, and ensure that s/he is readily contactable by the police during the picketing (§9). “Despite what people may have read in some reports, this Bill is not a declaration of war on the trade union movement. It is not an attempt to ban industrial action. It is not an attack on the rights of working people. It will not force strikers to seek police approval for their slogans or their tweets. It is not a reprise of Prime Minister Clement Attlee sending in troops to break up perfectly legal stoppages. It is simply the latest stage in the long journey of modernisation and reform. It will put power in the hands of the mass membership; bring much-needed sunlight to dark corners of the movement; and protect the rights of everyone in this country—those who are union members and those who are not, and those hard-working men and women who are hit hardest by industrial action”. “The Bill is draconian, vindictive and counterproductive. It is: ‘very provocative, highly ideological and has no evidence base at all’. […] Liberty, Amnesty and the British Institute of Human Rights have all said that the Bill’s purpose is to ‘undermine the rights of all working people’ and amounts to a ‘major attack on civil liberties in the UK’. […] The Bill has been criticised for being OTT, with parts of it resembling the dictatorship of General Franco. […] This is another gagging Bill, and those of us who care for the health of our democracy and civil society are united in opposing it. […] The Bill is a divisive piece of legislation which undermines the basic protections that trade unions provide for people at work. […] The Government are pushing through an agenda of attacking civil society, intimidating charities, threatening basic civil liberties, and undermining access to justice. These draconian measures must be stopped, and I urge the House to deny the Bill a Second Reading”. London’s Conservative mayor and MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip Boris Johnson argued: “This is an excellent Bill—a serious, sensible Bill”. Johnson has repeatedly argued in the context of strikes by London transport workers that industrial action in key sectors should be made more difficult and has argued for parts of the legislation the Trade Union Bill wants to realise: “We failed for years to come up with up with proper legislation on thresholds for strikes by essential public services […] This is something I wanted the coalition to do from the very beginning. We haven’t been able to do that and I’m reconciled to that now”. If the key public services rule were applied to the election of MPs, then Boris Johnson would not be in office: He received 50.2% of the votes with a turnout of 63.4%, which means that effectively he achieved 31.8% of the eligible votes. One wonders why parliamentarians, who enact the key political public service, apply rules to trade unions in key public services that do not apply to themselves. A consultation document associated with the Trade Union Bill suggests that unions have to provide advance notice to authorities it they employ social media in industrial actions: The Department of Business, Innovation & Skills talks in this consultation document about “a broader question regarding how the Code can be modernised to ensure it covers social media, provides guidance on protests linked to pickets, and makes clearer rights and remedies for non-striking workers, the public and businesses as well as picketers”. * That the union has informed members of the relevant laws”. The document says explicitly that the “Government believes this step could mitigate some of the risks of protests linked to trade disputes by enabling better policing, without preventing them taking place”. This implies that the government intends to monitor union activists on social media. It is also unclear what is meant by “what […] blogs and websites will set out”. It sounds like unions should specify how exactly they use the Internet in protests. This formulation clearly misunderstands the very nature of the Internet and social media. Social media are dynamic and public, they not just allow union members who are on strike to communicate with each other and the public, but also allow the public to comment on the events, to share information, images and videos, re-tweet Twitter postings, etc. A strike thereby is not limited to a specific locale and specific unionized worker, but becomes a public event. The UK Government argues that in the light of the digital age it aims at “modernising the rules relating to picketing and associated protests to ensure they cover social media”. It however sounds like “modernising” means traditional politics of control that have the potential to limit the freedoms of assembly, association and speech – both offline and online. If users show solidarity with a strike by spontaneously creating and using hashtags on Twitter and spreading information, then this cannot be planned in advance. The formulations in the consultation document sound like any online activity in the light of strikes that is not reported in advance shall be outlawed. Given the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the Internet, the document profoundly misunderstands the nature of social media. What it suggests is not a modernisation, but way of controlling and thereby limiting the freedoms of online information, online assembly and online association of both striking workers, their unions and those showing online solidarity with them. Social media liquefies the boundaries between the work place, where strikes take place, and the public. Given the liquid nature of social media, legal requirements to report the use of social media in strikes have the potential to outlaw public communication about strikes. Policing social media by implementing surveillance of activists and striking workers has strongly authoritarian political potential. Such policies do not modernise the governance of social media, but threaten basic civil liberties in the Internet age and completely mistunderstand the very nature of such modern communication technologies. In the Trade Union Bill’s second reading, both government and opposition MPs voiced criticism of the document’s suggestions about social media. Clive Lewis (MP for Norwich South, Labour Party) argued: “Those who seek justice at work will be tracked and treated like criminals, their social media monitored and their details shared with police. Those who protest will be forced to wear identifying marks and carry letters of authorisation”. “Because by calling into question the right of free association of trade unions they are actually in contravention, in my view, of Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights. They are also in contravention, as Stephen pointed out in his reply yesterday, to the International Labour Organisation conventions. So we are going to continue our opposition to this. They are threatening the right of peaceful protest by looking to criminalise picketing. They are even threatening the right to free speech by seeking to limit what a union member can say on social media during a dispute. Are we really going to have teams of civil servants or lawyers or police or somebody trawling through massive numbers of twitter messages, Facebook messages, to find something somebody said about their employer or about an industrial dispute? What kind of intrusive society are they really trying to bring about. We have got to fight this Bill all the way, because if they get it through it’s a damage to civil liberties and for everybody in our society. They will use it as a platform to make other attacks on other sections of our community. Let’s be strong about this. […] When we have been elected with a majority in 2020, we are going to repeal this Bill and replace it with a workers’ rights agenda and something decent and proper for the future”. Public, semi-public and private online communication on social media is an important part of 21st century freedom of association, assembly and speech in the Internet age. Workers going online as part of strikes engage in a particular form of digital labour: labour-forces going digital in strike action. In industrial action, online communication on social media and other parts of the Internet is part of digital labour association. Attempts to limit, control and monitor the legal and legitimate use of social media in strike action has the totalitarian potential to limit the freedom of digital labour’s association. Digital workers of the world have to unite in order to defend the freedoms that are the outcomes of long and hard working class struggles. A petition against the Trade Union Bill can be signed online. General elections will take place in Britain on May 7, 2015. Whereas the role of digital and social media as a communication tool in election campaigns is often discussed in public, less attention tends to be given to policy questions that concern the Internet. What is the role of media and Internet politics in the contending parties’ election manifestos? The BBC and the Leveson Inquiry are issues in the majority of the competing political parties’ manifestos. Concerning the BBC, the Conservatives want to review the BBC Royal Charter and ensure that the BBC “delivers value for money”. The Greens want to abolish the licence and fund the BBC out of general taxation. The Liberal Democrats say that it should not rise faster than inflation. Labour argues it is committed to public service broadcasting. Plaid Cymru wants to establish a BBC Trust for Wales. The Scottish National Party (SNP) is committed to the licence fee and wants to increase the budget share of BBC Scotland by £100 million. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) wants to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee. The Leveson Inquiry is directly mentioned in all manifestos, except the ones by UKIP and Plaid Cymru. Whereas the Conservatives stress the establishment of the new Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, and the Greens express that they feel the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry have not been adequately implemented and more needs to be done. Media plurality and freedom as well as public service broadcasting are certainly not the big issues in the 2015 British election campaigns that are rather dominated by topics such as the National Health Service, the economy and employment, social security, taxation, the budget, immigration, crime and security, housing, and Europe. The party manifestos show that some attention is given to the role of the media in society. The BBC and Leveson are about classical issues that concern journalism, media quality and plurality, and public service broadcasting. But what is the role of the Internet and digital media in the 2015 British election manifestos? Both the Conservatives and UKIP frame the Internet and social media predominantly as a threat that enhances terrorism and crime and needs to be controlled by policing, surveillance and tough laws. The only time UKIP mentions the Internet, it speaks of it as “growing as a medium to commission and commit crime”. Therefore the party wants to come up with “up to date sentencing procedures and processes for internet/cyber crime”, invest “in new technology such as communications equipment and personal CCTV to combat crime”, and foster surveillance of communications (“Increasing Intelligence Capabilty”): “UKIP will create a new over-arching role of Director of National Intelligence (subject to confirmation hearing by the relevant Commons Select Committee), who will be charged with reviewing UK intelligence and security, in order to ensure threats are identified, monitored and dealt with by the swiftest, most appropriate and legal means available. He or she will be responsible for bringing all intelligence services together; developing cyber security measures; cutting down on waste and encouraging information and resource sharing”. For UKIP, the Internet poses a threat of terrorism and crime, which is why it takes a right-wing law and order and control approach in online politics. Whereas the passages about the Internet are rather scarce in UKIP’s manifesto, more space is devoted to digital media in the Tories’ manifesto. of suspects’ communications, while continuing to strengthen oversight of the use of these powers”. The Tories take a policing and control approach towards questions of copyright in the online world: “We will protect intellectual property by continuing to require internet service providers to block sites that carry large amounts of illegal content, including their proxies. And we will build on progress made under our voluntary anti-piracy projects to warn internet users when they are breaching copyright. We will work to ensure that search engines do not link to the worst-offending sites”. The Conservatives want to use taxpayers’ money in order to create and accelerate infrastructures, including broadband and mobile phone networks, that are controlled by private companies: “We have set out a plan to invest over £100 billion in our infrastructure over the next Parliament”: “And we will continue to ‘top-slice’ the licence fee for digital infrastructure to support superfast broadband across the country”. We will “roll out universal broadband and better mobile phone connections, to ensure everyone is part of the digital economy”. “Improving our trains, roads and broadband helps local businesses grow and create more jobs and opportunities”. “We will deliver faster internet, to help you work and communicate more easily. […] We will also release more spectrum from public sector use to allow greater private sector access. […] We will boost mobile coverage, so you can stay connected. […] We will ensure that Britain seizes the chance to be a world leader in the development of 5G, playing a key role in defining industry standards”. The Tories’ Internet politics is a combination of right-wing Internet control and neoliberalism that invests taxpayers’ money into communications companies’ provision of networks as for-profit services in order to accumulate capital. Both UKIP and the Conservatives share the idea that the Internet poses a threat of terrorism, radicalisation and crime and therefore needs to be monitored. The terms privacy, surveillance and Snowden are absent from their election manifestos. They want to advance policing and surveillance capacities, which however are superficial measures that threaten liberal freedoms and overlook that crime has societal causes and can best be prevented by fostering social, educational and job security of at-risk individuals. Right-wing law and order and control politics furthermore tend to scapegoat specific groups (immigrants, Muslims, people of colour, etc.), to create a culture of fear, mistrust and discrimination that can amplify the actual criminal behaviour of discriminated groups, and to undermine the presumption of innocence. Such politics has totalitarian potentials. The Labour Party wants to appeal to both the right and the left and therefore ends up with a vague and paradox form of Internet politics. It wants to have an Internet that foster capitalism and that at the same time public efforts, but the latter only for non-users and the digital illiterate: Capitalist in the first instance, public efforts only for the poor: “We will work with the industry and the regulator to maximise private sector investment and deliver the mobile infrastructure needed to extend coverage and reduce ‘not spots’, including in areas of market failure. And we will support community-based campaigns to reduce the proportion of citizens unable to use the internet and help those who need it to get the skills to make the most of digital technology”. Digital neoliberalism with a human face? In the last instance, digital politics is for Labour all about fostering capitalist innovation: “Labour’s longer-term approach will drive innovation and build on our strengths as a leader in digital technology. We are just at the start of the internet revolution. Digital technology has transformed start-up costs making it easier to run your own business. There is a widening in the application of new transformative technologies in the fields of robotics, genetics, 3D printing and Big Data. Our economy is developing a network of connections that will revolutionise innovation”. Labour neglects that after more of 20 years of the commercial WWW, Britain and Europe have not caught up with and will not outcompete and overtake Silicon Valley Internet companies that dominate the digital world. It does not realise that Europe may have to concentrate on what it is good at – public service and community media – and apply this approach to the Internet. In eGovernment, Labour does not promise radical novelties or more participatory democracy, but more services and open data: “To create a more connected society we will support making digital government more inclusive, transparent and accountable. We will continue to back the principle of ‘open data by default’, releasing public sector performance data wherever possible”. “Britain needs to be prepared to counter the threat of cyber-attacks. […] We will need to update our investigative laws to keep up with changing technology, strengthening both the powers available, and the safeguards that protect people’s privacy. This is why Labour argued for an independent review, currently being undertaken by David Anderson. We will strengthen the oversight of our intelligence agencies to make sure the public can continue to have confidence in the vital work that they do to keep us safe”. Labour seems to want to further expand surveillance laws as well as privacy. It is unclear how more law and order and monitoring should go together with the protection of users’ fundamental rights, given that since 9/11 the tendency has been the expansion and intensification of surveillance and surveillance ideologies at the expense of privacy and civil rights. Labour also wants to further expand the British defence and security industry: “The UK defence and security industry is a key contributor to our economy, with a turnover of £22 billion a year. We will work to secure defence jobs across the UK, protect the supply chain and support industry to grow Britain’s defence exports. In partnership with industry, we will put accountability, value for money, interoperability and sustainability at the centre of defence procurement”. Labour’s Internet politics promises digital capitalism with a bit of public service for the digitally excluded as well as the paradoxical combination of fostering law and order and civil liberties. It wants to appeal to everyone – from the left-wing activist concerned about monopoly power, human rights violations and Internet surveillance to the right-wing extremist fearing a terrorist and criminal attack all over the Internet and in every neighbourhood with a population consisting of more than zero non-whites. Such Internet politics that wants to appeal to everyone turns out to stand for nothing. The Liberal Democrats’ manifesto appears to offer a programme of transformation for those who are concerned about the violation of civil rights online. It promises “a complete overhaul of surveillance powers in 2016”, to “[e]nsure proper oversight of the security services”, and to pass a Digital Bill of Rights. Such a Bill enshrines “the principle that everyone has the right to control their own personal data”, gives “increased powers and resources for the Information Commissioner and introduce custodial sentences for egregious breaches of the Data Protection Act”, ensures “that privacy policies and terms and conditions of online services, including smartphone apps, must be clear, concise and easy for the user to understand”, protects “free speech by ensuring insulting words, jokes, and non-intentional acts, are not treated as criminal, and that social media communications are not treated more harshly than other media”, opposes “the blanket collection of UK residents’ personal communications by the police or the intelligence agencies”, and gives the state “[a]ccess to metadata, live content, or the stored content of personal communications […] only […] without consent where there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity or to prevent threats to life”. On the one hand the Lib Dems put emphasis on policing. They want to “[e]nsure we continue to provide the appropriate resources to the police and intelligence agencies to meet the threat, including of cyber attack” and “[r]ecognise the expansion of warfare into the cybersphere, by investing in our security and intelligence services and acting to counter cyber attacks”. On the other hand, they do not believe in policing civil society and social media and therefore say they want to “[w]ork with religious and community leaders, civil society groups and social media sites to counter the narratives put forward by extremists, and create the space for the expression of contrary viewpoints and religious interpretations”. The general approach is that the Liberal Democrats believe that “security and liberty are two sides of the same coin: you cannot have one without the other. The police and intelligence agencies do vital work to protect the public and we are rightly proud of them. But we always have to be vigilant that the state does not overreach itself, as it has done at times through corruption, heavy-handedness or illiberal laws”. Doubts about this approach arise however for example when the Lib Dems state they want to “[e]stablish in legislation that the police and intelligence agencies should not obtain data on UK residents from foreign governments that it would not be legal to obtain in the UK under UK law”. The formulation can imply that it should be legal for the police and intelligence services to obtain data about non-UK residents from foreign governments, which proposes a nationalist separation: some privacy for British residents, surveillance of foreigners. The Lib Dems’ promises to secure civil liberties on the Internet are overshadowed by the political reality created by their coalition government with the Tories in the years 2010-2015. During this period, policing of and surveillance on the Internet have been massively advanced. Since 2012, the Pirate Bay and other file sharing platforms have blocked in the UK. Although the Lib Dems blocked the Conservatives’ idea to pass a permanent Communications Data Bill that would have implemented a 12-month retention of all connection data from phones, e-mail, Internet browsing, online games and social networks, they supported passing the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill (DRIP) as express law in July 2014. DRIP implemented a requirement of communication network providers to retain communications connection data for up to 12 months after the European Court of Justice had declared such retention unconstitutional. It allows UK authorities to obtain communications data from operators located outside the UK that collect data for communications conducted over systems they provide and that are used by people inside the UK. It also extends the definition of “telecommunication service” in a way that makes interception of content with the help of a warrant and the requirement to store connection data not just possible for phone and Internet service providers, but for all kind of Internet platforms in and outside the UK, including webmail providers, social media platforms, and all other platforms enabling online communication. The Lib Dems were politically silent when the Investigatory Powers Tribunal found against the complaints by human rights groups Liberty, Privacy International and Amnesty International that the Tempora programme, under which the British spy agency GCHQ taps into fibre-optic cables, is legal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000. The Lib Dems were again politically silent when the same Tribunal found that the sharing of intelligence data (phone and e-mail records) between GCHQ and the NSA was illegal for seven years until 2014. The Lib Dems combine neoliberal information economy politics with promises about online civil liberties that have been violated by their own coalition government, which undermines credibility. A parallel is that in 2010 the Lib Dems’ election manifesto promised to “[s]crap unfair university tuition fees for all students taking their first degree, […] saving them over £10,000 each” and to “phase fees out over six years”, while they in actual politics together with the Tories tripled the fees to £9,000 per year. There is a gap between the Lib Dems’ political promises and reality, between their ideal and actual political world. To a certain extent, the Scottish National Party (SNP) is more of a classical social democratic party than Labour has been in a long time. Its manifesto suggest for example to end austerity, increase the minimum wage, end nuclear disarmament, expand public childcare, and increase public expenditures. For achieving the latter, it wants to increase taxes on high incomes, bankers’ bonuses and mansions as well as end tax avoidance by companies and individuals who are classified as resident, but not domiciled in the UK. The SNP argues that “public sector organization should be able to bid to operate rail services, as allowed in EU law but currently prevented by UK legislation”. It wants to re-nationalise the Royal Mail, but other than the Green Party and Plaid Cymru does not explicitly demand the nationalisation of the rail system. The SNP wants to invest in infrastructures for renewable energy, rail transport and broadband in order to achieve an “improved connectivity and infrastructure that is fit for the 21st century”. It argues for a “more rapid roll out of superfast broadband and 4G across Scotland”, “increased investment in 4G”, to “support wider and affordable access to the internet in our most disadvantaged communities”, and to introduce a “Universal Service Obligation to be applied to telecoms and broadband providers ensuring everyone is able to access the communications they need”. So in relation to communications infrastructure, the SNP wants to regulate private providers so that they have are obliged to provide services universally, for example also in the sparsely populated Scottish Highlands. Commercial providers tend to neglect remote and sparsely populated areas or to treat them differently because provision tends to be less profitable there. A different approach however is to think of and support publicly and community-owned networks. The SNP is addressing this issue by suggesting free Wi-Fi in public buildings: “We also recognise the importance of improving access to the internet, especially for some of our more remote or disadvantaged communities. In government we are working to maximise the availability of high-speed broadband across Scotland and are also providing funding of £1.5 million to increase free provision of Wi-Fi in public buildings”. This approach could however be taken further by creating public Wi-Fi areas and financially supporting non-profit community-operated Wi-Fi areas. A public investment of £1.5 million is extremely modest. In relation to surveillance, the SNP does not explicitly take an approach that focuses on fostering national security by advancing social security, as the Green Party does. But it speaks out against mass surveillance: “We do not support Tory plans for the reintroduction of the so-called ‘snoopers’ charter’, which would see all online activity of every person in the UK stored for a year. Instead, we need a proportionate response to extremism. That is why we will support targeted, and properly overseen, measures to identify suspected extremists and, if necessary, examine their online activity and communications”. The SNP also calls for being “more effective at combatting cyber-terrorism” and leaves open if this means a law and order- or a different strategy. The SNP calls for tax reliefs and public support for the video games industry that is particularly strong in Scotland. It here however wants to publicly support an industry that is predominantly capitalist in character. A different approach could be taken by arguing that public support is especially provided to cultural, media and digital media companies if they are organised as non-profit, worker controlled co-operatives. The SNP has given up its idea to decrease the corporation tax in Scotland, but also its approach to make targeted tax cuts has a somewhat neoliberal aura. Wales is as a periphery within Britain. It faces social problems such as deindustrialisation, higher unemployment, deprivation and poverty as well as lower educational standards, life expectancy and wages than in England. Plaid Cymru’s manifesto is especially focused on fostering regional development and independence, which manifests itself also in its Internet politics. services and transport [contribute] to the wider sweep of inequality. For those committed to the aim of reducing such inequalities, the panoramic view is by no means a happy one”. The report Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Wales 2013 concludes: “The main problem in Wales is lack of jobs. […] Jobs will be scarce in Wales for a long time”. Britain’s uneven regional development also affects access to, speed and use of the Internet. The report Broadband Internet in Wales (2013) argues: “Wales currently has the largest proportion of premises in potential not-spots, and the lowest availability of superfast – or next generation – broadband services in the UK. […] a number of Welsh local authorities are rated by Ofcom as being among the worst performing in the UK for broadband services. […] people in the South Wales Valleys are less likely to subscribe [to broadband] than those in the rest of Great Britain”. Given that Wales is strongly affected by uneven social, economic and digital development, it is clear that regional development is a particular issue in Plaid Cymru’s election manifesto. Plaid Cymru opposes austerity, argues for economic fairness and devolvement, a Green New Deal, and employee ownership of companies. In relation to Internet development, Plaid Cymru argues: “We want to see an improved broadband connection, getting everybody online so that people can do business from home, with a target that all parts of Wales have access to speeds of at least 30Mbps and ensure that mobile phone operators provide a better service in all parts of Wales”. Overcoming the regional digital divide that affects Wales faces the problem that Internet and telecommunications are non-devolved policy areas, meaning that the development of communication infrastructures is at the moment determined by agendas that aim at treating communication, technology and networks as for profit-businesses. Plaid Cymru supports “the public ownership of railways” and to turn “local newspapers” into “community assets” so that “owners could not close them without communities having the opportunity to keep their paper”. It does not apply the same logic to communications infrastructures, which would mean questioning the for-profit character of such networks and demanding community and/or public ownership of these networks. to reflect the needs of Welsh language audiences and improve current affairs coverage in Wales”. Although Plaid Cymru takes in general a progressive political position, it in at least one realm resorts to conservative control politics when it suggests technological control measures in order to tackle cyber attacks: “Increasing reliance upon technology leaves countries open to attack by foreign powers without the need for conventional weapons. We will bolster cyber-security defence capabilities to increase security and prevent cyber-attacks”. The Green Party mentions Edward Snowden’s revelations directly and argues that mass surveillance must be avoided. It says it opposes “any case for secret unaccountable mass surveillance of the type exposed by Edward Snowden. We do accept that government law enforcement agencies may occasionally need to intercept communications in specific circumstances. Such specific surveillance should be proportionate, necessary, effective and within the rule of law, with independent judicial approval and genuine parliamentary oversight”. According to the Greens, surveillance should only be possible if it is targeted at suspects and with judicial approval. State authorities and the technologies they use should be transparent, accountable and democratically controlled: “The Green Party supports a world of open, freely flowing information. We don’t want disproportionate or unaccountable surveillance or censorship. We want a transparent state, but we want control over the data that our digital lives create. We need copyright laws that reward creators but that are consistent with digital technologies. Above all we want democratic political control of this technology. We would consider combining elements of the policies below into a comprehensive Digital Bill of Rights”. The Greens call for an overhaul of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. They like the Lib Dems suggest introduction of a Digital Bill of Rights. The one the Greens have in mind is however more advanced, not just suggesting to strengthen data protection and outlawing mass surveillance, but also making “copyright shorter in length, fair and flexible, and prevent patents applying to software”, introducing “a more satisfactory law on so-called malicious comments made on social media than the blanket and crude section 127 of the Communications Act 2003”, opposing “the privatisation of data held by the government that should be open to all, such as the Postcode Address File, or by companies providing public services, such as data on the progress of buses that can be used by Smartphone apps to predict waiting times”, and opposing “the sale of personal data, such as health or tax records, for commercial or other ends”. Although the Green Party’s Digital Bill of Rights has in general a politically progressive agenda, it does not extend to the realm of the communications infrastructure, in respect to which it only demands regulation that requires for-profit technology companies to roll out networks so that they are accessible to anyone: Government should “[e]nsure that all have digital access and give BT and other public telecommunications operators an obligation to provide affordable high-speed broadband-capable infrastructure to every household and small business. This in particular will encourage video- conferencing, helping to reduce both business and family travel”. The Greens do not extend their agenda to turn railways into a public service to communications networks. Both Plaid Cymru and the Greens question private control of railways and do not question private control of communications infrastructure, although both railways and communications are important transport infrastructures. The Green Party’s manifesto is titled “For the Common Good”, but forgets that also communication is a common good that is damaged if it is treated as a commodity. In regard to the question of how to address terrorism and crime, the Greens question law and order politics and surveillance ideologies and suggest addressing these issues in terms of their context. “Crime has a context”: education, skills, employment, family life, equality, etc. “There is more crime in more unequal societies”. They argue for creating a secure society by providing social security: “education, employment and security for all – this is the heart of Green Party crime policy”. “Take proportionate measures to protect against terrorism, ensuring that civil liberties are not undermined in the process, that communities are not scapegoated and that action reflects a genuine assessment of the threat to our security. We need targeted policing and security service activities, not mass surveillance, prisons that rehabilitate those convicted of terrorism offences and effective programmes to prevent radicalisation and to deradicalise individuals”. Internet politics is not a major issue in the 2015 British election campaigns and manifestos. It gets some attention especially in relation to online privacy and surveillance after Snowden’s revelations. The Tories and UKIP favour right-wing politics that see control and monitoring of the Internet as a solution to social and political problems. The Labour Party wants to appeal to everyone and to advance politics that at the same time advance control and freedom as well as digital capitalism and the public interest, which creates political paradoxes. The Liberal Democrats combine digital neoliberalism and a cyberlibertarian stress on online freedom that has been delegitimised by their support of right-wing control politics in a coalition with the Tories. Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, and the SNP occupy a rather left-wing political position and demand the strengthening of public services as well as, in the case of Plaid Cymru and the SNP, the nationalisation of the railways. Their digital media strategies are however too tentative and to a certain degree give in to ideas of cyber-security and capitalist control of communication networks and platforms. They lack a more committed digital politics that aims at strengthening and decommodifying the communications and digital commons. The politics these three parties suggest certainl certainly have a potential for being developed into left-wing net politics, but at the moment lack visions and ideas. Plaid Cymru favours employee ownership of companies. Co-operatives have since the start of the economic crisis in 2008 proliferated in many parts of the world, including Britain. The cultural and media sector is particularly attractive for young people. Fostering public support of this sector and combining it with the condition that young people form non-profit cultural, digital and media co-operatives could therefore be a promising alternative economic strategy. The Internet economy is dominated by targeted advertising. Think for example of Google and Facebook: They are not communication companies, but the world’s largest advertising agencies. Advertising is hardly mentioned in the 2015 British election manifestos. The Lib Dems argue to “[r]estrict the marketing of junk food to children”. The Greens want to “[s]trengthen controls on advertising directed at children”. These two instances are the only times advertising is mentioned in the election manifestos. That many people find advertising annoying, have privacy concerns about targeted advertising, that advertising is often biased and can foster economic concentration, and that the advertising industry exploits the unpaid labour of users and audiences is not an issue in the election manifestos. One could think of introducing an advertising tax and using the resulting state revenues for funding non-profit media organisations, non-commercial journalism, alternative online projects, etc. and introducing a participatory media fee. The SNP, the Greens, Plaid Cymru, and Labour want to ban Zero Hours contracts that are part of the problem of precarious labour. More could however be done to overcome precarious labour. One issue that is not addressed by any party manifesto concerns online freelancing. Online freelancing platforms are one of freelancers’ most used information sources when looking for work. They are however also largely unregulated. Given that these platforms are online and make freelancers compete against each other globally, the introduction of a reasonable minimum wage for online freelancing at the European and transnational level would therefore help to challenge the problem of low remuneration in the online freelance and sharing economy. One must take into account that most online freelancing is professional knowledge work, so a minimum wage at the level of the national minimum wage won’t suffice. Internet politics is a minority issue in the 2015 British election campaigns. No party has a full-fledged left-wing Internet strategy, although there are certainly opportunities to think about what progressive digital politics should mean today. The books will be given to the senders of the first 20 submissions (submissions affirmative of capitalism and opposed to commonism are excluded from winning because they contradict question #1). Only one submission per person is possible. Zero Books will publish the book at the end of October 2014, so the winners will be among the first getting to read it.

2019-04-24T08:58:07Z

http://fuchs.uti.at/blog/

Objective evaluations are essential to improving physical education (PE) policy and practice, and the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) is a valid and reliable tool designed to reach this end. This review assesses peer-reviewed studies that used SOFIT to describe preK-12 PE in international schools. Methods were informed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) and articles were located by searching nine library databases and Google Scholar. A total of 739 records were located, 567 were screened, and 29 full-text articles were scrutinized. Data extraction was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of the 29 studies and to synthesize commonly reported SOFIT variables. The studies, conducted on 5 continents, included direct observations of 2703 lessons in 348 schools taught by more than 600 teachers in 10 different countries. There was substantial variability in study characteristics, how results were reported, and in study outcomes. All studies assessed physical activity (PA) and 90% (n = 26) assessed both PA and lesson context. More than two-thirds of the studies (69%; n = 20) assessed PA, lesson context, and teacher behavior. A common goal of the reviewed studies was to describe PE using SOFIT, however, researcher modifications to the established protocol and variability in how results were reported limited data syntheses and generalizations. As SOFIT is widely endorsed for assessing PE policies and practices, researchers could improve the generalizability of their study findings by adhering to the standard SOFIT protocol and by reporting results in a consistent manner. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children and adolescents engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily that includes muscle and bone strengthening activities at least three times per week (WHO, 2011) . Unfortunately, more than 80% of adolescents do not meet the guidelines (WHO, 2011) and increasing physical activity (PA) among school-age children is a global priority (WHO, 2018a) . The consequences of physical inactivity are severe as sedentary living is associated with numerous health conditions. Physical inactivity is associated with increased risk for overweight and obesity and the consequences become apparent at a young age. The World Health Organization (WHO), for example, has indicated the prevalence of obesity worldwide has tripled since the onset of the obesity crisis in the 1970’s and that millions of children worldwide are already overweight or obese by age five (WHO, 2018b) . There is global consensus that physical education (PE) is an essential program within preK to grade 12 (preK-12) schools, largely because of its potential to increase PA and play an important role in obesity prevention (UNESCO, 2015) . Schools reach nearly all children and most countries have established recommendations for PE that recognize the importance of engaging students in health-enhancing MVPA during PE in order to develop student physical fitness and motor skills and to promote the engagement of lifetime PA (Hardman, 2014) . Although key stakeholders recognize that quality PE programs are a worthwhile public health investment, numerous barriers impact both the quantity and quality of PE, including limited schedules, inadequately trained teachers, lack of curricular resources, and insufficient equipment and facilities (McKenzie & Lounsbery, 2009) . Assessing how PE is conducted is an important step in overcoming these barriers. Global efforts to evaluate children’s PA and the quality of PE and other school-based PA opportunities are currently underway (Hardman, 2014; Tremblay et al., 2016) . The Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, for example, recently published Report Cards on PA for international schools from 38 countries located on 6 continents (Tremblay et al., 2016) . As well, in 2013 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published the results of a worldwide survey of PE administered in 232 countries (Hardman, 2014) . These efforts demonstrate a commitment to monitoring PE and improving its quality worldwide; experts acknowledge, however, that current data are limited, partly because objective assessment tools have not been widely adopted (Hardman, 2014; Tremblay et al., 2016) . The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) is a valid and reliable instrument for objectively assessing PE programs (McKenzie, 2012; McKenzie, Sallis, & Nader, 1991a; McKenzie & Smith, 2017) . SOFIT provides objective and contextually rich-data on the conduct of PE lessons and has been widely used. Observers are trained to use SOFIT via a standardized observation protocol that includes video segments for both instruction and assessment. Momentary time sampling methods (i.e., 10 seconds observe; 10 seconds record) are employed to simultaneously code student PA levels (i.e., lying down, sitting, standing, walking/moderate, vigorous), lesson context (i.e., how lesson time is being spent―management, knowledge, fitness, skill development, game play, free time), and teacher behavior (i.e., time spent promoting fitness, demonstrating fitness, instructing generally, managing, observing, or doing other tasks) or teacher interactions (i.e., instances of promoting “in-class” or “out-of-class” PA). Observers also record lesson start and end times, lesson location, target student gender, teacher gender, grade level, and the number of boys and girls engaged in the lesson. SOFIT student activity codes have been validated using a variety of methods, including heart rate monitoring, accelerometry, and pedometry (McKenzie et al., 1991a; Ridgers, Stratton, & McKenzie, 2010; McNamee & van der Mars, 2005) . The validity of the contextual and behavioral categories is also well-established, with studies consistently reporting significant relationships between student PA levels, how lesson time is allocated, and how teachers spend their time and interact with students (McKenzie, et al., 1991a; McKenzie, Sallis, & Nader, 1991b; McKenzie et al., 1995; McKenzie, Marshall, Sallis, & Conway, 2000; Smith, Monnat, & Lounsbery, 2015) . A recent review of SOFIT studies conducted in the US found consistently high inter-observer agreement (i.e., reliabilities > 85%) (McKenzie & Smith, 2017) . The current investigation reviews studies that used SOFIT to assess PE in preK-12 schools located outside of the US Specifically, our objectives are to describe the characteristics of international SOFIT studies and to quantitatively synthesize results for the SOFIT main variables (i.e., student PA levels, lesson context, teacher behavior) and two other commonly reported variables--class size and lesson length. SOFIT has been widely used to assess PE internationally, and this investigation complements a review of SOFIT studies published in the US between 1991-2016 (McKenzie & Smith, 2017) . This review increases awareness about research findings from studies that have utilized SOFIT to describe PA, lesson contexts, and teacher promotion of PA in international settings. The findings have important implications for public health stakeholders, teacher preparation programs, and researchers. Foremost, the findings increase awareness about the potential of PE to increase PA internationally. This is important because of the need to obtain objective evidence about opportunities for children and adolescents to accrue health-related PA. The SOFIT data specifically shed light on how teachers allocate lesson time and interact with students during PE. These factors have important implications for designing professional development for current and future teachers. Finally, this review identifies the strengths and limitations of existing international SOFIT studies and should lead to improving the data collection methods and the reporting of results in future studies. As well, because SOFIT has been recommended for surveillance (McKenzie & Smith, 2017; IOM, 2013) , our data summaries for student activity, lesson context, teacher behavior, class size, and lesson length contribute to efforts to monitor PE globally (WHO, 2018a; UNESCO, 2015; Hardman, 2014) . Based on the recommendations of Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA; see Figure 1), we completed a series of steps (Liberati, et al., 2009) . First, we determined inclusion and exclusion criteria for potential studies and then conducted a comprehensive search. We removed duplicates from the resulting lists and then screened the remaining abstracts and records. We obtained full-texts of selected papers to confirm their eligibility for inclusion and then extracted relevant data from studies meeting inclusion criteria. To be included in the review, studies had to: 1) use the standard SOFIT protocol; 2) describe PE lessons taught in typical preK-12 schools located outside of the US; and 3) be published in English in a peer-reviewed journal between 1991-2017. Table 1 describes the 29 studies meeting these general criteria. Of these, 12 met three additional criteria in order to be included in a quantitative synthesis (Table 2). These were: a) include data from at least 30 typical PE lessons that were not influenced by an experiment or intervention; b) report mean scores and standard deviations for the main SOFIT variables; and c) provide evidence that the observational data were collected reliably throughout the study. We searched nine databases for full-text, peer-reviewed research articles using the terms “physical education” OR “PE” AND “System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time” OR “SOFIT” AND “lesson context.” The databases were: 1) Academic Search Ultimate; 2) CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCO); 3) Education Research Complete (EBSCO); 4) PsycINFO; 5) SPORTDiscus with full text (EBSCO); 6) Physical Education Index (ProQuest); 7) PubMed; 8) Science Direct (Elsevier); and 9) Web of Science. As well, we searched the reference lists of selected papers and used Google Scholar to locate additional relevant papers. All authors played a role in the process. The first author was responsible for initial data extraction with help from the third author and two student assistants. The first and third authors reviewed full-texts independently, and in the rare case of a disagreement, the second author arbitrated final decisions. The study characteristics extracted from the 29 papers that met initial inclusion criteria included: 1) author; 2) publication year [1991-2017]; 3) country; 4) study design [intervention/descriptive]; 5) study aims; 6) sample size [i.e., schools, lessons, teachers, classes]; 7) reliability [i.e., certification of observers prior to data collection and the maintenance of reliability throughout the study]; 8) main SOFIT categories [i.e., student PA levels, lesson context, teacher behavior, and teacher interaction]; and 9) analyses of other selected variables [e.g., student gender, teacher preparation, lesson location, PE dosage, energy expenditure, interaction between lesson context and MVPA, class size, and lesson length] (Table 1). Table 1. Characteristics of Selected International SOFIT Studies (n = 29). (Note: Not all studies reported all characteristics). Notes: 1Descriptive (D); Intervention (I); 2Certification Reliability (CR), Field Reliability (FR); 3Physical Activity (PA), Lesson Context (LC), Teacher Behavior (TB1), Teacher PA Promotion (TB2); 4Student Gender (SG), Teacher Preparation (TP), Lesson Location (LL); 5PE Dosage (PED); Lesson Length (T); Estimated Energy Expenditure (EE); Interaction between lesson context and physical activity (I), Class Size (CS), 6data not shown; 7video or audio recorded; 8All lessons taught by PE Specialists;9Not measured objectively. (Stangroom, 2018) . Excel for Mac version 15.30 was used to compute the median, first and third quartiles, and interquartile range. Figure 2 provides a forest plot to illustrate the average MVPA% for the studies as well as the lower and upper values for the 95th confidence interval. MVPA% from 0 - 100% is noted on the abscissa and the studies are listed in ascending order on the ordinate. Figure 1 illustrates the number of records located, screened, and included in our report. We located a total of 739 records from 9 databases (n = 292) and other sources (n = 447). After removing duplicates (n = 172), we screened 567 records for eligibility and excluded 399 more for the reasons identified in Figure 1. We then evaluated 168 full-text articles and excluded 139 of them for reasons summarized in Figure 1, resulting in 29 studies that met inclusion criteria (Table 1). Table 2. Range of Study means, medians, and interquartile ranges for main SOFIT variables. Notes: 1Number of studies; 2Number of lessons observed; 3Promotion of out-of-class activity was reported in only one study ( Sutherland et al., 2016 ; Mean intervals = 0.3%; SD = 0.8%). meeting inclusion criteria. They included the direct observations of 2703 PE lessons that were taught by at least 603 teachers in more than 348 schools. The studies were conducted in preschool (n = 2), elementary (n = 16), and secondary (n = 10) school settings and one included both elementary and secondary grade levels. Studies took place on five continents [Australia (n = 8), Europe (n = 10), South America (n = 7), Asia (n = 3), and North America (n = 1)]. They included 10 different countries/territories, with most studies taking place in Australia (n = 8), England (n = 5), and Mexico (n = 4). Twenty studies (69%) were descriptive (D) and nine (31%) were part of an intervention (I). All 29 used the SOFIT PA codes and 26 (90%) also assessed lesson context. More than two-thirds (n = 20; 69%) described all three major categories--PA, lesson context, and teacher behavior. More studies used the original 6-category teacher behavior codes (n = 15; 52%) than the newer 3-category teacher interaction codes (n = 5; 17%). Twenty-three studies (80%) described how data collectors were certified prior to starting data collection and 20 (69%) described the periodic assessment of observers (i.e., reliability) in the field during the data collection period. Studies consistently reported reliability scores met or exceeded the criteria standard (≥85% agreement; McKenzie, 2012 ) with inter observer agreements ranging between 80% - 90% for each main SOFIT variable (Mode = 85%) with between 84% - 100% for PA, 86% - 100% for lesson context, and 80% - 96% for teacher behavior. Seventeen studies (59%) examined student gender, including 13 that compared boys and girls within the same lessons and four that investigated differences by class gender composition (i.e., boys-only, girls-only, and co-educational classes). Eight studies (28%) examined differences based on the preparation of teachers, mainly PE specialists vs classroom teachers. Ten studies (34%) described lessons taught only by PE specialists. Six studies (21%) investigated the location of lessons, with most comparing lessons taught indoors vs outdoors. Cardon et al. (2004) , however, compared swimming and non-swimming lessons and Sutherland et al. (2016) compared lessons taught in rural and urban schools. Twenty-three studies (79%) reported actual (i.e., observed) lesson length and 13 (45%) provided scheduled lesson length. PE dosage (i.e., lesson frequency x lesson length) was reported anecdotally, but not objectively assessed. Thirteen studies (45%) reported the number of boys and girls present in class and 13 described student activity levels during the different lesson contexts. Only four studies (14%) reported estimated student energy expenditure rates (i.e., an overall measure of PA intensity). Table 2 presents the range of mean scores, medians, and interquartile ranges for the SOFIT main variables that were identified in the 29 studies meeting the inclusionary criteria for quantitative data syntheses (i.e., included at least 30 typical PE lessons not influenced by an intervention; reported mean scores and standard deviations; and provided evidence of observer reliability throughout the study). Figure 2 provides a forest plot of mean MVPA% including the lower and upper values for the 95th confidence interval for 11 of the 12 studies included in the synthesis of MVPA%. Table 2 and Figure 2 indicate that there was substantial variability in the results both within and among the 29 studies. What follows is a description of syntheses for PA, lesson context, teacher behavior, teacher interactions, observed class size, and lesson length. Twelve of the 29 studies (41%) met the inclusion criteria for quantitative syntheses of PA. They included two preschool, three elementary, and six secondary school studies and a total of 1,170 lessons (n = 125 preschool; n = 465 elementary; n = 580 secondary) from 170 schools taught by more than 323 teachers (Table 2). Students typically spent most of lesson time standing (Median = 37.4%; IQR = 29.4% - 42.2%) or walking (Median = 28.5%; IQR = 18.6% - 33.4%) and little time being vigorous (Median = 18.8%; IQR = 13.4% - 21.5%). Study means for vigorous PA ranged between 9.0% (SD = 6.2%) and 23.8% (SD = 5.6%; Table 2). Table 2 also shows that the means for MVPA% among studies ranged between 20.9% (SD = 21.0%) and 58.2% (SD = 5.7%), with the median MVPA% being 41.9% (IQR = 37.8% - 50.5%), which is 8.1% lower than the ≥50% public health objective. Figure 2. Forest plot of mean MVPA% in international SOFIT studies. Secondary; Elementary; PreK. MVPA. Mean MVPA% was above the median in the two preschool studies (45.8%, 49.9%), but below it in four secondary and one elementary school study. Figure 2 also shows variability in MVPA% was particularly high in the secondary school studies, with MVPA% ranging between 20.9% and 58.2% (see Table 2). Analyses for student gender were reported in 6 of the 12 studies that met the criterion for PA% syntheses (data not shown). Boys were typically observed being more physically active than girls, both when compared during coeducational lessons and when class gender composition (i.e., boys-only, girls-only lessons) was considered. For example, students in boys-only classes in Hong Kong secondary schools engaged in MVPA during 38.2% of lesson time compared to 31.8% for students in girls-only classes (Chow, McKenzie, & Louie, 2009) . There was one exception, with Verstraete et al. (2007) reporting no gender differences MVPA% in their elementary school study in Belgium. Other significant findings related to MVPA% were reported. For example, Van Cauwenberghe et al. (2011) reported students accumulated greater MVPA during lessons taught by early childhood specialists than non-specialists in Belgium preschools. Additionally, Sutherland et al. (2016) found higher MVPA% during Australian secondary school lessons taught by more experienced teachers and in those conducted in urban versus rural schools. Cardon et al. (2004) also reported that MVPA% increased during swimming lessons than in non-swimming lessons in elementary school PE in Belgium (Mean MVPA% = 52% vs. 40%). Nine studies (n = 31%) met the inclusion criteria for quantitative data syntheses for lesson context. These included 2 preschool, 2 elementary, and 5 secondary school studies for a total of 1,050 lessons (n = 125 preschool; n = 426 elementary; n = 500 secondary) in 150 schools taught by more than 304 teachers (Table 2). There was substantial variability both within and among studies in how teachers allocated time to the different lesson contexts (Table 2). Overall mean management time during lessons among studies ranged between 14.0% (SD = 9.4%) and 30.8% (SD = 13.2%), while time allocated for knowledge ranged between 7.1% (SD = 7.6%) and 26.3% (SD = 12.9%) and fitness activity time ranged between 7.1% (SD = 11.4%) and 32.5% (SD = 27.0%). The variability in lesson time allocation among studies was greatest for skill practice and game play, with skill practice time ranging between 5.2% (SD = 14.6%) and 43.8% (SD = 22.6%) of lessons and game play time ranging between from 5.1% (SD = 14.4%) and 46.6% (SD = 28.0%). Noteworthy findings related to skill practice and game play were found for school level and country of origin. Skill practice was the most prevalent lesson context in the two preschool studies (Chow, McKenzie, & Louie, 2015; Van Cauwenberghe, Labarque, Gubbels, DeBourdeaudhuij, & Cardon, 2011) where it averaged 41.7% and 43.8% of lesson time. In comparison, game play was the most prevalent context in four of the five secondary school studies. On average in these four studies, game play ranged between 12.1% and 46.6% of lesson time and skill practice occurred between 5.2% and 16.5% of lessons (data not shown). The exception was the Hong Kong secondary school study (Chow, et al., 2009) which reported students spent 36.5% of lesson time in skill practice and 12.1% of it in game play. Relative to country of origin, skill practice was the most prevalent context in all three Hong Kong studies (Chow, McKenzie, & Louie, 2008; Chow et al., 2009; Chow et al., 2015) , regardless of school level (preschool, elementary, secondary) and game play was the most prevalent context in all three Australian secondary school studies (Dudley, Okely, Cotton, Pearson, & Caputi, 2012a; Dudley, Okely, Pearson, Cotton, & Caputi, 2012b; Sutherland, Campbell, Lubans et al., 2016) . Only six studies assessed MVPA% during different lesson contexts. Generally, lesson time allocated for fitness activities, skill practice, and game play was positively associated with MVPA%, and time for management and knowledge was negatively associated with it (Chow, et al., 2008; Chow, et al., 2009; Chow, et al., 2015; van Beurden, et al., 2003; Van Cauwenberghe, et al., 2011; Verstraete, 2007) . The Verstraete et al. (2007) study found that involving teachers in a professional development intervention led to them being more efficient in allocating lesson time and this subsequently increased student MVPA%. Seven studies (n = 24%) met the inclusion criteria for a quantitative syntheses for teacher behavior. These included two preschool, one elementary, and four secondary school studies for a total of 841 lessons (n = 125 preschool, n = 368 elementary, and n = 348 secondary) from 122 schools taught by 280 teachers (Table 2). General instruction was most the most prevalent teacher behavior, and it occurred between 49.1% (SD = 12.8) and 69.2% (SD = 15.4) of the time in six of the seven studies (data not shown). In contrast, the same studies found teachers spent between 18.1% (SD = 11.4%) and 24.2% (SD = 20.7%) of lesson time in management and less than 13% of lesson time in fitness promotion (data not shown). The one exception was the Hong Kong preschool study (Chow, et al., 2015) where teachers were observed managing nearly half the time (Mean = 46.5%; SD = 21.5%) and spending little lesson time in general instruction (Mean = 6.7%; SD = 8.4%; data not shown). Five studies (17%) described teacher interactions, but only three secondary studies met the inclusion criteria for a quantitative synthesis. These included a total of 232 lessons from 22 schools taught by more than 48 teachers (Table 2). Teachers promoted student engagement in PA during PE between 10.1% (SD = 8.2%) and 30.8% (SD = 19.4%) of the 10 second observation intervals (Median = 28.6%; IQR = 19.4% - 29.7%; Table 2). Meanwhile, only Sutherland et al. (2016) found that that teachers promoted PA beyond the current lesson and they reported that it occurred rarely (Mean = 0.3% of intervals; SD = 0.8%; Table 2). Thirteen studies (45%) reported observed class size, but only four (14%), met the criteria for inclusion in a quantitative synthesis. These included one preschool study (n = 125 lessons) and three secondary school studies (n = 318 lessons) for a total of 408 observed lessons in 44 schools taught by 130 teachers (Median = 22.6 students; IQR = 20.6 - 26.1; Table 2). The smallest classes observed were reported by Curtner-Smith, et al., 1995 in secondary schools in England (Mean = 18.5 students; SD = 6.0) and the largest were reported by Chow et al., 2009 in secondary schools in Hong Kong (Mean = 32.8 students; SD = 9.0). Lesson length was described in 23 studies (79%), but only six (21%) met the inclusion criteria for a quantitative synthesis. These included two preschool, one elementary, and three secondary school studies for a total of 344 total lessons (n = 125 preschool; n = 39 elementary; n = 180 secondary) in 75 schools and taught by more than 100 teachers (Table 2). Mean study lesson length ranged from 19.8 minutes (SD = 4.2) in four preschools in Hong Kong (Chow et al., 2015) to 43.8 minutes (SD = 11.8) in five secondary schools in England (Median = 39.9; IQR = 36.9 - 43.3; Curtner-Smith et al., 1995 ). Two Australian studies were not included in the quantitative syntheses because they did not report data means and standard deviations; nonetheless, lesson length in these cases ranged widely, between 19 - 110 minutes (data not shown; Dudley et al., 2012a; Dudley et al., 2012b ). Thirteen studies (45%) reported the number of PE minutes scheduled weekly, but only Chow et al. (2015) indicated students (preschool) had PE daily (between 25 - 30 minutes a day). The other 12 studies reported that students were typically scheduled to have PE lessons 1 - 2 days per week (Mode = 2 days per week) that they were between 20 - 120 minutes long (data not shown). Actual observed lesson length was typically shorter than the scheduled lesson length because of student transitions to the instructional areas. Studies in Hong Kong elementary and secondary schools reported actual observed lessons were from 22% to 27% shorter than their scheduled lengths (Chow et al., 2008; Chow et al., 2009) . In the Cardon et al. (2004) study, mean scheduled time was much longer for swimming lessons than regular lessons (83.0 min; SD = 22.0 min vs. 50.8 mi; SD = 7.1 min; data not shown), however, lesson scheduled length was not significantly associated with the proportion of time that students were engaged in MVPA. Our purpose was to review SOFIT PE studies conducted in preK-12 schools outside the US. We located 739 records and systematically assessed 29 studies that were conducted in 10 different countries on 5 continents. Data for these studies were obtained via trained observers that used the same SOFIT instrument reliably to directly assess 2703 lessons that were taught by more than 603 teachers in 348 schools. Most of the 29 studies were conducted in elementary and secondary schools, but two involved preschools. All 29 studies used SOFIT to describe PA, 90% described PA and lesson context, and 69% assessed PA, lesson context, and teacher behavior. Relative to teacher behavior, more studies assessed how teachers spent lesson time generally (i.e., teacher behavior categories, n = 15; 52%) rather than assessing teacher interactions related to promoting PA (teacher interaction, n = 5; 17%). Assessments of teachers promoting PA “in” and “out” of PE lessons are thus limited; as teacher promotion of PA is important, future studies should focus on it. Although 90% of studies examined both PA and lesson contexts, only 13 (45%) assessed PA levels during the different contexts. Such an analysis requires entering data line-by-line data rather than entering lesson summary scores only. Entering data line-by-line is especially recommended for intervention studies because it will enable a more fine-tuned analysis of how changes in MVPA came about. Synthesizing the results of studies was challenging because papers often did not always report specific information, such as for sample sizes (i.e., number of schools, teachers, and/or classes), field reliability tests, and standard deviations. Precision in sample size (i.e., number of schools, teachers, and classes) was lacking in numerous studies. Specifically, within the 29 studies where data were synthesized, one paper did not identify the number of schools, six did not identify the number of teachers, and five did not indicate the number of different classes observed. Additionally, it was not always clear if “lessons” and “classes” were distinct or if the terms were synonymous. Accurate and complete reporting of sample sizes is essential for understanding the scope of studies and should be reported consistently (e.g., how many schools were included, how many teachers, and how many distinct classes). In some cases, the trustworthiness of the data was limited because observer reliabilities were not reported. Reliabilities were reported for 25 of the 29 studies, and the results consistently exceeded the established SOFIT protocol standard (i.e., >85% agreement). Not all studies reported detailed scores for certification and field tests, and subsequently 12 (41%) were excluded from quantitative syntheses because they did not provide sufficient evidence of data reliability throughout the study. Of these, four did not report any reliabilities, seven described reliabilities only during observer training, and one reported a low kappa value (i.e., kappa = 0.091). A strength of SOFIT is that following a standardized protocol makes comparisons among studies possible, but this is only appropriate when the data are trustworthy (i.e., reliable). Syntheses of lesson length and class size were limited, mainly because standard deviation scores and or reliabilities were not reported. Nearly 80% of studies (n = 23) described actual lesson length and 45% (n = 13) reported class size; however, only six and four studies, respectively, were synthesized, primarily because standard deviation scores were not reported and/or it was not clear if observer reliabilities were maintained. Lesson length and class size have important implications for PE dosage and program quality, and it is important that this information be included in studies. Future reports should also include standard deviation scores and results of reliability assessments. Only 12 out of 29 studies met the criteria for synthesis of PA% and fewer studies qualified for syntheses of other variables (i.e., lesson context, teacher behavior, teacher interactions, class size, and lesson length). Nonetheless, important findings emerged relative to the variability of study means scores and ranges of means among studies (Table 2). Results for PA were highly variable, but overall, students spent large amounts of lesson time being inactive. They spent more time standing (Median = 37.4%) compared to walking/moderate (Median = 28.5%) and engaging in vigorous PA (Median = 18.8%). Study means for vigorous PA% were between 9.0% - 23.8%. With lessons being infrequent and oftentimes of short duration, it appears little time was available for students to improve their physical fitness. Only five of 29 studies met the public health of 50% MVPA. Further, there were differences by student gender, with boys accruing more MVPA than girls. This was found during both coeducational lessons and during boys-only and girls-only lessons. Teachers should strive to achieve the public health goal of 50% MVPA and provide more equitable PA opportunities for boys and girls. An important finding was the large variability among studies in how time was allocated to the different lesson contexts (Table 2). Study means ranged widely; 41.5% for game play, 38.6% for skill practice, 25.4% for fitness, 16.8% for management, and 19.2% for knowledge (Table 2). These findings indicate lesson efficiency can be improved and suggest that assessing PA during different lesson contexts is important. There was also variability in teacher behavior among the studies. Teachers spent more time in general instruction, rather than demonstrating and promoting fitness. In the four studies that assessed teacher interactions, teacher promotion of MVPA beyond the immediate lesson was observed rarely (during less than 1% of observation intervals). The variability in PA, time spent in lesson contexts, and teacher behavior within and among studies illustrates that the conduct PE is substantially different and may depend on where a child lives and goes to school. Time allocations for different lesson contexts and teacher behaviors reflect both programmatic goals and teacher expertise. PE stakeholders can benefit from ongoing dialogue related to PE curricula and instructional methods with the aim of greater consistency within and among programs worldwide. Class size and lesson length varied widely and these variables have important implications for program outcomes. Chow et al. (2008) counted an average of 33.6 students in Hong Kong lessons (range = 15 to 45), nearly twice as many as many as in the two studies by Curtner-Smith and colleagues in England in 1995 and 1996and a third larger than the two secondary school studies in Australia reported by Dudley and colleagues in 2012. As well, PE was typically offered only two days per week with daily PE was identified only for the children in Hong Kong preschools. As well, the total minutes per lesson (e.g., 20 - 120 minutes) and per week varied widely. In many cases investigators reported that there were regional recommendations for PE time, but they also identified that school administrators were responsible for making site-based scheduling decisions for PE. Greater consistency in class size and lesson length at the school site level could ensure students have more equitable opportunities to become physically educated regardless of where they live. The findings of this investigation are similar to those reported in our review of SOFIT studies conducted in the US (McKenzie & Smith, 2017) . For example, the challenges with synthesizing data were similar due important information being left out or reported inconsistently (i.e., observer reliabilities, sample sizes, and standard deviations). Nonetheless, there was similar variability in lesson characteristics in both the US studies and the current ones (e.g., how time was spent in lesson contexts). A major difference between the US and international studies is the sample size, especially the number of lessons and schools observed. The 29 US studies included observations of 12,256 lessons, nearly five times the number of the 29 international studies. This difference is likely because SOFIT was used in randomized control-trials (e.g., SPARK, MSPAN, CATCH, TAAG) that were conducted in the US and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The current description is limited to the assessment of the peer-reviewed reports of 29 different investigations that included direct observations of 2703 lessons using SOFIT in schools in 10 countries. Out syntheses of the main SOFIT variables were restricted to only the 12 studies that included at least 30 typical PE lessons that were not influenced by experiment or intervention, identified mean scores and standard deviations for main SOFIT variables, and provided evidence of observer reliability throughout the study. As the original study locations (e.g., county, city, school district, and schools) and the lessons themselves were not selected at random, our results may not accurately reflect the conduct of PE globally. Nonetheless, the review has important implications for increasing awareness about the characteristics of preK-12 PE in international schools and for the conduct of future PE studies. Assessing PE is essential for improving its quality, and SOFIT has potential as a ground truthing tool that helps inform programmatic and instructional improvement efforts. In order to realize this potential, however, there is need for additional observations of PE in preK-12 international schools and for greater consistency in study design and how results are reported. To inform policy and best practices that could improve PE globally, it is important for future investigations using direct observation to establish observer reliability prior to the start of data collection and continue to assess it throughout the study. As well, the utility and generalizability of the results of these studies can be improved by reporting sample sizes, means, and standard deviations scores in a consistent manner. Improved generalizability could result from investigators adhering to the standard SOFIT protocol and using the observer training videos that available for no cost on YouTube. For larger studies, investigators should consider using the iSOFIT iOS application. This app is free and it has the potential to streamline data entry and reporting processes (e.g., it generates data graphs immediately and can export data files via email). SOFIT provides objective data on student physical activity levels and how teachers allocate lesson time and behave during lessons. The resulting information can be used to assess how well these factors align with programmatic and instructional goals. PE goals may differ by country, state/province, school district, school, grade level, and even teacher. SOFIT was developed with the belief that PE should be conducted in a pleasant environment that provides students with ample amounts of MVPA in order for them to accrue health benefits while simultaneously becoming physically fit and motorically skilled. The instrument examines the potential of lessons relative to these goals; it does not assess opportunities for students to reach other relevant PE goals such as cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes. We thank California State University Fresno students Jenna Aoki and Calixte Aholu for their assistance with data extraction. The study was conceptualized by NS and TM. NS was responsible for all aspects of the process including the literature search, study selection, data extraction, data synthesis, and manuscript preparation. TM guided study conceptualization and methodology and made substantial contributions during the writing process. AH assisted with study selection, data extraction, and assessment of reliabilities. All authors read and reviewed the final version of the manuscript and agree with the order of presentation of the authors. This research received no funding from agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Supplementary data are available upon request.

2019-04-21T20:15:43Z

https://file.scirp.org/Html/5-1600453_89794.htm

An opportunity to examine your own views on the martial philosophies of others. Beware becoming a prisoner of other people's thoughts and words ... examine carefully for your self. Never underestimate the part that your mind can play in your own success .... or failure. Belief gives birth to power. Mind is everything, your mind generates energy and spirit. There are many that struggle to the edge of the tatami but when their foot touches it, they are transformed . . . this is spirit. "You may well be able to put your mind where you will . . . but you'll not be able to leave it there." Ivor. Can this be the ‘magic’ in Aikido? Why do we bow to O-Sensei ? O-Sensei’s poems, what do they mean to you? On the benefits of workshops and courses. Qualities possible from martial arts practice. A principle that weapon’s practice supports. Let wisdom be the hero for the day. Ki, extension and relaxation = power. Several short references to Ki and power. It’s a little known but natural phenomenon called the ‘ideomotor effect’ and has been written about before with regard to aikido, particularly in relationship to ki power. Simply put, muscles in the body join in with a person’s will or belief without informing that person they have done so. The person will be unaware that the muscles engaged, in fact they might even argue that they were relaxed at the time – they will not be aware of the underlying muscle involvement. This is what I think she is doing; this is my understanding . . . as the knees bend and begin closure, her mind is doing the opposite, it is telling the knees to open. This in turn will trigger the ideomotor effect and bring muscles into play which balance the posture – balanced = no strain. We tend to think, the mind is doing it, but the mind is triggering muscles to act on your behalf without knowingly engaging them. This is one of the reasons we should at least look at other styles of Aikido. Take Ki Aikido or at least Koichi Tohei's view on it. There may be many teachers out there who do not commonly practise 'ki exercises', perhaps don't even know about them! Here I've taken a picture from Aikido in Daily Life showing thumb and finger held together, once by physical and known strength and the other relaxed but using mind power. The object of the exercise is to see which remains intact after a partner tries to pull them apart. By imagining (believing) that the fingers make an iron ring they prove the most powerful. Power without effort. How do you think the ‘unbendable arm’ exercise works? We never really question it, because it is the magic ingredient ‘ki’ isn’t it? Well perhaps it is in a way. The better your mind is trained in channelling belief the better, the more relaxed your muscles the easier energy can flow. Success in the practice breeds more belief and therefore greater success . . . but we continue to feel no physical feed back – in fact we feel even less. The big guy falls over and you wonder why he did, as you hadn’t put any physical effort into the technique yet ! What about the age old story of the woman who lifts a car to save a child, yet afterwards cannot explain how; In such a case, instinctive and long hidden nature kicks in, maternal instinct, adrenalin and unity of mind, body and spirit combine with an unbreakable intent to achieve – simple as that. That’s why we can’t do it in ordinary life – because of how we are educated to grow up (eg, ‘sit up straight!), nothing is connected up properly and our mind interferes with our true ability and causes doubt to act against our hidden powers. Don’t do it, but you could go outside and try and lift your car now . . . doubt has already defeated you as you walk to the door. The martial arts are a pathway to change all that. The ideomotor effect also throws light on how another can detect your intentions. Hiding what you intend to do requires some skill and practise. Remember, almost imperceptible muscle movements will occur the moment you create mind intent. Ever wondered why some people have 'seen' your attack coming so early that your attack has to follow and try and catch up – leading to your downfall? (Boxers can avoid punches that are so fast they shouldn’t be able to – they have read the signals that precede the physical action). Highly skilled martial artists see these miniscule indications of intent, perhaps not consciously but at a deeper level they themselves cannot explain. Ki exercises are one way to enhance your natural abilities. Call it what you like, even magic if you will, but it does exist and can be trained. In conclusion; Ki, extension and relaxation = power. Ki – imagination – belief gives birth to power – the energy can become a reality. Like in the tai chi practitioner's knees or the finger joints in Tohei's exercise, the joints are open, relaxed – it is the space between that allows the 'magic' to travel. “In nothingness, there is everything.” You just need to ask your mind to take you there ! It’s only my opinion . . . but I’m happy with it . . . so far ! Richard Small December 2015 . . . and in 2017 it still seems correct to me. These are my own views, based upon the teachings of others and my own experience. It’s an amalgamation of eastern and western culture but which retains value for self and respect for others. I am of the opinion that to gain the most from your practice you are best bowing consciously, perhaps with a sense of both giving and of receiving. Strange as it may seem the act of kindness and its effects confer more power upon you than not. So in a way, kindness is unselfishly selfish. Respect the mat and the dojo, respect your teacher and partner and respect is returned. This is a good lesson for everyday life and in part this too is one of the great benefits of training in the art. There may be more than one reason for placing the hands together in ‘prayer’ position. Connecting hands in such a way connects left side of body with right side, making you naturally whole. It connects two major pressure points (nerve centres) in the palms together, one side being Yin and the other yang. It creates a balance of opposites and harmony. I read recently that the first of two claps is to connect outwardly, to send out your spirit to connect with the universal and that the second clap is inviting the universal to come and join with you. You can try this for yourself, I’d almost make a bet that you will find it very difficult to experience either the out or the in whilst making the clap. It is easier when your mind is quiet and the body not active. Whatever you chose to do and for whatever your reason you will still find it beneficial to have a purpose of good intent and to engage with it meaningfully. There is more to Aikido than technique ! I’ve chosen one verse from many; can it have meaning for you, a meaning that possibly is only for you. It is often the way, for to each of us the same something can appear quite different. This is my current interpretation. My feeling here is firstly that of an awareness or sense of Earth that holds me up (in your mind, stand not on the earth but let the earth push upwards, you will feel strangely lighter when you do this) and an indefinable concept of some on high celestial heaven, essentially a place in your mind that is above you. (Might just be a concept created by your own self from extending consciousness beyond self but feel a sense of connection with the top of your head, the crown chakra or celestial gate). Much of this ‘mind work’ is about creating mechanisms that in turn allow you to experience feelings that would otherwise be difficult to ever find. O-Sensei suggests ‘standing amidst’, so we can imagine heaven and earth as two separate entities and place ourselves between them. We then become the connection and become the bridge between heaven and earth. (You may feel a slight and involuntary elongation in your spine when you do this. Opening spaces within the body is a way of becoming one with the spaces in the universe – for they are the same). O-Sensei continues; ‘connecting with Ki’: imagine now your own consciousness, aura, Ki, life force, what ever you wish to call it, expanding in all directions, reaching out and as it does so touching the energies of everything around you . . . and as far out into the cosmos as you like, for your imagination is boundless. The ‘echo of all things’ is merely your awareness that you your own ‘Ki’ has touched and recognised the oneness in all it touches. Well, this is my interpretation at my current understanding. Perhaps if O-Sensei was here and I could understand him he might say, ‘total cobblers’ or perhaps ‘not bad, keep looking’. We will never know . . . or will we? Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. Okay, so it’s a bit over the top but the sentiments remain true. What can we gain from a workshop or seminar that goes beyond our normal class? What can we give too? There are many gifts; the greatest is to yourself, then there is the support you give to the local teacher and the guest teacher, a support without which clubs would eventually fall into oblivion. . . so your gift includes the perpetuation of the art. There is the gift of your own knowledge, given without ego; the gift of friendship between strangers; the gift of joy in sharing O-Sensei’s art; the gift of question to the teacher who will learn from your question alone, whatever your level. Mainly we get as much as we are prepared to give, it is mutual. Without a training partner your quest is fruitless; as is a teacher without a student. What keeps us from attending workshops? Perhaps you have sound reasons why attendance is not possible and after all it is your life in which you must do your best for all. Perhaps you have darker reasons for not attending and they relate to your own problems and insecurities. Perhaps you should question the depth to which you follow O-Sensei’s ethics. I do. If you are annoyed by this then you probably don’t! I attended the 25th May Bukiwaza workshop hosted by Wellsprings Aikido in Dorset, taught by Sensei Paul McGlone of TIA Europe; the subject was 13 Jo Kata and associated awase. I was also honoured to be asked to teach at the Wellsprings Club Friday night class the night before the workshop. Teaching is one of the greatest tools to learning. . . you soon find out if you are in error. There were things I could show and those I could not, some of which I’d thought were fairly problem free. We specifically looked at the strengths and weaknesses of pins. . . but how wrong can you be when a 4th kyu so easily evades your pin. When I was younger and stronger I would have used just that to try and win but now I know I must find a path that is successful by other means. We need errors and failures; it is what shows us the truth of the matter and it is at the heart of our learning. If we don’t embrace challenge and step out of our comfort zone how can we ever progress except perhaps in our imagination. Later that evening I had a conversation with Sensei Mark about the subject of reality in Aikido and what constituted reality. It moved on to practical evasion from kihon; He gripped my wrist and I thought, ‘I know too much, I will move easily and he will be surprised’; the surprise was all mine as I couldn’t move. He explained that he was ‘cheating’ as he called it by making small changes to posture that countered my moving. Is that cheating? Is it not also a reality? I already have much to think about and we haven’t even started the Bukiwaza workshop yet. The day of the 13 Jo workshop. When we arrived at the venue, a really beautiful village sports facility bathed in sunshine, some students were already there and everyone happily helped to carry in what was needed; another gift, the joy of willing people sharing a task. Some students came late, an hour late. All the way from Reading the Bank holiday traffic had taken its toll on their travels; another gift arrives, understanding, empathy, sympathy, welcoming smiles. When asked by Sensei Mcglone, all present accepted that they already knew the 13 count Jo Kata, and we did too. . . our version of it anyway. We were asked to demonstrate as Sensei counted the moves. We received our first big correction after the very first move. Any guesses? You’ll have done it at some time and almost certainly will again! Don’t look down. . . your feet have been with you a long time, you shouldn’t need to look when you place the tip of the Jo on the ground. Of course, silly us, we knew that didn’t we? How annoying that we let ourselves down before we even started. We often ‘know’ something that we would correct in others and yet we fall into the same trap. . . this in itself is a giant learning point. Other corrections followed, accompanied by sound reasoning why it should be so. There are other ways but the logic of the method shown was indisputable, so lots of room for thought again. There was much emphasis on blending. . . . ah yes we know that too . . . but this was deeper than we had thought to go. It was about connecting, sensing breath, energy and intention in your partner so that you effect a true harmony and not just blend to escape. If anything it was blend to become one. Most notably in the 2nd move of the kata awase, using their energy to drive the movement of high speed turn and strike. No wasted foot movements that rob you of time, everything efficiently executed. 3rd tsuki from your partner is not blocked and almost not parried either, just softly blended and deflected. I’d been working for several months on a powerful counter deflection prior to completing the tsuki but Sensei McGlone’s version didn’t do this it merely changed direction and was easily lined up for the finishing tsuki. There were many such enlightenments, all of which were ably demonstrated with accompanying explanation; though it was not needed as the effectiveness of the demonstration was evident. Key points? True blending at a deeper level, awareness, no wasted movements, know when and how to move off line as necessary, blend with the partner’s energy. . . engage with it and use it to power your own sense of movement. For me it was a wonderful weekend with the blessings of fine weather, good food, great friends and good teaching. . . it enabled me the privilege of several more steps on the spiritual pathway. What can you get from attending a workshop? Everything, absolutely everything, just keep an open mind about you. There are more bukiwaza workshops to come at Wellsprings and DVD copies are available too. However, you simply cannot beat, being there! In no particular order the following are a sample of the admirable qualities to be gained in the pursuit of a martial art. humour; co-ordination, (of mind and body); flexibility; intuition. These are transferable skills that will serve you well in life. They are yours for the having, if you so wish. Regardless of style, how often will you have heard the advice, ’extend’, whether it be to extend ki or merely to reach out physically? When you extend ki there will always be an unintentional and often unrealised slight physical extension anyway; it is better to think of it in an energy way rather than extending only physically for that can lead to tightening of muscles and locking of one’s own joints. If you observe any of the great masters their ‘extension’ is evident, it is clearly visible. Old film of O-Sensei shows his extension energetically and physically. So let us presume this is an essential part of the art we follow. How do you use your Aiki weapons? Do you extend your mind into the weapons? Do you reach out, keeping joints relaxed but open? Do you maintain good connection, not only with you and the Jo but with your arms and the rest of your body? Are you relaxed and yet focussed (concentrated) in your movements? Is the grip you have, relaxed, connected and effective? Do you keep the Jo (weapon) in harmony with your body? Explore an idea; Try any weapons move you know. . . preferably very slowly, and consider the relationship with yourself and the Jo at all times during the move. Is your own action causing your joints to be stressed? A common example is in high Tsuki, if the hand is too far away from your body there is a tendency for the fingers to be wrenched open … Aikido isn’t meant to self inflict damage to your own body ! Hands should always be able to retain a relaxed grip; this allows the shoulders to relax too. If it doesn’t feel right then it probably isn’t. Using the mind to extend Ki does not mean that any of your joints are locked nor your muscles tight. . . a controlled relaxation is the result. In the high tsuki mentioned earlier the arm may be bent but there is a sense of opening and reaching out which gives it its power. . . it is truly connected and at one with the whole body. It is my view that extending Ki is an essence in weapons work and therefore can develop that principle into a natural habit available to you in all your Aikido. Sensei Sargeant in high tsuki in 13 kata. Note expression of energy in addition to front hand position. Sensei Stoliarov assisting. The essence of kokyo dosa ... connection, extension, ki. Once at an Aikido seminar the quiet of lunch time was broken by the heavy click clack sound of Jo on Jo; at the far end of the dojo a man wearing a hakama energetically jousted with a kyu grade on the 31 partner practice. Nothing conflicts with etiquette about training in your lunchtime but let’s ask what does conflict with etiquette and indeed the high value principles of Aikido to which we all say we aspire? Firstly, we should question why there is so much noise involved with Jo on Jo. Is it that we are trying too hard? Do we want every one to turn their heads and admire our skills? Is it that we ‘want to win’ too much? Is it our ego that drives this desire? If we are practising Aikido shouldn’t one of the principles be to first escape an attack and secondly to blend with it, taking the attacker’s mind or body, or both, prior to completing the appropriate technique in a peaceful and harmonious way. It is from the latter that great power comes and not the weakness that we normally associate, hence we normally put in too much strength, thinking that connected relaxation could never be enough. . . but it is. Secondly, whose Jo were they using? You’ve guessed the answer by recognising the question, it wasn’t their own. Now this is bad etiquette, you should never use another persons weapons without gaining permission. . . will you buy them another if you damage it? (Especially if you are going to practice in a harsh and foolish manner). Once again it may be our old enemy, Ego, that thinks we are more important than another and that our importance overrides etiquette. So, consider on your path of Aiki what is of true value on your way, if you have to pick up someone else’s Jo use it to beat your own Ego out of yourself . . . otherwise leave it alone, it is very bad etiquette. Even the apology afterwards is insufficient, and the absence of one should speak volumes. Written in the spirit of education. . . and just a little ego !! My soul didn’t ask me to write this, it demanded it of me. The trouble is the language of the soul doesn’t translate very well into English and concepts exist that find no words in our language. However, I shall do my best, which is probably what you do too. . . or at least that's what we often say we do, don’t we? Poor old O’Sensei, he had such a noble dream to reconcile the world in peace through Aikido. It might just be possible if we all tried harder for that goal. I am minded of a story about two birds discussing falling snow and its weight; one said, “snow is so light, it weighs nothing, why I have seen it lifted in the wind.” The other replied, “I think not friend, for I once watched snow landing on a mighty tree branch, snow flake after snow flake landed and the branch held strong . . . until just one single snowflake more landed and that branch was felled. . . just one tiny snowflake was all it took.” The moral being perhaps that in life situations we can be that outwardly insignificant thing that finally tips the balance. But I digress, the soul wants me to write of other things; to question why we might do Aikido, what qualities do we seek. . . if at all, what teachers we might follow, who do we think should be practising Aikido or not, more importantly; who or what do we aspire to, who to emulate, who to cast aside. Are they not all snowflakes? If none of this means anything to your own soul please don’t read anymore, go and do something that you think is more important. It’s your soul that matters and not the calculating, time constrained egoic left side of your brain; you know, the side that just looked at how many more lines there are to read, or the clock, or thought about a snack, or what’s on TV, or ‘who does this bloke think he is?’ It’s the side of the brain that will let you down one day when it decides it doesn’t know the answer. . . an answer that your soul knew from birth but you don’t listen. When we are young, lots of not so old people actually look really old to us and we foolishly look down on them, seeing them as less able or defective in some way that we of course are not. I learned a lesson many years ago for which I remain grateful. I had not been practising Aikido that long but had risen to the dizzy heights of yellow belt where I was at one with the universe! My teacher at the time, Sensei Aubrey Smith, had organised a workshop with a visiting teacher at our small dojo in Wellingbrough. I sat on a chair in the dojo along with another yellow belt, I think his name was Mick, a swimming instructor he was. We were waiting for a few more to turn up when this seemingly short and elderly chap came in and put a briefcase down on a chair before leaving the room again. Mick and I looked at each other; we were amazed that this little old chap (as we saw him from our twenty year old eyes) was going to attempt Aikido. Didn't he realise it was a martial art and required youth and strength to perform. . . why, he was just wasting his time, he might get hurt. Our Sensei entered the dojo and we lined up ready for the start; the visiting teacher entered and we were totally gob-smacked that it was the old chap we had written off before. He was a second dan at the time and we know of him now as 8th dan Sensei Pat Stratford. I was to meet Sensei Pat again when we travelled to his club in Coventry where he hosted a course with Sensei Andre Noquet of France . . . another old man, (from our twenty year old eyes). Please realise that I write with affection and respect for these masters, past and present. I may not remember the techniques but I remember the men and the lessons I learned and I have gratitude for their unstinting devotion to the art and to the efforts they made to share it. I also recall an elderly dan grade who trained with us in Cambridge; it was annoying if I found that he was my partner because I couldn't throw him about and inflict my 'Aikido' on him like with a younger 'proper' uke. How sad that we can practice an art about which we often understand nothing. It shouldn't have mattered about his age, it is not up to uke to develop our Aikido but it is up to us; another valuable lesson from the 'has-beens' as we so foolishly think them. O'Sensei was an old man, why don't we discount him too, or perhaps you have. There are a few of these older chaps about and so often they have little publicity and fewer students, a handful at most. Many students want a dynamic teacher, a Bruce Lee type, not someone who looks like they live in an old people's home. They choose a teacher that fits their mind set and what they think they want from Aikido; yet that too will change in them with the changing years . . . if they keep going that is, for many will abandon the art when it no longer suits their ageing body. The art will never abandon us; it is only we that are guilty of that deed. The older teacher probably has all the answers to which the younger student, or even teacher, hasn't even discovered the questions. Whatever we do in life, much of it will have depended on the help of others. . . you'd be dead now if your parents hadn't fed and looked after you, you don't make your own clothes you probably don't gather your own food, you wouldn't be reading this if someone hadn't taken the time and trouble to help and guide you. You think you did it all yourself? Then you suffer from another problem that martial arts should have helped you with. . . ego, let's make that Ego. O'Sensei wrote about taking the sword and cutting down the enemy. And where did he suggest we would meet this enemy? Inside, of course. What form did O'Sensei suggest this enemy would take? I'm not sure that he extrapolated on his suggestion but I would hazard a guess that it wasn't anything on the following list; loyalty, honour, integrity, gratitude, patience, endurance, tenacity, compassion, generosity, understanding, harmony, spirit, in fact harmony of spirit through our endeavours. I nearly wrote some more there, but have deleted it when I realised it was not my soul but my thinking brain that wanted to say it and there is no place here for such thoughts. I will close by thanking all my teachers whoever they were or are, in life or in death, some gem of wisdom has stayed with me from each and every one, I am grateful for all the efforts they made in the search of their art and their willingness to share it freely. Let wisdom be the hero for the day. . . . for a change. In Wudang mountain a Taoist monk once said to the visiting students, “seeing is not seeing.” In that fortunately receptive moment I understood what he meant. Illusion; almost all is illusion, all colour that we see is not real, it is an illusion created by our mind so that we can distinguish our environment. Our sight is illusion too in that the ‘blind spot’ that we all have in our eyes cannot be found by trying to find it in the space in front of us. The brain knows that something should be there and creates an image that fills the blind spot. The blind spot has disappeared from our vision. When you look in the mirror you rarely see yourself as you really are, you see an image that is your perception of who you think you are. Magician’s work their magic and make things disappear in front of our eyes; it is a trick, our mind sees what it thinks the eyes have seen and if the eyes have missed something, then the brain just makes something up that fits. I read somewhere O- Sensei seemed to disappear when attacked, much to the surprise of the attacker. Note that to the observer nothing of the sort seemed to happen, therefore we can presume that it has something to do with the impression felt by the attacker alone. My own novice view is that this surprise was multi layered. Let’s consider the implications for our own learning if we want to emulate O-Sensei’s skills. What he did, we may never know. What he might have done, we can explore. Perhaps Uke is distracted; by a movement across his eye-line. A 'temporary blinding' either because their sight is obstructed or that their eyes followed the movement and took their mind with it; if their mind has gone from where nage was and followed something else … then has nage ‘disappeared’? Eyes are an essential component of your power, your ability and your understanding. We can test this easily by pushing on someone who stands in good posture and whose eyes are looking forward, yet when they look down they are more easily moved. . . their eyes and their intention are no longer one with their body. The next thing to consider is the simple physical level. This is where you don't visually disappear but physically you feel like you have to the Uke. Uke directs a force towards Nage and makes contact, this satisfies Uke that his purpose is being fulfilled. . . as long as certain criteria are met by Nage that is. Retaining the point of contact Nage can withdraw his body and neutralise the force. Neutralise is the better description than deflect or avoid or any other word that you might substitute. Uke's body experience is that everything is alright and going to plan, Uke has put the force exactly where they wanted and it has not been interfered with, therefore they continue with what to the observer is a senseless strike. . . however, Uke’s eyes tell a different tale, all has gone wrong, they have missed their target. Their target is no longer where they thought it was, it has 'disappeared'. The strange thing is we trust our body more than our eyes and the Uke inexplicably continues to apply force in their chosen direction; Uke cannot feel any hard resistance but is aware that there is still 'something' inexplicably tangible there to push; so they do, to no avail. For Nage's part they have retained a passive presence at the point of contact while being active in moving the rest of their body, storing their own power as they do so. Nage is active in setting up their own posture and energy to advantage at the same time as Uke’s attack is failing. Perhaps O- Sensei had surpassed these methods and was using an ‘energy’ level technique. We shouldn’t really call it technique either as it is closer to ‘magic; something few understand but at which many marvel. The placing of one’s mind outside the body can create a tangible, if subtle, presence which influences something in another person. Isn’t this the ‘Ki’ in Aikido? O- Sensei said that he was aware that these things happened but could not explain it. It is not really something anyone can explain or intellectualise, simply something that you ‘know’ exists when you ‘experience’ it. My own valued and respected teacher, Sensei Tony Sargeant is not only a dedicated student of O- Sensei’s Aikido but has studied Tai Chi, Yoga, Healing Arts and Meditation. All of these can open portals of understanding through personal experience. During training sessions, when Sensei Tony offered his arm up to uke (initiating) it was almost impossible not to reach out to grab or push it. As soon as you did his arm seemed to disappear leaving a hole in space into which you were drawn. As many of you will know, this is no easy task to accomplish; try it. It was many years ago when I experienced this and to this day I cannot achieve it myself. I am beginning to think that Ki is real, it has a tangible existence, it can be felt, experienced, sensed, it can be used to influence others. This is such a difficult subject to write about mainly because of my limited ability and knowledge. . . but it’s not going to stop me trying and perhaps you will know it better. You need to be able to shift your consciousness around and out of your body. Koichi Tohei’s exercise using the Jo is an excellent example. With a partner in Tsuki No Kamae hold the end of the Jo with only a light grip and put your spirit into the far end of the Jo, the end that your partner is holding. The difference between spirit close to you and spirit extended away from you is great. You can test this for yourself. Practice putting your consciousness elsewhere in the body, eg the ball of the foot, or the palm of the hand. Control over transferring consciousness is used in pain relief. You twist a toe on the mat. . . you can keep your mind on the toe and all its pain or shift your consciousness to eg palm of the hand or to your hara or centre. Not easy, so you need practice. Meditation can assist you in such control. The pain disappears ! It is as if it were not there. Herein lays the clue to what we need to do in order to disappear. I just hope you can find a way through these ramblings to an understanding which will be of value to you. Try and think this way. . . there is no such thing as imagination. . . everything is real. Whatever you ‘imagine’ exists, does exist. To feel the subtlety of Ki try this exercise. Ask a partner to place their hand on your arm near the shoulder. They should push only lightly but steady. Stand relaxed but with life. Put your consciousness in your head behind the third eye, sense that this place opens and becomes alive. Move to the heart area and do the same thing with your consciousness, keep both centres open and alive. Now move to the Hara or centre, bring that consciousness here too, open and alive, keeping all three points open and alive. . . . it is all you think about . . no wonderings, no doubts just stick to what you have been asked to do. Your partner who is applying the gentle push should feel like you at first ‘disappeared’ or at least became softer, and then they should feel like their whole body is gently and subtly being moved away from you. When you are one with the universal, the universal will help you. In the ken partner practice of Ki Musubi No Tachi, as the attacker lifts to strike for the second time there is a point during which they are unsighted from your ken. You then enter in migi hamni with Tsuki to their chest. If you have the timing correct it is they who expose your ken to their awareness as they lift their ken. It appears, giving them a surprise which you can see reflected in their startled body language; my point is that there are things that appear and disappear and it is this phenomena we could use to advantage. . . if we have the skill. The mind is nearly everything in this matter; that and the perfect timing born of good training. Note: like all good minds mine is susceptible to change and since talking to my teacher I realise that there is much more to discover about this subject. The answers do not reside in the writings above but they are at least steps on the way and sometimes they are steps you must take to get to the other side. My mention of Ki Musubi No Tachi is flawed in my thinking. If I understood it better I would tell you. Somethings remain a mystery a bit longer !! And in 2017 it still is !! the inflation of your successes. The middle way is calm and relaxed. prevents you crossing to a better place. for it is they that might guide you the better. You are on the right page, the right path, if you see the importance of 'mind'. There must always be opposites, everything exists because there is an opposite. The opposition can be physical or it can be a combination of physical and mental. All these things you can test for yourself, you need believe no one other than yourself. There is so much paradox but between the extremes is the answer and therein you'll find peace and power. When you are at peace fear has no power over you. When all your teachers told you to be 'centred', what did they mean? Could it be as shown here? Learn from the experience of your own investigation. “In nothingness, there is everything”. Ki . . . Imagination. . . belief gives birth to power . . . the energy can become a reality. Extension with relaxation enables the body to unite as a whole, leading to greater power. The power is in the joints – in the space between them. Just like the space in a wall is the gateway to another place. If you are familiar with the ‘unbendable arm exercise’ you will recognise this. The space between contains opposites which work in harmony to create a whole. When relaxing you should feel a quiet, calm expansion in the joints, the mind is drawn to outside of the body rather than within and the sensation of weight on the body becomes lifted so as the feeling of having joints disappears. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others, weakens and defeats you." rather than be as the Japanese say, suisei-mushi, to be born drunk and die still dreaming. Weld yourself to heaven and earth and unify practice and enlightenment. soul of a warrior, enlightened wisdom, and deep calm. let us think upon it for a while? What is it that he felt. . . what is it that he discovered? "In Aikido, the other is present but, at the same time, is not. If one simply moves according to the motions of one ' s everyday practice strangely enough, the other moves in the same manner. In this way, all one has to do is to execute techniques as one does normally during daily training and one's partner will naturally follow along. This is the mystery of what is called Aikido. For instance, anyone should be able to move people with just one finger. The strength of man is limited to the circle within which we are located as the center. circle. Everything is decided when, by continuously moving in circles while shifting the center to within one's own circle, the other is led outside of his own circle." The use of 'mind' is essential to our progress on the path to being one with the universal, which is why I have quoted from O-Sensei's memoirs above. As I pasted the quote I began to think I would never understand it . . . however I think now I do . . . can I perform this in action? No, definitely not. Will I get there one day? Somehow I doubt it very much, but I will retain the pleasure of the understanding. Here are a few thoughts written by me in 2007. I’ve always been fascinated by O-Sensei’s ability to hold off a push on the forehead whilst seated.in seiza. When the opportunity arises to ask one who might understand this, I take it. From the Chinese Master, Ren Gang … 'your generous and spiritual energy field reaches out, in connection with the other, and becoming one, you empty out, and being empty there is nothing left for them to push'. Perhaps this is the answer I sought. . It seems that we have to move to energy levels and leave dependence on the physical behind ….. difficult! Even applying intention itself may be felt by another, therefore use the words, ‘I am interested in doing this’; it is different and feels different, with even less information being passed to another. Both keep you relaxed and yet safe, both make it effortless and allow speedy recovery … because you never stopped and you are also still on line to their centre. Neither have the presence of the idea of 'opponent', both require the 'mind' to be the active component. I just hope that this makes sense to you, the reader too, if not, there is always the contact page for your views. Many things will appear contradictory ..... they are an essential part of our universe, without opposites we are dead. (try only breathing out if you don't believe me.) We hope to make sense of them when further down our path. Keep your mind on the flow of Ki .... use your imagination, visualise. The Ki should flow calmly and naturally and so move the entire body smoothly and continuously. The spirit is at ease and the body quiet. In every movement you must be totally conscious. Faced with the enemy think not of them or their weapons, be forgetful of all technique, be ready to follow the dictates of the unconscious , when you strike it is not the man but the hand of the unconscious that strikes. The analytical or thinking mind is dangerous, for the mind must be flowing. A stopped mind is injurious. By being still and quiet silent messages of your opponent's movements may be revealed to you. Consider this, "by paying attention to your ki and not your breathing, your striking force will be as strong as steel. If you pay attention only to your breathing, your blood circulation will be impeded and your striking force will be inactive and ineffective" , according to a Ming Dynasty Tai Chi master, Wang Chung Tueh. "By paying attention to the subtle ki the resulting movements would be like the incessant flow of a great river, with 'all parts of the body connected like a string of pearls'." Consider how this fits with your own training and practice ... or not. 'The martial artist should be in tune with natural law. In appearance like the eagle about to catch the rabbit; internallly his spirit like the cat watching the mouse; at rest, like the mountain, in movement like the river'. Beware over extending, becoming full, for the maximising of anything can only result in decline. All empires fail in the end. Therefore a cyclical approach to extending energy is best, always retaining some power in reserve. The study of yin and yang will bear self evident proof. Sudden moves end in sudden stops. Better to have continuity of movement, whereby you can remain centred and calm yet fluid like can move at will in a direction of your choice. Sudden or awkward movements stifle the flow of Ki. Avoid being double weighted, allow your centre of gravity to be displaced and therefore hidden from your adversary. The idea of circles and spirals is to be examined and exploited to your benefit. Visualise the flow of Ki, within self , and in the wider universe. The mind itself plays its part in securing calmness and tranquility, without which your stored Ki cannot flow freely. Never become disconnected from the flow of Ki, do not leave gaps and at each opportunity store your energy like the archer draws his bow. For Ki to flow your body needs must be relaxed yet knowingly alive and connected. It is not just the body that should return to the pliability., suppleness and free flowing state of the infant but that the mind too should change state. The aim is to have no preconceptions, be non judgemental and without plans ...... merely let the mind engage in the moment as it occurs within the larger universe. Sensei Michael (left) and Sensei Sergei (Right) working on 13 Jo kata partner practice. Although the above expression is found in the Chinese art of Tai Chi Chuan, it would appear to have value in most other activities too. O-Sensei used the term 'yang' in his memoirs; His understanding of the way of the univese . . . which can only exist because of opposites, commands respect. If at any time everything stops then you are vulnerable . . however , if your body stops but your mind continues then you have an opposite . . . a Yin and a Yang - a passive and an active. I suggest to you that at the end of any movement you should seek an energetic continuation even if the body would appear to have stopped. The Energetic continuation will however be connecting with muscles and pathways in the brain and preparing for the next move. Your mind precedes the body, and you might like to consider if this is so for breath too.

2019-04-26T00:29:32Z

https://aikijo.weebly.com/the-mind.html

Recorded: January 18, 2017 Proponents argue that organizations adhering to an Agile methodology are better positioned to meet the needs and expectations of their customers, react to market needs and changes, and realize the greatest value from their resources. As a growing number of information development teams jump on the Agile bandwagon, with or without their product development teams, they must evaluate whether or not Agile meets its promises. However, traditional waterfall metrics tend to measure process and productivity, such as ensuring a defined workflow has been followed or calculating development hours per page or topic. Agile benefits, however, center less on how things were done and more on the resulting outcome, such as customer satisfaction or team collaboration. Managers need to adapt and change what they are measuring to obtain a complete picture of what they are accomplishing with their move to Agile. Presented by: Dawn Stevens, Comtech Services Inc. Dawn Stevens is Vice President of Operations and partner at Comtech Services and Associate Director of the Center for Information-Development Management. With over 25 years of experience, including 15 years at Comtech, Dawn has practical experience in virtually every role within a documentation and training department, including project management, instructional design, writing, editing, and multimedia programming. With both engineering and technical communication degrees, Dawn combines a solid technical foundation with strong writing and design skills to identify and remove the challenges her clients face in producing usable, technical information and training. Recorded: April 19, 2016 In this presentation, we embark upon re-thinking the entire content production cycle, and we use The Toyota Way as our philosophy. Expect fun and engaging conversation that will make you question some or all of the time-honoured content production processes and to start looking for waste. We will discuss the Lean principles in Japanese car manufacturing and apply them to content production. We will debate that not only can this be done today, but also that it can be done well. Finally, we will look how using Lean together with a good quality DITA/CMS solution can lead to incredible results in reducing production time and costs, improving team morale, and achieving superior product quality. By product, we, of course, mean content output. Nenad Furtula is partner and a VP of Sales and Marketing at Bluestream Database Software. Nenad has been working with XML and bringing XML related products to market for over a decade. Currently his primary professional interest lies in building and socializing a DITA-enabled value-based component content management system called XDocs. Since discovering the field of technical communication 15 years ago, Galyna remains convinced that it is the coolest and most creative discipline out there. Over the years, she stopped trying to figure out whether she is a project manager, product manager, engineer, designer, tester, localisation expert, or a knowledge architect and decided to have fun changing her hats on a regular basis. Galyna is currently leading the transformation of customer learning experience (LX) at Datix. Previously, she did the same at Autodesk, where she built a high-performing LX team from the ground up. She holds two Master’s Degrees; one in Philology and another one in Technical Authorship, and she is a Fellow of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators. Recorded: May 24, 2016 There’s a joke going around that asks: where’s the best place to hide a dead body? Answer: on the second page of a Google search. It underscores the fact that if your technical content does not appear at or near the top of what your users are searching for, it might as well not exist. You can mitigate the problem in DITA content by devising an effective taxonomy and inserting effective metadata into your topics. IXIASOFT DITA Specialist Keith Schengili-Roberts has explored this topic and presents his findings on the processes that can be used to make your DITA-based content easy for your users to find. Presenter: Keith Schengili-Roberts, IXIASOFT Keith is a DITA Specialist at IXIASOFT, DITA evangelist and technical writing nerd. Keith is also an award-winning lecturer on Information Architecture at the University of Toronto's iSchool, and Durham College. He is also an active member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee, and can often be found presenting at conferences, working with customers, and researching how DITA is being used and sharing those results with the DITA community. Keith's popular industry blog DITAWriter.com has become a focal point on DITA resources and best practices. Connect with Keith on Twitter @KeithIXIASOFT. Recorded: March 23, 2016 Manuals are rapidly becoming the last items people rely on to find information about the products they have purchased. Leafing through the pages of a printed copy seems too old today. In fact, even finding the printed manual may be difficult in most environments. Instead, we search for answers to our questions using the ubiquitous Google search. Most of the manuals that were in our kitchen drawers are available online but do we really want a PDF of a manual to try to page through? PDF searches are pretty much useless for finding the specific answers to our questions or solving our problems. Instead of a PDF, we’d like a page with the answer, something we often can find without going to the product website. Topics are the new information resource. Presented by: JoAnn Hackos, Comtech Services and Nenad Furtula, Bluestream Dr. JoAnn Hackos is President of Comtech Services, a content-management and information-design firm based in Denver, Colorado, which she founded in 1978. She is Director of the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM), a membership organization focused on content-management and information-development best practices. Dr. Hackos and colleagues are called upon by corporate executives worldwide to consult on strategies for content management, development and organizational management, product interface design, customer studies, Web and traditional information architecture, and tools and technology selection. Nenad Furtula is partner and a VP of Sales and Marketing at Bluestream Database Software. Nenad has been working with XML and bringing XML related products to market for over a decade. Currently his primary professional interest lies in building and socializing a DITA-enabled value-based component content management system called XDocs. Recorded: August 23, 2016 Standards are as old as human societies: their forebears are the coins and weights that were used for trade as far back as the historical record goes. In this presentation, JoAnn Hackos explains how information development managers can adopt standards that are relevant for our world. Know how standards demonstrate that we are part of a worldwide community dedicated to ensuring that we define and adopt recognized best practices. Learn how we can work together globally to ensure that we define and implement best practices to develop information and deliver it effectively. Dr. Hackos explains which standards are available and which are under development. She will help you learn how you can benefit from standards in your company or organization. Presented by: JoAnn Hackos, Comtech Services, Inc. Dr. JoAnn Hackos is President of Comtech Services, a content-management and information-design firm based in Denver, Colorado, which she founded in 1978. She is Director of the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM), a membership organization focused on content-management and information-development best practices. Dr. Hackos and colleagues are called upon by corporate executives worldwide to consult on strategies for content management, development and organizational management, product interface design, customer studies, Web and traditional information architecture, and tools and technology selection. Recorded: December 16, 2015 Case study of Cray Inc. Technical Publications department moving from producing pdfs from 5 different sources to converting to XML DITA and working within a CCMS. From there, content is published to the Pubs portal and available as dynamic content. Geared for anyone in Technical Publications looking to get past creating pdfs in their system. This webinar will briefly cover the conversion and detail the efforts to get to the portal as well as the preparation necessary to accommodate dynamic content. It is assumed attendees are familiar with DITA as an XML model (intimate knowledge is not necessary), are considering implementing XML DITA, or have been working in DITA. Anyone looking for what happens after an XML DITA conversion and what moving forward looks like will gain insights into how to harness the potency of DITA and deliver content in multiple outputs. Presented by: Peggy Sanchez, Cray Inc. Peggy Sanchez is the current Tech Pubs Manager for Cray Inc. She has a degree in Scientific and Technical Communication and a Masters in Management of Technology. She was a tech writer for 10 years and a Pubs manager for 5. She joined Cray as an agent of change to bring in a DITA implementation and create scalability within the department. Peggy lives in St. Paul and is raising four backyard chickens, Pearl, Lily, Chloe, and Pinky. Recorded: May 11, 2017 Improved efficiency is often considered the primary benefit of content reuse. While reusable content can facilitate increased authoring and translation efficiencies, implementing a component content management system designed around enabling reuse can also significantly improve content quality, which contributes to an exceptional customer experience. Learn how Waters Corporation enhances their customer experience by using SDL Knowledge Center to align its processes, drive content reuse, and standardize its information products. Joshua Steen is the Process and Technology Manager at Waters Corporation where he oversees the content management technologies, content production policies and processes, and content migration initiatives for the Customer Experience and Knowledge Management department. For over 50 years, Waters has developed innovative analytical science solutions to support customer discoveries, operations, performance, and regulatory compliance. Josh has a Master's degree in Technical and Professional Writing from Northeastern University. Prior to joining Waters five years ago, Josh was the Documentation and Training Development Manager at McKesson Corporation, supporting healthcare management and claims processing software applications. We talk a big game: DITA helps you reuse content with ease. Business cases are built on this promise, but many find the goal elusive. It seems to take just as much effort to manage reusable content as it did to simply copy and paste it. Sure, we might have missed some versions of that content in subsequent updates, but now we can destroy someone else’s deliverables by unwittingly changing content they were reusing. The problems are different, but the impact is the same, as we fail to realize the promised benefits and cost savings. At least in the “good old days” we understood what we were doing – Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V, and voila! Everyone could do it! Now we struggle with the difference between a keyref and conkeyref, we can’t decide whether to use a conditional attribute or a key, and we have never even made a conref push work, let alone find an application for it. Why isn’t DITA delivering on its reuse promises in so many organizations? In this presentation, Dawn Stevens asserts that the promises can indeed be met, but you must use the right tool for the job. Dawn provides guidance for choosing the appropriate reuse mechanism in the DITA standard as she compares and contrasts each feature, including the forthcoming 1.3 capabilities of scoped keys and branch filtering. Presented by: Dawn Stevens, Comtech Services, Inc. Dawn Stevens is a Senior Consultant specializing in information development, instructional design, and management consulting. With 25 years of experience, including 13 years at Comtech, Dawn has practical experience in virtually every role within a documentation and training department, including project management, instructional design, writing, editing, and multimedia programming. With both engineering and technical communication degrees, Dawn combines a solid technical foundation with strong writing and design skills to identify and remove the challenges her clients face in producing usable, technical information and training. Recorded: November 30, 2016 DITA short descriptions have gotten a bad rap over the years, and what was designed to be an essential tool to help technical writers craft better topics and aid readers to narrow down their search for the right content, is perceived by many to be a chore or an afterthought. IXIASOFT DITA Specialist, Keith Schengili-Roberts and JANA Inc.'s Senior Structured Data Analyst, Joe Storbeck got together and wrote an OASIS white paper how and why crafting effective short descriptions are among the most important things a DITA-based technical writer can do. Keith and Joe will examine how to write effective short description for concepts, references and troubleshooting topic types as well as for maps and APIs. This presentation will cover why short descriptions are a good idea (really!), how they make finding content easier for readers, can increase the SEO for your online documents, and much more. If you are looking to understand why short descriptions are important and how to craft them properly, don’t miss this presentation! Presented by: Keith Schengili-Roberts, IXIASOFT and Joe Storbeck, JANA Keith Schengili-Roberts is a DITA Specialist at IXIASOFT, DITA evangelist and technical writing nerd. Keith is also an award-winning lecturer on Information Architecture at the University of Toronto’s iSchool, and Durham College. He is also an active member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee, and can often be found presenting at conferences, working with customers, and researching how DITA is being used and sharing those results with the DITA community. Keith's popular industry blog DITAWriter.com has become a focal point on DITA resources and best practices. Connect with Keith on Twitter @KeithIXIASOFT. Joe Storbeck has been a technical communication professional for over 30 years, and has an extensive background in the development of structured data and data application methodologies. He has led technical documentation teams for some of the world’s largest and most successful companies, including IBM, Citibank and AIG, and now leads the DITA consultation and development team for San Antonio, Texas based JANA, Inc. Joe is also a member of the following OASIS committees that are charged with the development, maintenance, and promotion of DITA: DITA Technical Committee, DITA Technical Communications Subcommittee, DITA Adoption Technical Committee, and Lightweight DITA Subcommittee. Recorded: March 9, 2016 What can we as information developers do to help our users sort through the plethora of information available to them and find that small nugget of truth that will help them complete their task at hand, solve a nagging problem, or make a purchasing decision? How can we create an uncluttered path through the forest that takes them directly to our content, eliminating distractions and unnecessary forks in the road? A corporate taxonomy helps make searching simple and increases the chances for users to find the answers they need on their first try. Unfortunately, the effort to create such systems and the tools required to support them can be prohibitive. In this presentation, Dawn Stevens and Joe Gelb will discuss the importance of a corporate taxonomy, outline the process for defining and testing it, and demonstrate its crucial role within dynamic publishing platforms delivering focused content across all customer touchpoints. Presented by: Dawn Stevens, Comtech Services Inc. and Joe Gelb, Suite Solutions Dawn Stevens is the Vice President of Operations and partner at Comtech Services, Inc. Dawn specializes in information development, instructional design, and management consulting. With 25 years of experience, including 13 years at Comtech, Dawn has practical experience in virtually every role within a documentation and training department, including project management, instructional design, writing, editing, and multimedia programming. With both engineering and technical communication degrees, Dawn combines a solid technical foundation with strong writing and design skills to identify and remove the challenges her clients face in producing usable, technical information and training. Joe Gelb has over twenty years of experience helping enterprises implement, maintain and capitalize on structured content. At Zoomin, he has spearheaded the development of advanced technology solutions for content delivery. Prior to founding Zoomin and Suite Solutions, Joe was the CTO at Live Linx, a leading provider of software and system integration services for technical product information, where he designed and implemented solutions for aerospace, defense, manufacturing and hi-tech companies. Joe holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. Recorded: March 30, 2017 As we look forward to the 2017 Content Management Strategies/DITA North America conference in April, we devote time to identify industry trends. We asked managers, information architects, writers, training developers, and more how they are addressing the challenges of meeting customer information needs. Dawn Stevens, President of Comtech Services and Director of The Center for Information-Development Management, and Mark Gross, President of DCL, walk us through the results of the 2017 Trends Survey, a study we have been conducting since 2012. With five years of data, we can trace the changes in how we think about developing and delivering content. Join DCL and Comtech Services as we review the results of the 2017 survey and compare it with past results. Learn how information developers are coping with new customer demands for innovative approaches to development and delivery. Learn what tools teams are using and how they respond to technical innovations. Presented by: Dawn Stevens, Comtech Services, Inc. and Mark Gross, DCL Dawn Stevens is President of Comtech Services, a content-management and information-design firm based in Denver, Colorado. She is also Director of the Center for Information-Development Management, a membership organization focused on content-management and information-development best practices. With over 25 years of experience, including 15 years at Comtech, Dawn has practical experience in virtually every role within a documentation and training department, including project management, instructional design, writing, editing, and multimedia programming. With both engineering and technical communication degrees, Dawn combines a solid technical foundation with strong writing and design skills to identify and remove the challenges her clients face in producing usable, technical information and training. Mark Gross, President, Data Conversion Laboratory, is a recognized authority on XML implementation and document conversion. Mark also serves as Project Executive, with overall responsibility for resource management and planning. Prior to joining DCL in 1981, Mark was with the consulting practice of Arthur Young & Co. Mark has a BS in Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA from New York University. He has also taught at the New York University Graduate School of Business, the New School, and Pace University. He is a frequent speaker on the topic of automated conversions to XML and SGML. Recorded: January 12, 2017 DITA 1.3 introduces scoped keys, which expand the key functionality introduced in DITA 1.2. In DITA 1.2, a key could have only one definition with a root map. This limitation proved a barrier to a fully-realized reuse strategy for many documentation teams. Scoped keys enable a key to be redefined at multiple levels (key spaces) in a map, with each key definition effective within its own key space. A key space can be the entire root map, a sub-map, a topichead or topicgroup, or even a single topicref, meaning (for one thing) that a topic can be reused many times in a map with its keys being resolved different in each instance of the topic. The scoped keys functionality makes use of a new keyscope attribute added to the appropriate map node. This attribute is not required; unscoped keys can still be used and continue to function as they did in DITA 1.2. This webinar explains the evolution of keys between DITA 1.2 and DITA 1.3, and presents several basic examples and use cases for scoped keys. It also explains key spaces and the interaction between multiple key spaces in a map. During this webinar, the presenter will use the oXygen XML editor with the understanding that other XML editors might choose to visually represent the scoped key functionality differently. Presented by: Leigh W. White, IXIASOFT Technologies Leigh is a DITA Specialist at IXIASOFT, where she helps documentation groups evaluate their workflows and content models and transition into the DITA CCMS. Leigh has spoken on DITA, content management systems and content conversion at a number of conferences, including DITA North America, DITA Europe, Intelligent Content, DITA-OT Day, the STC Summit, Lavacon, and Writers UA. She is the author of DITA For Print: A DITA Open Toolkit Workbook and a contributor to The Language of Content Strategy and The Language of Technical Communication. Recorded: July 27, 2016 Over the last decade, corporate technical publications departments have invested heavily in migrating their content away from proprietary authoring and publishing tools (e.g., MSWord, Adobe FrameMaker) and implementing the DITA standard for content markup. These companies have invested millions of dollars into content conversion and implementation of DITA-based authoring and content management systems. In many ways, these DITA implementation projects have proven to be hugely successful, particularly with regards to content reuse and reduced cost of localizing content to multiple languages. However, one promise of DITA has often fallen short: the goal of true “single source publishing.” The majority of technical publications groups are still publishing to print as the primary output format, followed by online help, and in some cases, eBooks. But, one major gap is still present for most technical publishers: automated publishing to mobile devices. Even though smartphones and tablets have dominated the industry for the last several years, virtually no one is publishing content in a way that fully uses the native capabilities of these mobile devices. Instead, they are settling for the inherent limitations of PDF or HTML files. Dan Dube outlines 5 tips to help technical publishers go “the last mile” to fully leverage their DITA investment and deliver content to popular mobile device platforms like Apple iOS and Android. This webinar will also help to answer the burning question: “Why aren’t EPUB or PDF the best choices for delivering DITA content to a mobile device?” Presented by: Dan Dube, Compass Behavior Dan Dube is a seasoned veteran of the XML content management and publishing industry, with over 30 years of experience working with structured content and automated single-source publishing solutions. Dan is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of DocZone, the industry’s first cloud-based solution for XML authoring, content management, localization, and multichannel publishing. (DocZone was acquired by RSI in 2009.) Dan is now CEO and co-owner of Compass Innovative Behavior Strategies, a New England-based provider of behavior therapy services for individuals with autism and other developmental delays. He still maintains a presence in the publishing industry as an independent consultant. Recorded: November 29, 2016 Continuous delivery (CD) and application release automation (ARA) are usually associated with software. These methodologies can be extended to other parts of your business, such as technical documentation. The output of a build/deploy/test/release software process and a build/publish tech doc process are similar – both produce sets of files that can be executed, uploaded, or published to multiple sites. When companies or organizations think of CD and ARA, they most often apply it to the software build/deploy/test/release process. There are many sources of information about how to do this, such as reference books, blogs, communities, and conferences where information is shared and new ideas arise. Let’s look at another way to apply CD and ARA in a company or organization. The process for technical documentation can also follow the build/deploy/test/release pattern. At Electric Cloud, the process to build and publish (deploy and release) technical documentation was manual and time-consuming. A typical documentation set for a software release consists of six targets. The build process is run through the authoring tool and can take up to 30 minutes to build only one target. During this time, the authoring tool cannot be used to edit other files, and the PC performance can be adversely affected. To publish the documentation, the technical writer has to manually push the file set for each target and keep track of the progress. The publishing process can take up to several hours, depending on the number of targets to publish, the number of files for each target, and the number of servers to which the targets will be published. In this presentation, Jennifer will show how she modified her documentation workflow from doing things manually to having multiple documentation targets automated and publishing them to one or more sites. Jennifer will briefly describe the manual build and publish processes and how long it took to perform them as well as challenges of running this process consistently. Then she will describe and show how these processes were automated and summarize the improvements (spoiler alert: 50% speed up) resulting from it. This is an example of thinking outside of the box when it comes to improving your documentation processes by implementing DevOps, a methodology usually used in software development and release. CD and ARA can be applied to processes used by enterprise teams as well as small teams or groups in other areas of your business. The implementations are similar – only the process details are different. Presented by: Jennifer Chew, Nuage Networks Jennifer Chew is a senior technical writer at Nuage Networks in Mountain View, CA. Prior to this, she worked at Electric Cloud, Juniper Networks, Cisco Systems, and IBM. She is always looking for ways to combine her engineering experience with her writing projects. Recorded: February 24, 2016 JoAnn Hackos and Stan Doherty, co-chairs of the OASIS DITA Adoption Technical Committee, take a careful look at the DITA standard’s adoption worldwide. Although we have witnessed a continuing growth of industries and companies adopting the DITA standard, we have also seen companies either deciding not to pursue DITA or abandoning an earlier excursion. Join Hackos and Doherty in examining the strengths and the weaknesses of DITA Adoption. Presented by: JoAnn Hackos, Comtech Services and Stan Doherty, SimpliVity Corporation Dr. JoAnn Hackos is President of Comtech Services, a content-management and information-design firm based in Denver, Colorado, which she founded in 1978. She is Director of the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM), a membership organization focused on content-management and information-development best practices. Dr. Hackos and colleagues are called upon by corporate executives worldwide to consult on strategies for content management, development and organizational management, product interface design, customer studies, Web and traditional information architecture, and tools and technology selection. Stan Doherty lives in the the Boston area and works as a technical publications manager at SimpliVity Corporation. He participates as an active member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee and DITA Adoption Committee. Stan also supports companies in New England considering DITA. Feel free to contact Stan if you are considering DITA, DITA tools, or DITA-aware CCMSs. In previous jobs at Akamai Technologies, MathWorks Inc., and Sun Microsystems, Stan has implemented DITA-based solutions for manuals, CSHelp, and web-hosted information centers. Recorded: January 20, 2016 DITA-based technical documents are inherently sophisticated and complex hyperdocuments. They are developed through complex revision processes, often by highly-distributed teams. Thus DITA documents and their management present a number of challenges inherent in the nature of sophisticated technical documentation. While the value of this sophisticated approach to documentation has tremendous value to organizations as a whole, it can make the life of individual authors much more challenging, leading to the common complaint “DITA is too hard”. This talk presents the link and configuration management challenges inherent in sophisticated hyperlinked documentation and discusses the features of DITA and DITA component content management systems that address these challenges. If authors and managers understand the challenges inherent in DITA-based authoring they can at least set their expectations and provision tools and resources appropriately. What can attendees expect to learn? Presented by Eliot Kimber, Contrext, LLC. Eliot Kimber is a founding and active member of the DITA Technical Committee. He has been working with structured markup for more than 30 years. Eliot is also a co-editor of the HyTime standard. Eliot currently focuses on the application of DITA to the business challenges of Publishers. Eliot is the founder and principle developer of the open-source DITA for Publishers project. Eliot lives and works with his family in Austin, Texas. Recorded: April 5, 2017 Historically, technical content has been written for humans. But with the rise of artificial intelligence, machines will consume this content to solve problems automatically or help solve problems. This means that machines need to leverage the content in the easiest, most unambiguous possible way. Structured content authoring has been created to optimize the writing process (minimize cost and increase reuse). This way of writing has a lot of impact on what algorithms and content can do with it. Through a set of examples, we will review the benefits and limits of structured content, and how structured content impacts what modern tools and algorithms can do. Presented by: Fabrice Lacroix, Antidot Fabrice Lacroix is a known Web pioneer and the founder of Antidot, the company that puts enterprise content to work. As an entrepreneur, he has been working for 25 years on the development of the Internet and of the Web through several major companies. Recorded: February 22, 2017 Although traditionally businesses may still regard technical documentation as an afterthought, there is a change as product information is more and more regarded as an integral part of the product, businesses are looking for more efficiency gains and cost savings, and the future role it will play in the way information will need to be delivered using technologies like Augmented Reality, but also how content connects to IoT. During this webinar, Berry will discuss how content quality plays an important role in achieving these goals, as well as discuss how the use of Simplified Technical English and other documentation standards facilitate product marketing and help make content future proof. Presented by: Berry Braster, Etteplan Berry Braster is the global Sales Director of Technical Documentation Services at Etteplan, a specialist in engineering, embedded systems, IoT, and technical documentation solutions with over 2500 employees worldwide. Berry has over 16 years of experience in the field of technical documentation and has assisted many global companies with their content strategies, how to effectively communicate technical information and apply universal standards for content, including Simplified Technical English and DITA. Recorded: October 13, 2016 Change is difficult and often avoided, and everyone knows insurance companies are risk averse. However, that didn’t stop a small team of technical writers from upending the way they created content for California Casualty. By embracing modular structured content, unproven in their industry at the time, they were able to dramatically increase content findability which had a ripple effect on their entire business. Now California Casualty is an example to other insurance companies on how change can sometimes be a good thing. Join our webinar with Susan Lalor, Senior Information Designer at California Casualty, to find out how her team was able to accomplish this transformation. See how internal stakeholders and content users are just as important as customers. And most importantly, learn best practices for sowing your own seeds of transformation. Susan Lalor wrote her first computer user manual in 1982 when she wondered how the big blank screen sitting on her desk actually worked. She knew then that technical writing was her passion. For the last 13 years, she’s worked as a Senior Information Designer for California Casualty where she is a champion for single sourcing and user experience. She’s also been lucky enough to dabble in web and graphic design, project management, and business analysis over the past 30 years. Susan has a B.S. degree with a concentration in professional writing and has been a STC member since 1998. Chip Gettinger is VP, Solutions, SDL. He manages a team working with SDL customers to maximize their own customer experience by deploying SDL Knowledge Delivery applications. Chip has over 20 years’ experience in global publishing, content strategies, customer experience management, business management, and content management solutions, working closely with industry organizations, partners, and customers in technology solutions and deployment.

2019-04-22T16:46:49Z

https://www.infomanagementcenter.com/past-webinars/?product_orderby=popularity&add-to-cart=38975&product_view=list&product_count=36

killexams.com Hortonworks Certification study guides are setup by IT experts. Bunches of understudies have been whining that there are an excessive number of questions in such a significant number of training exams and study aid, and they are recently can not afford to manage the cost of any more. Seeing killexams.com specialists work out this far reaching rendition while still assurance that all the learning is secured after profound research and exam. Everything is to make comfort for hopefuls on their street to affirmation. We have Tested and Approved HDPCD Exams. killexams.com gives the most actual and most recent IT exam materials which practically contain all information focuses. With the guide of our HDPCD study materials, you dont have to squander your chance on perusing reference books and simply need to burn through 10-20 hours to ace our HDPCD real questions and answers. Whats more, we furnish you with PDF Version and Software Version exam questions and answers. For Software Version materials, Its offered to give the candidates reenact the Hortonworks HDPCD exam in a real environment. We give free updates. Inside legitimacy period, if HDPCD exam materials that you have obtained updated, we will inform you by email to download most recent variant of Q&A. On the off chance that you dont pass your Hortonworks Hortonworks Data Platform Certified Developer exam, We will give you full refund. You have to send the scanned duplicate of your HDPCD exam report card to us. Subsequent to affirming, we will rapidly give you FULL REFUND. In the event that you get ready for the Hortonworks HDPCD exam utilizing our testing engine. It is anything but difficult to prevail for all certifications in the first attempt. You dont need to manage all dumps or any free torrent / rapidshare all stuff. We offer free demo of every IT Certification Dumps. You can look at the interface, question quality and ease of use of our training exams before you choose to purchase. Thank You killexams.com for full support by providing this question bank. I scored 78% in HDPCD Exam. it's miles incredible ideal to put together HDPCD examination with dumps. i am not a fan of online thoughts dumps, because they are frequently posted with the aid of using irresponsible individuals who deceive you into gaining knowledge of belongings you dont need and lacking matters that you really need to realise. No longer killexams. This organization gives virtually valid questions solutions that help you get via your exam guidance. That is how I passed HDPCD exam. First time, First I relied on free on line stuff and that i failed. I were given killexams.com HDPCD exam simulator - and that i passed. That is the handiest evidence I need. Thanks killexams. Can I find dumps Q & A of HDPCD exam? One of most complex task is to pick fine observe material for HDPCD certification exam. I never had sufficient religion in myself and therefore idea I wouldnt get into my favourite university given that I didnt have sufficient things to test from. This killexams.com came into the photo and my perspective modified. I become able to get HDPCD absolutely prepared and I nailed my check with their help. Thank you. Weekend have a look at is enough to pass HDPCD exam with these questions. Exceptional!, I proud to observe collectively together with your HDPCD QA and software. Your software program helped me plenty in making equipped my HDPCD test. So smooth questions in HDPCD exam! i used to be already enough prepared. killexams.com questions and answers helped me to know what exactly is anticipated in the exam HDPCD. I prepared well within 10 days of coaching and completed all the questions of exam in eighty mins. It incorporate the subjects much like exam factor of view and makes you memorize all the subjects easily and as it should be. It also helped me to recognise the way to manipulate the time to complete the exam earlier than time. It is great approach. Are there authentic resources for HDPCD study guides? Feeling issue in passing HDPCD exam? you obtain to be kidding! killexams.com is the high-quality IT exam preparation I ever came across: I passed this HDPCD exam without problems. no longer simplest are the questions real, however they may be based the way HDPCD does it, so its very clean to bear in brain the answer when the questions arise for the duration of the exam. now not they all are a hundred% equal, but many are. The relaxation is simply very similar, so in case you test the killexams.com material well, youll dont have any trouble sorting it out. Its very cool and useful to IT experts like myself. actual test questions of HDPCD exam! terrific source. All of us understand that clearing the HDPCD check is a massive deal. I had been given my HDPCD test cleared that i was so questions and answers sincerely because of killexams.com that gave me 87% marks. it's far certainly top notch to have HDPCD actual check exam bank. killexams.com helped me to score 96 percent in HDPCD certification therefore i have entire religion on the products of killexams. My first advent with this website become 12 months ago thru certainly one of my pal. I had made amusing of him for the usage of HDPCD exam engine but he guess with me about his highest grades. It was right because he had scored ninety one percent I only scored forty percentage. I am happy that my buddy gained the guess due to the fact now i have complete trust in this website and might come once more for repeated times. So easy questions in HDPCD exam! I was already enough prepared. If you want right HDPCD training on how it works and what are the exams and all then dont waste your time and opt for killexams.com as it is an ultimate source of help. I also wanted HDPCD training and I even opted for this wonderful exam simulator and got myself the best training ever. It guided me with every aspect of HDPCD exam and provided the best questions and answers I have ever seen. The study guides also were of very much help. We offer a huge collection of Hortonworks exam questions and answers, study guides, practice exams, Exam Simulator. We keep our visitors and customers updated regarding the latest technology certifications by providing reliable and authentic exam preparation material. Our team remain busy in updating HDPCD exam training material as well as reviewing the real exam changes. They try best to provide each and every relevant information about the test for the candidate to get good marks and come out of test center happily. I want current and updated dumps brand new HDPCD examination. I additionally utilized a mixed bag of books, also the years of useful experience. Yet, this prep unit has ended up being exceptionally valuable; the questions are indeed what you see on the exam. Extremely accommodating to be sure. I passed this exam with 89% marks around a month back. Whoever lets you know that HDPCD is greatly hard, accept them! The exam is to be sure exceptionally difficult, which is valid for just about all other exams. killexams.com Q&A and Exam Simulator was my sole wellspring of data while get ready for this exam. i discovered the whole thing had to clean HDPCD exam. Inside the exam most of the questions had been equal to killexams.com Q&a dump, which helped me to save a whole lot of time and i used to be in a position to complete the complete 75 questions. I also took the assist of the reference e book. The killexams.com Questions for HDPCD exam is usually up to date to provide the maximum correct and up to date questions. This definitely made me sense assured in passing the HDPCD exam. I have these days passed the HDPCD exam with this bundle. That could be a splendid solution in case you need a brief yet dependable coaching for HDPCD exam. This is a expert stage, so anticipate which you though need to spend time playing with Q&A - sensible experience is essential. Yet, as a ways and exam simulations cross, killexams.com is the winner. Their exam simulator surely simulates the exam, which include the precise query kinds. It does make matters much less complex, and in my case, I believe it contributed to me getting a one hundred% score! I couldnt bear in brain my eyes! I knew I did nicely, however this have become a wonder!! right source to get HDPCD modern-day brain sell cutting-edgef paper. right brain dumps, the whole thing you get there is completely dependable. I heard right reviews on killexams.com, so i purchasedthis to put together for my HDPCD exam. Everything is as right as they promise, precise top class, clean exerciseexam. I passed HDPCD with 96%. You simply want a weekend to prepare HDPCD examination with those dumps. I passed, and really extremely joyful to record that killexams.com adhere to the claims they make. They offer actual exam questions and the exam simulator works perfectly. The bundle incorporates the whole thing they promise, and their customer support works nicely (I needed to get in contact with them for the reason that first my online charge would now not undergo, however it turned out to be my fault). anyways, this is a superb product, lots better than I had anticipated. I passed HDPCD exam with nearly top score, something I in no way concept i was able to. thanks. It is Awesome! I got dumps of HDPCD exam. Preparation package has been very beneficial in the course of my exam instruction. I got a hundred% I am not a very good test taker and can move clean on the exam, which isnt always a great issue, specially if this is HDPCD exam, while time is your enemy. I had enjoy of failing IT tests within the past and wanted to avoid it in any respect fees, so I bought this package deal. It has helped me pass with one hundred%. It had everything I had to realize, and due to the fact I had spent infinite hours reading, cramming and making notes, I had no hassle passing this exam with the very best marks feasible. simply attempted HDPCD query financial institution as soon as and i'm convinced. I am very happy with the HDPCD QAs, it helped me lot in exam center. I can in reality come for different Hortonworks certifications additionally. HDPCD actual test questions and solutions! I might regularly pass over lessons and that is probably a big trouble for me if my dad and mom observed out. I needed to cowl my errors and ensure that they will consider in me. I knew that one manner to cover my mistakes emerge as to do nicely in my HDPCD check that become very close to. If I did well in my HDPCD test, my mother and father would like me yet again and they did due to the fact i used to be able to clear the check. It emerge as this killexams.com that gave me the right instructions. Thanks. Is there a shortcut to fast prepare and pass HDPCD exam? I am ranked very excessive amongst my magnificence associates at the listing of awesome students but it handiest came about after I registered on this killexams.com for some exam help. It become the excessive ranking studying application on this killexams.com that helped me in becoming a member of the excessive ranks along with different high-quality college students of my magnificence. The sources on this killexams.com are commendable because theyre particular and extraordinarily beneficial for education thru HDPCD, HDPCD dumps and HDPCD books. I am satisfied to put in writing these words of appreciation because this killexams.com merits it. Thank you. Im very satisfied right now. You have to be thinking why i am so happy, rightly the purpose is pretty easy, I simply got my HDPCD test results and i have made it via them pretty with out troubles. I write over right here as it emerge as this killexams.com that taught me for HDPCD test and that i cant cross on with out thanking it for being so beneficiant and helpful to me sooner or later of. Pivotal HAWQ is now Hortonworks information Platform licensed. Pivotal HAWQ now gives deeper integration with the Apache Hadoop ecosystem and simplifies administration with new assist for Apache Ambari. present day announcement continues on Pivotal's up to now announced unified approach to assembly enterprise records management and analytics wants via a strategic and industrial alliance with Hortonworks. This marks the first time that the points and capabilities of Pivotal HAWQ had been made obtainable outdoor of Pivotal. the provision aligns with a typical Open records Platform (ODP) Core that allows clients to leverage the most fulfilling-of-breed expertise across providers. Pivotal® and Hortonworks® HDP, -10.00% nowadays introduced that Pivotal HAWQ, a key product within the Pivotal large records Suite, is now obtainable on the Hortonworks information Platform (HDP™),a wide-spread Hadoop platform. with the aid of operating Pivotal HAWQ on HDP, all the benefits of the surest-in-classification SQL on Hadoop engine can now be leveraged with the aid of firms which are investing in HDP. moreover, with new help for Apache Ambari, Pivotal HAWQ strikes away from a proprietary administration and configuration framework to an open source, Hadoop-native atmosphere, minimizing the entire charge of possession in managing the Hadoop stack, together with Pivotal HAWQ. Pivotal is aligning with the work of the Open data Platform (ODP) via enabling the latest liberate of Pivotal HAWQ, to determine-of-the-box with HDP, now in accordance with the ODP Core. Pivotal HAWQ Now certified on Hortonworks records Platform Pivotal HAWQ is the realm's most superior SQL on Hadoop engine. Pivotal HAWQ's full SQL compliance for analytic workloads addresses the company needs of agencies tons more abruptly than with the natural Hadoop stack and has now accomplished HDP Certification making certain for purchasers that the mixing has been rigorously confirmed and validated with the aid of the engineering teams at Hortonworks and Pivotal. HDP is an enterprise-grade information administration platform that enables a centralized structure for working batch, interactive and real-time analytics and data processing applications simultaneously throughout shared datasets. HDP is constructed on Apache Hadoop®, powered by way of YARN, and supported by means of shared capabilities for constant operations, comprehensive protection, and depended on governance for a legitimate commercial enterprise-ready statistics lake. Pivotal HAWQ on HDP will also be deployed by means of buying Pivotal large data Suite flex licenses from Pivotal and HDP from Hortonworks. Pivotal HAWQ will proceed to be supported on the Pivotal's Hadoop distribution, Pivotal HD, through the large information Suite license. For more suggestions on Pivotal HAWQ and its guide on HDP, please talk over with the HAWQ documentation web page. "Pivotal HAWQ brings a maturity to SQL on Hadoop processing that leverages a decade's price of product construction effort on Pivotal Greenplum® Database. What makes this announcement so enjoyable is bringing Pivotal HAWQ nearer to a standard Hadoop core. We look forward to shoppers who're invested in the Hortonworks records Platform to get their fingers on Pivotal HAWQ and take skills of all the benefits of the area's most superior, and fastest, SQL on Hadoop engine." "Pivotal is a vital companion in the Hadoop ecosystem, and we are excited to look Pivotal's dedication to aiding the Hortonworks records Platform. The certification of Pivotal HAWQ on HDP gives our shoppers enterprise-grade maturity in SQL-primarily based analytics that Pivotal HAWQ brings to the table." "with the aid of certifying its HAWQ SQL-on-Hadoop engine with the Hortonworks statistics Platform, Pivotal is making certain that a wider audience of Hadoop clients are able to take potential of its confirmed SQL processing capabilities, while additionally sowing the seeds for extended adoption of the Pivotal large records Suite. Taking expertise of Apache Ambari's Stacks definition potential that HAWQ can even be managed alongside other features of the Hortonworks statistics Platform." About Hortonworks Hortonworks develops, distributes and supports the most effective one hundred% open source Apache Hadoop facts platform. Our group comprises the largest contingent of builders and designers within the Hadoop ecosystem who signify and lead the broader commercial enterprise necessities within these communities. The Hortonworks statistics Platform provides an open platform that deeply integrates with existing IT investments and upon which firms can construct and deploy Hadoop-based mostly purposes. Hortonworks has deep relationships with the important thing strategic information core partners that permit our purchasers to free up the broadest alternatives from Hadoop. ©2015 Pivotal application, Inc. All rights reserved. Pivotal, Greenplum and HAWQ are trademarks and/or registered logos of Pivotal application, Inc. within the u.s. and/or different nations. Apache, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, and Apache Ambari are both registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache application basis within the u.s. and/or different nations. Hortonworks and HDP are either registered emblems or logos of Hortonworks Inc. in the united states and/or other countries. SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(business WIRE)--Hortonworks, a leading contributor to Apache Hadoop tasks, nowadays introduced the most up-to-date version of the Hortonworks records Platform (HDP), the industry’s simplest a hundred-% open source platform powered by using Apache Hadoop. With red Hat enterprise Linux and the high Availability Add-On, Flume integration, monitoring API enhancements and core platform performance advancements, HDP 1.1 strengthens Apache Hadoop as a official, next-technology business records platform for deriving more advantageous enterprise price and insight from massive records. The Hortonworks information Platform continues to help accelerate Apache Hadoop’s circulation into construction environments on the world’s leading enterprise businesses. HDP 1.1 is developed on Apache Hadoop 1.0, essentially the most reliable and legit Hadoop code accessible nowadays, proposing business groups with a proven and trusted information administration infrastructure for harnessing the vigour of large information. through providing new full stack, excessive availability on essentially the most depended on and present versions of red Hat commercial enterprise Linux (RHEL), HDP is presenting an Apache Hadoop platform with the provision required via nowadays’s corporations. Apache Hadoop captures stores and analyzes structured and unstructured information, in addition to actual-time streams of information, flowing throughout today’s enterprise environments. with the aid of proposing more facts seize options with Flume integration, the Hortonworks information Platform makes it possible for enterprises to extract price from high-extent records streams and adventure processing. HDP additionally quickens Apache Hadoop’s role as a mainstream part of the contemporary data structure, delivering more desirable integration with latest operations and administration equipment to be certain performance and availability. furthermore, HDP now can provide more desirable performance for HDFS with faster examine and write efficiency and sooner MapReduce execution. excessive Availability with purple Hat enterprise Linux and the high Availability Add-On—improves reliability and steadiness while broadening the business readiness of Apache Hadoop. excessive availability support makes it possible for companies already the usage of pink Hat enterprise Linux to take Hadoop from proof of concept to creation and makes it possible for them to satisfy SLA reliability necessities. Flume Integration—allows for extended streaming data seize for analysis inside the Hortonworks facts Platform. businesses can now without difficulty and reliably compile and analyze real-time facts streams, corresponding to excessive-quantity net logs, in Apache Hadoop, driving additional insights from facts that was in the past too bulky to trap and system. more desirable performance—sooner examine and write in HDFS speeds statistics seize and delivery inside the platform. enhanced MapReduce execution efficiency skill that jobs technique information greater without delay. Open management Console for Monitoring API Enhancements—grants easier and deeper integration into third-birthday celebration management tools and techniques to profit perception into performance and guarantee availability, provision nodes in a cluster and operate ongoing protection of the Hadoop platform. Hortonworks data Platform 1.1 is now available for down load at: http://hortonworks.com/products/hortonworksdataplatform/. Hortonworks is a leading industrial seller of Apache Hadoop, the preeminent open source platform for storing, managing and inspecting large facts. Our distribution, Hortonworks facts Platform powered by way of Apache Hadoop, gives an open and reliable foundation for organizations and a growing ecosystem to build and deploy massive information solutions. Hortonworks is the relied on source for information on Hadoop, and together with the Apache community, Hortonworks is making Hadoop more powerful and more convenient to installation, manage and use. Hortonworks offers unmatched technical guide, practising and certification programs for agencies, methods integrators and know-how companies. For more suggestions, talk over with www.hortonworks.com, or observe Hortonworks on Twitter: @Hortonworks. Cloudera has laid out its plans for a new combined records platform due to the fact that merging with fellow open supply big statistics vendor Hortonworks, which guarantees to collect the better of the previous rival Hortonworks records Platform (HDP) and Cloudera Distribution Hadoop (CDH) alternatives. here, we go into extra element related to how both organizations are coming together to create a unified product, in addition to how group of workers and aid capabilities were blended into one employer and what consumers can are expecting from the brand new Cloudera statistics Platform (CDP). Former opponents Cloudera and Hortonworks merged ultimate 12 months, the conclusion of what Cloudera CMO Mick Hollison called a "lengthy relationship method" that turned into finalised prior this year. The merger will also be idea of as some thing of a marriage of convenience as "many of our engineers had been in effect working together for the previous six, seven, eight years within the open supply neighborhood," as Hollison put it whereas chatting with the media this week. "About 70 % of our code is overlapping between the two companies," he introduced. "So the bulk of what we had been engaged on, we had been working on collectively in many respects already. So there was a herbal affinity that became already there, definitely, on the engineering facet." That being stated, the go-to-market services weren't as short to get alongside. "It became much more competitive as you may imagine," Hollison talked about, "however that is also coming together really, really neatly." The enterprise simply completed its income kickoff in Seattle, the place all and sundry bought to "meet one one more and once a bunch of sales americans delivery drinking collectively, every little thing's mind-blowing, correct? So we all enjoyed ourselves, and obtained to know and trust one an additional quite a little extra." speakme on Cloudera's this fall profits name prior this month, the place the dealer announced mixed revenues of $one hundred forty five million, Cloudera CEO Tom Reilly went into somewhat greater aspect, asserting: "Our account representatives obtain their account assignments closing month and we've accomplished our sales kickoff with wide training on the new roadmap and product offerings added within the merger." This salesforce might be entirely focused on the biggest enterprise purchasers. Cloudera is additionally bringing together its Cloudera tuition for training, the knowledgeable functions feature and customer support right into a single branch with general methods to deliver streamlined practicing and help for shoppers. finally, on partnerships, Hollison mentioned how the seller has now "merged two very giant and successful companion ecosystems. On the Cloudera facet, i can inform you, we're tremendous excited about enhancing upon our already amazing partnerships with IBM and with Microsoft. Hortonworks recently announced a brand new, superior relationship with the Google Cloud Platform as well, we'll be digging into that." That product roadmap is beginning to take form now with the announcement of the Cloudera statistics Platform, which guarantees to bring together the top-rated aspects of each groups' business huge statistics solutions. talking to the click and analysts this week all the way through the Dataworks Summit in Barcelona, Hollison explained that CDP has to have four fundamental attributes to give customers what they need. Never miss these HDPCD questions you go for test. The killexams.com exam questions for HDPCD Hortonworks Data Platform Certified Developer exam is basically in view of two available arrangements, PDF and Practice software. PDF record conveys all the exam questions, answers which makes your planning less hardworking. While the Practice software are the complimentary element in the exam item. Which serves to self-survey your advance. The assessment apparatus additionally features your feeble regions, where you have to put more attempt with the goal that you can enhance every one of your worries. killexams.com suggest you to must attempt its free demo, you will see the natural UI and furthermore you will think that its simple to alter the prep mode. In any case, ensure that, the real HDPCD exam has a larger number of questions than the sample exam. On the off chance that, you are placated with its demo then you can buy the real HDPCD exam item. killexams.com offers you three months free updates of HDPCD Hortonworks Data Platform Certified Developer exam questions. Our certification team is constantly accessible at back end who updates the material as and when required. NEC Corporation and Hortonworks, announced the expansion of their strategic partnership in the field of distributed Big Data processing platforms. The companies are combining NEC’s “Data Platform for Hadoop” with Hortonworks Data Platform (HDPTM), powered by Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark, that allows enterprise customers to process structured and un-structured data on a single platform. NEC will introduce and market the Big Data platform solution throughout global markets with support from Hortonworks. This strategic relationship between NEC – a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, and Hortonworks – an industry-leading innovator that creates, distributes and supports enterprise-ready open data platforms, allows each company to leverage its core competencies and maximize the benefits delivered to their enterprise customers and partners. Through this extended relationship, Hortonworks will certify NEC’s Data Platform for Hadoop with HDPTM as a Big Data Appliance which is build and optimized for Big Data workloads. NEC will leverage the knowhow of Hortonworks in the integration of Big Data as well as its best-in class Hadoop expertise and support services. NEC and Hortonworks will align engineering teams to verify HDP and incorporate use cases such as Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) offload or Data Lake in order to accelerate the deployment of NEC’s Data Platform for Hadoop.Big Data technologies are changing rapidly. NEC and Hortonworks will strive towards enabling their customers to always use the latest Big Data technologies such as Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark and maximize the benefits derived from them.NEC will provide its clients with a high-quality Hortonworks certified platform to accelerate HDP deployment and enable customers to utilize the latest Big Data solution for their business expansion. NEC and Hortonworks will offer an easy upgrade path to customers by providing pre-validated and certified upgrades of the Hadoop version in use. Both NEC and Hortonworks are committed to integrate their engineering collaboration and go-to-market plans and to expand this business into new and developing markets. The focus of this collaboration is to enable customers and partners with the latest use cases and market trends that can assist them in realizing their Data Driven Digital Transformation Journey.NEC provides enterprises with Hortonworks DataFlow (HDFTM) and Hortonworks Professional Services in order to implement HDP and HDF, which enables customers to quickly create business value and successfully realize their Big Data vision. “I am very pleased to welcome NEC as one of Hortonworks’ Platinum partners. I am sure that the certified Big Data solution stack of NEC’s Data Platform for Hadoop and Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) will provide our customers and partners with leading-edge data-driven solutions and advantages to grow their businesses,” said Christopher Sullivan, SVP, Global Channels & Alliances, Hortonworks. The partnership between NEC and Hortonworks was initiated in September 2015. Since then, the companies have collaborated on a variety of projects, enabling them to acquire key clients in the Telecom and Banking sector. SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 21, 2015 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Embarcadero Technologies, a leading provider of software solutions for application and database development, today announced that its data modeling tool, ER/Studio(R) Data Architect version 10.0, has been certified by HortonWorks for HortonWorks Data Platform (HDP) 2.1 and certified against MongoDB Enterprise for versions 2.4 through 3.0. The new certifications build on ER/Studio's industry-leading native support for a variety of database platforms -- including Apache Hive for Hadoop, MongoDB Enterprise, and traditional relational database management systems (RDBMS). "These certifications build upon the strong ER/Studio big data foundation introduced in fall 2014 with forward/reverse engineering of Hive tables for Hadoop and reverse engineering for MongoDB Enterprise," says Michael Swindell, senior vice president of products at Embarcadero. "Certification for HDP and MongoDB Enterprise showcases the growing level of support and dedication to big data within ER/Studio. Customers can have confidence that the metadata defining their big data stores can be accurately viewed, modeled, and updated using the industry leading ER/Studio Data Architect platform. This is another example of why companies of all sizes continue to move to ER/Studio every day and why Embarcadero has become the data tools source for 90% of Fortune 100 companies and 97% of the Global 2000 companies." Apache Hive for Hadoop: ER/Studio Data Architect captures data structures by reverse engineering Hive tables into an entity relationship diagram, and can also create Hive tables that can be forward engineered into a Hadoop database. MongoDB Enterprise: ER/Studio Data Architect includes a special "is contained in" notation for the nested objects and object arrays in the MongoDB data structures, and now can forward engineer a model to create blank-sample JSON. "MongoDB was designed to support rapid modern application development and diverse data structures," says Kelly Stirman, VP of Strategy, MongoDB. "ER/Studio allows data scientists to efficiently extract sophisticated data stored in MongoDB, and preserve the relationships in an organized layout. This functionality is critical for effective data modeling in multi-platform environments." Free Trial To download a free trial of ER/Studio, visit: http://www.embarcadero.com/data-architecture. Tweet This ER/Studio Data Architect by @EmbarcaderoTech certified by HortonWorks for HDP 2.1 and MongoDB Enterprise 2.4-3.0. About Embarcadero Technologies Embarcadero Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of award-winning tools for application developers and database professionals so they can design systems right, build them faster and run them better, regardless of their platform or programming language. Ninety of the Fortune 100 and an active community of more than three million users worldwide rely on Embarcadero products to increase productivity, reduce costs, simplify change management and compliance, and accelerate innovation. Founded in 1993, Embarcadero is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices located around the world. To learn more, please visit www.embarcadero.com. Riding on the early success of its IPO, open-source Hadoop heavyweight Hortonworks Inc. has announced it’s extending its partner developer certification program, adding certifications in operations, security and governance for partners that develop software around its platform. Palo Alto-based Hortonworks says the aim is to accelerate Hadoop’s growing adoption in tne enterprise by adding support for essential capabilities of any enterprise data platform. As a result, its just launched new HDP Governance Ready, HDP Operations Ready and HDP Security Ready certifications. The governance certification is designed to ensure data is fed into the platform as described by the Apache Falcon data workflow engine, while the operations certificate is focused on integrating its platform with Apache Amari for provisioning and monitoring of Hadoop clusters. As for the security certification, this is designed to work with the Apache Knox gateway and Apache Ranger to provide centralized management and security integration. John Kreisa, strategic marketing vice president of Hortonworks, told CRN.com the new certifications were added in response to requests from its development partners. “We’re seeing more partners moving into the program because of the certifications they can get and express the level of integration they have,” he said. The move highlights how Hortonworks’ relationships with its partners and independent software vendors are central to its overall strategy, of which the Hortonworks Certified Technology Program is a key part. Software vendors can integrate the Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) with their own applications using the program.

2019-04-20T10:27:01Z

http://arkautos.nl/pass4sure-cert.php?exam=HDPCD

2013-10-11 Assigned to PLANAR SYSTEMS, INC. reassignment PLANAR SYSTEMS, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: ABILEAH, ADIEL, DEN BOER, WILLEM, GREEN, PATRICK J. 2013-10-11 Assigned to APPLE INC. reassignment APPLE INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: PLANAR SYSTEMS, INC. This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/407,545, filed Apr. 19, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/442,433, filed May 20, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,053,967, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional App. No. 60/383,040, filed May 23, 2002. The present invention relates to touch sensitive displays. Touch sensitive screens (“touch screens”) are devices that typically mount over a display such as a cathode ray tube. With a touch screen, a user can select from options displayed on the display's viewing surface by touching the surface adjacent to the desired option, or, in some designs, touching the option directly. Common techniques employed in these devices for detecting the location of a touch include mechanical buttons, crossed beams of infrared light, acoustic surface waves, capacitance sensing, and resistive materials. For example, Kasday, U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,179 discloses an optically-based touch screen comprising a flexible clear membrane supported above a glass screen whose edges are fitted with photodiodes. When the membrane is flexed into contact with the screen by a touch, light which previously would have passed through the membrane and glass screen is trapped between the screen surfaces by total internal reflection. This trapped light travels to the edge of the glass screen where it is detected by the photodiodes which produce a corresponding output signal. The touch position is determined by coordinating the position of the CRT raster beam with the timing of the output signals from the several photodiodes. The optically-based touch screen increases the expense of the display, and increases the complexity of the display. Denlinger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,328 on the other hand, relies on reflection of ambient light from the actual touch source, such as a finger or pointer, into a pair of photosensors mounted at corners of the touch screen. By measuring the intensity of the reflected light received by each photosensor, a computer calculates the location of the touch source with reference to the screen. The inclusion of the photosensors and associated computer increases the expense of the display, and increases the complexity of the display. May, U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,186, discloses a liquid crystal touch screen that includes an upper glass sheet and a lower glass sheet separated by spacers. Sandwiched between the glass sheets is a thin layer of liquid crystal material. The inner surface of each piece of glass is coated with a transparent, conductive layer of metal oxide. Affixed to the outer surface of the upper glass sheet is an upper polarizer which comprises the display's viewing surface. Affixed to the outer surface of glass sheet is a lower polarizer. Forming the back surface of the liquid crystal display is a transflector adjacent to the lower polarizer. A transflector transmits some of the light striking its surface and reflects some light. Adjacent to transflector is a light detecting array of light dependent resistors whose resistance varies with the intensity of light detected. The resistance increases as the light intensity decreases, such as occurs when a shadow is cast on the viewing surface. The light detecting array detect a change in the light transmitted through the transflector caused by a touching of viewing surface. Similar to touch sensitive structures affixed to the front of the liquid crystal stack, the light sensitive material affixed to the rear of the liquid crystal stack similarly pose potential problems limiting contrast of the display, increasing the expense of the display, and increasing the complexity of the display. Touch screens that have a transparent surface which mounts between the user and the display's viewing surface have several drawbacks. For example, the transparent surface, and other layers between the liquid crystal material and the transparent surface may result in multiple reflections which decreases the display's contrast and produces glare. Moreover, adding an additional touch panel to the display increases the manufacturing expense of the display and increases the complexity of the display. Also, the incorporation of the touch screen reduces the overall manufacturing yield of the display. Accordingly, what is desired is a touch screen that does not significantly decrease the contrast ratio, does not significantly increase the glare, does not significantly increase the expense of the display, and does not significantly increase the complexity of the display. FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a traditional active matrix liquid crystal display. FIG. 2 is a schematic of the thin film transistor array. FIG. 3 is a layout of the thin film transistor array of FIG. 2. FIGS. 4A-4H is a set of steps suitable for constructing pixel electrodes and amorphous silicon thin-film transistors. FIG. 5 illustrates pixel electrodes, color filters, and a black matrix. FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic of the active matrix elements, pixel electrode, photo TFT, readout TFT, and a black matrix. FIG. 7 illustrates a pixel electrode, photo TFT, readout TFT, and a black matrix. FIG. 8 is a layout of the thin film transistor array of FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 9 is a graph of the capacitive charge on the light sensitive elements as a result of touching the display at high ambient lighting conditions. FIG. 10 is a graph of the capacitive charge on the light sensitive elements as a result of touching the display at low ambient lighting conditions. FIG. 11 is a graph of the photo-currents in an amorphous silicon TFT array. FIG. 12 is a graph of the capacitive charge on the light sensitive elements as a result of touching the display and providing light from a light wand. FIG. 13 is an alternative layout of the pixel electrodes. FIG. 14 illustrates a timing set for the layout of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 illustrates a handheld device together with an optical wand. FIG. 16 illustrates even/odd frame addressing. FIG. 17 illustrates a front illuminated display. FIG. 18 illustrates total internal reflections. FIG. 19 illustrates a small amount of diffraction of the propagating light. FIG. 20 illustrates significant diffraction as a result of a plastic pen. FIG. 21 illustrates a shadow of a pointing device and a shadow with illuminated region of a pointing device. Referring to FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 50 (indicated by a bracket) comprises generally, a backlight 52 and a light valve 54 (indicated by a bracket). Since liquid crystals do not emit light, most LCD panels are backlit with fluorescent tubes or arrays of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are built into the sides or back of the panel. To disperse the light and obtain a more uniform intensity over the surface of the display, light from the backlight 52 typically passes through a diffuser 56 before impinging on the light valve 54. The transmittance of light from the backlight 52 to the eye of a viewer 58, observing an image displayed on the front of the panel, is controlled by the light valve 54. The light valve 54 normally includes a pair of polarizers 60 and 62 separated by a layer of liquid crystals 64 contained in a cell gap between glass or plastic plates, and the polarizers. Light from the backlight 52 impinging on the first polarizer 62 comprises electromagnetic waves vibrating in a plurality of planes. Only that portion of the light vibrating in the plane of the optical axis of the polarizer passes through the polarizer. In an LCD light valve, the optical axes of the first 62 and second 60 polarizer are typically arranged at an angle so that light passing through the first polarizer would normally be blocked from passing through the second polarizer in the series. However, the orientation of the translucent crystals in the layer of liquid crystals 64 can be locally controlled to either “twist” the vibratory plane of the light into alignment with the optical axes of the polarizer, permitting light to pass through the light valve creating a bright picture element or pixel, or out of alignment with the optical axis of one of the polarizes, attenuating the light and creating a darker area of the screen or pixel. The surfaces of the a first glass substrate 61 and a second glass substrate 63 form the walls of the cell gap are buffed to produce microscopic grooves to physically align the molecules of liquid crystal 64 immediately adjacent to the walls. Molecular forces cause adjacent liquid crystal molecules to attempt to align with their neighbors with the result that the orientation of the molecules in the column of molecules spanning the cell gap twist over the length of the column. Likewise, the plane of vibration of light transiting the column of molecules will be “twisted” from the optical axis of the first polarizer 62 to a plane determined by the orientation of the liquid crystals at the opposite wall of the cell gap. If the wall of the cell gap is buffed to align adjacent crystals with the optical axis of the second polarizer, light from the backlight 52 can pass through the series of polarizers 60 and 62 to produce a lighted area of the display when viewed from the front of the panel (a “normally white” LCD). To darken a pixel and create an image, a voltage, typically controlled by a thin film transistor, is applied to an electrode in an array of transparent electrodes deposited on the walls of the cell gap. The liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the electrode are attracted by the field produced by the voltage and rotate to align with the field. As the molecules of liquid crystal are rotated by the electric field, the column of crystals is “untwisted,” and the optical axes of the crystals adjacent to the cell wall are rotated progressively out of alignment with the optical axis of the corresponding polarizer progressively reducing the local transmittance of the light valve 54 and attenuating the luminance of the corresponding pixel. In other words, in a normally white twisted nematic device there are generally two modes of operation, one without a voltage applied to the molecules and one with a voltage applied to the molecules. With a voltage applied (e.g., driven mode) to the molecules the molecules rotate their polarization axis which results in inhibiting the passage of light to the viewer. Similarly, without a voltage applied (e.g., non-driven mode) the polarization axis is not rotated so that the passage of light is not inhibited to the viewer. Conversely, the polarizers and buffing of the light valve can be arranged to produce a “normally black” LCD having pixels that are dark (light is blocked) when the electrodes are not energized and light when the electrodes are energized. Color LCD displays are created by varying the intensity of transmitted light for each of a plurality of primary color (typically, red, green, and blue) sub-pixels that make up a displayed pixel. The aforementioned example was described with respect to a twisted nematic device. However, this description is only an example and other devices may likewise be used, including but not limited to, multi-domain vertical alignment, patterned vertical alignment, in-plane switching, and super-twisted nematic type LCDs. In addition other devices, such as for example, plasma displays, organic displays, active matrix organic light emitting display, electroluminescent displays, liquid crystal on silicon displays, reflective liquid crystal devices may likewise be used. For such displays the light emitting portion of the display, or portion of the display that permits the display of selected portions of light may be considered to selectively cause the pixels to provide light. For an active matrix LCD (AMLCD) the inner surface of the second glass substrate 63 is normally coated with a continuous electrode while the first glass substrate 61 is patterned into individual pixel electrodes. The continuous electrode may be constructed using a transparent electrode, such as indium tin oxide. The first glass substrate 61 may include thin film transistors (TFTs) which act as individual switches for each pixel electrode (or group of pixel electrodes) corresponding to a pixel (or group of pixels). The TFTs are addressed by a set of multiplexed electrodes running along the gaps between the pixel electrodes. Alternatively the pixel electrodes may be on a different layer from the TFTs. A pixel is addressed by applying voltage (or current) to a selected line, which switches the TFT on and allows charge from the data line to flow onto the rear pixel electrodes. The combination of voltages between the front electrode and the pixel electrodes sets up a voltage across the pixels and turns the respective pixels on. The thin-film transistors are typically constructed from amorphous silicon, while other types of switching devices may likewise be used, such as for example, metal-insulator-metal diode and polysilicon thin-film transistors. The TFT array and pixel electrodes may alternatively be on the top of the liquid crystal material. Also, the continuous electrode may be patterned or portions selectively selected, as desired. Also the light sensitive elements may likewise be located on the top, or otherwise above, of the liquid crystal material, if desired. Referring to FIG. 2, the active matrix layer may include a set of data lines and a set of select lines. Normally one data line is included for each column of pixels across the display and one select line is included for each row of pixels down the display, thereby creating an array of conductive lines. To load the data to the respective pixels indicating which pixels should be illuminated, normally in a row-by-row manner, a set of voltages are imposed on the respective data lines 204 which imposes a voltage on the sources 202 of latching transistors 200. The selection of a respective select line 210, interconnected to the gates 212 of the respective latching transistors 200, permits the voltage imposed on the sources 202 to be passed to the drain 214 of the latching transistors 200. The drains 214 of the latching transistors 200 are electrically connected to respective pixel electrodes and are capacitively coupled to a respective common line 221 through a respective Cst capacitor 218. In addition, a respective capacitance exists between the pixel electrodes enclosing the liquid crystal material, noted as capacitances Clc 222 (between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode on the color plate). The common line 221 provides a voltage reference. In other words, the voltage data (representative of the image to be displayed) is loaded into the data lines for a row of latching transistors 200 and imposing a voltage on the select line 210 latches that data into the holding capacitors and hence the pixel electrodes. Referring to FIG. 3, a schematic layout is shown of the active matrix layer. The pixel electrodes 230 are generally grouped into a “single” effective pixel so that a corresponding set of pixel electrodes 230 may be associated with respective color filters (e.g., red, green, blue). The latching transistors 200 interconnect the respective pixel electrodes 230 with the data lines and the select line. The pixel electrodes 230 may be interconnected to the common line 221 by the capacitors Cst 218. Referring to FIG. 4, the active matrix layer may be constructed using an amorphous silicon thin-film transistor fabrication process. The steps may include gate metal deposition (FIG. 4A), a photolithography/etch (FIG. 4B), a gate insulator and amorphous silicon deposition (FIG. 4C), a photolithography/etch (FIG. 4D), a source/drain metal deposition (FIG. 4E), a photolithography/etch (FIG. 4F), an ITO deposition (FIG. 4G), and a photolithography/etch (FIG. 4H). Other processes may likewise be used, as desired. The present inventors considered different potential architectural touch panel schemes to incorporate additional optical layers between the polarizer on the front of the liquid crystal display and the front of the display. These additional layers include, for example, glass plates, wire grids, transparent electrodes, plastic plates, spacers, and other materials. In addition, the present inventors considered the additional layers with different optical characteristics, such as for example, birefringence, non-birefringence, narrow range of wavelengths, wide range of wavelengths, etc. After an extensive analysis of different potential configurations of the touch screen portion added to the display together with materials having different optical properties and further being applied to the different types of technologies (e.g., mechanical switches, crossed beams of infrared light, acoustic surface waves, capacitance sensing, and resistive membranes), the present inventors determined that an optimized touch screen is merely a tradeoff between different undesirable properties. Accordingly, the design of an optimized touch screen is an ultimately unsolvable task. In contrast to designing an improved touch screen, the present inventors came to the realization that modification of the structure of the active matrix liquid crystal device itself could provide an improved touch screen capability without all of the attendant drawbacks to the touch screen configuration located on the front of the display. Referring to FIG. 5, with particular attention to the latching transistors of the pixel electrodes, a black matrix 240 is overlying the latching transistors so that significant ambient light does not strike the transistors. Color filters 242 may be located above the pixel electrodes. Ambient light striking the latching transistors results in draining the charge imposed on the pixel electrodes through the transistor. The discharge of the charge imposed on the pixel electrodes results in a decrease in the operational characteristics of the display, frequently to the extent that the display is rendered effectively inoperative. With the realization that amorphous silicon transistors are sensitive to light incident thereon, the present inventors determined that such transistors within the active matrix layer may be used as a basis upon which to detect the existence of or non-existence of ambient light incident thereon (e.g., relative values thereto). Referring to FIG. 6, a modified active matrix layer may include a photo-sensitive structure or elements. The preferred photo-sensitive structure includes a photo-sensitive thin film transistor (photo TFT) interconnected to a readout thin-film transistor (readout TFT). A capacitor Cst2 may interconnect the common line to the transistors. Referring to FIG. 7, a black matrix may be in an overlying relationship to the readout TFT. The black matrix is preferably an opaque material or otherwise the structure of the display selectively inhibiting the transmission of light to selective portions of the active matrix layer. Preferably the black matrix is completely overlying the amorphous silicon portion of the readout TFT, and at least partially overlying the amorphous silicon portion of the readout TFT. Preferably the black matrix is completely non-overlying the amorphous silicon portion of the photo TFT, and at least partially non-overlying the amorphous silicon portion of the photo TFT. Overlying does not necessarily denote direct contact between the layers, but is intended to denote in the general sense the stacked structure of materials. In some embodiments, the black matrix inhibits ambient light from impacting the amorphous silicon portion of the readout TFT to an extent greater than inhibiting ambient light from impacting the amorphous silicon portion of the photo TFT. As an example, the common line may be set at a negative voltage potential, such as −10 volts. During the previous readout cycle, a voltage is imposed on the select line which causes the voltage on the readout line to be coupled to the drain of the photo TFT and the drain of the readout TFT, which results in a voltage potential across Cst2. The voltage coupled to the drain of the photo TFT and the drain of the readout TFT is approximately ground (e.g., zero volts) with the non-inverting input of the operational amplifier connected to ground. The voltage imposed on the select line is removed so that the readout TFT will turn “off”. Under normal operational conditions ambient light from the front of the display passes through the black matrix and strikes the amorphous silicon of the photo TFT. However, if a person touches the front of the display in a region over the opening in the black matrix or otherwise inhibits the passage of light through the front of the display in a region over the opening in the black matrix, then the photo TFT transistor will be in an “off” state. If the photo TFT is “off” then the voltage across the capacitor Cst2 will not significantly discharge through the photo TFT. Accordingly, the charge imposed across Cst2 will be substantially unchanged. In essence, the voltage imposed across Cst2 will remain substantially unchanged if the ambient light is inhibited from striking the photo TFT. To determine the voltage across the capacitor Cst2, a voltage is imposed on the select line which causes the gate of the readout TFT to interconnect the imposed voltage on Cst2 to the readout line. If the voltage imposed on the readout line as a result of activating the readout TFT is substantially unchanged, then the output of the operational amplifier will be substantially unchanged (e.g., zero). In this manner, the system is able to determine whether the light to the device has been inhibited, in which case the system will determine that the screen has been touched at the corresponding portion of the display with the photo TFT. During the readout cycle, the voltage imposed on the select line causes the voltage on the respective drain of the photo TFT and the drain of the readout TFT to be coupled to the respective readout line, which results in resetting the voltage potential across Cst2. The voltage coupled to the drain of the photo TFT and the drain of the readout TFT is approximately ground (e.g., zero volts) with the non-inverting input of the operational amplifier connected to ground. The voltage imposed on the select line is removed so that the readout TFT will turn “off”. In this manner, the act of reading the voltage simultaneously acts to reset the voltage potential for the next cycle. Under normal operational conditions ambient light from the front of the display passes through the black matrix and strikes the amorphous silicon of the photo TFT. If a person does not touch the front of the display in a region over the opening in the black matrix or otherwise inhibits the passage of light through the front of the display in a region over the opening in the black matrix, then the photo TFT transistor will be in an “on” state. If the photo TFT is “on” then the voltage across the capacitor Cst2 will significantly discharge through the photo TFT, which is coupled to the common line. In essence the voltage imposed across Cst2 will decrease toward the common voltage. Accordingly, the charge imposed across Cst2 will be substantially changed in the presence of ambient light. Moreover, there is a substantial difference in the voltage potential across the hold capacitor when the light is not inhibited versus when the light is inhibited. Similarly, to determine the voltage across the capacitor Cst2, a voltage is imposed on the select line which causes the gate of the readout TFT to interconnect the imposed voltage to the readout line. If the voltage imposed on the readout line as a result of activating the readout TFT is substantially changed or otherwise results in an injection of current, then the output of the operational amplifier will be substantially non-zero. The output voltage of the operational amplifier is proportional or otherwise associated with the charge on the capacitor Cst2. In this manner, the system is able to determine whether the light to the device has been uninhibited, in which case the system will determine that the screen has not been touched at the corresponding portion of the display with the photo TFT. Referring to FIG. 8, a layout of the active matrix layer may include the photo TFT, the capacitor Cst2, the readout TFT in a region between the pixel electrodes. Light sensitive elements are preferably included at selected intervals within the active matrix layer. In this manner, the device may include touch panel sensitivity without the need for additional touch panel layers attached to the front of the display. In addition, the additional photo TFT, readout TFT, and capacitor may be fabricated together with the remainder of the active matrix layer, without the need for specialized processing. Moreover, the complexity of the fabrication process is only slightly increased so that the resulting manufacturing yield will remain substantially unchanged. It is to be understood that other light sensitive elements may likewise be used. In addition, it is to be understood that other light sensitive electrical architectures may likewise be used. Referring to FIG. 11, a graph of the photo-currents within amorphous silicon TFTs is illustrated. Line 300 illustrates a dark ambient environment with the gate connected to the source of the photo TFT. It will be noted that the leakage currents are low and relatively stable over a range of voltages. Line 302 illustrates a dark ambient environment with a floating gate of the photo TFT. It will be noted that the leakage currents are generally low and relatively unstable over a range of voltages (significant slope). Line 304 illustrates a low ambient environment with the gate connected to the source of the photo TFT. It will be noted that the leakage currents are three orders of magnitude higher than the corresponding dark ambient conditions and relatively stable over a range of voltages. Line 306 illustrates a low ambient environment with a floating gate of the photo TFT. It will be noted that the leakage currents are generally three orders of magnitude higher and relatively unstable over a range of voltages (significant slope). Line 308 illustrates a high ambient environment with the gate connected to the source of the photo TFT. It will be noted that the leakage currents are 4.5 orders of magnitude higher than the corresponding dark ambient conditions and relatively stable over a range of voltages. Line 310 illustrates a high ambient environment with a floating gate of the photo TFT. It will be noted that the leakage currents are generally 4.5 orders of magnitude higher and relatively unstable over a range of voltages (significant slope). With the significant difference between the dark state, the low ambient state, and the high ambient state, together with the substantially flat responses over a voltage range (source-drain voltage), the system may readily process the data in a confident manner, especially with the gate connected to the source. Referring to FIG. 9, under high ambient lighting conditions the photo TFT will tend to completely discharge the Cst2 capacitor to the common voltage, perhaps with an offset voltage because of the photo TFT. In this manner, all of the photo TFTs across the display will tend to discharge to the same voltage level. Those regions with reduced ambient lighting conditions or otherwise where the user blocks ambient light from reaching the display, the Cst2 capacitor will not fully discharge, as illustrated by the downward spike in the graph. The downward spike in the graph provides location information related to the region of the display that has been touched. Referring to FIG. 10, under lower ambient lighting conditions the photo TFT will tend to partially discharge the Cst2 capacitor to the common voltage. In this manner, all of the photo TFTs across the display will tend to discharge to some intermediate voltage levels. Those regions with further reduced ambient lighting conditions or otherwise where the user blocks ambient light from reaching the display, the Cst2 capacitor will discharge to a significantly less extent, as illustrated by the downward spike in the graph. The downward spike in the graph provides location information related to the region of the display that has been touched. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the region or regions where the user inhibits light from reaching the display may be determined as localized minimums. In other embodiments, depending on the circuit topology, the location(s) where the user inhibits light from reaching the display may be determined as localized maximums or otherwise some measure from the additional components. In the circuit topology illustrated, the value of the capacitor Cst2 may be selected such that it is suitable for high ambient lighting conditions or low ambient lighting conditions. For low ambient lighting conditions, a smaller capacitance may be selected so that the device is more sensitive to changes in light. For high ambient lighting conditions, a larger capacitance may be selected so that the device is less sensitive to changes in light. In addition, the dimensions of the phototransistor may be selected to change the photo-leakage current. Also, one set of light sensitive elements (e.g., the photo TFT and the capacitance) within the display may be optimized for low ambient lighting conditions while another set of light sensitive elements (e.g., the photo TFT and the capacitance) within the display may be optimized for high ambient lighting conditions. Typically, the data from light sensitive elements for low ambient conditions and the data from light sensitive elements for high ambient conditions are separately processed, and the suitable set of data is selected. In this manner, the same display device may be used for high and low ambient lighting conditions. In addition, multiple levels of sensitivity may be provided. It is to be understood that a single architecture may be provided with a wide range of sensitivity from low to high ambient lighting conditions. Another structure that may be included is selecting the value of the capacitance so that under normal ambient lighting conditions the charge on the capacitor only partially discharges. With a structure where the capacitive charge only partially discharges, the present inventors determined that an optical pointing device, such as a light wand or laser pointer, might be used to point at the display to further discharge particular regions of the display. In this manner, the region of the display that the optical pointing device remains pointed at may be detected as local maximums (or otherwise). In addition, those regions of the display where light is inhibited will appear as local minimums (or otherwise). This provides the capability of detecting not only the absence of light (e.g., touching the panel) but likewise those regions of the display that have increased light incident thereon. Referring to FIG. 12, a graph illustrates local minimums (upward peaks) from added light and local maximums (downward peaks) from a lack of light. In addition, one set of light sensitive elements (e.g., the photo TFT and the capacitance) within the display may be optimized for ambient lighting conditions to detect the absence of light while another set of light sensitive elements (e.g., the photo TFT and the capacitance) within the display may be optimized for ambient lighting conditions to detect the additional light imposed thereon. A switch associated with the display may be provided to select among a plurality of different sets of light sensitive elements. For example, one of the switches may select between low, medium, and high ambient lighting conditions. For example, another switch may select between a touch sensitive operation (absence of light) and an optical pointing device (addition of light). In addition, the optical pointing device may communicate to the display, such as through a wire or wireless connection, to automatically change to the optical sensing mode. It is noted that the teachings herein are likewise applicable to transmissive active matrix liquid crystal devices, reflective active matrix liquid crystal devices, transflective active matrix liquid crystal devices, etc. In addition, the light sensitive elements may likewise be provided within a passive liquid crystal display. The sensing devices may be, for example, photo resistors and photo diodes. Alternatively, light sensitive elements may be provided between the rear polarizing element and the active matrix layer. In this arrangement, the light sensitive elements are preferably fabricated on the polarizer, or otherwise a film attached to the polarizer. In addition, the light sensitive elements may be provided on a thin glass plate between the polarizer and the liquid crystal material. In addition, the black matrix or otherwise light inhibiting material is preferably arranged so as to inhibit ambient light from striking the readout TFT while free from inhibiting light from striking the photo TFT. Moreover, preferably a light blocking material is provided between the photo TFT and/or the readout TFT and the backlight, such as gate metal, if provided, to inhibit the light from the backlight from reaching the photo TFT and/or the readout TFT. Alternatively, light sensitive elements may be provided between the front polarizing element and the liquid crystal material. In this arrangement, the light sensitive elements are preferably fabricated on the polarizer, or otherwise a film attached to the polarizer. In addition, the light sensitive elements may be provided on a thin glass plate between the polarizer and the liquid crystal material. The light sensitive elements may likewise be fabricated within the front electrode layer by patterning the front electrode layer and including suitable fabrication techniques. In addition, a black matrix or otherwise light inhibiting material is preferably arranged so as to inhibit ambient light from striking the readout TFT while free from inhibiting light from striking the photo TFT. Moreover, preferably a light blocking material is provided between the photo TFT and/or the readout TFT and the backlight, if provided, to inhibit the light from the backlight from reaching the photo TFT and/or the readout TFT. Alternatively, light sensitive elements may be provided between the front of the display and the rear of the display, normally fabricated on one of the layers therein or fabricated on a separate layer provided within the stack of layers within the display. In the case of a liquid crystal device with a backlight the light sensitive elements are preferably provided between the front of the display and the backlight material. The position of the light sensitive elements are preferably between (or at least partially) the pixel electrodes, when viewed from a plan view of the display. This may be particularly useful for reflective displays where the pixel electrodes are opaque. In addition for reflective displays, any reflective conductive electrodes should be arranged so that they do not significantly inhibit light from reaching the light sensitive elements. In this arrangement, the light sensitive elements are preferably fabricated on one or more of the layers, or otherwise a plate attached to one or more of the layers. In addition, a black matrix or otherwise light inhibiting material is preferably arranged so as to inhibit ambient light from striking the readout TFT while free from inhibiting light from striking the photo TFT. Moreover, preferably a light blocking material is provided between the photo TFT and/or the readout TFT and the backlight, if provided, to inhibit the light from the backlight from reaching the photo TFT and/or the readout TFT. In many applications it is desirable to modify the intensity of the backlight for different lighting conditions. For example, in dark ambient lighting conditions it may be beneficial to have a dim backlight. In contrast, in bright ambient lighting conditions it may be beneficial to have a bright backlight. The integrated light sensitive elements within the display stack may be used as a measure of the ambient lighting conditions to control the intensity of the backlight without the need for an additional external photo-sensor. One light sensitive element may be used, or a plurality of light sensitive element may be used together with additional processing, such as averaging. In one embodiment, the readout line may be included in a periodic manner within the display sufficient to generally identify the location of the “touch”. For example the readout line may be periodically added at each 30th column. Spacing the readout lines at a significant number of pixels apart result in a display that nearly maintains its previous brightness because most of the pixel electrodes have an unchanged size. However, after considerable testing it was determined that such periodic spacing results in a noticeable non-uniform gray scale because of differences in the size of the active region of the pixel electrodes. One potential resolution of the non-uniform gray scale is to modify the frame data in a manner consistent with the non-uniformity, such as increasing the gray level of the pixel electrodes with a reduced size or otherwise reducing the gray levels of the non-reduced size pixel electrodes, or a combination thereof. While a potential resolution, this requires additional data processing which increases the computational complexity of the system. A more desirable resolution of the non-uniform gray scale is to modify the display to include a readout line at every third pixel, or otherwise in a manner consistent with the pixel electrode pattern of the display (red pixel, green pixel, blue pixel). Alternatively, a readout line is included at least every 12th pixel (36 pixel electrodes of a red, blue, green arrangement), more preferably at least every 9th pixel (27 pixel electrodes of a red, blue, green arrangement), even more preferably at least every 6th pixel (18 pixel electrodes of a red, blue, green arrangement or 24 pixel electrodes of a red, blue, blue green arrangement), and most preferably at least every 3rd pixel (3 pixel electrodes of a red, blue, green arrangement). The readout lines are preferably included for at least a pattern of four times the spacing between readout lines (e.g., 12th pixel times 4 equals 48 pixels, 9th pixel times 4 equals 36 pixels). More preferably the pattern of readout lines is included over a majority of the display. The resulting display may include more readout lines than are necessary to accurately determine the location of the “touch”. To reduce the computational complexity of the display, a selection of the readout lines may be free from interconnection or otherwise not operationally interconnected with readout electronics. In addition, to further reduce the computational complexity of the display and to increase the size of the pixel electrodes, the readout lines not operationally interconnected with readout electronics may likewise be free from an associated light sensitive element. In other words, additional non-operational readout lines may be included within the display to provide a gray scale display with increased uniformity. In an alternative embodiment, one or more of the non-operational readout lines may be replaced with spaces. In this manner, the gray scale display may include increased uniformity, albeit with additional spaces within the pixel electrode matrix. The present inventors considered the selection of potential pixel electrodes and came to the realization that the electrode corresponding to “blue” light does not contribute to the overall white transmission to the extent that the “green” or “red” electrodes. Accordingly, the system may be designed in such a manner that the light sensitive elements are associated with the “blue” electrodes to an extent greater than their association with the “green” or “red” electrodes. In this manner, the “blue” pixel electrodes may be decreased in size to accommodate the light sensitive elements while the white transmission remains substantially unchanged. Experiments have shown that reducing the size of the “blue” electrodes to approximately 85% of their original size, with the “green” and “red” electrodes remaining unchanged, results in a reduction in the white transmission by only about 3 percent. While such an additional set of non-operational readout lines provides for increased uniform gray levels, the reduction of pixel apertures results in a reduction of brightness normally by at least 5 percent and possibly as much as 15 percent depending on the resolution and layout design rules employed. In addition, the manufacturing yield is decreased because the readout line has a tendency to short to its neighboring data line if the processing characteristics are not accurately controlled. For example, the data line and readout line may be approximately 6-10 microns apart along a majority of their length. Referring to FIG. 13, to increase the potential manufacturing yield and the brightness of the display, the present inventors came to the realization that the readout of the photo-sensitive circuit and the writing of data to the pixels may be combined on the same bus line, or otherwise a set of lines that are electrically interconnected to one another. To facilitate the use of the same bus line, a switch 418 may select between providing new data 420 to the selected pixels and reading data 414 from the selected pixels. With the switch 418 set to interconnect the new data 420 with the selected pixels, the data from a frame buffer or otherwise the video data stream may be provided to the pixels associated with one of the select lines. Multiple readout circuits may be used, or one or more multiplexed readout circuits maybe used. For example, the new data 420 provided on data line 400 may be 4.5 volts which is latched to the pixel electrode 402 and the photo TFT 404 by imposing a suitable voltage on the select line 406. In this manner, the data voltage is latched to both the pixel electrode and a corresponding photo-sensitive circuit. The display is illuminated in a traditional manner and the voltage imposed on the photo TFT 404 may be modified in accordance with the light incident on the photo-sensitive circuit, as previously described. In the topology illustrated, the photo TFT 404 is normally a N-type transistor which is reverse biased by setting the voltage on the common line 408 to a voltage lower than an anticipated voltage on the photo TFT 404, such as −10 or −15 volts. The data for the current frame may be stored in a frame buffer for later usage. Prior to writing the data for another frame, such as the next frame, the data (e.g., voltage) on the readout TFT 410 is read out. The switch 418 changes between the new data 420 to the readout line 414 interconnected to the charge readout amplifier 412. The select line 406 is again selected to couple the remaining voltage on the photo TFT 404 through the readout TFT 410 to the data line 400. The coupled voltage (or current) to the data line 400 is provided as an input to the charge readout amplifier 412 which is compared against the corresponding data from the previous frame 422, namely, the voltage originally imposed on the photo TFT 404. The difference between the readout line 414 and the data from the previous frame 422 provides an output to the amplifier 412. The output of the amplifier 412 is provided to the processor. The greater the drain of the photo TFT 404, normally as a result of sensing light, results in a greater output of the amplifier 412. Referring to FIG. 14, an exemplary timing for the writing and readout on the shared data line 400 is illustrated. At low ambient lighting conditions and at dark lighting conditions, the integrated optical touch panel is not expected to operate well to the touch of the finger because there will be an insufficient (or none) difference between the signals from the surrounding area and the touched area. To alleviate the inability to effectively sense at the low and dark ambient lighting conditions a light pen or laser pointer may be used (e.g., light source), as previously described. The light source may be operably interconnected to the display such as by a wire or wireless communication link. With the light source operably interconnected to the display the intensity of the light source may be controlled, at least in part, by feedback from the photo-sensitive elements or otherwise the display, as illustrated in FIG. 15. When the display determines that sufficient ambient light exists, such as ambient light exceeding a threshold value, the light source is turned “off”. In this manner, touching the light source against the display results in the same effect as touching a finger against the display, namely, impeding ambient light from striking the display. When the display determines that insufficient ambient light exists, such as ambient light failing to exceed a threshold value, the light source is turned “on”. In this manner, touching or otherwise directing the light from the light source against the display results in a localized increase in the received light relative to the ambient light level. This permits the display to be operated in dark ambient lighting conditions or by feedback from the display. In addition, the intensity of the light from the light source may be varied, such as step-wise, linearly, non-linearly, or continuously, depending upon the ambient lighting conditions. Alternatively, the light source may include its own ambient light detector so that feedback from the display is unnecessary and likewise communication between the light source and the display may be unnecessary. While using light from an external light source while beneficial it may still be difficult to accurately detect the location of the additional light because of background noise within the system and variable lighting conditions. The present inventors considered this situation and determined that by providing light during different frames, such as odd frames or even frames, or odd fields or even fields, or every third frame, or during selected frames, a more defined differential signal between the frames indicates the “touch” location. In essence, the light may be turned on and off in some manner, such as blinking at a rate synchronized with the display line scanning or frames. An exemplary timing for an odd/even frame arrangement is shown in FIG. 16. In addition, the illumination of some types of displays involves scanning the display in a row-by-row manner. In such a case, the differential signal may be improved by modifying the timing of the light pulses in accordance with the timing of the gate pulse (e.g., scanning) for the respective pixel electrodes. For example, in a top-down scanning display the light pulse should be earlier when the light source is directed toward the top of the display as opposed to the bottom of the display. The synchronization may be based upon feedback from the display, if desired. In one embodiment, the light source may blink at a rate synchronized with the display line scanning. For example, the light source may use the same driver source as the image pixel electrodes. In another embodiment the use of sequential (or otherwise) frames may be subtracted from one another which results in significant different between signal and ambient conditions. Preferably, the light sensitive elements have a dynamic range greater than 2 decades, and more preferably a dynamic range greater than 4 decades. If desired, the system may use two sequential fields of scanning (all lines) subtracted from the next two fields of scanning (all lines) so that all the lines of the display are used. Another technique for effective operation of the display in dark or low level ambient conditions is using a pen or other device with a light reflecting surface that is proximate (touching or near touching) the display when interacting with the display. The light from the backlight transmitted through the panel is then reflected back into the photo-sensitive element and the readout signal will be greater at the touch location than the surrounding area. Referring to FIG. 17, another type of reflective liquid crystal display, typically used on handheld computing devices, involves incorporating a light guide in front of the liquid crystal material, which is normally a glass plate or clear plastic material. Normally, the light guide is constructed from an opaque material having an index of refraction between 1.4 and 1.6, more typically between 1.45 and 1.50, and sometimes of materials having an index of refraction of 1.46. The light guide is frequently illuminated with a light source, frequently disposed to the side of the light guide. The light source may be any suitable device, such as for example, a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, an incandescent lamp, and a light emitting diode. To improve the light collection a reflector may be included behind the lamp to reflect light that is emitted away from the light guide, and to re-direct the light into the light guide. The light propagating within the light guide bounces between the two surfaces by total internal reflections. The total internal reflections will occur for angles that are above the critical angle, measured relative to the normal to the surfaces, as illustrated in FIG. 18. To a first order approximation, the critical angle β maybe defined by Sin(β)=1/n where n is the index of refraction of the light guide. Since the surfaces of the light guide are not perfectly smooth there will be some dispersion of the light, which causes some illumination of the display, as shown in FIG. 19. The present inventors came to the realization that the critical angle and the disruption of the total internal reflections may be modified in such a manner as to provide a localized increase in the diffusion of light. Referring to FIG. 20, one suitable technique for the localized diffusion of light involves using a plastic pen to touch the front of the display. The internally reflected light coincident with the location that the pen touches the display will significantly diffuse and be directed toward the photo sensitive elements within the display. The plastic pen, or other object including the finger or the eraser of a pencil, preferably has an index of refraction within 0.5, more preferably within 0.25, of the index of refraction of the light guide. For example, the index of refraction of the light guide may be between 1.2 and 1.9, and more preferably between 1.4 and 1.6. With the two indexes of refraction sufficiently close to one another the disruption of the internal reflections, and hence amount of light-directed-toward the photo-sensitive elements, is increased. In addition, the plastic pen preferably has sufficient reflectivity of light as opposed to being non-reflective material, such as for example, black felt. Referring to FIG. 21, after further consideration the present inventors were surprised to note that a white eraser a few millimeters away from the light guide results in a darkened region with generally consistent optical properties while a white eraser in contact with the light guide results in a darkened region with generally consistent optical properties together with a smaller illuminated region. In the preferred embodiment, the light sensitive elements are positioned toward the front of the display in relation to the liquid crystal material (or otherwise the light valve or electroluminescent material) so that a clearer image may be obtained. It is to be understood that any suitable pointing device may be used. The illuminated region has an illumination brighter in relation to the remainder of the darkened region. The illuminated region may be located by any suitable technique, such as for example, a center of gravity technique. After further consideration of the illuminated region the present inventors came to the realization that when users use a “touch panel” display, there is a likelihood that the pointing device (or finger) may “hover” at a location above the display. Normally, during this hovering the user is not actually selecting any portion of the display, but rather still deciding where to select. In this manner, the illuminated region is beneficial because it provides a technique for the determination between when the user is simply “hovering” and the user has actually touched (e.g., “touching”) the display. Another potential technique for the determination between “hovering” and “touching” is to temporally model the “shadow” region (e.g., light impeded region of the display). In one embodiment, when the user is typically touching the display then the end of the shadow will typically remain stationary for a period of time, which may be used as a basis, at least in part, of “touching”. In another embodiment, the shadow will typically enlarge as the pointing device approaches the display and shrinks as the pointing device recedes from the display, where the general time between enlarging and receding may be used as a basis, at least in part, of “touching”. In another embodiment, the shadow will typically enlarge as the pointing device approaches the display and maintain the same general size when the pointing device is touching the display, where the general time where the shadow maintains the same size may be used as a basis, at least in part, of “touching”. In another embodiment, the shadow will typically darken as the pointing device approaches the display and maintain the same shade when the pointing device is touching the display, where the general time where the shadow maintains the same general shade may be used as a basis, at least in part, of “touching”. While attempting to consider implementation of such techniques on a handheld device it came to the inventor's surprise that the display portion of a handheld device has a refresh rate generally less than the refresh rate of the portion of the handwriting recognition portion of the display. The handheld portion of the display may use any recognition technique, such as Palm OS™ based devices. The refresh rate of the display is typically generally 60 hertz while the refresh rate of the handwriting portion of the display is typically generally 100 hertz. Accordingly, the light-sensitive elements should be sampled at a sampling rate corresponding with the refresh rate of the respective portion of the display. The technique described with respect to FIG. 20 operates reasonably well in dark ambient lighting conditions, low ambient lighting conditions, regular ambient lighting conditions, and high ambient lighting conditions. During regular and high ambient lighting conditions, the display is alleviated of a dependency on the ambient lighting conditions. In addition, with such lighting the illumination point is more pronounced and thus easier to extract. Unfortunately, during the daytime the ambient light may be sufficiently high causing the detection of the pointing device difficult. In addition, shades of the ambient light may also interfere with the detection techniques. The present inventors considered improving the robustness of the detection techniques but came to the realization that with sufficient “noise” in the system the creation of such sufficiently robust techniques would be difficult. As opposed to the traditional approach of improving the detection techniques, the present inventors came to the realization that by providing light to the light guide of a limited selection of wavelengths and selectively filtering the wavelengths of light within the display the difference between touched and un-touched may be increased. As an initial matter the light from the light source provided to the light guide is modified, or otherwise filtered, to provide a single color. Alternatively, the light source may provide light of a range of wavelengths, such as 600-700 nm, or 400-500 and 530-580, or 630. Typically, the light provided to the light guide has a range of wavelengths (in any significant amount) less than white light or otherwise the range of wavelengths of ambient light. Accordingly, with the light provided to the light guide having a limited color gamut (or reduced color spectrum) the touching of the pointing device on the display results in the limited color gamut light being locally directed toward the light-sensitive elements. With a limited color gamut light being directed toward the display as a result of touching the light guide (or otherwise touching the front of the display), a color filter may be included between the light guide and the light-sensitive elements to filter out at least a portion of the light not included within the limited color gamut. In other words, the color filter reduces the transmission of ambient light to an extent greater than the transmission of light from the light source or otherwise within the light guide. For example, the ambient light may be considered as “white” light while the light guide has primarily “red” light therein. A typical transmission of a red color filter for ambient white light may be around 20%, while the same color filter will transmit about 85% of the red light. Preferably the transmission of ambient light through the color filter is less than 75% (greater than 25% attenuation) (or 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%) while the transmission of the respective light within the light guide is greater than 25% (less than 25% attenuation) (or 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%), so that in this manner there is sufficient attenuation of selected wavelengths of the ambient light with respect to the wavelengths of light within the light guide to increase the ability to accurately detect the touching. In another embodiment, the light source to the light guide may include a switch or otherwise automatic modification to “white” light when operated in low ambient lighting conditions. In this manner, the display may be more effective viewed at low ambient lighting conditions. In another embodiment, the present inventors determined that if the light source providing light to the display was modulated in some fashion an improvement in signal detection may be achieved. For example, a pointing device with a light source associated therewith may modulate the light source in accordance with the frame rate of the display. With a frame rate of 60 hertz the pointing device may for example modulate the light source at a rate of 30 hertz, 20 hertz, 10 hertz, etc. which results in additional light periodically being sensed by the light sensitive elements. Preferably, the light source is modulated (“blinked”) at a rate synchronized with the display line scanning, and uses the same raw drivers as the image thin-film transistors. The resulting data may be processed in a variety of different ways. In one embodiment, the signals from the light sensitive elements are used, as captured. The resulting improvement in signal to background ratio is related to the pulse length of the light relative to the frame time. This provides some additional improvement in signal detection between the light generated by the pointing device relative to the ambient light (which is constant in time). In another embodiment, multiple frames are compared against one another to detect the presence and absence of the additional light resulting from the modulation. In the case of subsequent frames (sequential or non-sequential), one without additional light and one with additional light, the data from the light sensitive elements may be subtracted from one another. The improvement in signal to background ratio is related to the periodic absence of the additional light. In addition, this processing technique is especially suitable for low ambient lighting and high ambient lighting conditions. Preferably the dynamic range of the sensors is at least 4 decades, and two sequential frames with additional light and two sequential frames without additional light are used so that all of the scanning lines are encompassed. When the system charges a sensor it takes a whole frame for it to discharge by the light. Since the first line will start at time zero and take a frame time, the last line will be charged after almost a frame and will take another frame time to discharge. Therefore, the system should preferably use two frames with additional illumination and then two frames without additional illumination. All references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference. (e) a readout system that determines the position of at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements that has been inhibited from sensing ambient light, whereby said readout system distinguishes between ambient surroundings and said at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements said inhibited from sensing said ambient light. 2. The device of claim 1 wherein a terminal of said first transistor is connected to a terminal of said second transistor with a first conductor. 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said first conductor is capacitively coupled to another line with a capacitor. 4. The device of claim 3 wherein said another line has a voltage potential less than said first conductor. (c) a readout system that determines the position of at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements that has been inhibited from sensing ambient light, whereby said readout system distinguishes between ambient surroundings and said at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements said inhibited from sensing said ambient light. 6. The device of claim 5 wherein said device is at least one of multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display, patterned vertical alignment liquid crystal display, in-plane switching liquid crystal display, super-twisted nematic type liquid crystal display, plasma display, electroluminescent display, liquid crystal on silicon display, and reflective liquid crystal device. (d) modifying the intensity of said backlight based upon said light sensitive element. (d) a plurality of pixel electrodes within said display wherein data provided to said pixel electrodes is modified in a manner in a manner consistent with the size of said pixel electrodes within said display. 9. The display of claim 8 wherein the data corresponding with said pixel electrodes having a size decreased by said light sensitive elements is modified. 10. The display of claim 9 wherein said data corresponding with said pixel electrodes having a decreased size is increased. 11. The display of claim 9 wherein said data corresponding with said pixel electrodes having a decreased size remains unchanged while the data corresponding with a plurality of other pixel electrodes is modified. 12. The display of claim 11 wherein said data corresponding with said other pixel electrodes is decreased. (f) a readout system that determines the position of at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements that has been inhibited from sensing ambient light, whereby said readout system distinguishes between ambient surroundings and said at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements said inhibited from sensing said ambient light. 14. The device of claim 13 wherein said elongate conductors are said arranged at least within every 12th pixel of said display. 15. The device of claim 14 wherein said elongate conductors are said arranged at least within every 9th pixel of said display. 16. The device of claim 15 wherein said elongate conductors are said arranged at least within every 6th pixel of said display. 17. The device of claim 16 wherein said elongate conductors are said arranged at least within every 3rd pixel of said display. 18. The device of claim 14 wherein there are at least four elongate conductors. 19. The device of claim 15 wherein there are at least four elongate conductors. 20. The device of claim 16 wherein there are at least four elongate conductors. 21. The device of claim 17 wherein there are at least four elongate conductors. 22. The device of claim 13 wherein said elongate conductors are said arranged over a majority of said device. 23. The device of claim 13 wherein at least one of said plurality of elongate conductors is free from being operationally interconnected with any of said light sensitive elements. 24. The device of claim 13 wherein at least one of said plurality of elongate conductors is free from being operationally interconnected with readout electronics. 25. The device of claim 13 wherein the spacing between at least one pair of pixel electrodes having at least one said elongate conductors there between is substantially the same as the spacing between another pair of pixel electrodes free from having one of said elongate conductors there between. US652109A (en) * 1899-12-26 1900-06-19 Edward G Hewitt Sun-dial.

2019-04-21T08:53:45Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080165311A1/en

Climbing For Christ has been honored to stand with numerous ministries and individual believers in prayer during the Islamic celebration of Ramadan every year since 2011. We have spent this 30-day period lifting up our Muslim neighbors from all around the globe. How do Muslims view Christianity? We’ll pray for Muslims, ministries committed to reaching them, believers living among them, and Climbing For Christ’s upcoming mission to the most populous Muslim nation in the world: Indonesia, which will take place during Ramadan. This being our eighth year (and eight being the number of new beginnings) for Project Prayer: Ramadan, I think it’s fitting that we put a new spin on how we pray. As a staff, we recently completed Pastor Mark Batterson’s Draw the Circle: The 40-Day Prayer Challenge. In this excellent resource, Batterson eloquently encourages us again and again to pray circles around the things God puts on our hearts. In other words, we are told to take a page out of the playbook of the persistent widow found in Luke 18, and continually pursue the Lord for the blessed burdens He’s placed in our souls. In Jesus’ words, “keep on asking… keep on seeking… keep on knocking” (Matthew 7:7, NLT). You alone are God. You alone are perfect in wisdom and justice. You alone are full of such rich compassion and boundless love. There is none holy like You. There is none worthy like You. We worship You and give You reverence. You alone are God – our great God and Savior. During these 30 days of Ramadan, we pray for followers of Islam from all over the world. We lift to You those who are trapped in tradition and demonic deception. We ask for deliverance for them, Lord. We ask that You would shine the light of Jesus Christ into the darkest corners of every soul. We ask that, by Your incredible love, You would save. Bless our brothers and sisters in Christ who live and serve among Muslims. May they be used powerfully in Your hands. We pray for protection and provision for them. We pray for wisdom and understanding for them. And we pray that each would be a beacon of Your beautiful truth. Finally, we lift up Climbing For Christ’s Mission: Indonesia 2018 (May 29-June 11) to You. Our prayer is for lasting fruit as the Gospel is declared to those who have yet to hear. Our prayer is for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide every word and deed of this expedition. Our prayer is for Your hand to be powerfully upon Your servants. And our prayer is for You, Lord God, to be glorified. We give thanks, Lord, that You have heard our prayers. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Day 2: What is Islam? Percentage of Muslims in each country worldwide. With nearly 2 billion people in the world who identify as Muslim, “What is Islam?” is a question we must answer. Yet it is a question that must be answered carefully. The word Islam literally means “submission.” The plain message of Islam is just that: submission. It is a religion primarily about fulfilling obligation. Allah is to be obeyed. The “heart” is more or less irrelevant so long as one’s duties are fulfilled. In fact, in Georges Houssney’s book, Engaging Islam, he writes: “Ironically, Muslims treat the shahada [Islam’s most basic declaration of faith] as an action even though it is a statement of faith.” In other words, reciting the shahada is more about checking the religious box than it is about genuine faith. It is a duty to be fulfilled and a command to be obeyed much more than a truth to be believed. For Christians, however, the Bible declares that “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). May the Lord open the hearts and mouths of many Muslims to believe and confess that Jesus is Lord. Day 3: How did Islam begin? The vast religion of Islam traces its roots to one man living on the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century. In a vast sea of polytheism (the belief in multiple gods), Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, boldly claimed there was only one true god. He would soon face great opposition for this assertion. Though at first Muhammad thought he was being oppressed by demonic spirits, he was later convinced that the angel Gabriel was visiting him and delivering what would eventually be called the Quran. This “revelation” is said to have taken place over the course of 23 years. Two years passed from Muhammad’s initial “revelation” and his first public mention of it. Initially, he was persecuted for his call to abandon the polytheistic practices of the day. Receiving so much opposition, in fact, he and his band of followers fled Mecca and found safety elsewhere in Medina. Over time, his teachings gained more followers and his practice of raiding Meccan caravans gained him more power. Muhammad eventually returned to Mecca. This time, he conquered all those who opposed him and his message. Islam came to dominate the social, economic and political institutions well beyond the Arabian Peninsula and Arab world in general, eventually becoming the world’s second-largest religion. Day 4: What is the Quran? Although the Hadith (a record of some of the words and deeds of the prophet Muhammad) is also heavily sourced in Islamic culture, it is the Quran that is believed to be the authentic message from Allah. Transcribed from years of Muhammad’s “revelations,” the Quran was not completed until after his death. Despite having been translated into many languages, only the original Arabic text is believed to be the true words of Allah. This is why, in spite of its numerous translations, it’s only the Arabic text that is recited and memorized – even when the people don’t understand or speak the Arabic language. In addition to the Quran, Muslims also acknowledge the Torah, the Psalms of David, and the Gospels as holy books. Although originally inspired revelations from Allah, these books are said to have been corrupted over the numerous generations since their original writing. Thus, Muslims believe the Quran is the only remaining and unchanged text from Allah. Furthermore, the validity of the Quran versus these other writings lies in the simple fact that it is the last and most recent revelation. The Quran is so revered in the Islamic world that it is often placed on a high shelf in one’s home. No one is ever permitted to write in the book. Desecrating the Quran in any way is a serious offense to devout Muslims. In one extreme and recent case, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (commonly known as Ahok) was found guilty of blasphemy over accusations that he insulted Islam during his 2016 campaign for re-election as governor of Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta. Ahok caused public uproar after quoting a passage of the Quran to prove to his supporters that a Muslim was allowed to vote for a non-Muslim. Day 5: Are there different ‘denominations’ in Islam? Islam is not a monolithic religion. Much like Christendom, there are many sects within the Islamic world – some of which, the majority of Muslims would say, are not truly representative of Islam. There are many forms of Islam that are heavily influenced by location, culture and tradition. Sunni and Shia (or Shi’ite) are the two main branches of Islam. About four out of every five Muslims view themselves as Sunni, while about one out of every 10 identify as Shia. These two groups have much in common. Both parties proclaim that “there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” Both sides hold to the absolute “oneness” of Allah and his sovereignty over mankind. However, there are numerous differences between Sunni and Shia beliefs as well. To many, these differences are irreconcilable. Although there are sharp divides over some doctrinal matters (such as “end-times” beliefs) and practical matters (such as how leadership/clergy should be structured), the greatest division was the result of a discrepancy over who should have been the rightful successor of Muhammad. There are smaller sects as well. Sufism, perhaps one of the better known, is Islam’s most mystical and ascetic branch. In an attempt to purify oneself and become more pleasing to Allah, Sufis often deprive themselves of physical pleasures or necessities. Within the larger sects of Islam, a form of “folk Islam” is often practiced. This is where a culture or people appear to accept the basic teaching of Islam, but rather than convert completely, they simply add, mix and incorporate Islamic practices and principles to their own traditional, folk belief system of ancestor and spirit worship. Day 6: Who is Allah? To understand Islam and its adherents, we have to understand a bit about the god of Islam: Allah. He is the singular and sovereign god of all Muslims. As mentioned on Day 3, Islam was birthed in the middle of a polytheistic culture, meaning there was a general belief system in place of numerous gods, goddesses and other deities. One might be the creator-god, while another would be the goddess of fertility, and another could be the god of the harvest. This is what set Muhammad’s message apart from the other neighboring religions the most: the assertion that there was only one god. In fact, what has become the name of the god of Islam, Allah, wasn’t really a name at all. Allah was originally derived from the combination of the Arabic word al, meaning “the,” and ilah, meaning “god” or “deity.” This phrase, “al-ilah,” would eventually become Allah. Day 7: Who was Muhammad? The Prophet Muhammad is greatly revered and fiercely defended in the Islamic world. He is second in status only to Allah himself. Although all past prophets of Islam are deeply respected and highly honored, including Jesus, the preeminent prophet is Muhammad. He is often referred to as the “seal of the prophets,” meaning that his message was the final message. Allah is believed to have spoken through numerous prophets to numerous generations – such as Adam, Abraham, Moses and even Jesus – but his revelation to Muhammad is his final message to mankind. Born in the Arabian city of Mecca in about 570 A.D., Muhammad was orphaned at a young age and taken in by his uncle. As a young man, he would periodically retreat to a mountain cave to pray for days at a time. At the age of 40, Muhammad began to receive his first “revelations,” and in a couple short years he would begin sharing them publicly. His message revolved around the oneness of god and a call to submit to Allah. Of course, he also declared himself to be the messenger of Allah. While the Quran is the supposed message from Allah, details about Muhammad’s life were recorded by other sources. The Hadith is a collection of Muhammad’s teachings and traditions generally accepted by the Muslim world. Thus, Muhammad’s life is the source for much of the Islamic tradition and way of life not found in the Quran. He is said to be the ideal man to whom we should all model our lives. Day 8: What are the core doctrines of Islam? One God. Muhammad preached the absolute oneness of Allah in the midst of idol-worshiping and polytheistic peoples. Angels. It’s taught that each person has two angels assigned to them: one to record good deeds and another to record the bad. There are other “higher” angels like Gabriel (called Jabril) and Michael (called Mikail). In addition, there are evil spirits that regularly interact with the human realm called jinn. Prophets. The Quran teaches that Muhammad is the “seal of the prophets” after a long line of Muslim messengers. In fact, it’s believed there have been more than 100,000 prophets. Each prophet has essentially preached the same Muslim message: worship the one god to whom we must submit. Scriptures. The Quran is believed to be the final revelation from Allah. Prior – but corrupted, according to Muslims – messages include the Torah (Taurat), Psalms (Zabur) and the Gospel (Injil). Because the Quran is the most recent and final of these four revelations from Allah, wherever discrepancies are found, the Quran prevails. Judgement. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam teaches that the physical death of the body is not the end of our existence. As mentioned above, Muslims believe all of their good and bad deeds are recorded throughout their lives to be judged by Allah on the great Day of Judgement. Fate. Qadar is the Muslim idea of divine predestination – or fate. This is a concept asserting if Allah wills it, it is done, regardless of human will or effort. Some Muslims believe Allah exercises more of this authority over human lives, but all agree that in sha Allah (if god wills) it will be done. Day 9: What are the main practices of Islam? Shahada. This is the Islamic declaration of faith: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” This creed is often whispered into the ears of newborn babies or spoken as one’s last words just prior to death. Salat. Muslims are to offer prayers five times each day (sunrise, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon, and sunset). Each prayer time begins with ritual washing and consists of reciting specific phrases while standing, sitting, and bowing. Zakat. Each Muslim is typically expected to give approximately 2.5 percent of his income. Zakat means “to be pure,” and signifies the purification of the soul by giving. Hajj. This pilgrimage to Mecca – the birthplace of Islam – must be done at least once in each Muslim’s lifetime (assuming physical and financial ability). The journey, taking place only in the final month of the Islamic calendar, is said to cleanse the soul and wipe away sins. Day 10: Do Muslims worship Muhammad? It’s clear that there is one god in Islam. He is Allah. He doesn’t share his deity with anyone. It is a grave sin in the Islamic world, known as shirk, to associate Allah with any partner or other god. This is why any images of Muhammad have always been ferociously forbidden. The fear has been that people would begin to worship him. Muslims do revere Muhammad above any other man in history. Although they don’t physically bow to him, they do exalt him, perhaps even to the point of unintentional idolatry. They must share Allah, the god of the universe. They must share other prophets, such as Adam, Abraham, and Jesus. But Muhammad is theirs and theirs alone. Perhaps that fuels their fervent devotion. Unlike the prophets of Christianity, whom we view as imperfect men, the prophets of Islam are elevated to a level above all others. This is especially true of the prophet Muhammad. So, although Muslims certainly don’t bow to Muhammad in worship, many may just venerate him to a level of idolization. Day 11: Is Islam a religion of peace? Any religion – or belief system in general – will always have different interpretations. Islam is no different. For example, many argue today that Islam is a religion of peace. Many others, however, argue that Islam represents anything but peace. Anyone can look to the Quran and find numerous examples that could be interpreted as encouraging peace. Similarly, anyone can look to the Quran and find numerous examples that could be interpreted as encouraging violence. Rather than asking if Islam is a religion of peace (and then cherry-picking portions of the Quran that support one side or the other), a better question might be, what is the truest expression of Islam? In other words, what is the most accurate representation of Islam as it was originally conceived? To answer that, we only need to look to its prophet, Muhammad. I would encourage you to do that. Then, compare those findings with the life of the “founder” of Christianity, Jesus. While Muhammad raided, plundered and killed, Jesus spoke of peace, love for one’s enemies, and submission to authority. So, the answer to the question “Is Islam a religion of peace?” is ... it depends. It depends not only on who you ask, but also what standards are used to guide that answer. Certainly, there are many millions of peace-loving Muslims. In addition, there are many portions of the Quran that appear to encourage peace. However, neither of these points truly answers the question. The answer, I believe, is found in the life of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad. Day 12: How do Muslims view Jesus? Muhammad and his Quran were deeply influenced by the Christians of his day, or those he simply referred to as “people of the book.” Because of this, Islam and Christianity have a number of things in common. For example, Islam and Christianity both share a belief in one singular and sovereign god (versus the belief in multiple gods). Many key “characters,” such as Adam, Noah and David, are shared. Even Jesus is acknowledged in Islam. However, Isa al Masih, as the Quran calls Him, has some very important differences from the Jesus worshiped by Christians. Isa al Masih is revered as one of Islam’s greatest prophets. Muslims believe in his virgin birth, sinless life, and many miracles. However, the most important facts taught by the “people of the book” of Muhammad’s time – and firmly believed by Christians today – are fiercely denied by Muslims. The Quran teaches that Isa al Masih was not the “Son of God.” To claim otherwise is a very serious offense in Islam known as “shirk.” Muslims are also taught that Isa was not crucified on a cross and therefore did not die for the sins of mankind. Thus, because he didn’t die, he certainly didn’t rise again in victory over sin and death. Muslims do, however, believe that Isa ascended to heaven – only he and Enoch are thought to have never tasted death. It’s deeply disheartening to see a people, many of whom are deeply devoted, come this close to the Truth. The name Masih actually means “messiah,” yet Muslims fall far short of fully understanding and embracing the One who came to save them. Day 13: How do Muslims view Mary? Many Muslims honor Maryam as a great example of the faith. In fact, some debate whether she could have actually been one of Islam’s many prophets. Either way, she is a key character in Islam. It’s interesting to note that the Quran calls Isa (Jesus) a Word from Allah and even calls him righteous (a title not even given to Muhammad). If only more followers of Islam would follow the true Righteous One, Who is called “the Word” from the beginning. Day 14: How do Muslims view the Trinity? Although Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions (holding to the belief in one, singular god), many followers of Islam have been misinformed on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. They think that we worship three separate gods. When it comes to the Trinity, even Christians can be easily confused. It should come as no surprise that those outside the faith, including Muslims, have struggled to understand. The Christian teaching, of course, is that there is one God, eternally existent in three co-eternal, co-existent, co-equal persons. Each is distinct, yet not divided. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many Muslims misinterpret this three-in-one concept as polytheistic (worship of multiple gods). Thus, in many Muslim communities it’s taught that Christians worship three gods: the father, the son, and Mary. Day 15: What is Islam’s view on salvation? Common to both Christianity and Islam is the belief that in the life to come we will be judged on things done in the life that is now. It’s then, that we will be rewarded or punished accordingly. The key difference, of course, is that Christians believe that Jesus shed His blood to pay the price for the salvation of all who will put their faith in Him, while Muslims generally believe that their own human efforts can “earn” their way to paradise. Although this is just one story, it seems to represent Islamic culture well. The way to please Allah is simply to do your duty; to fulfill the religious obligations. Not necessarily “to believe or understand,” but to submit. Day 16: Does Islam have an ‘end times’ view? Every religion and belief system must answer the question: What happens when I die? Answers vary widely across the world’s religions. Islam teaches that every human soul will enter one of two eternal destinations: Jannah (heaven) or Jahannam (hell). Evildoers and those who have rejected Islam will be sentenced to suffer in a place that is referred to by various names: The Fire, The Blaze, The Blazing Fire, The Abyss, and That Which Breaks in Pieces. The Quran claims that on the “Last Day,” after the earth and all creation are destroyed by Allah, every soul will be resurrected and judged. They either will be sent to Jannah (for those who have earned the favor of Allah by submitting to his message and messenger) or Jahannam (for those who have incurred his wrath through disbelief or disobedience). This is merely the “welcome” to hell; further descriptions of Islam’s place of eternal torment are often much more graphic and unsettling. There is nothing welcoming about hell. We looked on Day 17 at Islam’s concept of Jahannam (hell): a place of immense suffering for all its eternal inhabitants. Today, let’s look at the Muslim concept of heaven. Not only does the Quran’s view of heaven, known as Jannah, starkly contrast hell, it is also a clear contrast to the desert life of Islam’s first followers. In fact, the Arabic word “Jannah” literally means “garden.” Certainly, a lush garden with its associated “shade,” “flowing water,” and “abundant fruits” does sound like Paradise to a desert-dwelling culture. And, of course, the specially created, virgin “companions” would be very appealing to them as well. Jannah also bears Quranic descriptions like “The highest Garden,” “The Home of Peace” (Dar al Salaam), and “The Garden of Delight” (Jannat al-Naim). According to Hadith teachings, there are eight distinct doors for those who gain entrance to Jannah. There is a door for those who fasted. There is a door for those who took part in jihad. And there is even a door for those who were punctual to prayer. In the end, however, it doesn’t matter how much someone believes something to be true. Neither does it matter how many others may believe something to be true. What matters is only this: is it true? And sadly, for the billions of followers of Islam, this paradise is merely a mirage. Day 19: How do Muslims and Westerners view each other? Among Muslims (again, from Muslim majority nations) the results were just as interesting and the top six traits associated with Westerners were all negative, including “selfish” (68 percent), “violent” (66 percent), and “immoral” (61 percent). “Generous” bottomed out the list with only 29 percent of those surveyed selecting that description, followed by “tolerant” (31 percent) and “honest” (33 percent). I was initially surprised to see “respectful of women” at only 44 percent. Certainly, those of us in the West feel that we’re much more respectful and empowering toward women in general. However, when the entertainment industry is taken into consideration, it’s more understandable why many Muslims might feel the West is not respectful of women. Regardless of one’s views toward a particular group of people (whether Muslim or Westerner), it’s of the utmost importance to remember that each person – regardless of background – is a unique individual crafted in the image of God, who thankfully doesn’t paint any of us with a broad brush. Day 20: What is it like to leave Islam? In most Muslim communities, leaving Islam is not only seen as a direct path to Jahannam (hell), it can be viewed as a betrayal of family, community and even country. Of course, some Westernized Muslims may embrace this freedom of choice, but many – if not most – in the Islamic world would be compelled to essentially disown a person who leaves Islam. Families are divided. Sons and daughters are disowned. Friends are separated. Jobs are lost. Careers are destroyed. One’s life may be in jeopardy. All that is familiar, comfortable and safe can quickly be taken away from those who forsake Islam. In spite of the pain of sacrificing so much to follow Jesus, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that Jesus is worth every ounce of pain. In Romans 8:18, Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Amen. The spiritual darkness in many Muslim-majority nations is immense. Our adversary, the devil, seeks to divide, destroy and devour every individual or group who would dare stand up and stand out for Jesus. Satan fights for every inch of ground he’s gained over the ages, and for every soul he has in his hell-bound grip. From using government authorities to create and enforce laws against converting from or speaking out against Islam, to using demonically inspired individuals and organizations to persecute Christians (and even those simply considering becoming Christians), Satan uses many tactics to keep followers of Islam from the truth of Christ. May the Lord protect Muslims who are seeking a relationship with the true and living God. May the Lord not allow any weapon formed against them to prosper. May He shield them from attack and allow their faith to take root. To turn from Islam is to turn from something that has been a large part of forming a Muslim’s basic morals, beliefs and world view. In other words, to turn to Jesus is to turn from nearly everything they’ve ever known and believed to be true. One can imagine the inward wrestling of the heart that must take place to follow Christ. May God cause those seeds to grow strong roots that would break through the hardness of their hearts that have become stony from many years of false teachings. May the Lord open their eyes and soften their hearts to the falsehoods of what they have been taught, that they might exchange the lie they believe for the truth they need. As mentioned on Day 20 (“What is it like to leave Islam?”), turning from the Muslim faith to Christianity amounts to treason in some of these Muslim-majority nations. The same is true even within smaller communities and individual families. If one were to turn to Jesus, they would likely be seen as forsaking their country, their community, and in many cases their families as entire cultures and traditions are based around the practices of Islam. In addition, the pressures of maintaining social status can impact the likelihood of a Muslim converting to Christ. Jesus once rhetorically asked, “What would a man give in exchange for his own soul?” No earthly thing is worth our souls. No career, family, tradition, social standing – not even one’s safety – is worth trading one’s soul for. May the Lord give Muslim seekers strength to stand against the cares of this world. Jesus said that he who desires to save his life must lose it. May the Lord impress upon their hearts the need to count all things as loss and rubbish for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus. Every soul that comes to Christ must recognize his or her sinfulness and humbly acknowledge their inability to cleanse themselves of it. Muslims face this challenge just like everyone else. There are many in Muslim nations who are ripe and ready to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they just don’t know it yet. Why? Because they need someone to share it with them. This is a huge challenge because many Muslim nations have a very small percentage of Christians who can witness to them. And sadly, even where there are a handful of Christian believers, fear often prevents them from sharing the truth of Jesus. Yet another factor leading to limited opportunities for Muslims to learn about Jesus is the fact that only about two percent of Protestant missional effort is focused on Muslims. May the Lord send more laborers into the harvest. The challenges are great, but our God is greater. May the Lord bless Muslim people everywhere with more and more of His witnesses who will boldly share the Gospel – especially with those who have yet to hear. If we’re to be prepared for the ever-growing opportunity to share Jesus with followers of Islam (which we should be), we must begin on our knees. As we reviewed in the last handful of days, there are so many challenges that can stand in the way of our Muslim neighbors coming to Christ. So many of those things are far beyond our control. So, the best thing we can do – something we all can do – is pray. Pray that Christians around the globe (yourself included) will be gentle and loving witnesses for Christ. After all, God’s Word says that it’s His kindness that leads to repentance. Pray for the readying of Muslim hearts. Many may be hardened by a lifetime of adhering to a strict religion. Many others may be dissatisfied with the impersonal god of Islam. Still others may carry deep inner wounds. Pray for open doors to share the truth. In His sovereign authority, only the Lord can provide the perfect circumstances, so wait for His timing. We must be persistent in our prayers – and patient, too. After years in Islam, it may take a great deal of time. In fact, it’s not uncommon for Muslims to press into Islam even deeper as Jesus begins knocking on the door of their hearts. This knee-jerk reaction is understandable, given that one’s entire worldview is being shaken. Prayer is so critical! Though it can never take the place of obedience to the Lord’s Great Commission for us to GO and share the Gospel, it should take the priority. After all, God alone can save. Only God can move the mountains of the mind. Only He can part the waters of the soul. Only He can loose the things which bind and deceive the heart. Only His Word is able to pierce the spirit. Only He can sovereignly orchestrate the circumstances of a life. Only He knows what’s needed for one to confess Jesus as Lord. God grants us the opportunity and responsibility of praying for the lost. If not you and I, then who? And when? This is life and death we’re dealing with. The eternal destination of 2 billion souls is on the line. As we approach the Lord on behalf of those following the religion of Islam, our hearts must be fully engaged. Just imagine you were praying for the salvation of a family member – your own child perhaps. I believe this is how God would have us intercede – both passionately and personally. When sharing our faith with followers of Islam, it’s helpful to remember that although there are many stark differences between us, there is much in common as well. There are numerous things we can agree on. Sometimes it helps to start there. ·Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and is to be highly revered. Although we would disagree on who exactly this “one God” is, the details of the afterlife, what Noah and those other men of God said and did, or the true nature of Jesus and His purpose on earth, what a great starting point the similarities bulleted above could be for many conversations. I – and others – have said many times that when we’re talking about witnessing for Jesus Christ, truth and love must go hand in hand. They are two sides to the same coin. We absolutely cannot compromise love for the sake of truth. And neither can we compromise truth for the sake of love. We must know the truth to share the truth. Truth is essential. Sharing it doesn’t simply mean declaring what’s right, it also means exposing what’s false. However, before we go out into the world with a bullhorn in hand to “preach” (shout) the Gospel, we have to remember one thing: “Though [we] speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, [we] have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). In other words, without love we have nothing. Without love even the precious and powerful truth we offer can quickly become abrasive and hostile. It goes without saying then, that love – like truth – is essential. But love isn’t simply being nice. Genuine love involves sharing truth, even when it hurts or seems offensive. Even when it appears to be abrasive and hostile. That’s why they are two sides to the same coin. And in sharing the greatest news of all time we must be careful not to separate the two: love and truth. In Islam, there are two main sects: Sunni and Shia. Sunnis account for 80-to-90 percent of the world’s nearly two billion Muslims, and Shias make up the majority of the remaining 10-to-20 percent. There are other Islamic offshoots like the Baha’i, Sufi and Wahhabi as well. In addition to these different sects, followers of Islam may have varying degrees of devotion ranging from those who are Muslim in name and in regard to their cultural identity only, to those who are very devout and sincere in their practice. We could also look to liberal, moderate and fundamental Muslims as another point of distinction. Reaching from North to Sub-Saharan Africa, from the Middle East to South and Southeast Asia, there are a variety of nationalities and ethnicities expressed through Islam. Simply put, there is an immense amount of variety within Islam. Even within each of these subgroups or subcultures, there are smaller community and family structures. These many distinctions remind us that each and every follower of Islam is different. Each is an individual. Each is crafted differently by the Master Potter and influenced by the life they’ve lived. It’s so easy to fall into generalizations and stereotyping (however harmless some of those may be), but that won’t help us reach the Muslims around us. What will help us is understanding and appreciating the things that make each person special. It’s then, that God might see fit to reach down through us to touch them. First things first: Thank you for joining us for Project Prayer: Ramadan 2018. It has been an honor to stand with you in prayer for our Muslim neighbors around the globe. God has heard us. I believe He has and will continue to answer our petitions. Throughout these 30 days of Ramadan we’ve looked at questions ranging from “What is Islam?” to “Is Islam a religion of peace?” to “How can we best witness to Muslims?” These are questions that I hope we can all answer now. However, there is one greater question that remains unanswered. This is a question straight from the heart of Jesus. This is the most important question that all of mankind must answer. Our duty, as Christians, is to deliver the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the earth so that every man, woman and child can give the correct answer. Others have been dissuaded from the saving truth of Jesus by another question – a wickedly deceptive question. The cunning serpent first asked this question in the Garden of Eden. In a way, he poses similar questions today: “Has God said… that He has a Son, that He sent His Son to the earth to be crucified and die, that through believing in Him one can be saved from their sins?” Throughout the Quran our enemy answers those questions himself with a clear and emphatic, “No!” Sadly, millions are being deceived into believing these untruths about the One who loves them so much that He came to redeem them. But there is always hope. His name is Jesus. He is moving in the Muslim world. He is sending His servants and answering the prayers of His people. He is working. He is speaking. He is saving. Finally, we lift up Climbing For Christ’s recently concluded Mission: Indonesia 2018 to You. Our prayer is for lasting fruit as the Gospel was and will continue to be declared to those waiting to hear. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit led and guided every word and deed of this expedition. Our prayer is for Your hand to be powerfully upon Your servants in Indonesia. And our prayer is for You, Lord God, to be glorified.

2019-04-22T20:49:32Z

http://climbingforchrist.org/Articles/tabid/545/ID/1759/Project-Prayer-Ramadan-2018.aspx

Just what are we watching for? I remember going to a store one day and remaining in the car while my friends went in to do some shopping. In the car next to me was this little dog sitting in the driver’s seat staring intently at the door of the store. This little dog would not take his eyes off that door. Every time the automatic doors would slide open the little dog’s ears would perk up. He would stand with his front paws on the steering wheel panting, wide eyed and tail wagging expectantly. Time and time again people would come out of the door that was not his master and the dog would return to his intense watchful position, not disappointed, but with an obvious understanding that one of these times it will be his master, he had only to wait patiently. As I watched this dog the Lord showed me through this simple illustration that this is what He is talking about when He said “watch.” Eventually the little dog’s master did exit the door. His excitement and enthusiasm came unhinged! I could hear his happy little whines and yelps as he watched his master walk strait to the car. His love and appreciation for his owner was unquestionable. They could not have been apart for more than 30 minutes, yet the dog greeted his owner like he had been missing him for a month. To this dog, his master was the most precious person on the planet, and could not bear to be apart from him for any length of time. It was so obvious this dog loved his master with everything that was in him. What would it be like if we saw our Heavenly Father this way? What difference would it make in our lives? How would it affect our relationship with Him? What would it do to our perception of life? How would it affect our joy? Our peace? Our faith? After seeing this little dog I am convinced that we often take the Lord for granted. That we don’t really relate to Him like He is the creator of the universe, the master of ALL. Our hearts are divided, our minds are distracted and we allow other things matter more than what should matter most. The Bible says to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all our needs will be met. (Matt 6:33) Yet we continue to approach God with our laundry list of needs and wants like He wasn’t serious when He said that. John 5:19-20 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. Jesus ONLY did what He saw. Jesus was able to do what He did because He constantly practiced watching the Father. He truly did “seek first the Kingdom of God.” Could this be a big reason that we don’t see the level of supernatural life that we read about in the book of Acts? The discipline of watching creates an awareness of God that puts all of life in proper perspective. The more we keep our attention and focus on Him, the clearer we become on who He really is and who we really are to Him. The discipline of watching produces an integrity of heart that makes resisting temptation easy. The discipline of watching keeps you prepared to face anything that life would dish out to you. The discipline of watching may be the most important part of prayer. When we practice watching, we know what to pray for and how to pray. We know what to do and how to do it. We position ourselves to be a trusted vessel that the Father can use to flow through. I began to see the importance of maintaining a high level of “God Awareness.” Furthermore, I realized that the responsibility of maintaining that awareness fell to me. With that realization I began to think about what produces and awareness of God and what pulls me out of that awareness. We draw power, influence and identity from the things we are most conscious of. One of the sneakiest tricks of the Devil is to make us, and keep us Sin Conscious. The price for sin has been paid and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from a consciousness of sin. It doesn’t cleanse us from our ability to sin. This is where the Devil tries to get a foothold in our mind. He brings thoughts and memories of past mistakes and uses that to draw our attention to our weakness instead of God’s goodness. If we don’t control this thought process we end up in guilt, condemnation and shame and draw our identity from our ability to sin and not Christ. Our awareness of our weakness becomes greater than our awareness of God. This is why it is so important to continually cultivate our revelation of righteousness. Righteousness is the foundation of our identity in Christ. As our identity in Christ becomes grounded, our awareness of God increases. If we can keep this truth before our eyes we rob the enemy of many of his tricks to deceive. If he can keep us from realizing who we are, he can keep us from functioning in the power of the Spirit. If he can keep our attention on ourselves, he can keep our attention off of God. Matthew 6:22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, (single, clear) your whole body will be full of light. Again we see that what we look at has a profound effect on our lives. We must be narrowly focused on what we allow ourselves to behold. Our perspective determines the amount of light we have, how bright we shine, and how full of light we really are. Another trick the enemy uses is to get us to substitute knowing God, for knowing about God. 1 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The word “knowledge” in the above verse indicates an intimate knowledge that unites you with the object or person it is talking about. It indicates a personal experience with instead of merely knowing about. There is a HUGE difference. If you read a biography on the life of any given person, you can acquire a great deal of knowledge about that person, but unless you actually spend time with the person you can’t honestly say that you know them. As a people, Christians have been duped into believing that knowledge of God’s word is the equivalent of knowing Him personally. We understand the principles and grasp the concepts of faith but we don’t really know God because we don’t spend time with Him, talking to Him, listening to Him, quietly meditating on who He is so that He can expand our hearts and minds to receive the awesome revelation of His eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, being. We can’t begin to wrap our head around who He is by only reading His word. We must also spend time in the light of His presence. Both are needed to mature, and both are needed to effectively live and walk by faith. We learn the principles of God’s amazing Word and then we try to live by these principles in our own strength. If we will spend as much time with God as we do learning about God our awareness of His abiding presence will produce an effortless walk of faith that keeps us living and abiding in holiness. Instant obedience becomes a natural thing. Resisting temptation to sin becomes effortless. Think about it, if Jesus Himself was physically with you every minute of every day, walking with you, standing right beside you, would you have a problem resisting sin? Would have a problem obeying His word? You would be so acutely aware of your every action and word that you would only do and say those things that pleased Him. This is how Jesus lived His life. He set the example for us to follow. John 12:49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. The more time we spend alone with our Heavenly Father, the more awareness of His presence we will walk in throughout our day. Awareness of God births the character of God, the nature of God, and the faith of God within us. Awareness of His abiding presence makes us more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading. Awareness of God helps us to see others how God sees them and therefore opens the door for us to minister Christ to them more effectively. One of the hardest things you will ever do in your prayer life is …NOTHING! Ok, NOTHING isn’t quite the word we are looking for. Silent waiting is a better way to say it. Waiting in silent expectation of God revealing Himself to you is a powerful, and fruitful endeavor. Quietly meditating on who He is and what He has spoken to you by the Spirit or in His word is an amazing exercise of our faith and is very pleasing to God. Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The Good Shepherd, by the Holy Spirit, is always trying to lead us to a place of peace and stillness. It is a place of refreshing and restoration. It is a place to find direction and discern the leading of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Waiting on God renews our strength. The practice of silent meditation upon God and His word fills up our spiritual gas tanks and empowers us to run well. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. It is in the Stillness that God is known. Reading God’s word and listening to preaching and teaching helps us to know about God, but spending time in His presence is what we need to actually know Him intimately. God is raising up a people in this generation that will live life from the outflow of the presence of God, rather than merely living by the principles of God. In our stillness before Him, He prepares us to host His presence. Psalm 62:1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:5-6 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. Silently waiting on God anchors your soul. When life throws us a curve ball, when things get tough and it seems like we are pressed on every side with problems, difficulties and even attacks of the enemy. Silently waiting on God and thinking about His goodness, His greatness, His faithfulness and His amazing love for us gives us strength to stand in faith and trust in His tender mercies and his power to deliver us out of all our troubles. Quietness and stillness should be practiced individually and corporately to keep us from trusting in the world and its systems. The Lord is speaking through Isaiah a strong word of correction to His people for trusting in Egypt for their strength and salvation instead of Him. Unfortunately, they would not have it. In this age of distractions and constant movement it is vitally important that we practice stillness in God’s presence. Posted in PRAYER, Victorious Living! I learned a very valuable lesson about authority in prayer and I would like to share it with you. During a prayer meeting at our church a faithful member of the prayer team came forward with a typed out prayer for our president that she said the Lord gave her the day before. She was allowed to read the prayer and we agreed with her. It was a very moving, scripture based prayer that was loving, considerate, compassionate and powerful. It immediately got the nod of approval of all in the room. It was a prayer that inspired confidence and faith in all who prayed it. This lady had obviously heard from the Lord. As those in the group were commenting about how powerful it was, the Lord spoke to me directly and said, “Why didn’t you pray for your previous president in this manner?” I immediately knew what the Lord was talking about. I remembered the many times we lifted this former leader up in “prayer” and I was reminded of some of the opinionated requests, the tone, the attitude, and the complete disregard for this man as an individual. We weren’t praying out of love for our president, or even love for our country. We were praying against him, not out of love, but out of selfishness and self righteousness. Our motives were wrong, our heart was wrong. I shared what the Lord had showed me and the entire prayer group received it and we all repented before God. When praying for yourself, or others, its important to consider your motives for praying. This may seem overly simple, however there are some areas in our thinking and believing that can be ever so slightly off kilter, and therefore making our prayers ineffective. This is a powerful example of sacrificing authority because of selfish pride. The Pharisee presented himself as better than “other men.” Notice in verse 11 that “he prayed thus with himself”. In other words God is not even listening, he is praying to sound spiritual and be heard by others. Although this sounds terrible, it gets much worse! James 3:14-16 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. When we pray from a place of bitterness, envy, and selfishness we become a landing strip for every evil work. We actually invite demonic activity into our life and have absolutely no effect on what we are praying for. Lets look at the rest of this passage in James to see where our heart needs to be when we pray. James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Prayer that is made from a place of love, mercy and compassion is a prayer that is heard and answered by God. Prayer made from a place of selfishness is not heard by God, but is an invitation to demonic influence. Pray for people, never pray “against” people. Praying against a person is an invitation to confusion, demons, and every evil work. It is earthly wisdom learned from the fall of man and perpetuates the enemy’s agenda. If we check our hearts and motives before we approach God with prayer and make sure we are praying from a healthy place of love for the person, we can be confident that our prayers are effective. Posted in Christianity, PRAYER, Victorious Living! Posted in PRAYER, Quotes, Victorious Living! It has always been God’s plan to operate through man when dealing with the affairs of the earth. The earth is owned by God, and always has been. But, He gave man control over the earth for a season, to govern and take dominion. God gave man authority over the earth. Man gave away this authority to the devil, bringing sin and death to creation, separating us from God, and cutting us off from our birthright as sons of God. Jesus Christ has abolished the things that separate us from God, restored our birthright, our authority on the earth, and our ability to take dominion over the power of darkness and destroy the works of the devil. We have a responsibility to exercise and execute this restored authority so that God’s plans and purposes for the earth can be fulfilled. 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. Prayer is simply man exercising his legal authority on earth to invite God’s influence on the planet. Because God will not violate man’s will or His own word, God waits for man to pray so that he can act on our behalf. Prayer is not optional. It is essential for the fulfillment of God’s purpose on the earth. Prayer gives God the right to intervene in man’s affairs. In the Garden, Adam walked with God in the cool of the day. This is our model for prayer, walking with God. Getting to know Him, discussing man’s mission, his stewardship, his fruitfulness, his potential. Man gets in trouble when he’s not there to meet with God and pray. Adam’s sin, and his new felt shame, guilt, and condemnation made him run and hide from God. This is the response of a sin conscious mind. Though Jesus has restored us all, like Adam, many are still silent and hiding. The greatest aspect of prayer is our ability to be with Him. He is our Father and we must know Him as such. Let nothing keep us from approaching Him in prayer. If we want God to act on our behalf we must pray. Tagged Christianity, HINDU, inspiration, Islam, keys to answered prayer, learn to pray, Messianic Jew, MUSLIM, Prayer, religion, the gospel, the importance of prayer, the purpose of prayer, Thoughts, why pray? Loving God, What Does That Look Like? When was the last time you came to God just love on Him and be close to Him? I have three sons of varying ages who are completely different from one another in their personalities, likes, and interests. Each one is unique and I thank God that, He made them that way. I love each one equally and show no partiality to any one of them. They all know that I love them and I know that they love me. This is an understood fact and we all express that love to each other all the time. We live with an awareness of that love and we are conscious of the fact that the love we have will never change. There comes a time though, as they walk through their day-to-day life that the knowledge of that love is not enough. They need to experience it. They need one on one, face-to-face interaction. They need a loving touch, they need to share thoughts and emotions and spend intimate personal time with me. They need to know that they are special to me and that my love is for them is real. There is a wonderful exchange that takes place in these times. I become sensitive to their needs and desires and reaffirm my love for them. It solidifies our bond and their faith in me as a loving father. It enriches and strengthens the relationship that we have. Each of my children likes to experience this love in different ways. As they age and their interest changes, our time together begins to look different also. My 13-year-old likes to go to the gun range and I teach him about shooting techniques, safety and responsibility, preparing him for manhood and the challenges that are ahead of him. My 10-year-old likes swimming, nature and art. We enjoy each others company and I see the joy in his face when we are alone together. I encourage him to develop his gifts and artistic talents. My youngest, the 6-year-old, likes to crawl up in my lap and play silly little games. These games may seem insignificant to some, yet to this child it is one of the most important parts of his day and if we miss that time together he tells me about it. This time together is very important to him … It is also very important to me. As believers we need this intimate time with our Father, God. It is not enough to walk through life just knowing about the Love of God, we must experience it. The most important relationship that we have is with our creator. If we invest in this relationship, it pays dividends in all other relationships, making them richer and stronger. These times I described with my kids are all very important to me. Your personal time with God is very important to Him too. Is it important to you? As you grow as a Christian these intimate times with God will change and evolve to match your level of maturity and the life lessons that God knows are important to you at the time. No matter where you are in your walk with God, always approach Him as a child. Don’t take for granted that the most amazing thing available to you through Jesus sacrifice is your ability to stand before God like a child with no guilt, condemnation, or shame. Jesus made fellowship and intimacy available through His shed blood. His sacrifice was made so Father – Son relationship could be restored. Luke 18:17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. I think we tend to get in rut with our “devotional” time and make it mechanical and impersonal. We come to God with a list of prayer needs and a plan to study, or read a certain amount of scripture and we never connect with Him personally. We go through the motions with a legalistic, works mentality, believing that its the right thing to do in order to be a “good Christian.” The truth is, very little fruit comes from actions like these. This is not relationship, and it does not promote growth and change, instead it perpetuates a legalistic mentality which quenches the grace of God and hinders the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Posted in Christianity, Love, Victorious Living! Very few Christians feel they have a successful prayer life. One of the big reasons believers struggle with prayer is because of all the wrong teaching they’ve received about it. Another reason is that they simply do not pray. I like the guitar, always have, but I don’t play that well because I don’t practice on a regular basis. I may practice an hour a day for two weeks and then not pick it up again for a month. I am not committed to getting better so I remain at the same level of proficiency, which is NOVICE. The same is true for most Christian’s concerning their prayer life, they don’t practice prayer principles regularly so they get little results. Getting results in prayer can be easy if you understand some basic faith principles. When you begin to see prayers answered and realize that YOU can be effective and dynamic in prayer, it will become a lifestyle for you, not just a last resort when trouble knocks at your door. There are different types of prayer, the prayer of faith, the prayer of consecration, the prayer of repentance, the prayer of intercession, etc. Different rules or principles apply to different kinds of prayer and to be effective you must pray according to the guidelines laid out in the bible. The one thing I want to focus on in this teaching is the prayer of faith and the link between your praying and your saying. This will change your life and bring results almost immediately. Mark 11:22-24 ~ 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. If you answered “no,” you are correct. You see Jesus was making a point that words are powerful just like the prayer of faith is powerful. Most folks don’t get that, and they pray wonderful scripture based prayers and then undo them by speaking words of doubt and unbelief. Your praying must match you saying. We are talking about the prayer of faith mixed with the “spirit of faith.” This is the combination that brings victory every time. So let’s look at what the bible says about the spirit of faith. Your mouth is the biggest indicator of where your faith is. If you have a heart full of faith, your words will reflect that. If your heart is full of doubt and unbelief, you will speak words of doubt and unbelief. Luke 6:45 ~A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Mark 4:14 ~ The sower sows the word. In this parable we see clearly that the soil is the heart or human spirit and that the seed of the word will get different results depending on the condition of the soil. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God works like this. That means that all things pertaining to the Kingdom of God works on this principle on some level. Since we are talking about the prayer of faith, let’s focus on how this principle applies. 1) Faith must be based on God’s Word. People will often say that they are “standing in faith” for healing or some other need to be met, and yet when you ask them what scriptures they are standing on they can’t give you a definitive answer. Understand this; faith begins where the will of God is known. If you don’t know what the will of God is concerning your situation, you don’t have any basis for believing. The first step in praying the prayer of faith is to find out what God’s will is for that particular situation. His Word is His will. If you are praying, “God heal me if it be your will”, you are NOT in faith because you don’t know His will. The New Testament is clear that healing is a part of our redemption. Jesus paid the price for your healing over 2000 years ago. If you are not clear on that, if you are not fully persuaded that healing belongs to you as a child of God, then you are not capable praying in faith. Find out what God says about healing and meditate on His Words. Here are three verses of scripture that I use, speak and meditate on when I am standing in faith for healing. 1 Peter 2:24 ~ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. Isaiah 53:5 ~But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. These three scriptures alone should settle any doubt about God’s will for you to be healed. There are plenty of other passages about healing and other promises in God’s Word. Find scriptures that address your situation, pay close attention to scriptures that really jump out at you because the Holy Spirit will quicken certain scriptures to you and bring light to your spirit man by those words. Knowing God’s will is the foundation that Faith must stand on. 2) Release your faith through Prayer and words. Make it a big deal! Once you are clear on God’s will, make releasing your faith an event. Mark this moment in your heart, write it down in a prayer journal, Post it on a note where you can see it regular, if possible, have your spouse, your pastor, a faith buddy or someone else to agree with you. Set this day as a memorial in your life that THIS is where I take a stand and claim what belongs to me. Make a big deal out of it and let God, the Devil, and everybody else know that no matter what I see or how I feel, that this shall come to pass in my life! There is built-in accountability in making a huge deal out of releasing your faith. You mark your soul with a time and place of no turning back, you see it as a place of change and it helps you stand firm when the going gets tough. Galatians 6:9 ~And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 3) Your saying must match your praying. You can do the first two steps perfectly and have absolutely NO results if you don’t bridle your tongue. Make it a point to ONLY speak words of faith about what you prayed for. Guard yourself from speaking words of doubt and unbelief. And don’t hang around folks that do nothing but talk about the problem. Always declare the answer. Call those things that do not exist as though they did! God does this, Abraham did it, and you need to learn to do it too if you are going to be strong in faith. Your words either make you or break you where faith is concerned; they are the steering wheel that points you to the path of victory. Once you have released your faith, continue to speak words of faith. Feed your faith with God’s Word by saying what He says about you. The bible says that faith comes by hearing. What better way to hear it than speaking it with your own mouth. Romans 10:17 ~So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If all you hear are doubt, unbelief, fear, and negative reports, these are what you will have faith in. Feed your faith with God’s Word. Don’t let it depart from your eyes or your mouth and your faith victories will abound. Joshua 1:8 ~This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. These are not all of the principles involved in prayer or faith, but it is a good place to start. First and foremost, be a person committed to the Word of God. Realize that the bible is God speaking to YOU. God’s Word is God’s will, and faith begins where the will of God is known. How does Peace fit into Spiritual warfare? It almost seems like a contradiction in terms doesn’t it? Without this vital part of your armor you are at a terrible disadvantage when engaged in a battle for you and your family’s life. Know that your enemy is real… and the battle is real! Let’s define Peace so that we understand what we are dealing with. Peace has similar meanings in the Old and New Testament. The Hebrew word “shalom” and the Greek word “Irene” are beautiful words and do not translate into the English language with anything less than a paragraph or two to give them justice. The point is, everything that Peace does or produces in your life has just one purpose: To create a oneness, a unity and an intimacy with God. That being said, we should desire Peace to be in full operation in our lives at all times so that we are prepared for any battle that may arise. Peace is a manifestation, a ministry, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called “the Helper,” (John 14:26) so it makes sense that the number one thing He wants to help you with is your relationship with God. Your unity with God is the single most important thing you need when facing the enemy. Peace is the way the Spirit helps you with that. Years ago, while seeking the Lord for more understanding on Peace, He showed me that peace has a “position” in your life. That position is always in front of you. You should always be pursuing Peace and following His lead. Lets look at some scripture that verifies this. 1 Peter 3:11 ~ Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. See the pattern? Seek Peace, follow after Peace, pursue Peace, be led out with Peace. These scriptures indicate the position of Peace, the position of a guide, a leader, and a point man. Peace should have the final say in every decision we make. Colossians 3:15 says we are to let Peace rule. That means that we should always take a position to submit to and Follow His leading. I wondered why something as important as Peace was put on our feet,. It is a “not so pretty” body part, I knew there had to be a reason. When I questioned the Lord about it, He asked me, “Why do you wear shoes?” I immediately knew what He was talking about. We wear shoes to protect our feet when we walk. Peace protects us in our walk with God, steering us away from things that hurt or hinder us in any way. This only works if you give Peace the proper position in your life, as your guide, your point man. By giving Peace the proper place, you HAVE shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Peace is available, but NOT automatic. You have a part to play if you are going to walk in the Peace of God. The word “guard” in verse 7 is an interesting word. The literal translation is: “a watcher in advance.” It is a military word that describes what we understand to be a “point man.” If you have been in the military, you know that a point man has the responsibility to lead his team safely through enemy territory while detecting and avoiding the enemy’s traps. The point man keeps the team safe while maneuvering them into the most advantageous position. The point man is ultimately responsible for every life on the team. If the point man fails, the team could die. God has given us the greatest Point Man available, the Peace of God. The same Peace that Jesus had with the Father. as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. commission, definition: the act of granting certain powers or the authority to carry out a particular task or duty. You have an opportunity every day to ask God to lead and guide you by His Holy Spirit. Peace is a present day ministry of the Holy Ghost and you must commission your Point Man (Peace) into your future by prayer. Prayer changes the NOW by preparing your future with Peace. No matter what you are doing or where you are going, you can travel in Peace if you pray before you leave. Prayer paves the road with Peace. Don’t walk into a future that is not prepared by prayer and conditioned with Peace.

2019-04-23T15:58:36Z

https://truthpressure.wordpress.com/tag/prayer/

General Park News - (4/19/19) MouseSteps has posted a new photo update from Epcot’s International Gate located at the back of the World Showcase area allowing guests to walk and take water-taxis to the various Epcot Resorts, and even take the water taxi all the way over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The gate is surrounded by construction walls currently while the entrance is expanded to handle the increased crowds that will soon come via to the new Disney Skyliner aerial tram system. (4/10/19) Walt Disney World announced that the 2019 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will stretch itself out once again to a record setting 87-day run, from August 29 through to Nov. 19th. This will quickly be followed up by the 2019 Festival of the Holidays event from Nov. 29 through Dec. 30th. (3/14/19) OrlandoParksNews has posted a huge new photo update from Epcot this week, showing off the Flower & Garden Festival decor, as well as a peek at the construction of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ratatouille and just announced Play Pavilion construction projects. (11/20/18) The latest posted on the Disney Parks Blog confirms at the bottom that Disney is “in the process of updating the existing O Canada! 360-degree show”. No more details were listed, so we don’t know if this will just be a small update to the existing film, a technical update to the projection technology, or something much bigger and more involved. Anyone know more? Kerry Butler (Beauty & the Beast) & Kevin Massey (Tarzan) – Jan. 18, 19, 22, 23, 26. Meredith Inglesby (Little Mermaid) & Steve Blanchard (Beauty & The Beast) – Jan. 20, 21, 24, 25, 27. Arielle and Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) – Jan. 28, 29, Feb. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9. Heidi Blickenstaff (Freaky Friday) & Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins) – Jan. 30, 31, Feb. 3, 4, 7, 8, 10. Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) & Josh Strickland (Tarzan) – Feb. 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 23, 25. Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White (Lion King) – Feb. 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, 25. (9/4/18) According to several reports Spaceship Earth at Epcot closed down over the weekend after a "water leak" was discovered inside the giant sphere. Original reports on social media were claiming it may have been some kind of hydraulic or HVAC coolant leak, but according to the Orlando Sentinel it was just water. The ride was set to be inspected on Monday morning and did reopen for guests that day. (7/7/18) Epcot has released the first list of details and narrators for the 2018 Candlelight Processional which will start on Nov. 22nd. Details about how to get dining packages can be found at the Disney Parks Blog, and those will go on sale starting July 11. The list of celebrity guest narrators thus far includes: Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, Chita Rivera, Blair Underwood, Gary Sinise, Pat Sajak, Edward James Olmos and Jodi Benson, with four more mystery spots to still be announced. (5/19/18) I'm told that a new sit-down table-service restaurant is coming to the Japan Pavilion inside Epcot. Unfortunately I'm not sure exactly where it will go, nor do we have a timeline as to when we can expect to see it open. If anyone knows more, please let us know. (3/16/18) Always the most popular special event of the year for Epcot, Disney has already announced the dates for the 2018 Epcot Food & Wine Fest which will take place from August 30th through to November 12th, 2018. (2/14/18) Disney has reopened The American Adventure show at Epcot this week, which returns with some all new digital projection screens, some new additions and a new version of the Golden Dreams song. You can see some photos of the new show improvements along with some video clips includes in an update posted to WDWNT. (1/18/18) I'm told that the Circle of Life movie attraction at Epcot inside The Land pavilion (in the Harvest Theater) will close forever at the end of February 3rd. The old theater attraction has been running with the current program since 1995. 2019 - Outer Space Restaurant - Confirmed - (11/14/18) A new job posting from the Patina Restaurant Group offers some extra details about the future Space themed restaurant coming to Epcot between Mission: Space and Test Track. According to the posting they are calling it “Space 220”, but I’m not sure if this is simply a temporary project name or possibly the actual name. They are looking to recruit international employees to work in the restaurant to give it an International Space Station feel with a number of European candidates to be considered for 12 to 15 month long work programs. (7/26/18) Things are progressing for Epcot's new Space themed restaurant with land cleared out behind the Mission: Space attraction (on the right hand side) where the new restaurant will apparently be reached by traveling through an unused two-story corporate lounge building hidden behind the trees near the outdoor queue area. According to a report at OrlandoWeekly, the idea is that guests will be transported from Epcot up to outer space via a 'shuttle' experience, done by elevators outfitted with floor to ceiling video screens to showcase the journey into space and back for the diners. With work just starting, I'd expect to see this thing open by late 2019. (5/11/18) While we haven't heard anything about the announced Space themed restaurant coming to Epcot since it was announced last year, the Disney Parks Blog did bring it up again this past week, along with a confirmation that it would be located in a space between Mission: SPACE and Test Track. They also confirm that the new restaurant will be operated by the Patina Restaurant Group who also runs Tutto Italia and Via Napoli at Epcot, as well as the Morimoto Asia and Maria & Enzo's Ristorante in Disney Springs. So we've got a few more tidbits and confirmation that the project is still in the works, but unfortunately we still don't have a timeline as to when it will open. (7/20/17) In an interesting development, Disney confirmed a number of changes were coming to Mission: Space soon, as well as the addition of a new outer space themed restaurant experience where you can dine while gazing upon the stars and looking down at the Earth below. Yes... Disney is building a restaurant that will literally appear to be out of this world. According to the official description it will "be located adjacent to the park's Mission: SPACE attraction". There is a little room on the side near the exit of Mission: SPACE, but the biggest section of available space would be on the right side of Mission: SPACE near the backside of the attraction, close to the outdoor straight-away section of Test Track. This would let it bump up against the existing service road and be perfect for food deliveries to the kitchen. Plus the fully enclosed and nature of the restaurant would allow for it to exist here and have the loud buzzing of Test Track next door go entirely unnoticed. According to Disney the restaurant will be run by the Patina Restaurant Group who already operates several eateries on Disney property including the popular Tutto Italia and Via Napoli in Epcot, as well as Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs. No official word on when it might open however. As expected, this is another part of the multi-year transformation plans Disney has to upgrade Epcot. These plans also include the already announced Guardians of the Galaxy themed roller coaster replacing the Universe of Energy attraction, the Ratatouille dark ride being added to the France pavilion in World Showcase, and a new space themed table-service restaurant under construction next to Mission: SPACE. Disney also promises that there is even more to come as the Epcot experience is upgraded for the next generation. I have to admit, while it is time for Reflections of Earth to be replaced by a new show after a nearly 20 year run, I will also miss the currently show horribly once it is gone. All said and done, I’ve already regarded Reflections of Earth as the pinnacle of all of the Disney’s nighttime spectacular shows, perhaps in a tie with the original version of Fantasmic! from Disneyland. There is just something powerful about the show overall... a mix of an intense musical score mixed with spectacular pyro and other visual effects that just has the ability to reach inside a person and touch your soul in a way most other shows just can't. You know how the old saying goes, “Don’t mess with perfection”, but Disney’s had nearly two decades to think this through and come up with a way to top Reflection of Earth, so I can't wait to see what they come up with next. (7/27/18) According to the Orlando Sentinel's report on the upgrades coming to the World Showcase lagoon at Epcot, this is a nearly $2 million upgrade project that will heavily upgrade the electrical infrastructure around the lagoon. They also confirm that the new conduit into the lagoon will be to run lines out to one of the islands in the lagoon. (7/26/18) Is Epcot finally getting ready to upgrade their night show? As much as I love Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, the show is 19 years old at this point, and long overdue to be replaced by something new. Certainly a new night show has been talked about in the rumor mills for years now, as it is only a matter of time. But that time may be now, as I'm told early permits have been filed and put into play to perform a very expensive update to various infrastructure around the World Showcase lagoon, as well as run some electrical conduit from the shore out to a structure in the lagoon. I'm not sure if this means they will be building some kind of stationary platform out there, or if they are trying to wire up the small islands already in the lagoon. (11/14/17) In interesting article has been posted at Forbes about Disney's fireworks shows, and of course this leads to focus the rest of the article about what may be Disney's greatest and longest playing fireworks show of all time: Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot. The article is a good read, especially in the lengthy interview with the show's musical composer, Gavin Greenaway who worked with show director, Don Dorsey to create the park's masterpiece night show which has been running since 1999. Towards the end they mention Disney appears to be working on a new show concept that would feature "sweeping fountains on the lagoon and what appears to be a giant curved LED screen". According to Gavin, he really doesn't know anything about it, and confirms that neither he or Dorsey are involved with whatever new production is in the works. He's fine with that however, as he would rather not have to be one to get compared to Reflections of Earth anyway... as there will always be the inevitable debate about if the new show and music are better than the old show or not. (7/10/17) Another rumor about the one project that we all know is going to happen… a new version of Illuminations is confirmed to be part of the Epcot renovation plan. No word on exactly when this will happen however. By 2021 - Guardians of the Galaxy - (3/24/19) Screamscape sources tell us that they spotted the top section of track being installed onto the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at Epcot this week. We’ve already seen the track installed for the launch from the old Universe of Energy building that starts to rise up a steep hill to enter the new coaster building structure near the top. The new track piece(s) are here, and appear as if the track will take an extremely hard roll to the right as you hit the top of the hill. The interesting thing is it was described as looking similar to what Incredible Hulk does at the top of it’s launch-hill, but but minus the full inversion. Given the spinning nature of the ride cars, the launch and incline, this could provide for a really interesting negative-g moment for the riders if the car were to spin to the left at the apex of the hill as the track rolls to the right, and then taking a steep dive towards the ground inside the structure while completing the spin to face the rider’s backwards, giving everyone a very nice and awkward feeling twisting negative-g airtime float. (11/30/18) We’ve been waiting for the moment, as it appears that the first piece of track (that we can see at least) has been installed for the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at Epcot. If I had to guess, you’ll probably hit this sharp rise up into the large building at the end of the launch tunnel that bridges the gap between the new and old buildings. Disney also re-confirmed that the attraction will open in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021. (11/13/18) A new collection of photos showing off the progress on the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at Epcot can be found over at OrlandoParkNews.com this week. (11/2/18) The coaster track and supports (painted black of course) for the Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride going into Epcot has finally started to arrive on site. I knew it had to happen sooner or later because they’re quickly starting to seal up the building walls. As I mentioned previously, the assembly of this project has been interesting because it was being done in reverse order to how Rock ‘n Roller Coaster was put up. Back then they poured the giant pad, set up the coaster and then put up the walls and ceiling and sealed it all up inside. (10/20/18) Back in March Screamscape pointed you all to view some photos taken at a Vekoma test facility in Europe featuring a new prototype creation set up on a test track. It featured what looked like your typical Vekoma 4-passenger sit-down coaster car frame, but instead of mounting it to the chassis like normal, it was mounted to what appeared to be a turn-table system, which was then mounted to the chassis. As I pointed out back in March, this was not your typical “free spin” style set-up, but rather this looked like a system in development for controlled rotation of the riders in order to point them in specific directions at specific moments during the ride experience… in other words… exactly the same kind of thing that Universal built for their Harry Potter themed “Escape from Gringotts” coaster in Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida. If you need a refresher, you can see these those photos posted here. Go ahead, take a quick look, I’ll wait. The rumor sent to Screamscape at the time was that this new controlled spinning coaster car system was the prototype for Disney’s new Guardians of the Galaxy themed coaster under construction at Epcot. All along the constant rumor about the Guardians coaster was that it would feature spinning cars (and a launch system) in some fashion and now BlooLoop reports that Disney has filed for a patent for exactly this kind of rotating roller coaster vehicle system, which seems to confirm that this is indeed the Guardians of the Galaxy ride system. I’m a bit curious to know what unique features that Disney is using for this patent that would mark it as being different from the Gringotts’ system which I believe is developed by Universal and Intamin, but that’s another story to ponder. (10/13/18) A new fantastic aerial shot of the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster coming to Epcot was posted on Twitter Friday night, showing off the massive new ride building and the framework for the connecting tunnel that will serve as a bridge between it and the former Universe of Energy building. One interesting item I’ve noticed about how this attraction is going up is just how different this is compared to how Disney built Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. In the case of RNRC, they poured the large concrete foundation pieces and then put up the entire coaster out in the open first, then when finished they installed the walls and roof to enclose the ride inside. With this project, there isn’t a single section of coaster track to be seen anywhere and the roof is on the main building, so all the track is going to have to go in through the side walls which could make assembly a bit tricky. Aerial view of the Guardians of the Galaxy show building. Some tall beams on the connection to the former Universe of Energy. Also a tall triangular frame that seems to be for theming. (9/28/18) A reader heading out of Epcot the other night spotted the work lights on inside the future Guardians of the Galaxy attraction entrance building and snapped a few quick pictures showing off the work taking place inside. (9/19/18) The latest photos of the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction under construction show off that the walls of the former Universe of Energy pavilion have been removed and the interior of the structure has been gutted. The rumored plan is that the former pavilion will be used to hold the indoor portion of the ride queue, the load and unload stations, a few early scenes for the ride before it jets off to the new building structure, and… of course… a gift shop at the exit. (7/9/18) A couple of photos on Twitter show off the current state of the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster building, rising quickly backstage at Epcot. (6/26/18) A quick look at the progress on the huge building under construction for the Guardians of the Galaxy ride can be seen below. (6/13/18) A good new picture posted to Twitter shows off an aerial look at the new building under construction that will house the main portion of the new Guardians of the Galaxy coaster track. Also worth noting, you can see the colors changing on the domed roof of the former Wonders of Life Pavilion to the left, as the structure is being refreshed for some new unknown purpose. Also take a look in the background and you can see a large clearing being made next to the Monorail track as it heads from Epcot towards the TTC. As previously noted in our coverage of the rumored Epcot Resort project, Disney did file plans to do just this, with the site along the track being cleared to create an all new and very large water retention pond that will be almost twice the size of the lagoon in the middle of World Showcase, running from where you see the work starting here all the way down to World Drive. (6/4/18) The large steel wall frames for the huge new Guardians of the Galaxies ride building are starting to go up and apparently you can get a great look at them as you pass by on the monorail going into Epcot. You can see a few pictures sent in by a reader over the weekend. (5/5/18) Remember that massive concrete pour that we mention was taking place at Epcot last week for the new Guardians of the Galaxy coaster? Disney has posted a fun little recap video of the massive undertaking that took 17 hours and 960 truckloads of concrete. (4/30/18) There was a parade of cement trucks pouring into Epcot (get it, "pouring"?) the other day as a massive concrete delivery was taking place to form the giant pad needed for the new Guardians of the Galaxy building backstage. You can see a couple of photos of the action below. (4/21/18) A couple of good pictures posted to Twitter show off the construction progress on the new building foundation going in behind the scenes at Epcot for the new Guardians of the Galaxy coaster ride. (3/23/18) In late January Screamscape reported about a new piece of test coaster track being put together at a Vekoma test facility in Europe. Now all new pictures have been added to this same photo link showing off a crazy new prototype coaster train now running on those same tracks. What's odd about this new train design is that while they seem to have mounted a typical modern Vekoma coaster car to it, they have it mounted up high, sitting on top of a circular mounting system, that gives me the impression that it is designed to allow the coaster cars to spin. However, the size of it all does not look like the kind of mount that would be used to allow for a freely-spinning system, but rather this looks built to allow for controlled spinning of the cars. Controlled in such a way that they could point the riders at specific scenes as the train passes by... not unlike what Universal Orlando did with Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts attraction. Even better... the popular rumor is that this new prototype ride system in development is for Walt Disney World's new Guardians of the Galaxy themed coaster coming to Epcot. All along I had heard this attraction would be some kind of new spinning coaster design, and this looks to fit the bill perfectly. Stay tuned! (2/14/18) While not much more was revealed, Disney did confirm that the new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction coming to Epcot would indeed be a roller coaster. They also mentioned it would be "one of the world's longest enclosed roller coasters", and be a one-of-a-kind family attraction with "a new innovative ride system". It will be ready to open in time for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary in 2021. (1/30/18) Disney has filed a work permit to begin needed electric work valued at over $2 million was also filed for more electrical work needed at Epcot for a “Project S”, which is believed to be for the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride. While the former Universe of Energy ride building is wired up of course, remember that the Guardians attraction will require the building of a much larger new structure backstage that will contain the majority of the actual attraction. With the paperwork now in progress, I’m guessing see work start on this new structure in the next few months. Always a bonus to get all the ground-work out of the way now before the wet Summer season begins. (12/11/17) While I had hoped the new Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at Epcot would be a Mack Spinning Coaster in my last post, digging a little deeper with sources revealed that the ride is apparently going to be a new Vekoma coaster after all. No word on what style ride it will be then, but as far as I can recall, I don't believe Vekoma has built a spinning coaster to date, though I think they did pitch a design for one years ago that had inward facing seating instead of outwards. So now I'm very curious as to what kind of ride is in store for us. (12/8/17) WDW News Today has posted some new rumored details regarding the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster coming to Epcot. While we still don't have a timeline, they do shore up all the previous rumors claiming that the old Universe of Energy building will be used primarly as a themed queue experience and loading station for t he new coaster thrill ride. They also backed up our previous rumor that the new ride would be a launched coaster experience, and mention that it would be one lacking inversions. Of course, I know I never heard it would have inversions in the first place... tying into the one rumor we posted at Screamscape that they did not yet confirm... which claimed that the new ride may actually be a spinning coaster. While I really haven't heard too many details about this ride at all lately, my thought process at the time was that this could actually be a Launched Mack Spinning Coaster design. After all, Disney did just opt to buy the Slinky Dog Dash coaster from Mack instead of Vekoma for the Studios, so why not try to get a discount for a two-ride deal from Mack, right? In any case, I hope to find out a little more about this ride if possible going forward... now if only we could find out when it will actually open. (7/20/17) As rumored, Disney confirmed that a Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction is on the way to Epcot that will replace the current Universe of Energy attraction. Few details were given other than it will be an E-Ticket attraction "based on the rockin’ and action-packed world of Guardians of the Galaxy". While Disney released some concept artwork for the attraction showing off what looks like a pre-show briefing room of sorts with Rocket and Groot standing in front of a window where the Milano (their starship) appears to be docked. The other piece of artwork shows that the old Universe of Energy building will be staying, and looks to have a Nova Corps fighter hovering over the fountain out front, along with Rocket and Groot talking to guests. Our sources still say that this will be a coaster style ride of some kind. While an exact date is not given, Disney did promise that the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction would be open in time for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World in 2021. Universe of Energy is confirmed to be closing down on August 13, 2017. (7/10/17) As the biggest of the rumored new attractions, and one that seems to be holding water with permitting for the site already underway, Screamscape sources tell us that much of what we’ve already discussed about a Guardians of the Galaxy themed family coaster ride is very much true and in the works. (5/31/17) So far Guardians of the Galaxy seems to be a hit in California where they took over the West coast’s version of Tower of Terror, but with the Guardians rumored to also take up residence in Epcot, we’re looking at an entirely different style attraction. What could it be? Well… as usual, Screamscape takes a look at some of the latest rumors we’ve received and how they fit in with what we’ve seen from those new building permits last week. So far, from what I’m hearing the old Universe of Energy building structure will remain, but I’m hearing that we can expect it to be gutted and transformed for use for the new attraction. The early rumor sent my way long ago about this was that it was some kind of coaster style ride under consideration for the property, and adding to this possibility I’ve also heard it mentioned that the ride would feature some kind of launch track… which is apparently what will act as the bridge element between the old attraction building and that massive new building going out back. Speaking of that new building… would you believe that the early rumor is that it could stand as tall as 130 feet? Don’t worry, Spaceship Earth is 180 feet tall, and it will be located somewhere back behind the Wonders of Life dome, which is said to be about 80 feet tall all by itself, so it could possibly remain hidden for the most part. What else has Screamscape been told so? In a cryptic comment, it was mentioned that the new ride would put a new “spin” on Epcot… so could this be some kind of launched spinning coaster style attraction? (5/22/17) In an interesting update, WDWNT reports that the first permits have been filed for work at Epcot that seem to indicate that the end may be near for The Universe of Energy. Like what seems to always happen in Florida, the first signs of an impending construction project involve the paperwork and permits involving how the project will handle the issue of drainage and if any existing water retention ponds need to be moved, adjusted, or replaced. In this case the work site mentioned includes the removal of a water drainage canal that runs behind Universe of Energy and the closed Wonders of Life Pavilion which will be replaced by adding bigger ponds (or expanding the existing connected canal) that runs through a green area out into the last section of the parking lot behind there. One fun item of note however is the marking that show off the overall construction site for the project includes not just the huge green area where the new ponds and drainage canal will go, but mentions that the existing canal route (which will be filled in) but the project site boundary also includes the entire Universe of Energy structure, the area behind it, and a substantial section of the park's pathways in front of it. Essentially everything north of the pathway that runs from the Electric Umbrella / MouseGears area over to Mission Space will be affected. In another image there is a rather large rectangle shaped new structure, about the size of the Universe of Energy building, to go into the space directly behind Wonders of Life. Something that big must surely be for a major new attraction of some kind. And we know previous rumors were pointing to the arrival of the Guardians of the Galaxy in this general area not too long ago. (9/22/16) According to the latest rumors the Universe of Energy pavilion at Epcot could close down forever as early as January 2017, just after the busy winter holiday period is over. The persistent rumors claim that the attraction will be demolished to make way for a new Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction, also heavily rumored to be some kind of new indoor roller coaster. Anyone able to confirm the upcoming closure? (8/22/16) Remember those rumors about a Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride coming to replace the Universe of Energy? The latest rumor claims that the ride will actually be an indoor high speed roller coaster style ride that would likely see the old attraction building taken down and a new structure rise instead. This is still a pretty far out rumor however, so I'm not sure how much truth there is to it, especially after Epcot just added two major new rides this summer. We'll have to wait and see I guess. ???? - Awesome Planet @ The Land Pavilion - (3/20/19) Disney has announced that a new film presentation is coming to The Land pavilion be to called “Awesome Planet”, along with confirmation of some other projects that have been in the works as part of the park-wide upgrade of Epcot. They don’t mention the exact location in The Land pavilion for Awesome Planet, but I can only assume it will go into the former theater space that was home to Circle of Life from 1995 to early 2018. 2020 - Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure / France Pavilion Expansion - (3/20/19) Disney has confirmed that an authentic Crêperie will be built into the France pavilion as part of the upcoming expansion that will bring the Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction. According to the Disney Park Blog the new eatery will feature a menu inspired by the Brittany region of France and offer both table service and quick-service items. Look for these all to open in time for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. (11/20/18) Disney has confirmed the official name for the new Ratatouille attraction coming to the France pavilion at Epcot will be “Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure”. Meanwhile the pavilion will also open a new Beauty & The Beast “sing-a-long” show in 2019 in addition to Impressions de France show. (9/4/18) A great new aerial image shows off the progress on the Ratatouille ride building at Epcot behind the France pavilion as the green outer walls are starting to go up. Meanwhile clearing is also taking place directly behind the France pavilion likely for a little plaza area that will link up the old and new sections of the pavilion when they are finished. Meanwhile in the background, the yellow arrow is pointing to the station building construction for Epcot's Disney Skyliner aerial tram station. Aerial view of the Ratatouille ride show building, with green exterior going up. (8/27/18) I'm not sure why but apparently Disney has been surveying guests about possible names for the upcoming Ratatouille dark ride in Epcot. For some reason they seem to be trying to give it a rather wordy title, much like it's French counterpart which is known as "Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy". You can see a bunch of different possible names are being tossed about in the tweet below, most of which seeking to work the name "Remy" or "Chef Remy" into the title rather that just calling it something simple like "Ratatouille: Kitchen Calamity". (6/26/18) A couple of new aerial photos of the Ratatouille ride building under construction at Epcot can be seen below. Looks like things are moving along very quickly as they put up the steel framework. Now there is still a lot of work left to do, but if you compare the progress of the structure in Orlando to the construction speed of the original ride built in Paris, we are still looking at about another 18-20 months until Ratatouille could be ready to open in Orlando. Translation... expect a very late 2019 to early 2020 opening date. (6/13/18) Take a look below at the latest aerial shot of the new Ratatouille attraction construction photo, which will expand the current France Pavilion at World Showcase into a much larger and more popular attraction. (4/21/18) The rising steel framework for the Ratatouille building in Epcot’s World Showcase is now becoming very visible from the park’s pathways. (4/14/18) A couple of fun new photos from Epcot were posted over at WDW News Today this week, including a look at steel beams rising from the France pavilion for the new Ratatouille dark ride expansion project, along with the first tower on site behind Epcot for the Disney Skyliner next to the International Gateway. (10/12/17) According to the OBJ, Walt Disney World has filed for a new permit for a “Project MI” which appears to be for the announced Ratatouille dark ride coming to Epcot’s France pavilion in World Showcase. The permit appears to be for the building of the basic building shell, foundation and utilities needed for the expansion project. (7/20/17) Disney confirmed at the D23 Expo that a Ratatouille themed dark ride will be added to the France pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. Note that Disney doesn't say that it will be a clone of the Ratatouille ride built for Paris, they only say that it will be "Similar to the 4-D attraction Ratatouille: The Adventure", which makes me wonder if we could see some changes and improvements made to the ride experience. The rest of the description sounds pretty on-target for being a near-clone of the existing ride where "guests will be able to shrink to Remy’s size and scurry to safety in a dazzling chase across a kitchen with the sights, sounds and smells of Gusteau’s legendary Parisian restaurant." While an exact date is not given, Disney did promise that the new Ratatouille attraction would be open in time for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World in 2021. (7/10/17) Much like the rumored Guardians of the Galalxy attraction, permits to allow for an expansion to the France pavilion have already been submitted and our sources tell us that as expected, the Ratatouille dark ride should indeed be on the way very soon. (6/24/17) As heavily rumored, it seems Disney has now filed the first permits that involve future construction around the France pavilion at World Showcase. According to the permit the area involved includes the entire area backstage of the existing France pavilion as well as the mostly empty pad that sits between France and Morocco, which you can see in the first attachment from the permit. Next take a look at the next image posted and I've overlayed the existing Ratatouille attraction from Paris over the available space in Epcot and you can see that they've got plenty of room to drop it right in, as is, if they wanted to within the work area and still have extra room to improve it, make it bigger, or whatever they intend to do here. By 2021 - Play Pavilion - (2/21/19) Disney announced some fascinating new items coming to Epcot in the near future just a little bit ago. The news included the confirmation that a new “First-of-its Kind” Play Pavilion attraction was coming and would inhabit the inside of the former Wonders of Life pavilion in Future World. The new pavilion will be devoted to “playful fun and feature an innovative city that’ll come to life”, “bursting with interactive experiences, your favorite Disney characters, hands-on activities and engaging entertainment”. Look for it to open to guests in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. (5/12/18) Remember back awhile ago we mentioned there was a parade of Disney big-wigs touring the long-closed Wonders of Life pavilion shortly before it was announced that it also would also not be used any longer for the various festivals that take place throughout the year... which is pretty much all that goes on there anymore. Well, shortly after all this took place, guests began to notice crews cleaning and repainting the outside of the pavilion's golden dome. Jump ahead a few months later and the work is still ongoing, as seen in a new report to WDWNT, as the triangle panels are also being resealed to prevent leakage as well. The question is... just what is Disney's future plan for this building? By 2021 - New Park Entrance - (2/21/19) Disney confirmed that the entrance plaza to Epcot will soon be remodeled. The revised entrance plaza will be themed into a lush area with sweeping green spaces, new pathways and a reimagined fountain that will “pay homage to the original park entrance with fresh takes on classic elements”. ???? - New China Circle-Vision Movie - Confirmed - (7/20/17) Disney confirmed at the D23 Expo that a brand new film is coming to the China pavilion in World Showcase. The new film will put some brand new technology to work with the development of a brand new digital camera system able to shoot the footage for a seamless new Circle-Vision show. No word on when this may be ready to open. ???? - COCO / Mexico Pavilion - Rumor - (7/10/17) Our sources have confirmed that a new update in indeed in the planning stages for the Mexico Pavilion, where the current boat ride system will get revamped and transformed to now be themed to the new upcoming COCO animated film from Pixar, which follows the musical adventures of a young boy who crosses over into the Land of the Dead and a meeting with his family members from the other side. ???? - UK Pavilion / Brave and or Mary Poppins Ride - Rumor - (9/21/18) According to WDWNT, the UK pavilion in World Showcase is still under consideration for a ride. Earlier we had heard rumors of a possible Brave themed ride, or a Mary Poppin's themed carousel, but according to the newest rumor the ride may be some kind of Dumbo style spinning flat ride themed to Mary Poppins instead. (8/9/17) While the rumor I had heard before involved expanding the UK pavilion to include a small Scottland themed area along with a Brave themed attraction, a new article posted here claims that the rumored expansion being planned for the UK pavilion may instead focus on building a Mary Poppins character meet & greet area themed to Cherry Tree Lane. Just my personal opinion, but I'm hoping they stick with the rumor I had heard about bringing Brave to life instead. I've just never been a fan of Mary Poppins in any way, shape or form. (7/10/17) Screamscape sources tell us that a new attraction is planned to be added somewhere next to or behind the existing United Kingdom pavilion. We don't’ know much about this one, other than it is expected to be a more simple flat-ride style experience, most likely to be themed to the film Brave. ???? - The Living Seas / Marine Life Institute - Rumor - (11/7/18) Disney has apparently been sending out some surveys asking questions about The Living Seas pavilion at Epcot. We know there are major plans to refurbish and update much of the park so we may be looking as some early signs about what they could be planning to do with this particular attraction area. Some claim Nemo and Friends could be removed to revamp it all with an entirely original theme and concept, to possibly tie into a new dark ride to be built behind it, others say that they could be looking to link up the rumored Epcot Resort project so that a few very expensive suites would actually have windows directly into the massive aquarium itself. Others believe that they could even go so far as to remove the attraction entirely, but that seems to be the least likely scenario. From the sound of things, even Disney isn’t quiet sure what to do with it yet, thus the guest feedback surveys, so even if something happens, it sounds like it may not happen for quite awhile, while they focus on other projects within the park first. (7/10/17) According to the latest Screamscape rumors, we can expect to see a little remodeling and several small updates take place at The Living Seas as the attraction will attempt to take on the look and theme of the Marine Life Institute attraction seen in the film, Finding Dory. Don’t expect to see a copy of Tokyo DisneySea’s new “Sea Rider” simulator attraction added in, but I’m hearing we’ll see some of the new characters introduced in Finding Dory added to the various existing attractions, and I’m betting we’ll even get to hear voice over recordings from Sigourney Weaver as you stroll around inside. ???? - Imagination Pavilion / Inside-Out Attraction - Rumor - (7/10/17) One of the big new rumors I’m hearing is that rather than waste money on trying to upgrade the old Imagination ride system one more time, instead the park may opt to close it down for good. Previous rumors suggested that the location would eventually become home to a new attraction concept themed to the film Inside-Out, but I haven’t heard any more about this lately, so we’ll have to sit on that rumor for awhile longer. ???? - India Pavilion / Jungle Book Ride - Rumor - (9/20/18) WDWNT has posted an interesting new rumor for Epcot this week, claiming that a possible new World Showcase pavilion themed to India could be in the works. Even better, it would come with a massive new E-ticket attraction that would essentially bring the technology used for Shanghai Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean to life in the US, with new a new story themed around the live action Jungle Book movie. I like the concept... but after all these years I'm a bit hesitant to think that Disney will ever add a new country to the World Showcase after trying so many times over the years only to end up with nothing after the opening of the Norway pavilion in 1988. 2022 - New Spaceship Earth - Rumor - (10/12/18) With lots of projects already under way at Epcot, Disney has always hinted that many more updates and new projects were also being prepared to begin in order to update the park experience for future guests. The most likely one we’ve been waiting to hear about would be for yet another massive renovation to come to the park’s iconic Spaceship Earth attraction at the front of the park. According to a new update from WDWNT, plans may be moving forward for just such a renovation, but done in such a massive way that Spaceship Earth could be closed down to guests for 24-30 months. If this turns out to be true look for the attraction to close in early 2020 and remain shut until the 40th anniversary of Epcot begins on Oct. 1st, 2022. Given the amount of time this is rumored to take, this sounds like we could very well see the entire attraction gutted and rebuilt, possibly as something entirely new. Thinking back to the last time Disney began planning a new concept for Spaceship Earth, the plan at one time was to gut the attraction to turn it into some kind of indoor roller coaster style ride that would have been called “SSE: Time Racer”. Early planning and design on SSE: Time Racer was actually taking place at one time until a study of the existing sphere-shaped structure determined that it was unlikely to survive such a transformation and the new internal stresses it would have to endure, so SSE: Time Racer was shelved. With a Guardians of the Galaxy themed coaster under construction next door, I doubt we’ll see the Time Racer coaster concept revived, but it should be very interesting to see where Disney takes this iconic experience next if this transformation goes forward. There, I said it. It is worth noting that I actually wrote most of this piece way back in July… long before it was ever confirmed that Maelstrom was going to close down to make way for a Frozen themed makeover, but for whatever reason, I just wasn't ready to finish it until now. So what’s wrong with Epcot you ask? Historically, Epcot was Disney’s big experiment, opened in 1982 by Disney management after Walt’s death, to create a permanent World’s Fair style theme park environment, with a unique sponsorship focused business plan concept. To this day Epcot is a theme park like no other, and is often cited as the favorite park for many Walt Disney World fans. But I tell you that Epcot has failed… or perhaps it is more accurate to say that the business model created for it has failed. While the Magic Kingdom (and Disneyland before it) were designed to run as huge cross-promotional marketing machines, sharing and promoting the various Walt Disney Studios films, TV shows, and characters, Epcot was designed to be a different kind of beast. Inspired by the temporary World’s Fair / Expo events that took place across North America during most of the 20th century, Epcot was designed to run under a similar business model, with each pavilion being sponsored by a company, or approved along with a similar co-sponsorship deal by the world nation it represented. In the case of the later, the staff of the World Showcase pavilions are part of a Cultural Representative Program, where natives of that country agree to come work at Walt Disney World for a year at a time and represent their native homeland. Some are sponsored directly by their governments, while most use a mixture of private funding from select native corporate entities. The business model worked at first. Each pavilion was built and later maintained through various sponsorship deals and for many years Epcot worked like a well oiled machine, with guests traveling from across the globe to visit, inspired by the messages of global unity, great technological progress, and the overall concept of “If you can dream it, you can do it.” It wasn’t until the 90’s when the first signs of trouble started, and the problem only got worse as we crossed through the waves of financial and political turmoil of early 21s century. Like many deep set problems, the first signs of change started to bubble up from the core… CommuniCore. In the early 90’s, it became clear that the now decade old futuristic technology on display within CommuniCore was starting to show it’s age. The huge costs of a full pavilion sponsorship made it difficult for many early technology companies to justify the cost to buy their way into Epcot, so the old CommuniCore was removed to make way for Innoventions, a midway of small sponsorship opportunities that could be changed out as quickly as needed. Innoventions had the right idea at heart, but the cheaply made temporary display areas were a turn off to many guests. The American public too had begun to wise-up and sour on the idea of having too much corporate sponsorship. It wasn’t long before many of the Future World pavilions began to lose their sponsorships as previous deals expired and the sponsors would opt out of renewing. While the exact details of these deals are closely guarded secrets, I’ve been told that sponsorship length is typically for a 10 year term. Currently however, there are more pavilions without official sponsorship than those with, and some of the current deals are estimated to be approaching the end of their terms very soon. - Horizons, while no longer in the park, was the first to lose a sponsor, seeing the relationship with General Electric go dark in 1993 as soon as the 10 year deal came to an end. Horizon stayed open for a time without a sponsor, closed down, only to reopen while Test Track was under construction next door, then close again for good in 1999. It was replaced by Mission: Space in 2003 which was sponsored by Compaq, who was purchased by rival HP (Hewlett Packard) before the attraction even opened. I’m actually not sure of the attraction’s current status to know if they have signed an extension of some kind, or if the terms of a new deal are actively under negotiations. - The Wonders of Life pavilion which opened in 1989 with a sponsorship from Met Life, also lost their deal at the end of the first term. Before long it too would experience a sporadic operational schedule, opening in the busy months, before it was closed entirely in early 2007. - Universe of Energy was sponsored by Exxon (later ExxonMoble) up through 2004, and while it hasn’t closed down, it has remained sponsor-less ever since. - Imagination’s longtime sponsor, Kodak, ended their relationship with the attraction in 2010, and it has thus far remained open and sponsor free. - World of Motion is one of the big success stories, as it started out with a sponsorship by GM (General Motors) who has managed to maintain their sponsorship with the attraction through the transformation into Test Track, and even through their own bankruptcy problems, renewing the deal again with the latest update to the Test Track attraction (Version 2.0) just a few years ago. - Spaceship Earth has gone through a series of sponsors over the years (BELL, to AT&T and then Siemens in 2005) but as the icon of the park itself, it has been lucky enough to be a popular sponsorship opportunity. But the question is, will Seimens stay on beyond 2015? - The Land has also had a number of sponsors over the years: Kraft from 82-92 and Nestle from 93 to 2009. Nestle dropped out however, and it wasn’t until 2011 when Chiquita signed a larger deal with the entire resort and cruise line, that they became the sponsor of the Living with the Land ride. - The Living Seas opened in 1986 and was sponsored by United Technology up through 1998, but this is where things get interesting however. Unlike the other pavilions which could be closed down if Disney chose to do so, The Living Seas is inhabited by a large number of marine animals ranging from fish to dolphins to protected manatees. Closing down the pavilion was not an option as the pavilion would still have to be staffed and the animals fed and taken care of, regardless of sponsorship status. It also helped by the pavilion is home to the popular Coral Reef Restaurant, which offers underwater viewing into the main exhibit tank. Unable to find a new sponsor, Disney cut the pavilion’s budget where they could for a few years… axing the preshow film as well as closing the “Seacab” omni-mover ride in 2001 when it started to fall into disrepair. What happened next with The Living Seas pavilion may be paving the way for the future however. Disney found themselves with a huge hit on their hands, thanks to Pixar’s Finding Nemo film hitting theaters in Summer 2003, reeling in the second highest gross for the year at $936 million world-wide. The marine life themed film was the perfect fit for The Living Seas pavilion and Disney began to experiment by adding Finding Nemo themed decorative elements to the pavilion starting in late 2003 and by late 2004 they opened the first Nemo themed attraction within, “Turtle Talk with Crush”. The mini attraction was a smash hit with guests who overwhelmed the limited capacity of the theater it was in, which led not only to it’s own expansion, but the transformation of the entire pavilion into “The Seas with Nemo & Friends” by late 2005. At this point Disney opted to go all in here, and began work transforming the attraction’s old entrance, pre-show theaters, hydrolators and the closed Seacab ride into a new Nemo themed dark ride experience that opened in early 2007. While this was the first time that an Epcot pavilion has been entirely re-themed to tie into a Disney or Pixar animated films, this was not the first time that a Disney film has been brought to life in Epcot.. that honor would go to the 4D “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” attraction at the Imagination pavilion that opened in 1994 and closed in 2010, with the theme of the 4D film’s “Imagination Institute” was used as the theme for the 1999 version of the revamped dark ride experience. While Future World has thus far received most of the attention in terms of sponsorship and new attractions, the World Showcase pavilions are aging. They have been quietly getting small updates when they can get the countries to agree to help pay for them, but none seem very eager to do so anymore. The last World Showcase pavilion to be added to the park was Norway which opened in 1988 and all negotiations to design and build new country pavilions have failed since then due to disagreeable financial terms for both the building of the pavilion as well as ongoing annual operating expense payments. For example, until the government of Norway opted to step away from their deal with Disney, they were said to have paid $200,000 a year to keep the Norway pavilion running. While Canada and China have all received new films for their show theaters, and Mexico revamped their boat ride about five years ago as well, which saw the introduction of the Three Caballeros characters to lighten the mood and bring a little more entertainment to the experience. However, their presence is said to be scaled back quite a bit from the initial proposal, as the Mexican government resigned a new deal with Disney and asked to keep more of the cultural information in the attraction intact. Norway however, found themselves on the block as the last untouched major attraction in World Showcase, but as the government opted out several years ago and Disney found themselves sitting on top of another runaway animated hit in the form of Frozen this past year. They tested the waters with something small (Anna & Elsa character Meet & Greet in Norway) in much the same way they did with Finding Nemo at The Living Seas, and the response was huge… and now the rest is history as Maelstrom has now closed and a new large Frozen themed attraction will open in 2016. It is with this in mind that I say that Epcot has failed… but it is fixable. The old business model isn’t working anymore as we’ve seen Disney forced to take over more and more pavilions… and this isn’t a bad thing, as otherwise I think Epcot would sit stagnant. So while there are those who are upset at Frozen coming to Norway… I’m not one of them and I’m looking forward to it. I look at it with the eyes who remember what happened over at The Living Seas and that pavilion is not only better for it, but I’m hoping we see Disney start to take more of a creative role throughout Epcot, especially in World Showcase, where it would only make sense to add a copy of the new Ratatouille dark ride that just opened at the Paris resort as a starting point, and then look how they can expand into the other World Showcase pavilions as well to breathe some new life into the park. Because Epcot IS a great park… it just needs to evolve and grow to realize it’s true potential. prices are now “Seasonal Based” with Value, Regular and Peak Day Pricing and range between $109 and $159.

2019-04-23T22:37:40Z

http://www.screamscape.com/html/wdw_-_epcot.htm

Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry (2015) 80 (1): 217-246. The recent profusion of microscopic characterization methods applicable to Earth Science materials, many of which are described in this volume (Anovitz and Cole 2015, this volume; Noiriel 2015, this volume), suggests that we now have an unprecedented new ability to consider geochemical processes at the pore scale. These new capabilities offer the potential for a paradigm shift in the Earth Sciences that will allow us to understand and ultimately quantify such enigmas as the apparent discrepancy between laboratory and field rates (White and Brantley 2003) and the impact of geochemical reactions on the transport properties of subsurface materials (Steefel and Lasaga 1990, 1994; Steefel and Lichtner 1994; Xie et al. 2015). It has only gradually become apparent that many geochemical investigations of Earth materials have suffered (perhaps inadvertently) from the assumption of bulk or continuum behavior, leading to volume averaging of properties and processes that really need to be considered at the individual grain or pore scale. For example, a relationship between reaction-induced porosity and permeability change can perhaps be developed based on bulk samples, but ultimately a mechanistic understanding and robust predictive capability of the associated geochemical and physical processes will require a pore-scale view. The question still arises: Do we need pore-scale characterization and models in geochemistry and mineralogy? The laboratory–field rate discrepancy (or enigma) is a good example of where a pore-scale understanding may provide insights not easily achievable with bulk characterization and models. If the reasons for this apparent discrepancy between laboratory and field rates cannot be explained, then it appears unlikely that scientifically defensible and quantitative models for a number of important Earth Science applications ranging from chemical weathering and its effects on atmospheric CO2, to subsurface carbon sequestration, to nuclear waste storage, to contaminant remediation and transport, can be fully developed and applied. The reasons for the discrepancy (apparent or real) have been widely discussed, and over time the number of possibilities for explaining it have narrowed. One potentially important effect that contributes to this apparent laboratory–field rate discrepancy is geochemical in origin and has to do with the fact that most laboratory studies do not consider mineral dissolution as regulated by the precipitation of a secondary phase, that is, as an incongruent reaction. As proposed by Zhu and co-workers and as investigated further by Maher and co-workers, the slow precipitation of secondary clay minerals as a result of primary silicate mineral dissolution (e.g., feldspar) can result in an approach to thermodynamic equilibrium with respect to the dissolving primary phase, and thus a slowing of the rate of reaction (Zhu et al. 2004; Maher et al. 2006, 2009). A second potentially important effect is related to the heterogeneous nature of natural porous media, which can result in bypassing of reactive zones by groundwater and surface water flow (Malmström et al. 2000). At the pore scale, this effect can occur when pores and/or micro-environments are not connected to the macropores within which most of the flow occurs. The result can be that minerals lining these pores contribute little or nothing to the overall reactivity of the formation (Peters 2009; Landrot et al. 2012). In addition, diffusion boundary layers can form around reactive grains, further reducing the rate of reaction relative to the experimental surface reaction rates determined in the absence of these transport effects (Li et al. 2008; Noiriel et al. 2012; Molins et al. 2014). One can argue that the ability to demonstrate a predictive capability for geochemical processes, including those operating at the pore scale, is the ultimate test of understanding (Steefel et al. 2005). The development of new characterization techniques for the pore scale has important implications for the models that can be applied to these systems. One possibility is to import the microscopic characterization or mapping as initial or final conditions into true pore-scale models (Molins et al. 2012, 2014, 2015, this volume; Steefel et al. 2013; Yoon et al. 2015, this volume). Another option that typically allows for larger spatial domains to be considered is the use of the characterization data in pore network models (Mehmani and Balhoff 2015, this volume). A third possible approach that is summarized in this chapter is to make use of “micro-continuum” models informed by high-resolution geochemical, mineralogical, and physical data to describe geochemical pore-scale processes. Micro-continuum geochemical models are typically coarser than either the true pore-scale or pore-network models and thus cannot resolve pore-scale interfaces between mineral, liquid, and gas. The approach suffers from most of the same limitations that apply to larger scale continuum descriptions of porous media, namely the inability to resolve pore-scale solid–liquid–gas interfaces and the requirement that many parameters and properties (e.g., permeability or reactive surface area) need to be averaged or upscaled in some fashion. However, the approach is capable of improving on coarsely resolved (meter-scale) models by assigning differing mineralogical/geochemical and physical properties (porosity, permeability, and diffusivity) values to the domain, thus making it possible to calculate larger scale (bulk) reaction rates and transport properties. An important first step in developing micro-continuum pore-scale geochemical models is the collection and interpretation of data on the mineralogical, geochemical, and transport properties at a fine (< mm) scale. Detailed reviews are provided elsewhere on the range of characterization techniques available to describe pore-scale geochemical processes (Anovitz and Cole 2015, this volume; Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2015, this volume; Noiriel 2015, this volume). Here we focus on the approaches that are specifically suited for the development of pore-scale parameter distributions for micro-continuum modeling, although many of the techniques could also be used for direct pore-scale or pore-network modeling where the resolution is sufficiently high. The pore-scale parameters of interest for micro-continuum modeling include the porosity, mineral volume fractions, and mineral reactive surface area, along with the more challenging transport-related parameters of permeability and diffusivity. While porosity is typically considered as a scalar quantity and therefore relatively easy to quantify with a variety of mapping/characterization techniques, the more important quantity for the purposes of reactive transport modeling is the connected porosity (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2009; Peters 2009; Landrot et al. 2012). As demonstrated with modeling of basalt weathering over hundreds of thousands of years, the connected porosity is the parameter that controls reactivity under open system conditions (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2011). Or even where the pores are connected, the reactive phases within the pore are coated with other (typically secondary) phases. The fluids in the connected pores then might “see” only the secondary phases (e.g., clay or iron hydroxide) rather than the reactive feldspar. In this respect, both the impacts of the porosity and the reactive mineral surface area cannot be completely separated from the transport properties of the medium under consideration. Similarly, the physical surface area of reactive minerals is another parameter that may be relatively straightforward to determine on bulk samples, whether using a grain size geometric analysis or using gas adsorption isotherms, e.g., BET methods (Brunauer et al. 1938). But the physical surface area of the minerals may not translate to a unique reactivity without consideration of the reactive site density, which can vary significantly between natural samples (Beig and Lüttge 2006; Bracco et al. 2013). Two-dimensional and three-dimensional images can be analyzed to extract reactive transport model parameters. This includes the sample specific parameters of porosity, mineral volume fractions and surface areas, diffusivity and even permeability. Details regarding the collection and underlying principles of various imaging methods, including 2-D Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and 3-D Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM), X-ray Computed Micro-Tomography (X-ray microCT), optical petrology and Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) of nanoscale porosity have been discussed in other articles (Anovitz and Cole 2015, this volume; Noiriel 2015, this volume) and thus will only be mentioned briefly here. In this article, we will discuss the data processing approaches that can be used to extract model parameters from two- and three-dimensional SEM, FIB-SEM, and X-ray microCT images. In addition, some of the outstanding issues, such as image segmentation and resolution, will be discussed in the context of their effect on parameter estimation. Image segmentation refers to the partitioning of the histogram of pixel intensities (SEM imaging) or voxel attenuation values (X-ray CT imaging) into one or more categories such as pores and grains. Comparison of parameters from bulk samples (e.g., reactivity) and from image-derived micro-continuum samples, however, should provide insight into the scaling relationships in reactive porous media. Finally, it should be noted that several of these parameters can be measured on bulk samples in the laboratory. Parameter estimation from images allows for more discrete parameter evaluation, including the ability to map parameters at multiple scales or associated model grid cell sizes. Sample porosity can be easily determined from imaging techniques. Given that porosity is an intensive property, it can be computed from either 2-D or 3-D images. Perhaps the simplest approach is determining porosity from 2-D SEM images of a polished section. Polished sections, including thin sections, can be easily prepared by impregnating samples with epoxy, curing, and then cutting and polishing the samples to the desired thickness. Numerous commercial companies also offer inexpensive sectioning services, removing the limitations of experience or facilities. Further guidance and extensive details on sample preparation for SEM imaging can be found in several existing texts (Echlin 2011). Scanning electron microscopes, now widely available, use an electron beam to capture electron-sample interactions. Most SEM instruments are also equipped with a backscattered electron (BSE) detector. In this mode, the degree of backscatter is proportional to the mean atomic number, producing an image with varying grayscale intensities (Krinsley et al. 2005). Before imaging, polished samples are typically coated with a thin layer of conductive material such as carbon or gold using an ion beam sputterer to prevent surface charging when imaging. This is unnecessary if the instrument is operated in environmental mode or under low vacuum. Pores are easily distinguishable in SEM BSE images of most geologic samples in which the pore space shows a significant contrast with the minerals. Benchtop or synchrotron CT images can provide a three-dimensional depiction of a coherent geologic sample. In this method, a series of radiographs or projections are collected over a range of angles (Cnudde and Boone 2013; Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013) and a 3-D image. Several variations in image acquisition as well as complexities in image reconstruction exist and are covered in more detail in existing reviews (Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013; Noiriel 2015, this volume). In X-ray CT imaging, voxel attenuation is proportional to the energy of incident X-rays, material density, and atomic number (Cnudde and Boone 2013; Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). The contrast in attenuation allows pores to be distinguished from grains, although varying degrees of phase retrieval may be required to make the approach fully quantitative (Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). Micron-scale resolution is possible with both SEM and microCT imaging, but this resolution is not sufficient to capture the abundant sub-micron-scale pores in carbonates and shales. FIB-SEM imaging, however, can be used to characterize nanoscale porosity (Curtis et al. 2012; Landrot et al. 2012). Using FIB-SEM, high-resolution (nm) 3-D images are developed from a series of 2-D SEM images reconstructed to a 3-D volume. Before imaging, a trench is milled in front of the area of interest using the ion beam. A SEM image is then captured before the ion beam is used to mill away a small layer from the sample. This sequence of image capturing and milling is cycled, generating a series of 2-D images. Given the close spacing of the slices, these 2-D images can be reconstructed into a 3-D volume (Curtis et al. 2012; Landrot et al. 2012). Small angle neutron scattering or SANS can also be used to investigate nanoscale pore distributions and processes, but it is a statistical rather than mapping technique and is not discussed further here, although interested readers can find discussion in other articles (Anovitz and Cole 2015, this volume; Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2015, this volume). The porosity in SEM, X-ray CT, and FIB-SEM images can be determined by computing the ratio of pore pixels or voxels to total pixels or voxels in the 2-D or 3-D image. This first requires segmentation of pore and grain pixels/voxels. There are a variety of existing segmentation techniques that have been used with varying success in the literature. In general, the pore–grain threshold occurs at a minimum in the histogram of grayscale intensities between the individual intensity distributions for pores and grains (Peters 2009). The choice of thresholding technique should be carefully made so as to be optimal for the sample of interest, as further discussed below. In addition, some samples will require extensive pre-segmentation filtering and even manual correction to remove image artifacts. Once the segmented image is produced, pore and grain pixels can be easily summed using commercially available image processing software or using individually developed computer programs. While porosities can be determined from either 2-D or 3-D images, a sufficient number of images are required in order to ensure that the volume used is representative of the sample, thus obtaining reliable porosity, mineral volume fractions, and mineral surface areas. The representativeness of the area or volume can be determined by computing the porosity on smaller volumes subsampled from the original image. As the sampled volume is increased, the computed porosity should approach a uniform value as a representative elementary volume (REV) is reached. Despite recent efforts based on 3-D imaging (Mutina and Koroteev 2012), mineral volume fractions in mineralogically complex systems can be reliably determined only from 2-D SEM imaging. Where only a single mineral is present, as in the study by Noiriel et al. (2012), or where there is a significant contrast in density between the minerals present, 3-D X-ray synchrotron mapping may be able to provide quantitative determinations of mineral volumes. Mineral volume determination at the microscopic scale is possible on SEMs equipped with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) capabilities. The 2-D BSE imaging approach described above makes it possible to distinguish between quartz, clay, and other reactive minerals (Peters 2009) with a few hundreds of nm per pixel length resolution. EDX imaging further allows for mineral identification by determining the elements present at the microscopic scale. Two-D elemental maps can be captured and processed to determine the mineral volume percentages within each pixel (Landrot et al. 2012). Processing of EDX signals can be carried out with commercial software, such as QEMSCAN, or though customized thresholding and processing codes such as those presented in Landrot et al. (2012). These methods couple information on BSE intensities with elemental intensities so as to identify individual minerals. In either method, knowledge of the bulk mineralogy is needed to aid in mineral characterization, as many minerals contain similar elemental compositions and BSE intensities. This can be obtained from X-ray Diffraction (XRD) or X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) on bulk samples. Identification of minerals can be challenging in highly heterogeneous samples even when commercial software like QEMSCAN is used. In addition, grain edge artifacts at grain–epoxy boundaries can alter BSE intensities (Dilks and Graham 1985), potentially causing misidentification of minerals at grain boundaries. Following mineral segmentation, computation of mineral volume fractions can be carried out by counting the number of pixels corresponding to each mineral and dividing by the total grain pixels. An additional advantage of determining mineral volumes from imaging is the ability to assess explicitly the accessibility of minerals to reactive fluids if the porosity is imaged as well, and if the imaging is at sufficiently high resolution that the connectivity of the pore network can be quantified. As observed in recent studies (Peters 2009; Landrot et al. 2012), mineral abundance alone may not always accurately reflect mineral accessibility and pore connectivity. At least in continuum models, it is typically more accurate to discretize minerals based on pore accessibility fractions rather than based on total volume fractions. Mineral accessibilities can be computed by first identifying the grain-pore boundary and then by counting the number of associated pixels for each mineral that are present at the interface, or adjacent to the pore space. Recent studies have also considered the connectivity of the pore space as well, since this is a primary control on the transport of ions to and from reactive surfaces (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2009; Landrot et al. 2012). There are several complexities and intricacies involved in obtaining and interpreting mineral surface area, a full review of which is beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, we will briefly give a few examples of ways to interpret surface area from 2-D and 3-D images. It should be noted that it is uncertain what the appropriate mineral surface areas are for reactive transport modeling of porous media. A range of surface area estimates have been used without evaluation of their impact or success. This includes liberally interchanging geometric surface area (GSA), specific surface area (SSA), and reactive surface area (RSA). Mineral GSA typically refers to a surface area computed from an average grain size and assuming a particular geometric grain shape, typically perfectly smooth spheres (White et al. 2005; Alemu et al. 2011). Mineral SSA refers to the total or rough surface area per gram mineral, often measured via the Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET) analysis (Brunauer et al. 1938). RSA accounts (or attempts to account) for the distribution of reactive sites on a mineral surface and is usually estimated by applying a scaling factor of one to three orders of magnitude to SSA or GSA (Zerai et al. 2006), although the basis for applying this factor is not clear. Geometric, specific, and reactive mineral surface areas can be approximated from 2-D and 3-D images using a variety of approaches. Geometric surface areas can be approximated from the grain sizes observed in 2-D or 3-D images assuming typical grain geometry and either an average grain size or range of grain sizes and corresponding surface areas. An alternative approach is to assume mineral-specific geometries and use image-observed grain dimensions to compute surface areas based on the ideal geometries for each mineral (Bolourinejad et al. 2014). This approach is somewhat limited as real minerals often deviate from ideal geometries or do not have perfectly smooth surfaces (Bolourinejad et al. 2014). It should also be noted that these 2-D approaches additionally require bias correction (Weibel 1979; Crandell et al. 2012). Specific surface areas that reflect surface roughness can be estimated from GSA determinations by applying a roughness factor, although the choice of a factor is difficult to justify and only an average at best (Zerai et al. 2006). Alternatively, the BET surface area can be measured in the laboratory and distributed among minerals as identified in 2-D images. In 3-D images, specific surface areas can be successfully computed by creating a triangulated or polygonized surface mesh, such as through the marching cubes algorithm (Lorensen and Cline 1987; Landrot et al. 2012), then summing the area of the polygons. This is necessary as it has been shown that simply counting surface voxel faces in 3-D images overestimates surface area, as is explained in the review by Wildenschild and Sheppard (2013). This approach can be used to compute surface areas from both FIB-SEM images and X-ray CT images. Diffusivity within homogeneous porous samples may be determined experimentally with a range of techniques, some of which do not require pore-scale imaging. The most common experimental techniques are based on a diffusion cell in which one end of the cell is held at a constant concentration (effectively a Dirichlet or fixed boundary condition), while a reservoir on the other side of the diffusion cell is monitored for solute breakthrough, either under transient (e.g., where the reservoir is stagnant) or steady-state conditions (where the reservoir is subject to flow). For example, Figure 1 shows a schematic for an experimental setup that has been used to determine ion diffusivity in bentonite clay (Tachi and Yotsuji 2014). where Di* is the diffusion coefficient for species i in porous media that incorporates the effects of tortuosity, Ci is the tracer concentration, ∇ is the divergence operator, φ is the porosity, and t is time (Steefel et al. 2015). For example, a μXRF map of a sample of weathered basalt from a Costa Rican chronosequence shows the distribution of bromide tracer (blue) after 7 days resulting from diffusion from left to right, as shown in Figure 2 (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2009). Navarre-Sitchler et al. (2009) took the additional step of comparing these results to estimates of the diffusivity from pore-network modeling (see discussion below). The parameter a in Equation (3) is taken as 1.3 while the parameter β is assumed to be 1.0 for 3-D volumes measuring 220 μm on a side (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2009), while φT refers to the total porosity as mapped with the X-ray synchrotron microtomography with a 4.4 μm voxel resolution, and φc is the critical porosity estimated as 9% based on the same data. A summary of the 3-D tracer diffusion simulation results for the Costa Rican basalts are given in Table 1. Samples with less than 10% porosity are essentially unweathered. Note that the results are to some extent dependent on sample size, and also on the porosity of the volume considered as expected from Equation (2). The results of the tracer diffusion simulations agree broadly with the laboratory tracer diffusion experiments using bromide (Fig. 4). Using numerical modeling based on pore-scale imaging for the purposes of estimating diffusivity offers practical advantages when the material of interest within a sample is too small to easily investigate with laboratory tracer experiments. As an example, consider the chlorite-filled pores within the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation that hosts the Cranfield CO2 sequestration site investigated by Landrot et al. 2012. One such pore of approximately 2 μm diameter imaged with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is shown in Figure 5A. The Figure shows a quartz grain on the right side partly milled with focused ion beam techniques, while Figure 5B shows the nano-crystalline chlorite as reconstructed in 3-D with the techniques described above. Carrying out a laboratory tracer experiment on such a small zone would be quite difficult, but determining an approximate upscaled diffusion coefficient is relatively simple using a true pore-scale model (Molins 2015, this volume), or the approach as described in Figures 3 and 4. As in the Costa Rican basalts described above, the Tuscaloosa Formation sandstone is divided into pores and chlorite mineral and these are represented directly in the pore-scale model using the same grid resolution as the image resolution (14 nm). A non-reactive tracer with a concentration of 0.01 M is released from the left hand side of the cube (Dirichlet boundary) and allowed to diffuse to the right. All other boundaries are treated as no-flux. Based on the average diffusion profile, one can estimate an upscaled, effective diffusion coefficient of 7 × 10−12 m2/s (Fig. 6). The upscaled diffusion coefficient can then be used to describe diffusivity in the chlorite-rich zones within micro-continuum representations, as described more fully below. Imaging methods have been increasingly used as the basis for the prediction of permeability (Caubit et al. 2009; Algive et al. 2012; Beckingham et al. 2013). In addition to empirical relationships such as the Kozeny–Carmen equations that compute permeability from experimental or image-computed porosity (Kozeny et al. 1927; Carman 1939), permeability can also be estimated from pore networks extracted from 2-D and 3-D images. Pore and pore-throat size distributions as well as connectivities are needed to recreate a representative pore network. A suite of different approaches have been used to characterize pore and pore-throat size distributions from 2-D and 3-D images. This includes, for example, multiple point statistics (Okabe and Blunt 2004), image erosion-dilation (Crandell et al. 2012), maximum inscribed spheres (Baldwin et al. 1996), and watershed segmentation (Beucher and Lantuéjoul 1979; Silin and Patzek 2003). It should be noted that some of these 2-D methods require bias correction (Crandell et al. 2012) and may not be able to determine pore connectivities without relying on information from 3-D images (Beckingham et al. 2013), or determined by some other means. From these statistical distributions, simple pore network models can be created and used to compute continuum-scale permeability. In these models, a series of pores are defined on a regular cubic lattice and connected by pore throats. These statistical distributions of pore sizes also provide information on pore connectivity for the models. Fixed fluid pressures are then applied at the inlet and outlet (Beckingham et al. 2013). Using Poiseuille’s law to describe pore throat conductance, and assuming an incompressible fluid, the pressure in each node can be determined (Li et al. 2006). At the continuum scale, Darcy’s law can then be applied to solve for the permeability (Li et al. 2006). While this method has been shown to successfully predict permeability (Beckingham et al. 2013), image resolution and segmentation effects can affect predictions, as discussed further below. As an alternative to these statistical methods, pore network structures have also been directly extracted and simulated from 3-D images. Direct 3-D network extraction from 3-D images has been carried out using a variety of techniques, such as skeletonization based on the medial axis transform as in seminal work by Lindquist and co-workers (Lindquist et al. 1996). Direct modeling using Lattice Boltzmann based on the image-derived pore structure is often used to estimate flow and network properties (Blunt et al. 2013). The 3-D imaging could be X-ray synchrotron microtomography, or for potentially higher resolution, FIB-SEM techniques. For example, Oostrom and coworkers (Oostrom et al. 2014) determined permeability for micro-models based on the pressure drop across the model for a range of imposed flow rates using Darcy’s Law. While the micromodels investigated by Oostrom et al. (2014) were based on idealized geometries, the approach can be generalized to more complex natural pore structures, for example a capillary tube filled with crushed calcite grains (Molins et al. 2014), or in 3-D to fractured shales imaged with high resolution FIB-SEM techniques (Trebotich and Graves 2015). In Molins et al. (2014) and in Trebotich and Graves (2015), the pore structure is fully resolved and the Navier–Stokes equation is solved for the domain, in the case of the fractured shale (Fig. 7) at a resolution of 48 nm. The approach in order to determine an upscaled permeability in the case of multi-dimensional heterogeneous samples requires an averaging technique for the pressure, since there is no single pressure value at the downstream side of the volume. To date, a variety of segmentation and interpretation methods have been applied to 2-D and 3-D images with varying success (Sezgin and Sankur 2004; Dong and Blunt 2009; Iassonov et al. 2009; Peters 2009; Porter and Wildenschild 2010; Bhattad et al. 2011; Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). Despite the range of automated thresholding methods, there remains a lack of consistency in results even on images of the same sample (Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). Typically, operator input remains necessary (Cnudde and Boone 2013). Several image artifacts and issues continue to make image segmentation challenging. One complexity that is particularly common in 3-D images is partial volume or edge effects that occur, for example, when a single voxel contains multiple substances or straddles a pore-mineral boundary. In these cases, the corresponding composite voxel is assigned an intermediate X-ray attenuation value that reflects some combinations of the neighboring voxel compositions (Ketcham and Carlson 2001). Additional difficulties result from image artifacts, such as noise, surface charging, and ring artifacts. Also, variations in intensities across images are common and occur in SEM images when surfaces are not completely flat, or as a result of beam hardening in X-ray CT imaging (Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). Filtering of some of these artifacts can be achieved through relatively simple approaches involving noise removal by pixel flipping of isolated misidentified phases Peters (2009). Others artifacts are not easily correctable and require additional more complex filtering processes (Blunt et al. 2013; Cnudde and Boone 2013; Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013) or even manual image correction (Crandell et al. 2012) before or after thresholding to correctly segment images. Given the range and extent of segmentation methods and pre-processing procedures, a detailed review is not included here, but the interested reader is referred to other reviews on the subject (Cnudde and Boone 2013; Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). Imprecision and errors in image segmentation can have several impacts on parameter estimation. Small-scale features may be misinterpreted as noise and thus erroneously removed pre- or post-thresholding, altering the total porosity, mineral volume fractions, and mineral surface areas. This may also impact the estimation of permeability if these features are removed in pore throats and result in erroneously increasing pore throat size(s). A recent review in Iassonov et al. (2009) evaluated porosities determined from a range of segmentation methods applied to 3-D X-ray CT images of porous media. They found large discrepancies of one to over two orders of magnitude in porosity resulting from different segmentation methods, even on simple samples such as glass beads (Iassonov et al. 2009). Given that this initial segmentation step is needed to define the grain-pore boundaries, segmentation error directly impacts analysis of pore and pore-throat sizes, and thus the permeability that is predicted. Similar pore–grain segmentation methods have been used to process BSE and EDS images to identify minerals (Peters 2009; Landrot et al. 2012). It is thus likely that similar potentially significant errors may result in the case of mineral volumes and surface areas as well. Care should be taken to reduce segmentation error whenever possible. This can be achieved by evaluating the appropriate segmentation method for each sample. In some cases, different images from the same sample may require different segmentation procedures (Wildenschild and Sheppard 2013). Additionally, image determined parameters should be compared with measured parameters whenever possible. Successful segmentation should produce porosity estimates that agree with laboratory-measured values, taking into account the fraction of porosity that is accounted for in each method. Similarly, image determined mineral volume fractions should agree with laboratory-measured mineralogy from XRD or XRF, keeping in mind that the sensitivity of the instruments may not be sufficient to characterize the minor phases that can be captured in high-resolution imaging. High resolution images typically require small sample sizes. There are several methods that have been used with some success to increase the sample size of high-resolution images. In one approach that is often used with 2-D SEM images, a series of overlapping high-resolution images are captured and stitched together into a larger, high-resolution, composite image (Crandell et al. 2012). Similar mosaic techniques have been used with 3-D images as well (Mokso et al. 2012). In addition, alternative reconstruction and transform approaches have been successful in some cases in increasing the sample size of high resolution images (Defrise et al. 2006; Cnudde and Boone 2013). The use of multi-scale imaging that relies on a range of imaging techniques or resolutions has recently been gaining interest as well. These include, for example, combining X-ray CT images at different resolutions or fusing X-ray CT images with FIB-SEM and SEM BSE images (Sok et al. 2010; Landrot et al. 2012). These studies used high-resolution FIB-SEM imaging to evaluate the porosity and surface area of clay minerals that could not be characterized with the lower resolution pore-scale imaging approaches (Sok et al. 2010; Landrot et al. 2012). Regardless of the approach, features smaller than the voxel or pixel size cannot be distinguished with the approaches discussed here. These features, however, may be present via the partial volume effect (Cnudde and Boone 2013). In CT imaging for example, this occurs where a single voxel contains more than one phase, with the result that an intermediate attenuation value is assigned to the voxel. This results in image imprecision, particularly at interfaces between materials (Cnudde and Boone 2013), and can introduce potentially large errors when small features and pores are characterized. Imprecision in small-scale features may have little impact on overall porosity and mineral volume fractions, but large impacts on other image-estimated parameters. For example, there could be a large effect on the determination of mineral surface areas given that small-scale features often account for a large portion of the surface area. This is in addition to the impact that lower image resolutions have on correctly capturing surface roughness and thus surface area. Misclassifying small-scale features in either 2-D or 3-D images also introduces error in permeability and diffusivity predictions when using image-informed network models (Caubit et al. 2009; Beckingham et al. 2013). Accurate permeability predictions may still be possible from models informed by lower resolution images in the case where smaller pores (below the resolution of the technique) do not have a large impact on permeability and flow (e.g., Blunt et al. 2013). If the imaging methods are sufficiently high resolution that individual grains and pores and most importantly their interfaces can be resolved, then the 2-D and 3-D maps can be used directly in high resolution pore-scale modeling (e.g., Molins et al. 2014). However, this requires access to pore-scale reactive transport modeling software (still a specialized field) and to high performance computer hardware. Thus it may not be practical for all researchers approach, even if the full pore-scale approach is arguably the most rigorous. If the domain size is too large and/or spatial resolution too low, or if a true pore-scale code is not available, then micro-continuum modeling is another possibility. The data can be used at the spatial resolution at which is collected, or volume averaged to a coarser discretization so as to handle a larger domain, or simply to make the simulations computationally feasible. Scalar quantities like the porosity and mineral volume fractions can be volume averaged directly, vectorial quantities like permeability or diffusivity are more likely scale-dependent and require special treatment (see discussion below). Given an initial map of porosity and mineral volume fractions at some resolution, it is a relatively simple procedure to calculate equivalent quantities at coarser resolutions by using volume averaging. However, these scalar quantities are influenced by the connectivity and thus the transport properties of the medium. If the connectivity and the accessibility of reactive surface area are scale-dependent, then volume averaging as an upscaling procedure may introduce errors into the simulations. How accurate the volume-averaged quantities are at various scales is a future research area, one that has been neglected to date perhaps because researchers interested in upscaling in porous media have focused primarily on the physical properties, or because the routine use of high-resolution chemical and mineralogical mapping is still in its infancy. If pores and individual mineral grains are fully resolved (i.e., no voxel includes more than a single mineral, or a mixture of pore space and minerals), then producing coarser representations of the medium consists of adding up the various image voxels corresponding to porosity and the individual minerals. The percentage of porosity per unit volume porous medium, for example, is just the number of voxels made up completely of pores divided by the total number of voxels in the volume of interest. The volume procedure, however, is equally straightforward where individual voxels consist of a mix of either different minerals or minerals and porosity, since the porosity (connected or unconnected) will be just the weighted average of the porosity in the individual voxels. An example of volume averaging is given by choosing an image of the porosity and mineral distribution from the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation at the Cranfield CO2 sequestration site with a resolution of 331 nm (Fig. 8), which is adequate to resolve all but the nano-crystalline chlorite-filled pores (Landrot et al. 2012). With sufficient computational resources (software and hardware), it should be possible to simulate the pore-scale geochemical processes at the original resolution of 4 μm, that is, use the information on porosity (accessible and inaccessible) and mineralogy shown in Figure 8 directly. In order to make the reactive transport simulations tractable for our purposes, however, we assume a 256 by 256 2-D section with 16-μm grid resolution that produces a section measuring 4.1 mm by 4.1 mm. As an example, volume averaging of porosity and mineral abundance produces data like that shown in Table 2, which represents a small portion of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation sandstone sample investigated in Landrot et al. (2012). The volume averaging to 16 μm2 produces a porosity map (Fig. 9A) and mineral abundances for quartz, chlorite (chamosite), and illite as shown in Figures 9B, 9C, and 9D respectively. These maps are used as initial conditions in the reactive transport modeling of the 4.1 mm by 4.1 mm 2-D section discussed below. The first micro-continuum reactive transport modeling described in the literature that we are aware of was presented by Glassley and co-workers (Glassley et al. 2002). This mysteriously unrecognized and largely uncited publication was the first to make use of mineralogical and chemical data collected with modern synchrotron techniques at the micro-scale and then used as initial conditions for high resolution reactive transport simulations. This study developed spatially distributed representations of porosity and mineralogy based on a combination of optical mineralogy and μ-XRF mapping at a resolution of approximately 1 μm in 2-D. The rock samples consisted of fractured tuffaceous rock from Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A sample area of 106 μm2 was mapped in detail and the resulting element and porosity maps were digitized, thus creating a domain decomposed into 12,208 grid cells that were 8.77 μm on a side (Fig. 10). A bulk porosity of about 6% was estimated based on averaging of the entire sample. Simulations were conducted in which a dilute fluid enters the discretized porous medium at two different flow rates of 0.1 and 1.0 m3 m−2 yr−1, assumed to be uniform across the domain. The fluid is reacted with the rock at 90 ºC. Simulations involving the slower flow rate, in which the fluid residence times is approximately 3.65 days, provide fluid composition results at the downstream end that are very similar to those obtained from homogeneous mineral distribution representations. At the higher flow rate of 1.0 m3 m−2 yr−1 (residence time of approximately 8.76 hours), however, the fluid composition differs between the heterogeneous and homogeneous cases along the entire length of the flow path. The authors concluded that the simulation results demonstrate that the fluid composition characteristics in the homogeneous and discrete mineral representations will be similar only when the bulk average contact times for the individual mineral phases along the flow paths are approximately equivalent (within a few percent). The Cranfield Oil Field in Mississippi has been used as a subsurface CO2 injection pilot site, with super-critical CO2 injected into the lower Tuscaloosa Formation at about 300 m depth. The Tuscaloosa Formation is a 15-m-thick heterogeneous fluvial sandstone that was the subject of an experimental study by Lu and co-workers (Lu et al. 2012), who reported low reactivity for the sandstone in contact with CO2-infused brine. The question arises as to whether the low reactivity is due primarily to the limited availability of reactive surface area? This can be evaluated more quantitatively with the micro-continuum approach. The bulk reactivity can be estimated by carrying out 2-D diffusion-reaction simulations using the volume-averaged porosity and mineral distributions presented in Figure 9, with the left hand boundary set as a fixed or Dirichlet boundary condition. This effectively makes the CO2 reservoir (5 bars, 25 ºC) infinite. The simulations are carried out over the 4 mm by 4 mm domain for a period of 365 days, which is a sufficient amount of time for the system to come to a steady state. An effective diffusion coefficient of 10−10 m2 s−1 is assumed for the domain, with the exception of zones containing 50% or more chlorite where the effective diffusion coefficient is assumed to be 7 × 10−12 in agreement with 1-D simulation shown in Figure 6B. No correction is made for the 3-D connectivity in the 2-D simulations, so access to some reactive phases is likely underestimated. How to incorporate 3-D tortuosity into 2-D modeling domains is a future research topic. In the case where the local porosity is zero, the diffusive flux will be zero because of the use of harmonic means to calculate properties at grid cell interfaces. Thus, unconnected porosity is automatically accounted for within the resolution of the discretization. Sub-grid connectivity, however, is not accounted for, although this should be possible with a more rigorous treatment of the data. The spatial distribution of chlorite dissolution rates in the 2-D Tuscaloosa Sandstone section is shown in Figure 11. The sparse distribution of accessible chlorite certainly contributes to the low bulk reactivity of the material, so perhaps the observations Lu et al. (2012) of low reactivity are understandable. Bulk rates calculated from the micro-continuum simulations are given in Table 3. The rates are normalized to a cubic centimeter of Tuscaloosa Sandstone, which is close to the size of the rock sample used in the Lu et al. (2012) experiments. The low reaction rates of the lower Tuscaloosa Formation sample in contact with the CO2-infused brine is thus a consequence of both the low volume fractions of the reactive phases (quartz dominates) and the poor accessibility of some of the phases. There are many examples of soils, sediments, and rocks that are characterized by multiple length scales, each with its own set of physical and/or chemical properties. Probably the best known example is that of fractured rock. Here flow in the fractures is described by meter or larger length scales, while transport in finer-grained, unfractured material within the same volume is dominated by diffusion length scales (mm–cm). Other examples of hierarchical porous media can be mentioned, as for example where pore or smaller scale parameters and processes affect larger macroscale behavior. The models used to describe these systems are typically referred to as multi-continuum models. These relations can be easily extended to include multiple interacting domains, as in the MINC approach (Pruess and Narisimhan 1985). The dual or multi-domain conceptualizations can be distinguished by their different formulations of the governing equations of flow in the fracture domain and/or by their different approaches to establish exchange between the two overlapping continua (or multiple domains). Various reviews of the different multi-continuum approaches, including the governing equations and exchange functions, are available elsewhere (Berkowitz and Balberg 1992; Lichtner 2000; Šimůnek et al. 2003; MacQuarrie and Mayer 2005; Aradóttir et al. 2013). While the multi-continuum approach has been applied to various problems in which two or more domains with contrasting permeability and/or diffusivity are identifiable, the approach has less commonly been used to capture micro-continuum scale effects, for example, interactions between grain and pore scale processes (e.g., nm to mm scale) and the larger domain within which flow and reactive transport occurs (e.g., m scale). Perhaps the earliest contributions that considered interactions between microscopic and macroscopic domains via diffusion were those of Ortoleva and co-workers (Dewers and Ortoleva 1990; Sonnenthal and Ortoleva 1994). The case of diffusive exchange between a macroscopic melt and microscopic discrete crystals was considered by Wang (1993). Wanner and Sonnenthal presented a three region model for kinetic Cr isotopic exchange (shown schematically in Fig. 12) that considered a mobile region within which advective flow occurs, an immobile region within which transport is only via diffusion, and a “mineral region” in which all of the reactions take place (Wanner and Sonnenthal 2013). The advantage of the MINC approach is that it is able to handle diffusive fluxes, JD, between the minerals and both the other domains within which transport occurs, thus allowing for an explicit treatment of diffusive limitations to the rate (Xu 2008). Providing a surface reaction-controlled rate at the mineral surface in combination with the MINC approach allows one to consider a mixed diffusion-surface reaction control on the rate, as in the discrete model presented by Noiriel et al. (2012). In a study by Aradóttir et al. (2013), the method of ‘multiple interacting continua’ (MINC) was applied to include microscopic rate-limiting processes operating at the grain scale within continuum (cm to m) scale reactive transport models of basaltic glass dissolution. In contrast with the nanometer-scale resolution model for glass dissolution discussed below, the approach taken by Aradóttir et al. (2013) allows for the use of a coarse numerical grid while capturing the interaction with the microscopic grains via the multi-continuum approach. The MINC method involves dividing the system up to ambient fluid and grains, using a specific surface area to describe the interface between the two (Fig. 13A). The various grains and regions within grains are then described by dividing them into continua separated by dividing surfaces. Millions of grains can thus be considered within the method without the need to explicitly discretize them individually. Four continua were used for describing a dissolving basaltic glass grain; the first one describes the ambient fluid around the grain, while the second, third and fourth continuum refer to a diffusive leached layer, the dissolving part of the grain and the inert part of the grain, respectively (Fig. 13B). In addition to their incorporation in MINC, micro-continuum models also have important application to the simulation of nanoscale reaction fronts, particularly where there has been interest in the long term performance of the engineered or natural materials (Grambow 2006; Gin et al. 2013b). Unlike the multi-continuum approach in which a relatively coarse numerical discretization is used (that approach relies on the multiple interacting continua to capture microscopic behavior), very high resolution gridding is used in this section to capture microscopic effects. There has been increasing interest in this topic in recent years as various characterization methods have dramatically improved the spatial resolution of reaction fronts that can be achieved. In particular, the higher resolution of the newer chemical profiling techniques, which include atom probe tomography (APT), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy filtered transmission microscopy (EFTEM), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), has called into question the long-standing model of glass and mineral dissolution in which diffusion and hydration lead to the selective release of cations from the surface-altered zone (Geisler et al. 2010; Hellmann et al. 2012, 2015; Gin et al. 2013a, 2015). The higher resolution techniques demonstrate convincingly that the broad sigmoidal profiles interpreted as inter-diffusion cation profiles are largely an effect of the low resolution techniques that average elemental concentrations across a broad region. The broad inter-diffusion profiles in glass and minerals that investigators thought they saw in the past had led to models for dissolution that involved selective leaching of elements from the glass or mineral structure. In contrast, Hellmann et al. (2015) report nm to sub-nm scale reaction front widths in altered borosilicate glass for all ions except for H+, the measurement of which they suspect to be subject to too much error for high resolution mapping. The sharp nm-scale fronts indicated by higher resolution profiling, along with isotopic studies targeting the gel layers formed from glass corrosion (Geisler et al. 2010), have led to reinterpretation of these as dissolution–precipitation rather than inter-diffusion fronts (Hellmann et al. 2012, 2015). It should be pointed out that some high resolution studies like that on the nuclear glass altered for 25 years (reported by Gin et al. 2013a, see Fig. 14A) still indicate ~20-nm fronts for H+ and Li+, suggesting that at longer time scales, it may still be possible for the inter-diffusion fronts to develop, even if they are much narrower than previously thought. It is noteworthy that even in the case of the 25-year glass investigated by Gin et al (2013a), however, the reaction front for boron and sodium are narrower than the fronts for Li+ and H+, arguing that a dissolution– precipitation mechanism controls the release of B and Si (Fig. 14B). A number of models for diffusion and reaction have been presented over the years, with noteworthy contributions by Thompson, Korzhinskii, and Weare (Korzhinskii 1959; Thompson 1959; Weare et al. 1976). A special class of analytical models have been developed for the case of inter-diffusion of cations applied primarily to the problem of nuclear glass corrosion (Doremus 1975; Hellmann 1997). Lichtner et al. (1986) presented perhaps the first numerical reaction–diffusion model that could accommodate kinetic models for mineral (or glass) reaction (Lichtner et al. 1986). The first comprehensive numerical study of a geological diffusion–kinetic reaction system may have been that presented by Steefel and Lichtner in 1994, a study that highlights some of the advantages of this approach over those relying on analytical solutions to the diffusion or diffusion-reaction system (Steefel and Lichtner 1994). The advantages of the numerical versus analytical models is their ability to couple multicomponent diffusion and kinetically controlled mineral reaction while considering aqueous and surface complexation. In addition, the grid-based numerical formulation allows one to consider changes in porosity, diffusivity, and permeability resulting from the chemical reactions. Crystallization of secondary phases may occur in the broader gel layer. The reactivity of the PRI is described by its thermodynamic state relative to the leaching solution. Flow and diffusion in the aqueous phase adjacent to the glass surface. The KμC model incorporates the possibility (unlike the requirement in the GRAAL model) of diffusion-limited glass corrosion by considering explicitly the kinetically-controlled densification of either (1) a residual silica-rich glass network in which other important components (e.g., the cations and network former boron) have been leached, or (2) of a newly precipitated silica-rich gel layer. Whether a passivating layer (i.e., defined as the Passivating Reactive Interface (PRI) by Frugier et al. 2008) forms in the model depends on the relative rates of (1) silica recrystallization and densification, (2) leaching of the glass constituents, and (3) dissolution and/or recrystallization of the corrosion products. As an application of the KμC model described above, the 25-year glass alteration experiment as described by Guittoneau and coworkers (Guittonneau et al. 2011; Gin et al. 2013a) is simulated. The principal objective of the modeling is to capture the width of the various reaction zones close to the pristine glass surface and their relative positions as recorded by Atom Probe Tomography (APT) rather than to match the long term corrosion rate. We assume a pure diffusion-controlled regime and a constant grid spacing of 1 nm. The assumption that a continuum model applies at this spatial scale is a severe approximation given that pore sizes are close to this value, but the approach allows us to compare results with elemental profiles and avoids the additional requirement of a full computationally expensive and chemically simplified atomistic treatment (Bourg and Steefel 2012). As a boundary condition at one end of the reactor-glass specimen system, we consider a Dirichlet or fixed concentration condition corresponding to the mineral water used to replenish periodically the experimental reactor (Guittonneau et al. 2011). The fixed concentration boundary condition in 1-D is probably a good approximation to a flow-through or continuously flushed system. At the other end of the 1-D system, we assume a no-flux condition, which is reasonable as long as the corrosion front does not fully penetrate the glass specimen. Within the first 50 nm of the reaction, the system is characterized by a porosity of 0.41 (as in the experimental system reported by Guittonneau et al. 2011) and a mixture of quartz sand and granite upon which the borosilicate glass coupon rests. A diffusivity of 10–12 m2 s−1 for all ions was assumed for the sand-granite mixture. The alloy specimens included in the experiments were not considered in the modeling. From 50 nm out to 200 nm, the system was assumed to consist of a borosilicate glass with a porosity of 1%. The diffusivity of the borosilicate glass was assumed to follow a threshold type of model (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2009), with a value of 5 × 10−24 m2 s−1 (in approximate agreement with the value proposed by Gin et al. 2013a) for values of the porosity below 50% and a value of 10–12 m2 s−1 for porosity values above 50%. Modeling carried out on weathered basalts (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2011) indicate that a simple porosity dependence (as in an unmodified Archie’s Law formulation) cannot replicate the observed concentration profiles, since the reaction front continuously widens due to the simulated porosity and diffusivity enhancement. Some form of a threshold model, based on the idea that dissolution and porosity enhancement increase the rate of diffusivity by increasing connectivity (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2009, 2011), appears to be required. where k is the rate constant and aH-hydrated is the concentration of hydrated sites in the glass, and Qam-silica and Kam-silica are the ion activity products and equilibrium constants with respect to amorphous silica. This formulation could be reconciled with a model in which the number of hydrated sites needs to reach some (high) threshold value before the dissolution of the glass accelerates appreciably. Here we present a semi-quantitative comparison of the simulation results from the KμC model with nanometer discretization to the data from the Gin et al. (2013) study. The focus is on the relative position of the fronts, and in general, the width of the fronts as they evolve over time rather than on the total extent of alteration or even the rate of alteration. Schematically, the geometry that we wish to capture in the modeling is given in Figure 14 above (Gin et al. 2013a). The model results for the 1-D run after three years are shown in Figure 16A. The simulations predict that the Li–H inter-diffusion front maintains a relatively constant width of about 20 nm over three years (time evolution not shown). The B release (dissolution) front is even sharper and is located further from the pristine glass interface than is the Li–H inter-diffusion front, a result that can be justified based on the assumption that the dissolution of the glass occurs rapidly when hydration of the glass is nearly complete. Thus, the key component of the model is the coupling of glass dissolution to the extent of hydration, which is driven by diffusion into the pristine glass (not the PRI discussed by Frugier et al. 2008). According to the simulations, the rate-limiting step for the overall glass alteration process is the diffusion into the pristine glass—once hydrated, the borosilicate glass dissolves quickly, as indicated by its sharp front. The simulations also predict an early time period when the steady-state 20-nm inter-diffusion zone is not fully developed (results not shown), which might help to reconcile the observations by Hellmann et al. (2015) of a nanometer to even sub-nanometer Li+ front in their shorter term experiments (recall that the Gin et al. 2013 study was based on experiments conducted over nearly 25 years, as described in Guittoneau et al. 2011). In addition, the simulations predict a linear rate of front propagation over time once the initial period (less than 1 year) is passed (Fig. 16B). This can be explained by a constant-width zone over which diffusion is limiting, in agreement with earlier results on weathering of basalt (Navarre-Sitchler et al. 2011). In the case of the nuclear glass altered for 25 years, the constant width is a result of the development of an approximately 20-nm-wide inter-diffusion zone at the edge of the pristine glass. Between this zone and the dissolving gel at the outer boundary, the increase in porosity is sufficient that diffusion is not limiting (even if the zone were to grow with time). If diffusion through a continuously growing silica-rich gel layer was limiting the rate, the dependence on time should be parabolic. A constant width PRI, as discussed by Frugier et al (2008), could also result in a linear front advance rate. While true pore-scale models are arguably the most rigorous way to treat geochemical processes operating at the pore-scale, micro-continuum modeling approaches offer some advantages in terms of their relative ease of use, ability to apply well-tested software (e.g., Steefel et al. 2015), and computational efficiency. This approach offers the additional advantage that micron to even nm-scale mineralogical, chemical, and physical heterogeneities can be incorporated into the simulations. The disadvantage of the approach is that one still faces many of the standard limitations of continuum representations of the pore scale, namely the need to average geochemical, mineralogical, and physical properties and the inability to explicitly resolve interfaces between solids, gases, and fluids. Many important parameters and processes still operate at the sub-grid scale (e.g., nanopore connectivity) and these must be accounted for in order to achieve a realistic simulation of pore-scale geochemical processes. The challenge of dealing with reactive surface area, for example, persists in any continuum treatment of the pore-scale, in contrast to the more rigorous geometric methods in true pore-scale models where the fluid–mineral interface is resolved explicitly (Molins 2015, this volume). Certainly the advent of new microscopic characterization techniques, including increasingly higher resolution X-ray microtomography, BSE-SEM, and FIB-SEM, are motivating the search for novel and complementary modeling methods. The longer time and space scales that achievable with the micro-continuum models is another reason why they will not soon be replaced by either molecular dynamics (MD) modeling approaches or even true pore-scale models. The true pore-scale and MD approaches have an important role to play here, however, since they can be used to provide upscaled parameters for the micro-continuum models. Eventually, one expects the development of a new class of hybrid models that link the molecular, true pore-, and micro-continuum scales within a single dynamic, multi-scale framework. Much remains to be done in the field of micro-continuum modeling of pore-scale geochemical processes. In fact, the field is still in its infancy. Since the mineralogical mapping is predominantly carried out in 1-D or 2-D, we require an improved treatment of how 3-D effects and parameters are incorporated. Tortuosity and permeability are two of the most obvious examples. We also need improved representations of the correlation between mineralogy and physical transport properties like diffusivity and permeability at the nanoand micro-scale. Consistent upscaling strategies are required so that it is possible to change model resolution without undue loss of process fidelity. Ultimately, it is clear that the micro-continuum approaches will need to incorporate a more formal multi-scale framework, particularly where there is interest in capturing nanoscale features like pore connectivity and reaction fronts within larger scale domains. This work was supported as part of the Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This work was also supported in part by the Director, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division, of the U.S. Department of Energy under the same contract to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. We are grateful to Qingyun Li, Jennifer Druhan, and Bhavna Arora for their careful reviews of the chapter. Bromide tracer (blue) diffusion profile after 7 days based on μXRF mapping at the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Diffusion is from left to right. See Navarre-Sitchler et al. (2009) for discussion of simulations. A) Segmented X-ray synchrotron microtomographic data collected at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with a voxel resolution of 4.4 μm. Macropores developed as a result of chemical weathering in the basalt and are connected primarily in the third dimension (into the page), with red indicating pores, blue indicating basalt. B) Tracer diffusion simulation results using the pore structure shown in Figure 3A. Results are shown after 7 days of diffusion of the tracer from bottom to top. Simulation assumed a Dirichlet boundary condition at the bottom with a fixed tracer concentration of 0.01. See Navarre-Sitchler et al. (2009) for description of experiments. A) Simulated 2-D slice of tracer concentration from a 3-D cube of chlorite and pores from the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation at the Cranfield CO2 sequestration site, which was characterized with FIB-SEM (Landrot et al. 2012). The code CrunchFlow (Steefel et al. 2015) is used to carry out a 3-D tracer diffusion simulation, with release of the tracer at the left boundary at a concentration of 0.01 M. B) Fit of 1-D diffusion profile assuming a single homogeneous diffusivity of 7 × 10−12 m2/s (line) versus concentration from 3-D simulation. A: Porosity distribution in 2-D section of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation sandstone (Cranfield CO2 sequestration site) volume averaged from 4 μm2 to 16 μm2. B: Volume fraction of quartz. C: Volume fraction of chlorite (chamosite). D: Volume fraction of illite. Spatial distribution of chlorite dissolution rates in units of mol L−1 fluid s−1 after 365 days of diffusion–reaction (no flow) simulation. Given these results, the low reactivity of the Tuscaloosa Sandstone samples investigated by Lu et al. (2012) is perhaps understandable. Schematic representation of multiple-interacting continua (MINC) representation of kinetic Cr isotopic fractionation (Wanner and Sonnenthal 2013). By treating the mineral where the reduction occurs as a discrete domain, mixed diffusion–surface reaction rates can be considered. JD1 and JD2 refer to the fluxes of Cr(VI) from the mobile and immobile continua to the mineral surfaces, respectively. A) Simulation results using the KμC model, with alteration proceeding from left to right. The original glass wafer edge is located at 50 nm. Note the position of the boron release front further from the pristine glass than the Li–H inter-diffusion front, in qualitative agreement with the observations shown in Figure 14. The simulations predict that the Li–H inter-diffusion front maintains a relatively constant width of about 20 nm over three years (time evolution not shown). B) Position of borosilicate glass corrosion front as a function of time. The linear advance rate is only compatible with a model in which diffusivity is enhanced within the altered zone, resulting in a nearly constant width reaction zone over time. Results of fitting of tracer distribution from 3-D simulations with a 1-D diffusion model. Example of volume averaging of porosity and mineral percentages from Lower Tuscaloosa Formation (Cranfield) sandstone. Volume averaging to 16 μm is based on an original image resolution of 4 μm (Landrot et al. 2012). Each pixel in the table corresponds to a 2-D section measuring 16 μm2. Bulk rates calculated in 2-D section of Lower Tuscaloosa Formation sandstone using porosity and mineral abundance distributions shown in Figure 9. Intrinsic rates per unit surface area mineral used are standard literature values. Bulk porosity = 0.13. (Fiziko–khimicheskie osnovy analiza paragenezisov mineralov). The effect of time on the weathering of silicate minerals: why do weathering rates differ in the laboratory and field?

2019-04-23T17:31:50Z

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/rimg/article-lookup/80/1/217

Deep inspirations (DI) have bronchodilatory and bronchoprotective effects in healthy human subjects, but these effects appear to be absent in asthmatic lungs. We have characterized the effects of DI on lung mechanics during mechanical ventilation in healthy mice and in a murine model of acute and chronic airway inflammation. Balb/c mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) and exposed to nebulized OVA for 1 week or 12 weeks. Control mice were challenged with PBS. Mice were randomly selected to receive DI, which were given twice during the minute before assessment of lung mechanics. DI protected against bronchoconstriction of central airways in healthy mice and in mice with acute airway inflammation, but not when OVA-induced chronic inflammation was present. DI reduced lung resistance induced by methacholine from 3.8 ± 0.3 to 2.8 ± 0.1 cmH2O·s·mL-1 in healthy mice and 5.1 ± 0.3 to 3.5 ± 0.3 cmH2O·s·mL-1 in acute airway inflammation (both P < 0.001). In healthy mice, DI reduced the maximum decrease in lung compliance from 15.9 ± 1.5% to 5.6 ± 0.6% (P < 0.0001). This protective effect was even more pronounced in mice with chronic inflammation where DI attenuated maximum decrease in compliance from 44.1 ± 6.6% to 14.3 ± 1.3% (P < 0.001). DI largely prevented increased peripheral tissue damping (G) and tissue elastance (H) in both healthy (G and H both P < 0.0001) and chronic allergen-treated animals (G and H both P < 0.0001). We have tested a mouse model of potential value for defining mechanisms and sites of action of DI in healthy and asthmatic human subjects. Our current results point to potent protective effects of DI on peripheral parts of chronically inflamed murine lungs and that the presence of DI may blunt airway hyperreactivity. Mice are increasingly being used to develop in vivo models for studying airway physiology and airway inflammation. Exposure to aerosolized antigen in animals mimics the chronic inflammatory characteristics of human asthma and prolonged exposure to allergen has been suggested to be of importance for the development of airway hyperreactivity and remodeling in asthma [1, 2]. Deep inspirations (DI) have been shown in human subjects to cause a decrease in airway resistance, to have bronchoprotective effects in healthy subjects, and to reverse bronchoconstriction [3–8]. The effectiveness of a deep inspiration is related to the number of DI before administration of a bronchoconstricting stimulus . There is convincing evidence that both bronchodilatory and bronchoprotective actions of DI are deficient or absent in the asthmatic lung and it has been proposed that a lack of bronchoprotective or bronchodilatory effects of DI may play a major role as an underlying abnormality leading to airway hyperreactivity in asthma [5, 7, 9–13]. In this study, we aimed at characterizing the effects of DI on lung mechanics during mechanical ventilation in healthy mice and in mice exposed to allergen to simulate asthma and we describe both a murine OVA model for acute inflammation and a model for chronic inflammation that may resemble chronic airway inflammation in humans. Our goals were to investigate if these mouse models could be used to identify the site of action of DI and whether it is a good model of response to DI in normal and asthmatic subjects. Female Balb/c mice (Charles River, Sulzfeld, Germany, and Taconic (M&B), Denmark) were used in this study. They were housed in plastic cages with absorbent bedding material and were maintained on a 12 h daylight cycle. Food and water were provided ad libitum. Their care and the experimental protocols were approved by the Regional Ethics Committee on Animal Experiments in Sweden (Stockholm N348/05 and Uppsala C86/5). Healthy mice were 12 weeks of age and weighed 20.5 ± 0.2 g and animals included in the acute airway inflammation study were 9 weeks of age and weighed 18.9 ± 0.2 g when airway physiology was assessed. Animals included in the chronic airway inflammation study were 8 weeks old when the inflammatory protocol started and 22 weeks old and weighed 22.0 ± 0.2 g when airway physiology was assessed. The mice were anesthetized with an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of pentobarbital sodium (90 mg·kg-1, from local suppliers). They were tracheostomized with an 18-gauge cannula and mechanically ventilated in a quasi-sinusoidal fashion with a small animal ventilator (FlexiVent®, Scireq, Montreal, PQ, Canada) at a frequency of 2.5 Hz and a tidal volume (VT) of 12 mL·kg-1 body weight. Once ventilation was established bilateral holes were cut in the chest wall so that pleural pressure would equal body surface pressure and so that the rib cage would not interfere with lung movement. This enabled strict lung mechanics measurements. Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 3 cmH2O was applied by submerging the expiratory line in water. Four sigh maneuvers at three times the tidal volume were performed when beginning the experiment to establish stable baseline lung mechanics and ensure a similar volume history before the experiments. The lateral tail vein was cannulated for intravenous (i.v.) injections. The mice were then allowed a five min resting period before the experiment began. Dynamic lung mechanics were measured by applying a sinusoidal standardized breath and analyzed using the single compartment model and multiple linear regression, giving us lung resistance (RL) and compliance (CL) . More thorough evaluations of lung mechanics were made using Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT). During the forced oscillatory maneuver the ventilator piston delivers 19 superimposed sinusoidal frequencies, ranging from 0.25 to 19.625 Hz, during 4 s (prime 4), at the mouse's airway opening. Harmonic distortion in the system is avoided by using mutually prime frequencies . Knowing the dynamic calibration signal characteristics, the Fourier transformations of the recordings of pressure and volume displacement within the ventilator cylinder can be used (Pcyl and Vcyl) to calculate the respiratory system input impedance (Zrs) . Fitting the Zrs to an advanced model of respiratory mechanics, the constant phase model , allows partitioning of lung mechanics into central and peripheral components. The primary parameters obtained are the Newtonian resistance (RN), a close approximation of resistance in the central airways; tissue damping (G), closely related to tissue resistance and reflecting energy dissipation in the lung tissues; and tissue elastance (H), characterizing tissue stiffness and reflecting energy storage in the tissues [14, 17–19]. Common for all mice studied, lung mechanics measurements were assessed every fifth min during a 30 min protocol (Figure 1A). Mice were randomly selected to receive DI, that was given twice during the minute before assessment of lung mechanics, DI is defined as incremental increase and decrease of three times VT during a period of 16 s. Mice not receiving DI, were given normal ventilation for 16 s. Schematic presentation of study design and graph describing tracings and measurements of lung compliance. (A) Experimental protocol. R&Cscan is a program for measuring lung resistance and compliance with the single compartment model. A perturbation of forced oscillation was performed for 4 s (Prime 4, Zrs measurements) and was used in the acute 17-day (OVA'17 and PBS'17 animals) and chronic 98-day protocol (OVA'98 and PBS'98 animals). During A → F, methacholine (MCh) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was administrated or nothing was given. MCh or PBS was administrated 20 s after last DI. (B) Tracings of lung compliance (CL) obtained by R&Cscan indicating measurement points for CL (A → F) and ΔCL with and without deep inspirations (DI). 1) the TIME group: To investigate the effect of time, lung mechanics were assessed at five min intervals in mice randomly selected to receive DI (TIME+DI, n = 6) or no DI (TIME, n = 6). 2) the PBS group: This group received i.v. injections of 2000 μL·kg-1 phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) containing 10 U·ml-1 of heparin. Mice either received DI before each injection and measurement of lung mechanics (PBS+DI, n = 6), or received no DI (PBS, n = 6). PBS was given six times, at five min intervals, lung mechanics were measured immediately before and after the injections at the same time points used for the TIME group. 3) the MCH group: To assess airway responsiveness this group was given incremental doses of MCh (MCh, acetyl-β-methylcholine chloride, Sigma-Aldrich) i.v. (0 = PBS, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 3 mg·kg-1) at five min intervals. MCh was diluted in PBS with 10 U·ml-1 of heparin, and a volume of 2000 μL·kg-1 was given at each injection. Lung mechanics were measured immediately before and after the injections at the same time points used for the TIME and PBS groups. Control mice received no DI before the MCh doses (MCH, n = 8), while another group of mice received DI before the injection of MCh (MCH+DI, n = 6). RL and CL were measured immediately after each DI or normal ventilation. To further evaluate the ability of DI to reverse a fall in CL, we calculated the total fall from baseline to the last measurement of CL, denoted ΔCL (Figure 1B). Acute airway inflammation was induced by intraperitoneal injections of 10 μg ovalbumin (OVA, Sigma-Aldrich) emulsified in Al(OH)3 (Sigma-Aldrich) on day 0 and day 7. Mice were then challenged with 1% OVA diluted in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, Sigma-Aldrich). Animals were exposed to aerosolized OVA for 30 min, on day 14, 15 and 16. Aerosol exposure was performed in a chamber coupled to a nebulizer (DeVilbiss UltraNeb®, Sunrise Medical Ltd, U.K.). The chamber was divided into pie-shaped compartments with individual boxes for each animal, providing equal and simultaneous exposure to allergen. The experiment ended with assessment of lung mechanics on day 17, 24 h after last allergen exposure. Control mice were sensitized with OVA i.p. and challenged with aerosolized PBS using the same protocol as for OVA described above. PBS-challenged mice that were given DI (PBS'17+DI, n = 8) before injection of incremental doses of MCh i.v. (from 0 to 3 mg·kg-1). Another group of PBS-challenged mice that did not receive any DI (PBS'17, n = 7). OVA-challenged mice that were given DI (OVA'17+DI, n = 8) before injection of incremental doses of MCh i.v. (from 0 to 3 mg·kg-1). Another group of OVA-challenged mice that did not receive any DI (OVA'17, n = 10). Chronic airway inflammation was induced using the same protocol as for acute OVA described above. However, animals were exposed to aerosolized OVA for 30 min, three days a week between day 14 and 93. Five days after last allergen exposure, the experiment ended with assessment of lung mechanics on day 98. Control mice were sensitized using the same protocol as for acute OVA described above and challenged with aerosolized PBS. PBS-challenged mice that were given DI (PBS'98+DI, n = 5) before injection of incremental doses of MCh i.v. (from 0 to 3 mg·kg-1). Another group of PBS-challenged mice that did not receive any DI (PBS'98, n = 6). OVA-challenged mice that were given DI (OVA'98+DI, n = 5) before injection of incremental doses of MCh i.v. (from 0 to 3 mg·kg-1). Another group of OVA-challenged mice that did not receive any DI (OVA'98, n = 6). After completion of the lung mechanics experiment, mice subjected to the 17-day and the 98-day protocol respectively were exsanguinated and subjected to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). The lungs were lavaged three times via the tracheal tube with a total volume of 1 mL PBS containing 0.6 mM EDTA (EDTA, Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, Sigma-Aldrich). The BAL fluid was then immediately centrifuged (10 min, 4°C, 1200 rpm). After removing the supernatant, the cell pellet was resuspended in 100 μL of red cell lysis buffer containing 0.15 M NH4Cl, 1.0 mM KHCO3, and 0.1 mM EDTA for 2 min at room temperature. The suspension was then diluted with 1 mL PBS and recentrifuged (10 min, 4°C, 1200 rpm). Leukocytes were counted manually in a hemacytometer so that 50,000 cells could be loaded and centrifuged using a cytospin centrifuge. Cytocentrifuged preparations were stained with May-Grünwald-Giemsa and differential cell counts of pulmonary inflammatory cells (macrophages, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils) were determined using standard morphological criteria and counting 3 × 100 cells per cytospin preparation. The total number of each cell type was then calculated and expressed as number of cells per mL of BAL fluid. Following BAL, the lungs were inflated with 4% paraformaldehyde solution to a pressure of 20 cmH2O without removing the lungs from the chest. After 1 h the trachea was tied off, the lungs were stored at 4°C overnight in 4% paraformaldehyde, then washed several times in ethanol and stored in 70% ethanol at 4°C until time for embedding. After embedding in paraffin, the tissue was cut into 5 μm sections and mounted on positively charged slides. To assess inflammatory cell infiltration the sections were deparaffinized, dehydrated, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). H&E stained sections were examined by bright field microscopy (Nikon Eclipse TS100, Nikon Instruments Inc., Melville, N.Y, USA) and images were captured with a Nikon DS digital camera system (Tekno Optik AB, Stockholm, Sweden). Results are presented as mean ± standard error of mean (SEM). Statistical significance was assessed by parametric methods using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze differences between groups, followed by Bonferroni post hoc test. When appropriate, one-way ANOVA or Student's unpaired t-test was used. A statistical result with P < 0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analysis and preparations of graphs were performed with GraphPad Prism (version 4.0 GraphPad software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). MCh increased RL, from baseline 0.33 ± 0.01 to 3.8 ± 0.3 cmH2O·s·mL-1 (P < 0.001) at the highest dose of MCh (Figure 2A). DI significantly reduced the maximum RL from 3.8 ± 0.3 to 2.8 ± 0.1 cmH2O·s·mL-1 (P < 0.001, Figure 2A). RL did not change from baseline in TIME or PBS groups, (no MCh provocation), with or without DI (P > 0.05). Effects of deep inspirations (DI) in healthy mice; (A) lung resistance (RL) in mice given incremental doses of methacholine (MCH group), and (B) the effect of DI on lung compliance (CL) presented as ΔCL. Values are mean ± SEM, * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001. CL was measured immediately before injections of PBS or MCh. In the TIME group, receiving no i.v. injections and no DI, CL decreased by 9.3 ± 0.8% from baseline to the last measurement point (ΔCL, Figure 2B). A similar decline was seen in the PBS group, receiving PBS injections without DI, where CL decreased by 6.9 ± 1.6% (P > 0.05, Figure 2B). In the MCH group, receiving incremental doses of MCh without DI, CL decreased by 15.9 ± 1.5%, the decline being significantly larger than in the TIME and PBS groups (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively, Figure 2B). DI significantly protected against the reduction in CL in the MCH+DI group, where the decline in CL was attenuated to 5.6 ± 0.6% (P < 0.0001, Figure 2B). Although displaying a tendency to protection, DI had no significant attenuating effect on the decrease in CL in either the TIME+DI (4.0 ± 1.9%, P > 0.05) or the PBS+DI group (3.8 ± 1.1%, P > 0.05, Figure 2B). Mice undergoing the 17-day or 98-day ovalbumin challenge protocol, the OVA'17 and OVA'98 group respectively, had clear signs of airway inflammation compared to control animals. OVA'17 group had approximately a 6-fold increase in total BAL cell count and OVA'98 had a 5-fold increase compared to control groups (both P < 0.001). Animals in the OVA'17 had a significant higher BAL cell count than OVA'98 (P < 0.03). Differential BAL cell count confirmed an inflammatory profile with markedly increased counts of macrophages, eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in both acute and chronic challenged OVA groups. The OVA'17 animals had a higher number of eosinophils than OVA'98 animals (Table 1). Differential cell counts in bronchial alveolar lavage from animals having undergone an ovalbumin challenge protocol (OVA'17 and OVA'98) or a control protocol with phosphate buffered saline (PBS'17 and PBS'98). Values are mean ± SEM. ¤ P < 0.05 vs. PBS'17, * P < 0.05 vs. PBS'98. OVA'98 group had also clear signs of remodeling, light microscopic examination of hematoxylin and eosin sections from OVA'98 and PBS'98 animals revealed an eosinophilic inflammation in the OVA-treated animals with a patchy distribution of eosinophils surrounding the airways and within the alveolar spaces. OVA'98 animals also revealed a significantly increased perivascular inflammation (Figure 3). Representative histological sections (hematoxylin and eosin stained) from healthy control animals in the PBS'98 group (picture A and B) and from animals having undergone a 98-day ovalbumin challenge protocol, the OVA'98 group (picture C and D). Examination of sections from OVA'98 animals revealed a significant inflammation surrounding the airways and within the alveolar spaces. PBS'98 did not show any signs of inflammation. In PBS'17 mice, MCh induced bronchoconstriction with a maximum RL of 3.6 ± 0.2 cmH2O·s·mL-1. After DI, RL was significantly lower, 2.5 ± 0.2 cmH2O·s·mL-1 (P < 0.0001, Figure 4A). In OVA'17 mice, MCh induced bronchoconstriction with a maximum RL of 5.1 ± 0.3 cmH2O·s·mL-1. After DI, RL was significantly lower, 3.5 ± 0.3 cmH2O·s·mL-1 (P < 0.0001, Figure 4B). In the OVA'17 group, MCh induced higher bronchoconstriction than the PBS'17 group, (P < 0.0001). The effect of deep inspirations (DI) on lung resistance (RL) in healthy mice (PBS'17) and in animals with acute airway inflammation (OVA'17 group). Values are mean ± SEM, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001. In the PBS'17 group, CL decreased by 12.5 ± 3.2% from baseline to the last dose of MCh (Figure 5). Animals treated with DI, the PBS'17+DI group, had a significantly smaller decrease in CL (2.5 ± 1.6%, P < 0.05). In the OVA'17 group without DI, the decrease in CL was larger than in the PBS-treated animals (15.9 ± 2.3%, NS, Figure 5). In OVA-treated animals receiving DI, the OVA'17+DI group, the decrease in CL was largely prevented (2.7 ± 3.4%, P < 0.001, Figure 5). The effect of deep inspirations (DI) on lung compliance (CL) presented as ΔCL. DI attenuated the fall in ΔCL in both healthy mice (PBS'17) and in mice with acute airway inflammation (OVA'98). Mice with chronic airway inflammation, the OVA'98 group, had significantly larger fall in ΔCL than healthy control animals, the PBS'98 group. DI attenuated the fall in ΔCL in both groups, OVA'98 and PBS'98. Values are mean ± SEM, * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001. During bronchial reactivity assessment the 4 s perturbation of forced oscillation (Prime 4) before each dose of PBS and MCh revealed significant differences in Newtonian resistance (RN) between OVA'17 and PBS'17 groups (23.3 ± 3.6% and 8.6 ± 4.5% respectively, P < 0.01). Treating animals with DI significantly lowered RN at each dose of PBS and MCh in OVA'17 group (OVA'17+DI, 10.5 ± 2.8%, P < 0.01). DI did not have any effect in the PBS'17 group (PBS'17+DI, 8.2 ± 3.9%, P > 0.05). In PBS'98 mice, MCh induced bronchoconstriction with a maximum RL of 3.8 ± 0.2 cmH2O·s·mL-1. After DI, RL was significantly lower, 2.4 ± 0.2 cmH2O·s·mL-1 (P < 0.001, Figure 6A). This protective effect of DI against bronchoconstriction was totally abolished in OVA treated mice (OVA'98, 3.7 ± 1.1 cmH2O·s·mL-1 and OVA'98+DI, 4.3 ± 0.4 cmH2O·s·mL-1 respectively, P > 0.05, Figure 6B). The effect of deep inspirations (DI) on lung resistance (RL) in healthy mice (PBS'98) and in mice with chronic airway inflammation (OVA'98 group). Values are mean ± SEM, *** P < 0.001. In the PBS'98 group, CL decreased by 18.1 ± 1.2% from baseline to the last dose of MCh (Figure 5). Animals treated with DI, the PBS'98+DI group, had a significantly smaller decrease in CL (9.7 ± 1.0%, P < 0.001). In the OVA'98 group without DI, the decrease in CL was more than double that in PBS-treated animals (44.1 ± 6.6%, P < 0.001, Figure 5). In OVA-treated animals receiving DI, the OVA'98+DI group, the decrease in CL was largely prevented (14.3 ± 1.3%, P < 0.001). During bronchial reactivity assessment the 4 s perturbation of forced oscillation (Prime 4) before each dose of PBS and MCh revealed no significant differences in RN between OVA'98 and PBS'98 groups. Treating animals with DI significantly lowered RN at each dose of PBS and MCh in both groups (P < 0.0001, Figure 7). In the PBS'98 group, tissue elastance (H) increased by 16.7 ± 2.3% from baseline to the last dose of MCh (Figure 8). Animals treated with DI, PBS'98+DI group, had a significantly smaller increase in H (3.5 ± 2.0%, P < 0.0001). In the OVA'98 group without DI, H was three times higher than in the PBS'98 group (51.1 ± 7.5%, P < 0.0001). In the OVA'98+DI group, DI largely prevented the increase in H (14.7 ± 1.1%, P < 0.0001). Measurements of Newtonian resistance (RN) were performed with forced oscillation technique (Prime 4 perturbation, Zrs measurements) before each injection of phosphate buffered saline or methacholine. P values for each significant RN value for each group; * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001 vs. same group without DI. Values are mean ± SEM. Measurements of tissue elastance (H) were performed with forced oscillation technique (Prime 4 perturbation, Zrs measurements) before each injection of phosphate buffered saline or methacholine. Values are mean ± SEM, * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001 vs. all other groups. In the OVA'98 group without DI, the increase in tissue damping (G) (Figure 9) from baseline was four times greater than in the PBS'98 group (108.1 ± 20% and 25.9 ± 4.97%, respectively, P < 0.0001). In the OVA'98+DI group, DI largely prevented the increase in tissue damping (25.0 ± 1.2%, P < 0.0001), while there were no differences in tissue damping between the PBS'98 and PBS'98+DI groups. Measurements of tissue damping (G) were performed with forced oscillation technique (Prime 4 perturbation, Zrs measurements) before each injection of phosphate buffered saline or methacholine. Values are mean ± SEM, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001 vs. all other groups. We have investigated the effects of deep inspirations (DI) in healthy mice, in mice with acute airway inflammation and in mice with chronic airway inflammation and remodeling. Our major findings are that: 1) DI had a marked effect on lung resistance after MCh-challenge in healthy mice and in acute allergen-challenged mice, but not in mice with chronic inflammation; 2) DI protects against the decrease in lung compliance that occurs both spontaneously over time and after intravenous injections of PBS or MCh; 3) DI has a major impact on peripheral airway and tissue physiology, protecting against MCh-induced increases in tissue elastance (H) in both animals with acute and chronic inflammation and also in healthy mice undergoing the 98-day protocol; 4) DI totally abolishes MCh-induced increases in tissue damping (G) seen in mice with acute and chronic inflammation. This mouse model has potential value for defining mechanisms and sites of action of DI and our goals were to investigate if this mouse model could be used to identify the site of action of DI. We have implemented both the constant phase model (the low-frequency oscillation technique) and the single compartment model to characterize the effect of a DI. The constant phase model has the capacity to partition the respiratory properties into central and peripheral airways and also pure tissue properties [15, 17, 19]. In this study animals were of varying age depending on the duration of the different protocols. This could have possible effects on mouse lung mechanics [20–23], we solved this by having matched controls. The airway protective effects of DI are similar to what has also been seen in other animal studies [24–27] and in humans [5–7, 28]. The mechanisms underlying this bronchoprotective effect are not clear, but several hypotheses have been put forward as to how DI confers bronchoprotection , in which the main mechanisms have been suggested to be neural, nitric oxide (NO)-mediated, or mechanical. Scichilone et al. suggested that DI could reduce bronchoconstriction through inhibition of cholinergic tone or activation of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) system, and it has been suggested that airway stretch could cause release of substances such as NO or cyclooxygenase products . Mechanical explanations involve different theories, the simplest one being that stretching airway smooth muscle disrupts cross bridges, thereby reducing force generation. Fredberg et al. [31, 32] suggested that asthmatic smooth muscle becomes "frozen" due to excessive latch bridge formation and that DI may detach these latch bridges, which provides an opportunity for normal cross-bridges. On the other hand, Gunst and co-workers [33, 34] contend that cross-bridge properties cannot account for this, and that it is rather due to the plastic organization of contractile filaments in smooth muscle, allowing for adaptation to stretch . This idea is in line with Wang and Paré who proposed that DI initiate an adaptive process involving dissembly of contractile filaments, thereby allowing for reorganization of the contractile apparatus and better adaptation to the new smooth muscle cell length. In spite of recent investigations and new theories on the behavior of smooth muscle cells in response to stretch and mechanical forces [35–37], the cellular and subcellular mechanisms behind DI and bronchial responsiveness remain undefined. The current study provides a model for further investigation of the mechanisms. Using short acute OVA challenge protocols , mice develop inflammation almost completely localized to the proximal airways, while chronic exposure to OVA leads to inflammation throughout the lung [39, 40]. In the current study, mice were subjected to a 1-week or a 12-week OVA inflammation protocol and we found clear signs of inflammation and after the 12-week protocol there was also airway remodeling. Our results indicate that our 98-day long chronic inflammation model resembles human asthma more than an acute model does because of more peripheral inflammation in the lung after chronic challenge. When Wegmann ran a similar protocol, chronic inflammation and remodeling were seen to involve peripheral airways, compared with acute inflammation that mainly involved proximal airways. Xisto et al found inflammatory cell infiltration and remodeling of the central as well as the peripheral airways and lung parenchyma after a chronic inflammation protocol. Contrary to what Wegmann and Xisto reported, we could not detect any increased responsiveness to MCh in the chronically inflamed animals not receiving DI as compared with healthy mice and mice with acute airway inflammation. Possible explanations for this may be due to the use of a shorter OVA protocol or to differences between assessing airway function with body-plethysmography and our measurements of lung resistance. While cautiously interpreting responses based on the body plethysmography technique and refraining from directly comparing enhanced pause system and lung resistance [18, 42], there is in a study by McMillan et al a trend toward less reactivity after a long term chronic OVA-protocol that resembles our findings. Another explanation to our findings in the chronic inflammation could be that these animals induced a tolerance against OVA and this could lead to a decreased responsiveness to MCh. Our results are also in line with human studies, where airway response to MCh is similar in healthy and asthmatic subjects when no DI is allowed , a phenomenon directly linked to narrowing of the conducting airways . This has led us to believe that our mouse model of chronic airway inflammation closely resembles human asthma with respect to several points. Our present results show that DI protects from MCh-induced increase in lung resistance in healthy mice and in acute airway inflammation, but not in mice with chronic inflammation. The lack of protective effect against increased lung resistance in chronically inflamed mice is in line with human studies where DI gives asthmatic patients no protection against MCh-induced bronchoconstriction [5, 6]. Most investigations of murine models of airway inflammation have focused on bronchial responsiveness and remodeling of more central airways. Recent reports show that the peripheral airways and parenchyma play a more important role in pathophysiology than expected. Lundblad et al and Wagers et al have recently shown that increased airway reactivity in OVA inflamed mice is entirely due to exaggerated closure of peripheral airways and that excessive narrowing is due to purely geometric reasons. Inflammation of distal airways and lung parenchyma directly affects lung physiology by increasing tissue elastance and resistance, as well as by elevating pulmonary static and dynamic elastance . In our current study, acute inflammation increased lung resistance and reduced lung compliance. There was no effect on tissue damping but an effect on tissue elastance. When applying DI before MCh-challenges, we saw a strong protective effect on lung resistance and lung compliance. DI had a significant protective effect on tissue elastance, while tissue damping was already low and was not altered by DI. However, chronic inflammation reduced lung compliance, while increasing tissue elastance and tissue damping. When applying DI before MCh-challenges, we saw stronger protective effects on these peripheral parameters in animals with chronic inflammation than in the acute inflammation. In healthy animals, DI had a significant protective effect on lung compliance and tissue elastance, while tissue damping was already low and was not altered by DI. This indicates that DI has a stronger effect on peripheral tissue in the chronic airway inflammation and that the protective effect of DI on lung resistance is greater in acute airway inflammation. Our results in the chronic airway inflammation are in line with those of Schweitzer et al , who showed that DI in Brown Norway rats, protected against MCh-induced increases in respiratory system elastance, but not resistance. Similar results were previously found by Hirai and Bates , who showed that DI, in healthy Sprague-Dawley rats, was neither bronchodilatory nor bronchoprotective, but indeed had a significant effect on both tissue damping and tissue elastance. In summary, we have found that presence of DI may blunt bronchoconstriction of central airways in healthy mice and in acute airway inflammation, but not when chronic inflammation is present. We have presented a murine OVA model that in many ways resembles human chronic airway inflammation. Many human studies suggest that DI is not bronchoprotective in asthmatic subjects, which is in line with our current findings in the chronic inflammation model. However, our present results point to very potent protective effects in the peripheral parts of the chronically inflamed murine lung and it is conceivable that this could also play a major role on overall lung health in asthma patients. This model of chronic airway inflammation should pave the way for investigations of mechanisms that may help identify new targets for therapies in chronic airway inflammation and asthma. This work was supported by the Swedish Heart-Lung Association and the Swedish Medical Research Council. SJ carried out the animal experiments and drafted the manuscript. LS carried out the histological evaluation and the cellular data. ML carried out animal experiments. JH, SED and GH participated in the study design, coordination and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

2019-04-26T04:52:58Z

https://respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1465-9921-9-23

Archive from category "Bank Home Loans" 202) 678-2650 business website wellsfargo. Albertsons, 23072 Alicia Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA (2019) – Visit your neighborhood Albertsons located at 23072 Alicia Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA, for a convenient and friendly grocery experience! From our bakery and deli, to fresh produce and helpful pharmacy staff, we’ve got you covered! Our bakery features customizable cakes, cupcakes and more while the deli offers a variety of party trays, made to order. Onewest Bank, National Association | Mission Viejo | CA. – Onewest Bank, National Association Branches in Mission Viejo,CA have been listed below. Select Branch Name from below list to get further details like Map and Driving direction details from the state CA. Bank of America 319 Post Rd E Westport, CT 6880 Bank Of America in Westport, CT – The Real Yellow Pages – Find 312 listings related to Bank Of America in Westport (06880) on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Bank Of America locations in 06880. Albertsons at 23072 Alicia Pkwy Mission Viejo, CA| Weekly Ad. – Visit your local Albertsons at 23072 Alicia Pkwy in Mission Viejo, CA for weekly. Bank – CIT Bank; Business delivery; coinstar; debi lilly design Destination. WELLS FARGO BANK 1545 Alabama Ave SE Washington, DC 20032 Wells Fargo Bank – Banks & Credit Unions – 1545 Alabama Ave. – 1545 Alabama Ave SE Washington, DC 20032 at S 15th Pl Get directions. transit information green congress Heights Metro More info. Phone number (202) 678-2650 business website wellsfargo.com; Send to your Phone. Photo of Wells Fargo Bank – Washington, DC, United States. One West bank 28311 marguerite Pkwy Mission Viejo, CA Unknown. – Get directions, reviews and information for One West Bank in Mission Viejo, CA. One West Bank 28311 Marguerite Pkwy Mission Viejo CA 92692. Reviews (949) 347-3100. Menu & Reservations Make Reservations . Order Online Tickets. CIT Bank Branch Locator – CIT Bank operates with 66 branches located in California. Get addresses, maps. Locations:66 Branches in California. 23072 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo 92692. Mar 19, 2009Institution established: Original name: OneWest Bank, Fsb. OneWest Bank – Mission Viejo, CA (2 Branch Locations) – Branchspot – 2 OneWest Bank Branch locations in Mission Viejo, CA.. 23072 Alicia Parkway · Mission Viejo, CA 92692. Mission Viejo – 28311 Marguerite Pkwy, Suite B. Albertsons at 23072 Alicia Pkwy Mission Viejo, CA| Weekly Ad. – Visit your local Albertsons at 23072 Alicia Pkwy in Mission Viejo, CA for weekly deals on Pharmacy, Fresh Produce, Fresh Meat, Fresh Seafood, Bakery, Service Deli, Beer/Wine, Liquor, Floral, and Pharmacy. Call (949) 583-7337 today. OneWest Bank – Mission Viejo, CA (2 Branch Locations) – 2 OneWest Bank Branch locations in Mission Viejo, CA. Find a Location near you. View hours, phone numbers, reviews, routing numbers, and other info. OneWest Bank 23072 Alicia Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 – YP.com – Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for OneWest Bank at 23072 Alicia Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA. Search for other Banks in Mission Viejo on. OneWest Bank NA in Mission Viejo. – banks-america.com – OneWest Bank NA in Mission Viejo, California branches, routing number, swift codes, location, address and contact details. 28311 Marguerite Pkwy, Suite B Mission Viejo, CA, 92692 full branch info. OneWest Bank NA – Mission Viejo Branch Full Service, retail office 23072 Alicia Parkway. Wells Fargo Bank – Banks & Credit Unions – 380 Lyons Ave. – Photo of Wells Fargo Bank – Newark, NJ, United States. Add Photos Ask the Community. Yelp users haven’t asked any questions yet about Wells Fargo Bank. Ask a Question. Recommended Reviews for Wells Fargo Bank. Your trust. Wells Fargo Bank at 380 LYONS AVE in Newark NJ 07112 – Get phone number, store/atm hours, services and driving directions for SOUTH NEWARK. Wilson, Karen – State Farm Insurance 225 Tolle Ln Godfrey, IL 62035 Wells Fargo Bank 2300 Cedarfield Pky Henrico, VA 23233 Karen Wilson – State Farm Insurance Agent, Godfrey, IL 62035. – Find Karen Wilson – State Farm Insurance Agent in Godfrey, IL 62035 on Yellowbook. Get contact details or leave a review about this business.. Karen Wilson – State Farm insurance agent. 225 tolle ln. godfrey, IL 62035. local: (618) 208-4350. social. share on Facebook. Banks around Irvington – Wells Fargo Bank 380 Lyons Ave, Newark, NJ 07112 Tri City Peoples 675 S 19th St, Newark, NJ 07103 Bank Of America Atm 591 N Union Ave, Hillside, NJ 07205 Gibraltar Savings Bank- 1 Main Office 1039 S Orange Ave Chase. Wells Fargo Newark, 380 Lyons Ave NJ 7112 – Wells Fargo Newark, 380 Lyons Ave NJ 7112 store hours, reviews, photos, phone number and map with driving directions. Eric Takach – Ameriprise Financial Services, Incorporated 13 Bridle Path Plainville, MA 2762 Whitney Bank – Airport 900 Airline Dr Kenner, LA 70062 Arvest Bank 811 W Ruth Ave Sallisaw, OK 74955 Arvest Bank Locations and Hours in Sallisaw OK – Branch addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation for Arvest Bank in Sallisaw OK. Arvest Bank Sallisaw OK 811 West Ruth Avenue 74955 918-776-6100. arvest bank fort smith AR 816 garrison avenue 72901 22.18mi from Sallisaw 479-573-1100.Eric Takach – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. – 13 Bridle. – Write the first review of Eric Takach – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. located at 13 Bridle Path, Plainville, MA. The advisor listed is an Ameriprise financial advisor in Plainville. Comments are not veri. ABA Routing Number: 114900685 – Wells Fargo Page 188 – WELLS FARGO OFFICE & branch locations aba/routing number: 114900685 Bank Name: WELLS FARGO Bank Location: 255 SECOND AVE MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55479-0000 Phone Number: (800) 745-2426 Click on a. Heritage State Bank 724 E Us-54 El Dorado Springs, MO 64744 William G Sackett – Ameriprise Financial Services 2575 W Breese Rd Lima, OH 45806 Wells Fargo Advisors 485 Metro Pl S, #300 Dublin, OH 43017 Financial Counselors Lima,OH – dexknows.com – Local Financial Counselors in Lima,OH with maps, local business reviews, directions and more. in.. William G Sackett-Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Be the First to Review!. 1662 W Breese Rd, Lima, OH 45806 | Map. 6.El Dorado Springs, MO Banks – usbanklocations.com – Complete list of 29 bank branches in or near El Dorado Springs, MO with financial information, routing numbers, reviews and other informations.. El Dorado Springs, MO 64744. Write a Review. Community National Bank & Trust, E Hiway 54 Branch. Community National Bank & Trust, Heritage State. Wells Fargo Bank in Newark, NJ 07112 – Hours Guide – Wells Fargo Bank at 380 Lyons Ave, Newark, NJ 07112: store location, business hours, driving direction, map, phone number and other services. Wells Fargo Bank – Newark, NJ (9 Branch Locations) – 9 Wells Fargo Bank Branch locations in Newark, NJ. Find a Location near you. View hours, phone numbers, reviews, routing numbers, and other info. Wells Fargo Bank NA in Newark, New Jersey Routing Number. – Wells Fargo Bank NA in Newark, New Jersey branches, routing number, swift codes, location, address and contact details. Wells Fargo Bank NA – Newark Bloomfield Ave Branch Full Service, brick and mortar office. 380 Lyons Avenue Newark, NJ, 07112 Full Branch Info | Routing Number. Hudson City Savings Bank in Jersey City, NJ – YP.com – Find 154 listings related to Hudson City Savings Bank in Jersey City on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Hudson City Savings Bank locations in Jersey City, NJ. bniborders.com | SalesSalvage.com – Win The Latest iPhone – bniborders.com: Please tell us about the issues that hinder your buying experience with us and you can win the latest iPhone. Please fill in and submit the form below and you will also receive a great offer from us. Chase Bank ATM 302 W 1st St Santa Ana, CA 92701 US Bank 5310 State Highway 29 S Alexandria, MN 56308 Alexandria, MN Banks – usbanklocations.com – Complete list of 20 bank branches in or near Alexandria, MN with financial information, routing numbers, reviews and other informations.. 2210 Highway 29 South Alexandria, MN 56308. Write a Review. Glenwood state bank. glenwood state Bank (Incorporated), 2 Wells Fargo Bank, 1Atms Santa Ana,CA – dexknows.com – Welcome to Bank of America ATM in Santa Ana, CA, home for a variety of your personal financial needs. Get easy access to your personal accounts wit. Read More 3. Us Bank Atm. Ohio Cooperative Living – November 2018 -. – Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get. Certificates of Deposit (CDs) Accounts – Banking | M&T Bank – Yes. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. You can withdraw deposited funds from the CD without a penalty at maturity. For automatically renewed accounts, you may withdraw funds during the 10 calendar day grace period after the maturity date, provided that you haven’t already added or withdrawn funds during an earlier transaction within the grace period. U.S. Bank Chino CA – U.S. Bank Chino CA list of all branch loactions. Branches are listed in both state and zip code order with a full description of services offered along with driving directions from our map. Chino, California Location 12801 Central Ave Chino, California, 91710 Office Type: 11. U.S. Bank Chino CA: 12801 Central Ave – Hours & Locations – U.S. Bank, 12801 Central Ave, Chino, California locations and hours of operation. U.S. Bank, 12801 Central Ave, Chino, California, 91710. Store Hours of Operation, Location US Bank currently acts as the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States, with over $353 billion in assets. Western Union Locations US BANK #4999, 12801 Central Ave Chino. – Recommend us! western union provide an excellent choice for consumers looking to send money fast to friends and family abroad. Western Union. Address. 12801 Central Ave Chino, CA 91710. Phone. 909-628-5507. Locality. Chino. Postal code. 91710. GPS. US Bank – Chino, CA – 12801 Central Ave | Hours & Map by HoursMap – Find US Bank hours and map on 12801 Central Ave, Chino, CA. Store opening hours, closing time, address, phone number, directions. 12801 Central Ave Chino, CA 91710. Driving Directions. phone: (909) 628-5507. U.S. Bank – 10 Fotoraf – Bankalar & Kredi Sendikalar – 12801. – Yelp – U.S. Bank ,Chino gerek insanlar tarafndan yazlan yorumlar ierir. Yelp, Chino ehrinde ve evresinde olan iyi ve iyi olmayan meknlar bulmann, tavsiye etmenin ve hakknda konumann en elenceli ve kolay yoludur. U.S. Bank. 12801 Central Ave, Chino, CA 91710, ABD. banks in Chino, CA | Reviews – Yellowbook – Find banks in Chino, CA on Yellowbook. Get reviews and contact details for each business including videos, opening hours and more. US Bank Chino CA – 12801 Central Ave | Hours & Offers – US Bank branch | 12801 Central Ave, Chino CA – Locations, Hours & Offers. Favorite. Location: 12801 Central Ave, 91710, Chino CA. Find here all the information about the US Bank – 12801 Central ave store. find weekly ad, store hours, phone number, location on the map and link to the. Citizens Bank in Chino, 12808 Central Ave. Location, phone, direction. – Citizens Bank – Chino 12808 Central Ave, Chino, CA 91710. Operating hours, map location, phone number and driving directions. Please call the store for exact opening hours. location. Citizens Bank – Chino is located on 12808 Central Ave, Chino US Bank 12801 Central Ave, Chino, CA 91710. The Peoples Bank – 13 visitors – Foursquare – 13 visitors have checked in at The Peoples Bank. Write a short note about what you liked, what to order, or other helpful advice for visitors. Lawrence, 66049 Wakarusa Cary Incorporated 1321 Dan. – Marine Bank & Trust 410 Buchanan St Carthage, IL 62321 Charter One 11700 Washington St Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 Fifth Third Bank & ATM in Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 | Citysearch – From The Owners of Fifth Third Bank & ATM Open a Checking Account and Earn $200-Get Details! Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company. Peoples Bank in Mount Vernon, Ohio| Business Profile. – 11423 Upper Gilchrist Rd Ste A Mount Vernon, OH 43050. 0 Reviews.. Located in Mount Vernon, OH, Peoples Bank is in the banks business. operating for 10 or more years, they have an annual income of $5 to 10 million.. Mount Vernon, OH 43050; Line of business: Optometrists. Nussaum, John in Mount Vernon, OH | Whitepages – View contact info, business hours, full address for Nussaum, John in Mount Vernon, OH 740-507-1940. Whitepages is the most trusted online directory. Map of Peoples Bank in Mt Vernon, OH 43050 – Hours Guide – Map of Peoples Bank at 11423 Upper Gilchrist Rd, #A, Mt Vernon, OH 43050: store location, business hours, driving direction, map, phone number and other services. Peoples Bank – 11423 Upper Gilchrist Rd # A, Mt Vernon OH. – Peoples Bank at 11423 Upper Gilchrist Rd # A, Mt Vernon OH 43050 – opening hours, address, map, directions, phone number(clickable for smartphones), customer. Banks – Yahoo Local Search Results – Banks near Mount Vernon, OH 43050. PNC Bank. 1051 Newark Rd. Peoples Bank – Mount Vernon Branch. Peoples Bank Mount Vernon Branch – Mount Vernon, OH – Peoples Bank Mount Vernon branch is located at 1345 Yauger Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050 and has been serving Knox county, Ohio for over 12 years. Get hours, reviews, customer service phone number and driving directions. Spieker-William-Ameriprise-Financial in Phoenix, AZ | Whitepages – View contact info, business hours, full address for Spieker-William-Ameriprise-Financial in Phoenix, AZ. Whitepages is the most trusted online directory.. 18325 N Allied Way ste 125; phoenix AZ 85054-3107. desert view view details. 1. William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Wachovia Bank 3500 W Millbrook Rd Raleigh, NC 27613 Chase Bank ATM 2309 E University Dr Tempe, AZ 85281 Mehir Floral & Design | Maricopa, South Mill Avenue – Chase Bank: 830 South Mill Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States; Wells Fargo Bank: 20 E University DR STE 102, Tempe, AZ 85281, United states; silicon valley bank:.construction loans in Raleigh, North Carolina – Page 2. – Construction Loans in Raleigh, NC. First Flight Federal Credit Union.. 8312 Creedmoor Rd – Raleigh, North Carolina 27613 . Pacific Homes. 9168 Wooden Rd – Raleigh, North Carolina 27617. Wachovia Bank. 3500 W Millbrook Rd – Raleigh, North Carolina 27613 (919) 278-1420 . William Joseph Spieker – Registered Representative, Phoenix. – William Joseph Spieker is a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.. Ask William Joseph Spieker or our advisors a question, view william joseph spieker’s ratings, experience, qualifications, primary clients, articles or publications, professional designations, membership associations, firm services or practice areas, and misconducts or complaints. Wells Fargo Bank 11 E Ponderosa Dr Camarillo, CA 93010 Wells Fargo CAMARILLO CA: 11 E PONDEROSA DR – Hours-Locations.com – Wells Fargo, 11 E PONDEROSA DR, CAMARILLO, California locations and hours of operation. Opening and closing times for stores near by. Address, phone number, directions, and more. Spieker-William-Ameriprise-Financial in. – . full address for Spieker-William-Ameriprise-Financial in. William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. 18325 N Allied Way Ste 125; Phoenix AZ 85054. William Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services. – Official Opening Time for William Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services – 18325 N Allied Way, #125. The information for this branch was filled in 2019. financial planning consultants in Phoenix, AZ | Reviews. – find financial planning consultants in Phoenix, AZ on Yellowbook. Get reviews and contact details for each business including videos, opening hours and more. Business Consulting and Services business in Phoenix, AZ. – Business Consulting and Services in Phoenix, AZ. United States > Phoenix, AZ > Business Consulting and Services . Recommended Result Recommended Result Recommended Result Personal Loans. 413 E Roeserrd, Phoenix, AZ 85040. 602-483-6981. You will be given the details on the APR, loan fees, and. William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, – Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. at 18325 N Allied Way Ste 125, Phoenix, AZ. Search for. Contact info – William J Spieker, Phoenix, AZ | Ameriprise. – Get contact information for William J Spieker in Phoenix, AZ. 18325 N Allied Way Ste 125 Phoenix, Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser.. Best 20 Investors in Phoenix, AZ by Superpages – William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Hours. Hours. Mon-Fri: 09:00 AM-05:00 PM. Sat-Sun: Closed. 18325 N Allied Way Ste 125 Phoenix, AZ 85054. www.ameripriseadvisors.com. 480-307-6008. The advisor listed is an Ameriprise financial advisor in Phoenix. Comments are not verified. William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, – . William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Phoenix, AZ. William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial. 18325 N Allied Way Ste 125 Phoenix AZ 85054. William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, – Includes William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial. Includes William J Spieker – Ameriprise Financial Services, 18325 N Allied Way, Ste 125, Phoenix, AZ 85054. US Bank ATM – Tigard Drive-Up 11543 SW Pacific Hwy Portland, OR 97223 William Norton – Ameriprise Financial Services 5927 Balfour Ct, #207 Carlsbad, CA 92008 Citibank Branded ATM 5741 Thornhill Dr Oakland, CA 94611 Portland, OR Business Directory – Page 226 | US Business – Results 56251 – 56500 listings related to Portland, OR on US-business.info. See contacts, phone numbers, directions, hours and more for all business categories in Portland, OR. Philadelphia, PA Branch | Citizens Bank | Contact Us – 6052 Ridge Ave Philadelphia, PA 19128 US. Visit our Philadelphia, PA, branch at 6052 Ridge Ave, or call us at (267) 385-2246, and Ask a Citizen about any of our products – checking and savings accounts, home borrowing solutions, student loans, credit cards, personal loans, and more. TD Bank Branch Locations (22) in Philadelphia, PA – 22 TD Bank branch locations in Philadelphia, PA. Choose branch to see more details. Credit Card Branch Bank Locator.. TD Bank – Andorra Branch. 8301 Henry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128 Tuesday Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM. US Bank in Pennsylvania – Locations and Hours – US Bank ATM – Sesame Place – Finders Keepers Store – Front Gate in Langhorne. US Bank ATM – Sesame Place – Trader Berts Treasures in Langhorne: 100 Sesame Road: US Bank ATM – Acme Market – Narberth in Penn Valley: 829 Montgomery Avenue: US Bank ATM – Acme Market – Andorra in Philadelphia. ACME Markets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PA – : PLACE INFORMATION. Address : 8600 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128. Locality: Philadelphia. State: pennsylvania (pa). country: united states. website: acmemarkets.com. OPENING HOURS. Bank | Philadelphia | PA | Bank Routing Numbers. Database of. – 1818 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19103: Andorra Branch Andorra Shopping Ct – 8500 Henry Ave, Philadelphia. Philadelphia PA 19103: Ridge Avenue Branch 5873 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19128: Tyson & Brous branch 6918 brous avenue, Philadelphia. Citizens Bank Philadelphia 6052 Ridge Ave 19128 location on Map – Address: 6052 Ridge Ave Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Postal code 19128. Phone: (267) 385-2245. You can see all bank branches in the city of Philadelphia Citizens Bank on the map, as well as other banks in the city of Philadelphia. ACME Markets – 13 Reviews – Grocery – 8600 Ridge Ave, Andorra. – 13 reviews of ACME Markets "Usually its not busy here. The lines move fast but sometimes it can be We don’t recognize the web browser you’re currently using. Try checking the browser’s help menu, or Acme in Andorra is much friendlier than this one on lower ridge Avenue. This Acme never has. Locations – Find a TD Bank Near You – You can bank with us at nearly 1,300 locations along the east coast. So whether you have an account in Maine or need to find an ATM in Florida, we’re close by. ACME Markets at 5927-59 Ridge Ave Philadelphia, PA| Weekly Ad. – ACME Markets Roxborough. View Weekly Ad. 5927-59 Ridge Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19128. US. Visit your neighborhood ACME Markets located at 5927-59 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA, for ACME Markets is dedicated to being your one-stop-shop and provides an in-store bank, Coin Star system. FirstAtlantic Bank – Normandy Branch | Jacksonville ,FL – Information about Normandy Branch of FirstAtlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL. Get Map and Directions for branch with address :- 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL – 32205. First Atlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL | Whitepages – View contact info, business hours, full address for First Atlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL. Whitepages is the most trusted online directory. First Atlantic Bank – 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. – First Atlantic Bank at 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205 – opening hours, address, map, directions, phone number(clickable for smartphones. Normandy Branch of FirstAtlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL – 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida 32205: County: Duval:. The FDIC Certificate Number for Normandy Branch office of FirstAtlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL is 35200. This unique NUMBER is assigned by the FDIC and is used to identify institutions and for the issuance of insurance. FirstAtlantic Bank – Jacksonville, FL – usbanksdirectory.com – 3293 Hodges Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL – 32224 2: Firstatlantic Bank: 1325 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL – 32207 3: Normandy Branch: 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL – 32205 4: Southpoint Branch: 6622 Southpoint Drive South, Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL – 32216 Here is the list of all branches of FirstAtlantic Bank across US. FirstAtlantic Bank – Jacksonville, FL (4 Branch Locations) – 4 FirstAtlantic Bank Branch locations in Jacksonville, FL. Find a Location near you. View hours, phone numbers, reviews, routing numbers, and other info. FirstAtlantic Bank – Locations, Hours and More. – Headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, it has assets in the amount of $413,732,000.. Deposits in FirstAtlantic Bank are insured by the FDIC. FirstAtlantic Bank is a community bank, as defined by the FDIC. ABOUT THIS BANK.. 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205 Monday Hours: 8:30 AM – 11. [PDF] united states bankruptcy court FOR THE. – download united states bankruptcy court for the district of delaware. First Atlantic Bank at 5665 Normandy Boulevard, Jacksonville. – First Atlantic Bank . Full information about Establishment and finance "First Atlantic Bank" at 5665 Normandy Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32205. You may find here reviews, address, phone number, website, work hours and etc. First Atlantic Bank, Duval – placelookup.net – 5665 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205. First Atlantic Bank. Suggest Edit. Like / Recommend. Home – FirstAtlantic Bank. FirstAtlantic Bank. First Atlantic Bank is located in Jacksonville city of Florida state. On the street of Normandy Boulevard and street number is 5665. Citizens Bank-Mtg Originator – Gaylord MI 49735 – Store Hours – Citizens Bank-Mtg Originator at Gaylord MI 49735 – opening hours, address, map, directions, phone number(clickable for smartphones), customer ratings and. ATMs – Yahoo Local Search Results – ATMs near 2090 M-32, Gaylord, MI 49735. ATM. ATM. 123 W Main St, #100 ATM. ATM. 333 W Commerce Blvd ATM. ATM. 902 N Center Ave CITIZENS BANK ATM. ATM. The Huntington National Bank, Gaylord Downtown – The Huntington National Bank, Gaylord Downtown at 100 east main street, Gaylord, MI 49735. Check 57 client reviews, rate this bank, find bank financial info, routing numbers. Citizens Bank in Gaylord, MI – Banks – All: Yellow Pages. – Citizens Bank in Gaylord, Michigan. Users Rating: (989) 731-7338. 100 East Main Street. Gaylord, MI. 49735. Verify This Listing by Claiming It with an Edit. Citizens Bank is a business providing services in the field of Banks – All. Poage, Betty – Ameriprise Financial 1300 S University Dr, Ste 110 Fort Worth, TX 76107 Robert Yeh – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. 5029. – 5029 Corporate Woods Dr Ste 150 Virginia Beach VA 23462. reviews (757) 499-2639 website. Menu & Reservations Make Reservations . Order Online Tickets Tickets See Availability. The advisor listed is an Ameriprise financial advisor in Virginia Beach. Comments are not verified, may not be. Citizens Bank 100 E Main St, Gaylord, MI 49735 – YP.com – Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for Citizens Bank at 100 E Main St, Gaylord, MI. Search for other Banks in Gaylord on YP.com. Start your search by typing in the business name below. Bank in Gaylord, MI – cylex.us.com – Results for Bank in Gaylord, MI; customer reviews, prices, contact details, opening hours from Gaylord, MI based businesses with Bank keyword.. Citizens Bank offers banking products and services to consumers, 100 E Main St 49735 Gaylord (989) 731-7338. 45.0226021,-84.6898839. Bank of America 15 W Blackwell St Dover, NJ 7801 Bank of America Centros financieros e Cajero automtico Dover, NJ – Centros financieros y cajeros automticos (ATM) cerca de Dover, NJ.. location is a Financial Center This location has ATMs available. 0.2 millas. Get details about Bank of America Dover Main. 15 W Blackwell St. Dover, NJ 07801.. y una subsidiaria que pertenece en su totalidad a Bank of. Bank and ATM Locations in 20032 in Washington DC – Wells Fargo – Find Wells Fargo Bank and ATM Locations in Washington. Get hours, services and driving directions.. 1545 ALABAMA AVE SE. WASHINGTON, DC. LLC and wells fargo advisors financial network, LLC, Members SIPC, separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo Bank at Alabama Avenue Southeast, Washington DC. – Wells Fargo Bank at Alabama Avenue Southeast, Washington DC – Branch location, hours, phone number, holidays, and directions. Find a Wells Fargo Bank near me. Douglas Nola – Ameriprise Financial Services, Incorporated 941 Federal Ct, Ste 102 Meadville, PA 16335 Douglas Nola – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. 941. – Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for Douglas Nola – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. at 941 Federal Ct Ste 102, Meadville, PA. Search for other Financial Planners in Meadville on YP.com. Wells Fargo Bank Atm in Washington, DC | Whitepages – Wells Fargo Bank Atm Automated Teller Machines. More Save as Contact. Print this page. contact info. address 1545 Alabama Ave SE Washington DC 20032-5054. Business info. LINKS. Website. Nearby businesses Nguyen, Van Trung DDS. William M Steele DDS. Wells Fargo Bank in Washington, DC 20032 – Hours Guide – Wells Fargo Bank at 1545 Alabama Ave Se, Washington, DC 20032: store location, business hours, driving direction, map, phone number and other services. Wells Fargo Bank – 1545 Alabama Avenue Se (Washington, DC) – Wells Fargo Bank Branch Location at 1545 Alabama Avenue Se, Washington, DC 20032 – Hours of Operation, Phone Number, Address, Directions and Reviews. Wells Fargo Bank – 1545 ALABAMA AVENUE, SE Washington, DC. – Wells Fargo Bank 1545 ALABAMA AVENUE, SE Washington, DC District of Columbia- Find ATM locations near you. Full listings with hours, fees, issues with card skimmers, services, and more info. Wells Fargo Bank – Banks & Credit Unions – 1545 Alabama Ave. – 1545 Alabama Ave SE Washington, DC 20032 at S 15th Pl Get directions. transit information green congress Heights Metro More info. Phone number (202) 678-2650 business website wellsfargo.com; Send to your Phone. Photo of Wells Fargo Bank – Washington, DC, United States. Wells Fargo Bank in Washington, 1545 Alabama Ave SE – Banks. – Wells Fargo Bank in 1545 Alabama Ave SE with phone number +12026782650, address, and interactive map. Route Washington, DC 20032 Addresss 1545. Wells Fargo Bank can be found at 1545 Alabama Ave SE . The following is offered: Banks . Wells Fargo Bank Locations in District Of Columbia – Wells Fargo Bank operates with 32 branches in 1 different cities in the state of District Of Columbia. The bank also has 5518 more offices in thirty-nine states. Cities or towns with Wells Fargo Bank offices are shown on the map below. Wells Fargo Bank 1545 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032. – Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for Wells Fargo Bank at 1545 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC. Search for other Banks in Washington on YP.com. Apartments For Rent in San Dimas CA | Zillow – Find your next apartment in San Dimas CA on Zillow. Use our detailed filters to find the perfect place, then get in touch with the property manager. 205 N San Dimas Canyon Rd, San Dimas, CA. 40 photos. 477 E Bonita Ave # 43FZA2SWB San Dimas CA 91773. 14 Apartments for Rent in San Dimas, CA | ApartmentRatings – San Dimas Apartment Rent Prices and Reviews. Apartments. Trails at San Dimas Apartment Homes. 444 North Amelia Avenue, San Dimas, CA 91773. Lowe's SAN DIMAS CA: 633 WEST BONITA AVENUE – Hours. – Lowe’s, 633 WEST BONITA AVENUE, SAN DIMAS, California locations and hours of operation. Opening and closing times for stores near by. The map and information below will help you find the closest Lowe’s near you. Need to know what time Lowe’s in SAN DIMAS opens or closes, or whether. The Pool Guys Remodeling & Repair, Los Angeles – On the street of West Allen Avenue and street number is 515.. Paramount Residential Mortgage Group – PRMG Inc. 442 W Bonita Ave, San Dimas, CA 91773 (1402 meters) montana’s. 657 W Arrow Hwy, San Dimas, CA 91773 (1411 meters) About Place Lookup. Albertsons at 220 E Bonita Ave San Dimas, CA| Weekly Ad, Grocery. – Albertsons San Dimas. 220 E Bonita Ave. San Dimas, CA 91773. US. Get Directions. Visit your neighborhood Albertsons located at 220 E Bonita Ave, San Dimas, CA, for a convenient and friendly grocery experience! San Dimas, CA Apartments for Rent – realtor.com – Easily discover 30 apartments for rent in San Dimas, CA on realtor.com. san dimas apartments and more rentals are fast to find. 444-445 N Amelia Ave San Dimas CA 91773. Provided by. Apartment for Rent. San Dimas, CA Apartments for Rent – 339 Apartments | Rent.com – Residents searching for San Dimas apartments for rent will find properties available across the city Before American settlers came to this region, it was occupied by other groups of people. Rentals in San Dimas, CA, and Cost of Living. New residents will find that San Dimas apartments typically rent. Lowe's San Dimas CA – 633 West Bonita Ave | Store Hours & Deals – Lowe’s Store | 633 West Bonita Ave, San Dimas CA – Locations, Store Hours & Ads. Favorite. Find here all the information about the Lowe’s – 633 West Bonita Ave store. find weekly ad, store hours, phone number, location on the map and link to the Lowe’s online store. San Dimas, CA Hotel – Best Western San Dimas Hotel & Suites – 501 W Bonita Avenue San Dimas, California 91773-2500 United States. Check-In: 4:00 P.M. PST Check-Out: 11:00 A.M. PST. toll free central reservations (US & Canada Only). Hotel Direct Number. static-lobbytools.s3.amazonaws.com – 4870 s tamiami trl restaurant geltech solutions, inc. 1460 park ln s ste 1 jupiter, fl 33458. osprey, fl 34229 perkins louis 3717 10th ct perricone-schirard grove petersons blueberry farms. 111 e college ave-2nd fl luncheon event rmb suntrust bank 200 s. nokomis ave bank. www.colliercountyfl.gov – 1100 1. 200000 7/25/2018 11:06:15 6/6/2018 13:07:37 2484 1. 218000 7/9/2018 15:55:49 6/6/2018 13:08:09 3111 1. 200000 7/13/2018 12:32:56 6/6/2018 13:09:24 4183 1. 50 7/19/2018 11:20:35 7/2/2018 16:37:02 0 1. 241865 7/26/2018 07:08:51 6/6/2018 13:07:15 3721 1. 50 7/18/2018 13:05:39 7/2/2018 13:41:45 0 1. 50 7/18/2018 12:40:17 7/2/2018 16:29:58 0. Sarasota,Florida – Branches | SunTrust Bank – 11 Results for "Sarasota, Florida". Sarasota, FL 34232. 6501 South Tamiami Trail. Sarasota, FL 34231. Sarasota, FL 34236. 8055 South Beneva Road. SunTrust Osprey, 1100 South Tamiami Trail FL 34229-9220 – SunTrust Osprey, 1100 South Tamiami Trail FL 34229-9220 store hours, reviews, photos, phone number and map with driving directions. Suntrust Bank in Osprey, FL – Hours Guide – Find 693 Suntrust Bank in Osprey, Florida. List of Suntrust Bank store locations, business hours, driving maps, phone numbers and more.. Suntrust Bank – Osprey – Florida 163 S Tamiami Trl (941) 966-6981; Suntrust Bank – Osprey – Florida 1100 S Tamiami Trl (941) 918-1000; Suntrust Bank Hours. ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu – Osprey and Laurel AG Edwards Smith Bank One South Bank of Venice Sun Tri Boone, Boone, Boone’ Target Koda & Frook TJX Co Bradway and Assoc. Venice Caldwell Trust Wacho Colonial Bank Wal-M Crane Environmental Wateri Crow’s Nest / Bogey’s SRQ C First National Bank SRQ C FPL SRQ S Harbor Chase SRQ SI Jacaranda Trace SRQ T MCC SRQ T Merrill Lynch. SunTrust Bank Locations and Hours in Osprey FL – Branch addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation for SunTrust Bank in Osprey FL. SunTrust Bank Osprey FL 1100 South Tamiami Trail 34229 941-918-1000. suntrust bank sarasota FL 8055 South Beneva Road 34238 3.41mi from Osprey 941-925-9700. Suntrust Bank – 1100 SOUTH TAMIAMI TRAIL Osprey, FL Florida – Suntrust bank 1100 south tamiami TRAIL Osprey, FL Florida- Find ATM locations near you. Full listings with hours, fees, issues with card skimmers, services, and more info. Angel Dogs in Nokomis, Florida| Business Profile | Infofree. – SunTrust Bank 9418827076 1000 Tamiami Trl N Ste 100 Nokomis, FL 34275 Line of business: Banks Scanco Software 3306459959 1000 Tamiami Trl N Ste 201 Nokomis, FL 34275 Line of business: Software Publishers 101 Old. Trustco Bank in Osprey Florida – 1300 S Tamiami Trial Hours and. – Trustco Bank lobby hours, directions, reviews, phone number and online. Branch office of Trustco Bank located at 1300 S Tamiami Trial in Osprey Florida 34229.

2019-04-24T08:41:17Z

https://www.yourrenaissanceawaits.com/bank-home-loans/

Submitted by Clyde Bedell who - (a) due to 50years of Sadler-Urantia contact, (b) mainstream intimate association with hundreds of Urantia BOOK READERS by correspondence and long-distance telephone, and (c) persisting association with quite a few old-time readers and lovers of the BOOK - is perhaps as nearly constantly conscious of Urantia BOOK readers and distribution problems away from headquarters as almost anyone. In contemplating writing to you, I intended saying at the end of this letter something I believe I should say here too. This: I have never yet been disloyal to you people at headquarters. Critical on occasion, yes, but when the chips are down, my loyalty is always with you and will continue to be. I write in hoping to help you. If I cannot help, I certainly will never turn against you. So, I ask you to read this paper objectively, as though you were standing aside with me, and viewing the Brotherhood (and Urantia Foundation) from outside, as highly intelligent and fair-minded strangers, who - nevertheless - with all your hearts, want the Urantia BOOK to prevail on this earth, and the BROTHERHOOD AND THE Urantia FOUNDATION to play as important a role in its success as possible, consistently, at all times. We are all Urantians together, serving the same Master. If what I say here has ANY value, it may be worth reading, and re-reading, and pondering seriously. For it is possible our organizations in this vastly troubled, desperately sick world are not far from a crisis level. 2.1 PRINCIPAL OBJECT: The object for which the Urantia Foundation is created is the promotion.of the true teachings of Jesus Christ.through the fostering of a religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology which are commensurate with Man's intellectual and cultural development. 2.2 CONCORDANT OBJECTS: The concordant object for which the Urantia Foundation is created is to perpetually preserve inviolate the text of the Urantia BOOK and to disseminate the principles, teachings, and doctrines of the Urantia BOOK. ".It is our considered judgment that the purposes.may best be accomplished through the mutual assistance and association of a body of people working together for a common cause; we do hereby unite." It should be noted that even when PRESERVATIONAND PROTECTION of the TEXT is mentioned as a primary object of the Urantia FOUNDATION, an immediate concordant and equal purpose is dissemination. Establishment of a BRTOHERHOOD doesn't discharge that purpose. The Urantia FOUNDATION still has the fundamental responsibility through the Brotherhood. We are, as UrantiaNS, ALL responsible for promotion and dissemination, ALL OF US. WE HAVE TO BELIEVE that the Urantia movement is worthy of money, of contributions of people of very modest and moderate means, and people of wealth as well. What kind of program is being carried on intelligently and professionally to raise money? Wise executives of all charitable, religious, or other organizations that must depend upon contributions raise money before they need it. Raising money is not difficult. A few years ago, Father Flanagan's Boy's Town in Omaha was found to have $209,000,000 in the bank, while pleading for more, and they had only 700 boys in their institution. Shouldn't we be able to raise a few thousand? Today, hundreds of institutions are raising many millions of dollars by mail alone, with almost no validity - many in the names of religious organizations FROM A RELATIVELY small closed group of "Forum members" who met at 533 many years ago, enough money was raised to set the entire 2,100 pages of the Urantia BOOK in type, and then to make copper letter press printing plates from that type. Thus, the first edition of the Book cost the NEW Urantia FOUNDATION in 1955, only the price of Paper, presswork, and binding. That gave the great BOOK its start. It sold for $10.000, and made enough for a second printing. Yet, now with many thousands of readers replacing fewer than 100, do we believe money cannot be raised to do whatever we feel may be necessary to carry on this world's most important work for the Master? Not enough money for legal fees, not enough money for sufficient help? Not enough money to justify distribution of the Book through normal wholesale channels? Of course, it is desirable to sell it at $20.00. It would also be desirable to sell it at $15.00, or $10.00. It could be sold in a VERY DURABLE, flexible cover at even less. I don't think a really careful study has been made of that. But is the $20.00 price sacred? If the new printing could be priced at #22.00 or $22.50 the Urantia FOUNDATION could allow a sufficient discount to enable regular book distributors who serve the book trade all over the United States to distribute the Urantia BOOK. If the Urantia BOOK were handled in normal channels of distribution, the Brotherhood would have only 3 or 4 or so accounts in place of 1,200 bookstore accounts. Books would ship primarily from your printer to your distributors. Individuals could still order from you. Your people would simply receive checks, address pressure sensitive labels to single cartons, affix postage, and put them out for the mail pickup. Think of the saving in time and handling. DE VORSS & CO., your sole jobber-wholesaler through 1975, who sold Urantia BOOKS last year do not sell the Urantia BOOK in 1976. They have sold several thousand Urantia BOOKS in the past few years. The Urantia FOUNDATION and BROTHERHOOD allowed De Vorss, a large book wholesaler the same 40% discount they allow a small bookstore. De Vorss needed and took 15% of the 40% and offered the Urantia BOOK at 25% off on a short discount page in their catalog, along with a few other books. Had Urantia been able to give them 50% they would have relieved headquarters of all the chores of handling, unpacking, repacking, addressing, mailing, billing, collecting, credit checking, etc., and worked on only 10% themselves! One wonders, in view of the scant $1.85 "gross profit" you have on every book sold to book stores, if you aren't LOSING MONEY on every book you handle to stores, besides using precious time of people who might be doing far more important work for the brotherhood or Urantia Foundation than wrestling physical packages and bookkeeping. While De Vorss was handling Urantia BOOKS I never heard them criticized. Since they are not handling Urantia BOOKS, I have heard them criticized for handling books on the Occult and Mysticism. They handle all sorts or religious books. If the Urantia BOOK cannot be handled by such distributors and such bookstores, we will further and permanently suppress its distribution. PLEASE: I instance this - not to be critical - but to illustrate the fact that a staff of overworked full-time people with little authority have neither the time nor clout nor experience to adequately do the research and analysis to provide essential facts and material on which sound decisions can be based. Extremely harassed part-time top executives, already overworked and already oppressed and time-short, with no facilities nor background for analytical ferreting-out of alternatives, simply cannot do what headquarters work demands in the way of research, fact-finding, surveys, and analyses. MANY years ago, as a business consultant, I joined every executive in a now vastly valuable corporation (7-11 Stores, Texas) in voting against raising the price of Cokes to 30 cents for a 6-pack in all 7-11 outlets, when EVERYONE ELSE was selling them for 25 cents. Cliff Wheeler, a District Manager, youngest man among us had made a careful survey, had interviewed many people. I didn't know that 7-11 Stores were open when all other stores were closed. He contended that as convenience outlets, 7-11 could get more and were entitled to it. We all said, "No!" Capitalist, Jody Thompson, principal owner, and President, smelling a possible plus profit, said: "It won't hurt to try." That extra nickel made 7-11 $250,000 EXTRA PROFIT the first year and many millions since! Wheeler had dug in and had the basis for an intelligent decision, for a radical change from the "way it had always been done." The rest of us were voting hunches, guesses, and intuition. I SUGGEST that headquarters presently has no personnel, no plan, no setup, for finding out facts essential to certain intelligent important decisions. The ARTICLES OF TRUST that set up the Urantia FOUNDATION, and the PREAMBLE and the CONSITITUTION OF THE BROTHERHOOD should be re-read at least every 90 days by all of us who are devoted to the Urantia movement. And we should ask ourselves if we are really sensitively, precisely aware of the tasks to which we have set our hands. Today, important decisions in connection with the Revelators' work may have to be made after sitting and deliberating with the same few people, and errors that will handicap and haunt the future for years to come can be made. Does it not seem logical that more help is needed at 533, of a caliber that can match the heads of other important, fast-operating institutions - and that can relieve overworked top people, like Christy and Tom Kendall and Paul Snider? You will have observed that I am addressing myself to problems of both the Urantia FOUNDATION and the BROTHERHOOD. It seems logical to do so. The Urantia FOUNDATION is the BASIC, PARENT organization. The BROTHERHOOD was created to implement the second half of the purpose for which the Urantia FOUNDATION was established. The two consonant purposes are inseparable in a manner of speaking. Were there a properly functioning Urantia FOUNDATION FULL-TIME ADMINISTRATOR OR EXECUTIVE, leading directly to the Urantia FOUNDATION PRESIDENT, that full-time administrator would inevitably cooperate in intimate relationship with the BROTHERHOOD President, who might NOT be a full-time person. Considerable BROTHERHOOD function might be delegated to the FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE OR ADMINISTRATOR. This is not necessary to be discussed here, but it is easy to see that the potential for a full-time person devoted to the advancement of the coordinated OBJECTIVES of both the Urantia FOUNDATION and the BROTHERHOOD would be immense. If the Urantia BROTHERHOOD arranged for conventional distribution of the Urantia BOOK, the time and money saved would go a considerable way toward helping finance A VERY CAREFULLY SELECTED CAPABLE FULL-TIME ADMINISTRATOR who could take 65% of the load (or more) off the shoulders of both Christy and Tom Kendall, and give them time for Urantia THINKING AND THE PURELY SENSITIVE UrantiaN things others can't do. They could project operating detail. Such a person would also work as a money-raiser and should raise at least 3 to 5 times, and perhaps 10 times or more, his own salary per year. He would have to be selected, not by hunch or because a committee liked his personality, or because he was personable, or because he knew the Urantia BOOK intimately, but because he (1) met the intellectual, personality, occupational requirements, and (2) because he LOVED and BELIEVED IN THE Urantia BOOK. He would have to be proved open-minded and willing to become a 100% UrantiaN, not dedicated to transforming UrantiaNS to his particular beliefs and methods. I have heard it said that no one should become a headquarters executive who is not already a longtime and thoroughly versed student of the Urantia BOOK. That is certainly desirable, but if Bill Sadler were alive, a most capable and well-proven personnel advisor, he would quickly dispel anyone of that notion. Given the proper qualifications, it is important that any headquarters' executive (1) be convinced that the Urantia BOOK is a genuine revelation and that he wants to study it, live by it, and advance its truths, and (2) be OPEN-MINDED, OBJECTIVE, COOPERATIVE, OUTGOING, (3) along with the requirements mentioned above. IT IS FAR EASIER TO GIVE TRUE Urantia COLORATION TO A DEDICATED OPEN-MINDED, EXCELLENT EXECUTIVE, than it is to make a capable, open-minded, outgoing, objective executive out of a PROFESSED UrantiaN who is introvertish, closed-minded, subjective, reluctant to take suggestions, resistant to others' ideas, and an organizational irritant. IF WHAT I SAY NOW, sounds like an indictment, I indict myself. For I have never made this suggestion before. PONDER THIS: The Urantia BOOK has been on earth 20 years, plus. Yes, I know it was not intended we should use it to make a great splash. I know all about the "low-profile". (That has been used perhaps more as an excuse for doing little, than as an explanation of a carefully planned well-executed series of "5-year plans" for dissemination and promotion [but muted], that we probably should have had. THE FOUNDATION EXISTS to establish THE BOOK'S COSMOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY, and RELIGION, and to disseminate the GOSPEL OF JESUS (DECLARATION OF TRUTH). And the fact that after 20 years we do not have a remarkably qualified executive head of the FOUNDATION full-time is shocking and an indictment of us all. I believe this is the year we should formally resolve to do something about it. Is there any business more important on earth? Can the focus of responsibility fall anywhere but on the TRUSTEES of the Urantia Foundation, on the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE of the BROTHERHOOD, and all of us old-timer UrantiaNS, and not so old, who feel a great love for the BOOK, and some sense of responsibility toward it? The rallying of support for whatever headquarters decides to do must come from headquarters. Prayers are not enough. God helps those who help themselves. There was nothing passive about Jesus or his ministry. He didn't sit and wait. He "wiggled". He moved and he instructed movement, action. There must be some happy medium between an objectionable forwardness, a blatant ministry on the one hand, and a passivity that is barely distinguishable from reacting only when it seems necessary, or planning a minimum of activity to avoid the appearance of stagnation, on the other. He didn't wait for people to come seek him out. Dr. Sadler and his early Forum members spent endless hours and much substance, employed legal talent, and again and again, read and re-read and furbished documents which became the DECLARATION OF TRUST CREATING THE Urantia FOUNDATION in 1950, and later the CONSTITUTION OF THE Urantia BROTHERHOOD CORPORATION. The DECLARATION OF TRUST, primary document of the Urantia movement has as its PRINCIPLE OBJECT, declared in ARTICLE II, the fostering of a religion, philosophy, and cosmology, commensurate with Man's intellectual and cultural development. The same ARTICLE names as CONCORDANT OBJECTS two things, and only two. They are, and I quote: ".to perpetually preserve inviolate the text of THE Urantia BOOK, and to disseminate the principles, teachings, and doctrines of THE Urantia BOOK." The Urantia Foundation and the Brotherhood were established (I believe it is clear, and their official documents of foundation make clear) not as passive organizations but as active and dynamic organizations. If the Brotherhood is to take its cue from the Master, it should be reaching out, quietly, yes, but actively. If it is to abide by its own CONSTITUTION's PREAMBLE and CONSTITUTION, it should be reaching out - yes. It should be seeking to distribute as many Urantia BOOKS as it can consistent with the dynamics of the responsibility the BROTHERHOOD faces, in character with the BOOK itself, but surely too in keeping with the facts of life and the opportunity this terrible age and its spiritual hunger presents. We can err on the side of timidity as well as on the side of brashness. I believe in my personal distribution of BOOKS, (aside from my first foolish and lavish distribution of 200 Books from the first edition, before we had learned any sensible discretion, when we thought everyone would welcome the BOOK as we did). I have been too timid and careful - fearful lest some prominent person might do the BOOK harm. Have we been fearful of putting this new truth amidst old beliefs because we were cautioned to be careful? Jesus told his apostles to let the Spirit of Truth do his own work. (1932B) Perhaps we should do the same. If we have faith in our unseen friends we must be willing to take some small risks. They can handle on occasion what we can't when we err. When Jesus admonished Nathaniel, (2049A), ".serve your fellow men,." this was hardly a unique and individual admonition. The world is more in crisis today than it was in Jesus' time. Were Jesus here today, it is not likely he would dawdle, or modify his instructions and make them more passive. It is hard to put a construction on the Revelators' mandate that would not validate a somewhat more effective and dynamic program of BOOK DISTRIBUTION than the FOUNDATION-BROTHERHOOD exhibits. An observer might almost ask if ours is a program of SUPPRESSION? IT USED to take decades, even centuries, for a religious book to be considered a "Christian Classic" with sales in excess of a million copies. Current "Christian Classics" include THE LIVING BIBLE, over 18 million copies; the LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH" has sold over 6,000,000 copies; "REACH OUT", over 4,000,000; "HALLEY'S BIBLE HANDBOOK", over 3 million; Taylor's "THE WAY", over 3 million; and so on, more than 20 more, all in the past 5 years more than a million copies! Yes, all sell for less than $20.00. I mention them simply to indicate the great thirst for, and interest in, Christian literature. And in 20 years, we have sold 58,000, (2,900 a year) of the Urantia BOOK, and instead of issuing memoranda pledging to do very much better, we congratulate ourselves. MEANWHILE, the week does not pass that I do not receive literature about books that are selling popularly through THE LITERARY GUILD, THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB, SUNSET MAGAZINE, TIME-LIFE BOOKS, and various other PUBLISHERS at prices ranging upwards from $17.95 to #39.95 or more. They do not advertise these books in full-color brochures without test mailings first. This means they sell in volume new ones week after week! The high priced books I mention usually run less than 500 pages, yes with colored illustrations, but usually to be looked at or read once and then placed on a table or bookshelf. We are timid about raising a 2,100 page book from $20.00 to $22.00 or $22.50 Are we perhaps too timid about the value of the LORD'S revelation to this desperately needy world? Stop for a moment. Think of the last person you know who bought a Urantia BOOK. No matter how hard it was financially for that person to raise the $20.00, would he or she have failed to buy it had it been $22.50? Would she or he have said: "Well, I see it is $22.50. If it had been $20.00, I would have bought it. It was something I wanted, but not at $22.50!" JESUS SAID: "Every tradesman deserves wages for his services; the merchant is entitled to his hire." (1464A) Isn't the Urantia Foundation attempting to say: "We do not believe this. We will shortcut the regular methods of trade and beat the book tradesman, the regular wholesaler, out of his profit by performing his function with our office people. As long as we do not have accurate costs, and it appears to be profitable, we can keep our price lower than it should be. Our Revelation is not worth what in regular trade it should bring." Would it not be wise to have a competent outside printing expert (not affiliated in any way with the Urantia Foundation) now carefully appraise the whole purchasing procedure from the standpoint of our customers and the FOUNDATION'S current problems? Might you not find out you can save money, for instance, on very expensive individual cartons that book stores throw away? Cartons you need for books shipped to individuals, but that are garbage and rat-holed dollars on books to stores, which must be 2/3 or more of your sales? Some 40 cents or more per book? If you had a full-time FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE he could do such research as some I have done, a little of which I suggest above as to the enormous sales currently of religious books. The FOUNDATION should know ALL ABOUT THIS. And, whether or not it has all the retail outlets it should have, and whether or not it is doing all or what it should be doing to increase its outlets. It should know whether or not its decision to drop De Vorss was right or wrong. I believe the decision was made on too little information. A full-time executive could do some research as regards printing. Do you know for sure whether or not your readers would like a little blacker impression, a little heavier kiss of the presses on the paper in the Urantia BOOK? Do you know whether or not it can be had from the process you are using and at your present printers? Shouldn't you know? Are you aware that the recent offset edition is much grayer and more difficult to read than the first letterpress editions, which were blacker on better, whiter paper? Your printing consultant should have told you this BEFORE the books were printed, and I suppose he did. The question is, are you getting the very whitest paper and the very blackest impression possible for the money you pay and the offset process? A full-time executive would make it possible to know such things. A Director of a Corporation or a member of an Executive Committee is in an awkward and handicapped position, acting upon partial and fragmentary information provided it by well-meaning executives who themselves are trusting as they must, intuition, guesses, emotions, stale and incomplete information, frequently unavoidably distorted from the reality existing in the field where experience is creating and re-creating problems. I am not exaggerating. Recently, we have been reading about Boeing's, as well as Lockheed's millions spent on bribes abroad. Some years ago I was asked by a Urantia-reading corporation head to come on his Board of Directors. Impressed by him and his company, which was a big supplier to Boeing, I accepted. Fragmentary information that came to the Directors was inspiring. Then, I was entertained in the man's home. I discovered a very large nursery he owned adjoined his country property. Through discreet inquiries, I found he was delivering valuable nursery products in volume, free of charge, to Boeing purchasing agents. I resigned from the Board. (I also earlier resigned as a Bank Director in Illinois simply because reasonable questions could not be answered.) I recalled this recently, thinking of the purchasing agents of Boeing, the briber, being bribed. My point simply is this: Bribery is not the only form of dishonesty or failure. Should we not ask the question: "Isn't refusal to face up to the broadest responsibility we have accepted in a written document a sort of failure, a minor corruption of our good intentions? If we don't KNOW the answers to the questions, are we justified in accepting hunches and intuitions? If we haven't adequate personnel to properly function, isn't it incumbent upon us to find ways to get it? Is any responsibility greater than that which attaches to the Urantia BOOK? Because overworked volunteer executives do not cry out in surrender, their compatriots are not relieved of some responsibility for calling a halt to their sacrifice which at the same time, must handicap, sooner or later, the work they simply cannot fully discharge as effectively as if they had ample time, assistance, and FULL INFORMATION as the result of adequate research? The Urantia BOOK, it is said, is carried in 1,200 bookstores. I wonder if the Brotherhood knows how many bookstores there are in the United States alone? In 1974 (1975 figures not yet available) RELIGIOUS BOOK STORES alone totaled nearly 3,500 in the United States, or which more than 1,850 belonged to the Christian Booksellers Association. A jump from only 1,150 in 1972 - indicating the tremendous surge in interest currently in religious books and publishing. I am not suggesting these are our natural outlets. I am calling attention to the growth of interest in religious works. In 1974, the U.S. public bought $137,000,000 worth or religious books. At 900 per month, the BROTHERHOOD sold $21,600 worth for the entire year! The figure is miniscule. I do not mean to imply we should have sold a million dollars worth of Urantia, but $50,000 worth or $75,000 worth? Who says $21,600 worth was right? I know that there are highly thought of Urantians who are saying: "We must be very low key. We must soft-pedal our operation. We must not move too fast. We are trying to act in accord with our mandate." But, I believe there are Urantians equally devoted to the purposes of the Revelators, equally intelligent, who are entitled to ask if the cautions in the mandate are not being used as an excuse for procrastination, for not knowing how to move forward progressively with at least more dynamism, coupled with discretion. If 900 books are being sold in 1,200 book stores a month, and we know for a truth that a good many stores are selling 10 or more a month, many stores are not selling one book in 60 to 90 days. It would be fairer to say that 1,200 stores have bought Urantia Books than to say 1,200 carry the Book. SURVEYS INDICATE that the average religious book buyer nowadays is between 35 and 49 years of age - 36.6% of them. Another 26.5% are 25.34. Only 22.7% are 50 to 65. Forty-one point one percent are high school graduates, and 24.5% have had some college education, with 19.1% being college graduates. Fifteen point 4 percent have had less than a high school education. In the period 1971, 1972, 1973, when religious books started their great boom, church attendance in the U.S. started leveling off after a steady decline of about 15 years (since 1958). (In 1958, about 48% of American adults attended church on a typical week.) In the three later years it steadied at about 40%. But, while the mainstream denomination churches were still in declining attendance, (Methodists, United Presbyterian, Episcopalian, United Church of Christ, etc., dropped more than 10% in the last 10 years), the conservative evangelical denominations such as independent Baptists and Pentecostals were gaining at an equal rate. Church attendance among the more liberal stagnating churches had dropped 25%, while the conservative evangelicals increased to 48%. Some authorities contend that the reactions from Watergate, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and other such factors account for some of these phenomena. As Urantians, we should be able to see that the malaise in the social body and the body politic is the people's general estrangement from God. (I accounted for this in my Los Angeles Conference talk in 1974 in some detail.) The human soul is detached from God in millions of cases, millions upon millions. Our society - the world - is paying the price. It is true we cannot hasten God's plan, but it as also true that God works through men on this earth. And, many and many a plan of God has gone awry because the men He would have worked through were indolent, or weak, or fearful, or tired, or too old, or selfish, or bogged down in other things. He intended working through the Jewish people of the time of the Master. But, a tight little clique who possessed the authority of all Jewry in the Sanhedrin defeated the plan, and 2,000 years later, the Jews or earth (and the entire world) are still paying the price of that default. IT IS APPROPRIATE that I ask myself as I have recently - and was shocked by the answer - it is appropriate that we all ask ourselves now and again - are we sure we are doing our jobs for God, as well as they should be done, as well as they could be done if we were willing to CHANGE, to MOVE OVER, perhaps, to CRITCALLY ANALYZE OURSELVES, as competent ANALYSTS FROM OUTSIDE would analyze us and our operations? If we are not to be in the mainstream of religious Book Distribution yet, are we really aware of what is going on in that mainstream? Are we planning several years ahead? ISN'T THE PROPAGATION OF GOD'S WORK ON THIS EARTH WORTH THE BEST PROFESSIONAL PLANNING AND EXECUTION THAT CAN BE MUSTERED? WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT? There is such a thing as an anesthesia of routine labors and oppressive responsibilities. And that "THE EYE OF MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY" has been blinded to HALF ITS TASK, DISSEMINATION AND PROMOTION OF THE BOOK. Perhaps an auxiliary board of experienced Urantians working for the Trustees, meeting regularly, could be of great value to the Urantian movement. THIS paper is not to deride, embarrass, or challenge the Urantia Foundation and Brotherhood organization. It is to try to stimulate some discussion and hard thinking. It is to joggle some apple carts, I hope, that have been overgrown with the lichens of habit and day-before-yesterday thinking. AFTER writing a critical letter to Paul some weeks ago, I turned around and asked myself who was criticizing me? The answer was "no one". So, I turned a cold and fishy eye on my own operation, my handling of accounts. And believe me it was a shocking and traumatic experience. Good friends must have known, they did know, that my service, once worth bragging about, had gone to pot. I had plenty of excuses: A disastrous fire, a grand theft, eye operations, another coming up, and much more. Just as headquarters has excuses for everything I question and everything that doesn't get done, or gets done the wrong way! But, excuses for failures and derelictions in working for our Revelation are NO GOOD. Would to God I had a frank and honest friend like Clyde Bedell who had come along early and told me frankly I was sloughing off my job, and getting by with it because I was creator of the CONCORDEX; was old, was respected, and no one wanted to upset me. GOOD FRIENDS, really good friends, are those who will risk your goodwill and friendship by telling you the truth, even when it hurts. Anyway, I am still straightening out my own mess. I am transferring the shipment of all bookstore orders to De Vorss. (I will still handle Brotherhood orders.) I am changing over my record systems, and hope to redeem myself. I am reorganizing, refilling my whole office. Now, how about things at 533?, probably not as bad as here. Still, you at headquarters are getting by with substandard performance in some ways because of your HIGH CALLING, because we LOVE you, because you are ANOINTED. But, is that an excuse for SELF-ANOINTING? You and I have both been guilty of that. We are both common clay. Both with human weaknesses and mine showed plenty when I looked at them very coldly. And, I was deeply ashamed of myself. Are you certain that the Urantia BOOK is being handled the best way it can be for this earth by all of you? 1. The FOUNDATION'S two purposes are separated by only seven words in its DECLARATION OF TRUST. What program for "dissemination" is the Urantia Foundation pursuing to match its program for "protecting" the text? 2. If the BROTHERHOOD is cited as the "program for dissemination" what is its program today, different from 2 years ago, despite the fact it has an implement of aid - the CONCORDEX, which can make an enormous difference in "dissemination" in several ways? 3. How do we know that we should publish ONLY a hardbound book that will last 20 or 30 years in constant use? Might we not serve the Revelators' and mankind's service better with such a book plus an easy-to-read text that would sell for much less and last only 10 years? 4. Selling only an expensive high-quality Book are we not identifying ourselves as an elite Christian sect? Is this desirable? Pointing to the barefooted blue-jeaned Urantians doesn't alter the fact that many thousands of middle-class conventional families, and millions of "just plain Americans" might much more quickly buy a $12.00 or $15.00 Urantia BOOK than a $20.00 or $22.50 one. 5. Why can't the Urantia Foundation and Brotherhood be served by a coordinate Board of Counselors carefully selected for their experience and acumen, to meet at intervals with trustees and executive committee on specific assignments and problems? It is unfair; it seems to me to burden the few people who live in the Chicago area with all the increasing problems of the Urantia movement. 6. Why cannot someone at headquarters analyze the matter.recognize the existence of the CONCORDEX for what it is and what it does, and begin to bring it into its full recognition at headquarters, and begin to try to serve readers with it for the sake of the GOS PEL; and for the sake of the FOUNDATION'S financial well-being? A. If Dr. Sadler, who was the BOOK'S premier guiding light onto this earth had not felt readers should have an accompanying INDEX AID, he would not have printed the "Index" notice on page lxvi in the early printings of the U. Bk. B. Despite his good intentions, that index did not appear. When that notice was 16 years old, I "Backstopped" the FOUNDATION, published the CONCORDEX, personally, with the full knowledge and blessing of the FOUNDATION. Top headquarters people were aware of what I was doing, visited my place, and inspected my effort. C. It is probably that not one speaker out of 25 has made a talk at all important Urantia gatherings since 1971, who has not depended on some or much help from the CONCORDEX. D. It is not a perfect INDEX, and improve it, as I will in the next edition, it will not be then. For one thing, the right balance for all readers will never be struck between over-indexing, cross-indexing, and keeping the book manageable in size. Subjective judgments of its creator will never please all readers. Nor will they when, as, and if, the Urantia Foundation publishes an index. Still, hundreds of testimonials say the CONCORDEX is a creditable volume. E. To shortchange Urantia BOOK readers now, by holding back on warm and vigorous contemporaneous support of the CONCORDEX WITH THE Urantia BOOK itself, simply because the FOUNDATION may publish an index some DAY is immoral, unUrantiaN, dishonest, unworthy of highly placed people. Far better to fully exploit the CONCORDEX now, and drop it completely later if you wish. At least that would be fairer to readers. 7. Is it possible that appearance of the new printing of the Urantia BOOK could be the occasion for putting into operation a coordinated plan consistent with the Urantia Foundation and Brotherhoood purposes, calculated to achieve the utmost for both organizations while rendering a greatly enlarged service to the spiritually hungry people, and to our unseen friends? Such a program would deliberately coordinate a field effort, to spread from headquarters, involving the Urantia BOOK, its COMPANION AID, the CONCORDEX, STUDY GROUP efforts, and Urantia SOCIEITIES. I submit that the Urantia MOVEMENT has never begun to experience what could happen if the strengths of all its appeals were ever set moving in the field through all possible indicated channels at the same time! EFFECTIVELY as though headquarters MEANT BUSINESS and knew where it was going and what it wanted to achieve! This does not take genius, or scads of money. It takes simple but intelligent "SALES PLANING". There is no other name for it, whether you are spreading religion, or Grape nuts, or ecology. People who do not know me, and a good many of my activities may say I am pushing hard for the CONCORDEX - in order to make money. I am neither dollar nor profit hungry. The arrangements I have made from time to time with the Urantia Foundation and Brotherhood should prove that I am, instead, READER-HUNGRY for our REVELATION and for the CONCORDEX, which helps make Urantia READERS. If I were profit hungry I would never have proposed a 75% discount arrangement for headquarters on the CONCORDEX - which after over 20 weeks had not been acted upon. Later, I proposed a little saner 60% discount for a temporary period, to see if that might induce some action. It didn't. Within a few days I will send you a few-page paper on the CONCORDEX to better acquaint you with it, so you can better make some decisions concerning it. So then, can I. I created the CONCORDEX as a labor of love, not to make a profit. Not to make a living. If 533 will not accept it for what it is and what I created it for, my entire views for distribution may have to change. Presently, I would say 99 readers out of 100 would say the CONCORDEX is a natural and very valuable companion to the Urantia BOOK. They want it with the Urantia BOOK, and WHEN THEY BUY THE Urantia BOOK - at once, if they can afford it. There are some highly intelligent people at 533. The truth about the CONCORDEX must be sensed there. I have had some nice individual testimonial letters from 533, from "those high in authority" there. But there has never been one word or recognition of the CONCORDEX from 533, aside from a request I deed it over to the Urantia FOUNDATION - which in a way, is an endorsement. But NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, has anyone sat down with me and said: "Clyde, we recognize the great value of the CONCORDEX and the extraordinary service it has rendered THE Urantia BOOK and its readers, and how valuable it can be in interesting new readers in the BOOK. We know that almost every Society and Study Group uses the CONCORDEX a great deal, and that almost all speakers use it in preparing talks. We believe there must be ways we could use the CONCORDEX to help sell more Urantia BOOKS, and you have probably thought about this. Let's talk about it. As the first BROTHERHOOD President, Bill Sadler was quoted as saying in THE UrantiaN, "The BROTHERHOOD was designed to sell the Book." The CONCORDEX is now almost 5 years old, and has helped me sell the Urantia BOOK over and over to people who have never held the Urantia BOOK in their hands for more than 5 to 20 minutes. Yet, no one from headquarters has EVER, EVER, EVER, asked me: "IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN USE THE CONCORDEX to do our job better at headquarters?" to sell more Urantia BOOKS? To disseminate the UrantiaN MESSAGE better or more effectively? Or in any way for the good of the Urantia MOVEMENT?" With a new printing of the Urantia BOOK coming off the presses soon, isn't it about time to ask such a question? I have no set plan in mind. But, I would like to see this spiritually hungry nation begin to be nurtured a little more with our Revelation, and a little less with some of what it is being fed. The people are seeking and trying everything imaginable for spiritual sustenance. Are we really happy and satisfied that we are fulfilling our obligations to both the public and the Revelators? When do we stop planning for the pie-in-the-sky future, and begin to feed a few more of the Master's sheep with what we have available? Just a little more assiduously, even now? They are looking for light and comfort. Perhaps we can increase our efforts. I HAVE never yet been disloyal to you people at headquarters, nor will I ever be. But, you would be easier to be loyal to if you would let the fresh chill winds of objectivity blow you before mirrors that will let you see yourselves objectively. You are charged with perhaps the most HOLY responsibility of any group of people on earth. If it can be done better, more effectively, a little more aggressively and courageously, with a little more dispatch, with a little more assistance to others who have the same responsibility, and who take it as seriously as you, have you the obligation to MOVE? Or should you simply "hold the line"? If you are overworked and over-pressured, if your strength wanes, if age handicaps you, what are the alternatives? Are you not BOUND by your holy responsibility to move rather than simply "mark time" or evade the issue? Who am I to advise you? Just one Urantian, but, older than all of you, but one. However, since I faced my own dilemma and am working out its solution, I feel much better and can achieve lots more for the cause I love. Who among Urantians feels as I do? That at headquarters, all is not well? I need not tell you. In your very bones you know there is a malaise in our movement, and it doesn't begin at the extremities and move inward. No matter how you receive this memorandum, I shall continue my Urantian love for all of you, my personal love for those of you I know personally. I have written with mixed feelings as you can imagine, but, all out of love for the cause we all serve, and the people in it. It would be presumptuous and premature to make specific proposals here as to what, in my opinion, would help headquarters most. But, I believe headquarters POSITIVELY MUST HAVE HEROIC HELP, and SOON. I do not want to become personally involved, so I am not writing in behalf of myself - or anyone else, for that matter. When, as, and if, the time ever comes, however, I will, if asked, gladly offer suggestions that may be constructive. Obviously, there are ways out of your problems that will give you all al great sense of relief; that will disseminate the Urantia GOSPEL more effectively - consistently with the majesty and dignity of the Book itself, as well as with the Revelators' mandate. And, that will preserve, if not enhance your positions relative to the entire movement. Indeed, any up-stepped success for the Urantia movement is bound to reflect greatly added credit to headquarters - and rightly. THERE IS someone at headquarters I would love to see light of heart, burdens lifted, happy that her Urantia at 533 was anew, a wellspring of joyous outgoing activity, inspiration, and growth. And then, what Urantians would not be happy.

2019-04-21T12:22:45Z

http://urantia-book.org/mullinshistory/bedell_white_paper_0476.htm

Thank you to Word Press, who Freshly Pressed this piece. I have been deeply moved by the responses. Thank you to the many, many people who have read this post (here on WordPress and on Huffington Post) and shared their kind words or their own stories. I write to impact people, but this one is very personal. I did not expect the response that it got; I’m very grateful to everyone who has shared it, responded to it, or read it. Thank! I don’t know your name, but you killed my father on June 9, 1973, in Stockton, California. My father was thirty-two years old then; I was ten. If he had lived, he would have been 74 on November 29, 2014. I am a 51-year-old woman now; my father has not been with me for most of my life, and yet I still feel his presence; I still miss him. When I was ten, and he was killed, I hated you. In fact, I hated you for many, many years. Somehow I got it in my head that you were a drunk driver and killed him while driving drunk. Perhaps someone told me that, or maybe it’s just what a child creates, to make sense of a senseless world. Admittedly, that story helped me for a while. It gave me a place to focus my pain, anger, and loss. If I hated you, for taking my dad away, I didn’t have to look at so many other pieces. We all need something to grab on to, when we’re drowning. However, many years later my aunt, dad’s sister, told me that you were in fact a good man– young like my father, and that you felt terrible about your part in his death. She told me that she thought you had even come to my father’s memorial service. It was news that challenged me on so many levels; it’s information I’ve chewed on for several years since. I remember the day my father was buried, so well. I remember the funeral home– filled with people, suffocatingly hot in the Stockton heat. I remember that our family sat separately, in an area apart from the other mourners. I was restless, listening to people get up to speak, listening to prayers– to a God I hated. I remember my father, in the casket… It was one of the worst days of my life. If you were sitting there too, I can’t help but wonder what that day felt like for you. I would say this: I’m so sorry for your loss. I know that you were just driving that day; you had no idea that your car and my father’s motorcycle would collide. I can only imagine the pain you’ve felt over the years, having experienced such a trauma. I would tell you that I grew up to be a successful and happy woman. I have three beautiful children and I’ve been married for 28 years, to a very good man. My oldest son looks like my father sometimes– there’s something in his hairline, and the shape of his face. It catches me off guard when I see it, like my father has whispered in my ear: I’m still here with you. I want you to know that I’m alright. I have never stopped missing my dad; I’d give anything to change that day and bring him back. But, I imagine you would too. I’ve fantasized about finding you. I think about what I would say, and how we would both finally put our burdens down together. I would hug you, and say I’m sorry you’ve suffered. Perhaps you put this behind you a long time ago. God knows it’s been a long time– but pain and grief don’t have an expiration date. Given the years, you may not even be alive now. Because his sisters, my aunts, are so youthful and such an important part of my life, I imagine my father would be alive now, too, if your lives had not collided on that day in 1973. However, the reality is he might not have lived to see his 74th birthday, this week. Perhaps we wouldn’t be close, and I’d be worrying about whether it would be awkward to have him here for Thanksgiving dinner– lots of families struggle with conflict. Or, maybe we’d be the happy family I’ve dreamed of– He’d be excited to see his grandchildren; I’d be happy to have my dad here for the holidays, getting together like so many other families. I’d have a birthday present tucked away, for after dinner, and a birthday cake beside the pumpkin pie. These are questions I’ll never answer; there are so many things I’ll never know. But I do know this: if you are still out there, if you still think about my father: Robert Quyle, and the day your lives intersected– put that burden down. He is gone; nothing can change that. We both need to move on, and live our lives fully and gratefully. To the man who killed my father, I forgive you. Aside | This entry was posted in Aging, Awareness, Blogging, Daily Observations, Death, Death of parent, Honest observations on many things, Life, Love, My world, Tales From the Motherland, Writing and tagged Dawn Quyle Landau, death of a parent, grief, letting go, Tales from the Motherland, Thanksgiving. Bookmark the permalink. Dawn, this is such an amazing story and you are so brave to put it down in black and white after all these years. Happy birthday, Robert Quyle. Thank you so much Claire. It’s been writing itself in my head for a very long time. I think I’m just finally moving forward. For real. Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. Quietly, I click like and send a hug. So well put together, this can be written only when we pass a certain age. The older I get, more calm, understanding and forgiving I become, acknowledging life’s true values. I am so proud that you wrote this, because although I don’t really know you, I know there is one more person in the world who was wise enough to forgive and let go. Thank you SO very much. I could not agree more. It’s taken many years to work through these feelings, this life story. It felt really good to write it down and send it out into the world. Thanks for your perceptive, very kind comment; it means a lot. Wow, what a powerful piece of writing, Dawn. You captured so much of the emotions both you and this man must feel. Good for you to forgive him. Sure makes the saying, “every day is precious” ring true. I consider myself a man with a great deal of resliency and a certain kind of “toughness”. No more. I am crying like a baby. What an incredibly touching story. More incredibly, the simple but profound act of forgiveness that took so much courage and fortiturde to perform under such soul-wrenching circumstances. “To err is human, to forgive Divine”. God bless you and this man, Dawn. You have earned it. Thanks so very much Toby. While I’m sorry to make you cry, I’m deeply touched that you did. 😉 Thanks so much for this beautiful feedback; it means so much to me. Thanks so much Susan. I often look at people who are the age he would’ve been, and wonder what he would have looked like, who he would have been– what our relationship would be like. It was time to write this. Thanks! I am a few days older than you father is (to put it that way) and he is the same age as John Lennon is. I hope it is not crass of me to say that I am glad that UK made ‘skid-lids’ compulsory years ago. It is weird to see Americans bareheaded on motorbikes. I just wonder if your father wore head protection. My father was not wearing a helmet. They were not required back then, and he loved riding without one. That said, he died of massive chest injuries. The helmet would not have saved him. Thanks for taking the time to read this post; I appreciate your time and thoughts. What a beautiful story thou have written!! Bless thou for sharing this amazing act if forgiveness. Thank you so much, and welcome to Tales From the Motherland. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story, and share your thoughts. I have friends like you, Cathy. I am blessed. Jueseppi, thank you so much for sharing my work. I really appreciate it! Thanks so much Mike! I feel a lot lighter this morning! Thanks for your continued and always generous support. xo I hope your Thanksgiving, with your daughter and grandsons, is wonderful! Amazing piece, Dawn. Forgiveness can be difficult to give for tragedies like these, but I’m sure letting go, especially after all these years, must be liberating. I feel much lighter and freer this morning. That’s not why I wrote it, but I’m very happy for the outcome. Thanks so much, Carrie! Thank you for writing this mom. It made me shake a little inside. Best of all, I truly believe your Dad–my brother–would want us to forgive. Life is very precious, a thin thread that can be broken at any time. Thank you for this missive, Dawn, and Happy Birthday to my brother! Dawn. I didn’t know we had this in common. We are so close geographically. We must see each other again and talk and talk and talk. Dawn . Very moving and well written . Thanks for reminding me that forgiveness is a blessing . Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, and share your thoughts. Nothing ever truly resolves such tragedy, but forgiveness of all parties goes a long way toward making the world a better place in which to live. Thanks for sharing this reflection. No, there may never be full resolution. There are new things that occur to me all of the time. That said, it feels good to let some of this go. Thanks so much Marie Gail. What a beautiful, brave, and touching post Dawn. Just wow. Thanks so much Melissa! I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by TFTM to read and share your feedback. Beautiful…and very, very empowering. Took my breath away. Thanks so much Eleanor! That is saying a lot… and means a lot, coming from you! What a beautiful, honest, and brave post. Wonderful Dawn! Lyn, I’ve been doing a lot of personal work on this topic. If you can find MFR in your area (Myofascial release) it has been amazing! It’s incredible what we store in our bodies. So, so beautiful Dawn. Beautiful. Thanks so much Kelly! I appreciate you stopping by! Truly amazing and following story that can change many if hatred. Many will do what you’ve done here. It would be wonderful if we all could move forward…. holding on to pain, does not help. Thanks again, Kelly. Kelly, I like your blog. I couldn’t find like or follow icons though! Thank you! I recently moved my blog, so maybe it didn’t redirect you. Just type in http://www.areyoufinishedyet.com and it should take you to the new site. This is moving and fascinating because, in a lot of weird ways, we have some strange parallels! My father was also killed in a motorcycle accident. I was 18 and never felt any anger at the driver, oddly enough. It always seemed like something so random, so ridiculous that no one person could be at fault. It felt bigger than some random garbage truck driver to me. Anyway, thank you for sharing this story. It made me stop and think about the man driving the garbage truck and wish to absolve him of any guilt he might be feeling. We have all kinds of parallels my wonderfully edgy and talented friend! I have to say, I think my anger stems from being so young, and some of the more personal details surrounding his death. That, and the fact that we’re different people… right? 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by R! Wow what a letter! 34 years ago a man killed my cousin. She was 26, I was 17 and she had lived with us for part of her growing up. I miss her most of the time, but I have to admit that I no longer think of her constantly. While I don’t know why she was murdered, I do know that it was not an accident. Death shapes our lives as does life: who we are missing, who we pine for. Sounds like you have come a long way to be able to write this post. Hope you have a happy thanksgiving and give your boy, the one who most resembles your father, a special hug. Thanks so much Heidi, and I’m so sorry for that horrible loss. My entire life has been shaped by loss and death. It is very deep in my veins. This was just the first, and most traumatic. Thank you so much for your thoughtful and very personal response. I really appreciate you sharing. Dawn…an amazing heartfelt story and I am sincerely sorry for your loss. I’m certain your dad still lives in your heart. You never have to stop celebrating the day he was born and you can spend the rest of your life celebrating his birth. Wishing you peace and joy this holiday. Thank you, Dawn…what a perfect story for Thanksgiving week. I hope this post helps others lay down their burdens of anger, remorse, regret, bitterness…whatever negative emotions they are carrying for whatever reason. I wish you and your beautiful family a most Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you, I needed to learn this lesson. Thank you for visiting Tales From the Motherland; your time and energy are much appreciated. Wow. Wow. Thank you, Dawn…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B75F1vo5864 (but it seem to lack subtitles). Björn, thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I’ll check out the links! thanks. Wow. What a touching story. You are such a strong woman. I often look at my children (ages 10 and 5) and silently pray to God that nothing happens to their father and me because their world would be destroyed. I see through your story that while it would certainly be the worst thing in their lives, yet they would ultimately be okay. I admire you so much. Thank you so much Janine. Your kind words mean a lot. No doubt, every parent shares those fears! Wow! Look at the flood of emotions and stories you opened up for so many folks today! If the man is still living, I’m sure that this moment in life is with him, just tucked away, but not forgotten. Thank you for writing about this. You have often talked about losing your dad when you were so young. This really seems like a closure after all. Thanks Mama. No doubt, there is never full closure after this kind of loss, but I feel like I’ve got closure around this part of it. I appreciate your support! Each of us is on our own path, and forgiveness is both personal, and not always attainable– I believe. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit TFTM, read this post, and share your thoughts; it’s much appreciated. Welcome to Tales From the Motherland, and thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, and share your thoughts. Such an inspiring, thoughtful, and touching read… And I can continue on with a number of different adjectives that describe this amazing post. A very moving story of forgiveness- you’re so strong on so many levels. Wow! Thanks so much unbelievablyunbounded! I really appreciate your very kind feedback. And thanks so much for visiting TFTM; your time is much appreciated. So sorry about your loss. I am happy you see him in your son’s face, and hear him whispering he is there. I’ve no doubt he is. Saw the movie “Book of Life” with my kids recently. If you can tolerate a children’s movie, see it next time you miss your dad. It gave me great solace regarding dealing with death of loved ones. Thanks so much indsay. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks so much for stopping by Tales From the Motherland! I salute you! Your strength is admirable! I really appreciate that; thanks for taking the time to visit TFTM and share your feedback. Your time and kind words are much appreciated. Your heart in this post is a beautiful gift to behold. Thank you. Thank you so much clumsytrex. Your generosity is much appreciated. Thank you so much; I really appreciate that. Yea, its true that pain has no expiration date…its been five years and I still miss my dad…i miss him everyday….and the pain has not gone nor it pained less. I really understand your pain, and I’m so sorry for your loss, suvidhakannan. Thanks for taking the time to visit Tales From the Motherland, to read my story about my father. Clearly it is a personal topic for you as well. That means a lot to me. P.s. I am not expert but I just felt. None of us are “experts” when it comes to grief and loss. I really admire you for sharing here. Thanks! Such a beautiful thread, from your letter to the voices of family, friends, and strangers standing beside you in a place of forgiveness. Too often tragedy shelters us from peace, casting long shadows over joy as we struggle to move past a loss. I hope your words travel far, chasing shadows and inviting peace. Marie, your comment is very meaningful and kind. Thank you so much for stopping by Tales From the Motherland, to read my story and share your wonderful words. Thanks so much, itsallbuki. I hope my father would be proud of me. That said, I’m honored that you took the time to read this and share your kind words. Welcome to TFTM; I hope you’ll stop by again. After reading I thinks for a while WHAT SHOULD I COMMENT ,But There is NO words .YOU truly Great Dawn. Hasan202, those are some very kind words! Thanks so much. I appreciate you stopping by Tales From the Motherland; I hope you’ll come by again. This is truly powerful and made me tear up. Thanks Jordan! It’s good to move people… I appreciate your time and feedback. Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to read it. A penetrating piece of remission. My heart bleeds and your fortitude, I admire. The ability to come this far in life without paternal guidance is quite simply inspirational. I salute you Ma’am. Your Dad would be proud. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Amen. Thank you very much nfadera. Your thoughtful words are much appreciated. Thanks so much for sharing my work; I really appreciate it! Loved reading your article. Good day! Thanks so much. I appreciate you taking the time to visit TFTM; please stop by again. What a beautiful post. Your an amazing woman! Thanks so much Tales. Read a few more of my posts and you may find me less impressive! 😉 Thanks so much for your kind words and for taking the time to read my work. It’s much appreciated! sre thing,also trying to bring our new blog to reality and touching,most of all,the very lives of those who love to read,and of course,write. Follow us and we will sirely follow you back,hoping you wouldnt mind us rebloging some content☺ Enchante! I never mind someone reblogging my material, as long as they provide a link to Tales From the Motherland, and give credit for my writing. Thanks for your request. To Become A New, We may all Need To Let Go, To Forgive, To Live, Leaving the Life of The Fallen Leaf and Letting Peace Fill Us, To Feel yet again.. In memory of 100 years, the aftermath of The First World War… Long Live The Mother Earth!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, and for sharing it on your blog. Your time and kindness are much appreciated. To hell with the 500 likes, you are worth so much more than that! Brave enough to bare such a personal thing, and loving enough to extend forgiveness, your precious spirit is a great example of what it means to be redeemed. We need a “love” button here, I love love love this kind of writing, this kind of person. Mwah! Thank you SO much Joan! Such kind, inspiring words; they are much appreciated indeed. Great life story. We all have to look at forgiveness for a host of life altering circumstances. Sometimes hard to dig deep and agree with ourselves that we need to forgive. What a relief when we do no matter the cause of our pain. We never know when we may be in need of forgiveness ourselves as a result of our walk in life and that will include the common everyday need or our part in a life altering situation for others we may come to be unforeseeably involved. Welcome to Tales From the Motherland; I really appreciate you stopping to read my words. True words indeed, brookscarpet! I have certainly needed forgiving, and admit that giving it is not always as easy as wanting it. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and leave your thoughtful comment. I’m grateful. Thank you, we all can do well to look for the good before looking at faults or reasons for blame. Our nature, however on the average is to see adverse before good. Our struggle in life, works far better once we attribute to others, that which we desire ourselves, to be given a chance to be understood and have opportunity to make it right. Forgiveness opens doors that will be closed to us otherwise. Even, fault related change in a persons life as a result of another persons habits or negligence, if any, over unforseen occurrences that will visit all of us sooner or later, in some way, big or small, will have a good associated with it if we are willing to see through forgiving eyes of faith, in, for the most part, others true intention is to want to do good. Usually, the related benefit is like your article, in that, your life experience now publicized, can help many with their struggle and help them see others understand and so we are not alone. We can be in it together. What a wonderful thought! It would be wonderful if anyone else is helped by my sharing. While this is my personal journey, there are so many others who have experienced their own losses. Thanks again brookscarpet. Oh, Jouwiee, I am so very sorry for your loss. I might feel very differently if my father had been murdered. As a child, it felt the same: an accident and murder. Either way, my father was dead and I felt empty. As an adult, who has had lots of time to grieve, and work out my feelings, I’ve realized that I need to let go of my anger, to be healthier– myself. Let yourself grieve; it’s so important. Check out the site SLAP’D (https://www.slapd.com/) it’s a great source of support. I wish you healing and peace, as you work through your feelings. Thank you so much for stopping by Tales From the Motherland. I so appreciate you taking the time to read my story, and share your very personal, painful thoughts. I’m left without words, except to say that I am so sorry even after all this time, for your loss. For the memories that you have missed. I commend you for your bravery in putting this post out there. I hope the healing continues. Best wishes. Thank you so much for your thoughtful, kind words. There is so much that I have missed, but I am who I am for both the missing and the having. Thanks for taking the time to visit Tales From the Motherland– to read and comment. Your time is much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read and share this story. I really appreciate it! Amazing!!! The bible tells us if we fail to forgive others he won’t forgive us. Forgiveness is a blessing straight from Gods heart to yours. God bless you. Thank you very much rebieswalley. I appreciate your kindness. Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind comment, and the time you took to read this. Personally I have been asked this question in passing…what would you do to the man who killed your father? I had an idea of what I would do and so did the person asking the question, but to us it was purely hypothetical. Thank you for sharing a story that is quite personal and for giving me a glimpse into another prospective of a now realistic scenario. This gives me hope in the kind and forgiving nature of humanity. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I’m sorry you lost your father too. I don’t know the circumstances, but we each have our own journey. It looks very different depending on where you’re coming from. I’m glad this letter shed a new light on a painful situation. I am sorry for the misunderstanding my father is alove and well but being a student amd coming from a cultire that puts quite an importance on family. I was ask hypothetically what I would do if said situation had happened. I had said that I would forgive that person if it would have happened. I thank you for showing me that what I thought was an idealistic situation (forgiveness) is a realistic one as well. No, thank you for clarifying. It’s a wonderful thing to aspire to… though it is often different when we find ourselves IN something. I appreciate your kind words. Thank you again…true but your post puts things into prospective. Hoping to help the man who killed her father come across this post. God bless you both. Thank you so much for sharing my work! It is much appreciated. Your father must be smiling down on you. Your writing and all of these beautiful comments must surely have touched him. What an incredible response to this work of yours! Varanasi is one of my favorite cities in the world. Why have you sent only your email address? I started my blogging today…! I wish i could collect some followers. The best way to get new followers is to write, write, write! Post things that are of interest to you, on your blog. Reblogging other posts is a nice thing to do, but others readers most appreciate finding new things that they know you have written. The next most important thing to do, to get followers, is to leave comments on other people’s blogs. Try not to put your email address or your blog link in the comment (a lot of bloggers don’t like that). Say something sincere about the blog post you are commenting on, and people will eventually find their way to your blog. Tell your friends and family to read your work; hopefully they will tell others. When I first started blogging, I had NO followers for weeks!! Then I had one. I read other bloggers’ work; I commented and got to know them, and eventually they followed me too. Congratulations on starting your blog! Thanks for reading my letter. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my work. Absolutely beautiful, Dawn. And what a powerful way to set yourself free, a heartfelt letter. Brave, bold and moving- never a surprise coming from you. I can’t imagine your father would be anything but deeply proud of you. Such a great powerful article ,… made me cry ! forgiveness brings peace but only strong people have this quality. Thank you so much Shreya. I have had many years to find my strengths (and my weaknesses). No sooner do I find it, and it’s challenged again. Life is that way. Thanks so much for visiting Tales From the Motherland. I appreciate your time and kind works. Thank you so much for reading this post and sharing your encouraging feedback. Dawn this was the first blog I have ever actually read all the way through. I must say you truly have a big heart, most people will go their whole lives with hate and remorse. It was a very moving piece of your life you have shared with us. And I am blessed to say I got to share it with you. Happy birthday to your father. I know he’s looking down on you. And now you have added yet another heart you have captured with your story. Leila, I’m very honored that you read this post all the way through. I debated for a while, whether to even post it. I wanted to write it, and have it be meaningful. Writing it, in itself was meaningful… but putting it out into the world, demanded that I really think about my intention and belief. Once I hit publish, I felt relieved… I needed to move through this one; it’s been a very long time, carrying it. I really appreciate you taking the time to visit TFTM; I’m grateful you took the time to read this, and share your thoughtful feedback. Thanks! Though it took so long, but that is a forgiving heart. Thank you for sharing my work; it’s much appreciated! I feel happy for you that you found peace. I wish the other person does too. The only way is forward but with a mirror in our hand to see what we lost and what we gained. Although I know human lives cannot be ‘valued’ but I do know that we must look at everything we gain. You grew strong, independent. Maybe your dad not being there made you take some important decisions shaping who you are today. May Peace be within you. Thank you Ashhar. I have no doubt that I am a different person today, than I would have been had my father lived. Of course, I would trade that in a second, for the years I lost with him– but there’s no doubt that we are who we are, for the steps we’ve taken and the experiences we’ve had. I appreciate you visiting Tales From the Motherland; come by again! This is a very good write-up. And about something we should learn too. What a powerful story to write about! I salute your courage. Bless your journey. Beautiful! Thank you so much, Rina. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment; it means a lot. Dawn, this showed up in my reader yesterday and today. Today i finally read it. My heart is filled with many emotions. I shared this on FB in hopes that others will, too. I’m honored that you read it, and that you shared it. Thank you for your time and kindness; it is much appreciated. Thanks so much Terri! In this SEA of new people commenting, it’s wonderful to see a familiar face. Thanks for supporting TFTM for so long! It means a lot. I feel for you. I inderstand how some of the commenters see that you wrote this with elegancre, no hatred. I lost my grandmother about 6 years ago. She however was murdered. Should I write a letter to her killer, it would be loathsome. I agree bfoxygrandma. My situation is vastly different than yours, and that of a couple other commenters. I don’t think I could write the same letter, if my father had been murdered… his loss has been too hard, as it is. I guess (and this is personal), over time, it was letting go… or moving through, my own anger and loss, to not carry that around– For ME, not anyone else. I’m SO very sorry for your loss. It is horrible beyond comprehension. I hope you can find peace and healing… however that is for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my letter. hank you for sharing my work; it’s much appreciated! Dear Dawn, this is the very first post I’ve read on wordpress, and believe me, I am moved and solely touched by it. Although I don’t know you, I am so proud that you shared this, and were wise enough to forgive and let go. Happy thanksgiving! Welcome to Word Press, blogging, and Tales From the Motherland, mahafaisalsheikh96! I’m honored that you landed here first, and grateful that my work touched you. Honestly, I’m proud of myself too… this took far too long! Again, thank you for stopping by. I hope you’ll visit again, and share your thoughts. Dear Dawn, I am sorry for the many years of father/daughter moments of which you were cheated in the tragic and untimely loss of your dad. I lost my father seven years ago. . Although we had a full lifetime of memories/moments (we spoke every day) it still feels like it was not long enough. I can only imagine how you feel. I too heard that NPR program you wrote of and was haunted by the stories. One stayed with me involving the man who relayed his tale of accidentally shooting his brother in a hunting accident while both were boys. More tragically, his mother’s pleas that she did not want her younger son to go along that day, went unheeded. I believe the man in that story after wandering the world for a time eventually did something with his life to alleviate the pain though can’t recall what exactly it was, though he claimed it brought him peace. I hope you too can find that peace. My younger sister was struck by a hit and run driver when she was six years old. Although she only broke her leg, I often wonder about that driver and how he slept at night never knowing if he had killed a child. If you have time to visit my blog, I wrote a short tribute to my own father entitled “In The Company of Women” about his devotion to his four daughters. Your post was beautiful. Your father would be proud. Wow! I am in tears reading this. I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story, it touched me deeply. You’re in my prayers! Thank you so much Meal-issa. I’m honored that you stopped by TFTM and took the time to read and comment. Thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time to visit Tales From the Motherland, to read and comment. Thank you so much for the time you took to read this and comment. Your kind words are much appreciated. ‘Tis amazing, I could envisioned vivid pictures of all the scenarios, that was a big leap you took. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment; it’s much appreciated. I’m so sorry about your loss. This story is amazing. Happy Birthday to your father! Thank you for your kind words, and for taking the time to stop by TFTM. Thank you very much. It means a lot to me, that readers were touched by my experience. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment; your time is much appreciated. Your story has touched my heart. How would I react to have someone I dearly love be taken from me. Could I forgive? Today I heard a story of a family that went to a prison to forgive the murderer of their only child. How do they find enough love in their hearts to allow this man such freedom? I look at your story, at these people’s gift to a man who took the most precious thing in their lives away, never being able to tell your loved one again that you love them. Never to celebrate new discoveries, birthday, marriages, births and losses together, gone forever. I pray I’m never in this situation but I pray harder that I will find the love you found to have forgiveness in my heart and love to those who have wronged me. Jesus forgave his murderers, you forgave a lost soul. The least we all can do is live to follow such amazing love for mankind. May God bless you for your understanding and love. May he bless us all with forgiving hearts and neverending, unconditional love. Thank you, you’ve touched my soul. Than you so much for your very kind words. I do want to clarify however, the man who killed my father is not a “lost soul.” He was a good man, involved in an accident. It took me a long time to move through my feelings; I’m honored that this letter touched you. Dawn, In 1980 my brilliant inventor husband was murdered. My three children were very young and with one phone call my life changed forever. It took me ten years to cry and write our story. (BEHIND THE MAGIC MIRROR) We still don’t know who the killer is for sure, but the best of my husband lives within my successful and talented children. At the time I was angry, ‘Why me God?’ Well, that one moment’s change in our lives has given us a passion and a cause to help others who are hurting. Nothing happens without a reason. I am so happy you have forgiven and are moving forward. It would be very good for him to know that. I hope you can find him to release his burden as well. Thanks for sharing. Sandra, thank you so much for taking the time to read this story and leave this wonderful comment. It means so much! I am so sorry for your horrific loss; it must have been unbearable at the time, but yes, things happen for a reason, whether we know that reason or not. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. Forgiveness for something so catastrophic is just mountain-forming slow. This is powerful stuff. Thanks for sharing. Thank you. While I think it’s unlikely he’ll see it, it is a great thought! And I really appreciate you sharing my work. Thank you so much for reading this and sharing my work. Thank you very much for sharing your experience. It got me to better understand people in the same situation. Happy birthday! Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and share your thoughts. Good for you for sharing your sad story and being able to forgive the person who killed your dad. I don’t know the circumstances of your dad’s death, but as a city police officer in a large urban area, I see death all the time and wonder about the people before me, probably more than I should. Who will miss this dead person? What would he have been like had he lived to be an old man? Those sorts of things. Your dad’s killer surely carries a weight on his heart that troubles him from time to time. Unless he’s not human, it has to. Good luck to you. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and for sharing your personal response. I have often wondered about all of the first responders who face this all of the time. Thank you for doing a job that is challenging on so many levels! Made me cry. It’s amazing how far you’ve come and the emotions you’ve worked through this time to get where you are now. Hugs. Thank you so much. It has indeed been a long journey. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. Moving letter to the man who killed her father. Thank you so much for reading my work and then sharing it. Your time and kindness are much appreciated. Thank YOU for taking the time to read my story, and share your thoughts. It is much appreciated. Reblogged this on Lily the Diabetic. Lily, thank you so much for sharing my work; it is much appreciated! Yours is a heartfelt story of forgiveness, told with loving care. Thank you for sharing with the world. I can only give you a applause on the letter that you wrote to someone that has taken someone so close to. You carry strength in your forgiveness. Thank you very much Bonae. I appreciate your response. Very impressive read.. And a catchy title. I had to stop and read when i saw it in my feed. Ill be stopping by your fb page. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, comment, and visit my FB page; I really appreciate your time and thought. This is a wonderful piece that should be read by anyone who is grieving. It makes me rethink my own feelings about my father’s death, though it was much later, and due to a medical mistake. I like the way you acknowledge the hole, but also are able to move on with life still in the presence of the hole and his presence. I need to work on that. Thank you. Thank you. I am not sure that the “hole” can ever be filled, but it helps to fill some of it with forgiveness. Moving through hard things is a positive way of feeling good about the positives, while not remaining stuck in the negative stuff. I appreciate your time. Welcome to Tales From the Motherland, sahanish45. I appreciate the time you took to read and comment. I hope you will come back and read more! Reblogged this on Creative Writings from Ziqane. Thank you so much for reading and sharing my work; it is much appreciated. Very powerful post. Shared on FB. Hope you find the man. Thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time. Am touched by your story …its difficult to forgive but we have to.Life must go on…thanks for sharing Madame. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment; it is much appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and share my work; it’s much appreciated. A beautifully written and raw insight on love, anger and growth. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your feedback, and the time you took to read my story. This is so touching, I am proud of you and you are a strong women! Thank you so much for sharing my work. Your time and kindness is much appreciated. This is the best thing I’ve ever read. Wow! Thanks for taking the time to read it and share your thoughts. It’s much appreciated. Tragic yet the power and freedom that comes with forgiveness can be liberating. Thanks so much for sharing my work. I appreciate the time you took to read and share my work. Thanks! Wow – it impresses me that you are replying to each post. I have a cousin who was killed in her car by a train many years ago, as young as your dad, and I never thought much until today about the engineer and how that effected his life. I didn’t blame him but maybe he needs to feel forgiven, too. Thank you. Thanks so much for reading my work. I’m so sorry about your cousin. That must have been a real trauma for your family. I have a cousin who is a train engineer, ironically. It is in fact a VERY traumatic thing for engineers, and there are all kinds of counseling options for them, but many really struggle with that. Suicide, on train tracks is very common, and they carry a lot of guilt. Regarding comments: I have always responded to every comment. I feel strongly, that if you, or anyone else takes the time to read my work, I’m sincerely honored and grateful. I was published on Huffington Post for the first time on Sunday– a very controversial piece. The comments have been pretty hateful, and while I tried to keep up at first, I was advised (by “the professionals”) that I should not continue. It was exhausting and there’s no answer for some of the remarks… that happened the day after this was FP’ed; so there were literally hundreds of comments to answer! I really appreciate you noticing that… as it’s something I try hard to honor. Again, thanks for your time and thought. I’ve been reading your blogs. And excitedly decided to follow you. Thanks so much! I’m honored, and grateful. Pial, thank you for reading my story. In general, it’s appreciated if you leave a few words, rather than just leaving your own blog link. Thanks for taking the time. I loved your letter, and if I had been that unfortunate driver, I would be greatly comforted. Your father would be proud of the positive way you have processed your loss and grief. Your children will profit from this, and so his death is elevated to an enduring presence in the family. Thank you so much! Those are very comforting words; I appreciate both your time and your kindness. I hope you’ll stop by to read more at TFTM. Very touching letter…I hope the person it is addressed to find it and liberate himself to live rest of his life in peace. And, you dear are really a courageous soul! Bless you! Thank you very much, Ema. I so appreciate your kind words and the time you took to leave them. Thanks for stopping by TFTM! I totally agree. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, and read my story. Jessica I appreciate the time you took to read my work and share it; thank you. Thank you so much. I’m honored that you took the time. Reblogged this on i left my bucket in africa. Morgan, thank you for taking the time to read and share my work; it is much appreciated. Amazing story , a brave women share her tragedy and how she forgive after all these years . Thank yo so much. I’m not sure I am all that brave, but it was certainly time to move on. Thank you for sharing my work. I almost choked up, and I never do that. You’re a lot braver than I could ever be. Such a powerful piece. It’s inspired me to think about writing a piece about losing my dad. You’re an incredible writer. I am truly inspired. Thank you so much! I hope you will indeed right that. This post was published on Huffington Post today. It’s an honor that so many people have taken the time to read it, and share their thoughts. Woo, its the one amazing thing I’ve ever read. Its really very amazing. While I was reading the letter, I was feeling like, I am watching the whole thing in front of me. A very moving letter. You have done well to reach the point of forgiveness. I hope you do find out more about what happened and the driver involved. It would be amazing if you could ever meet him – for the sake of both you. I am sure the man must have been devastated. I can only imagine, but yes, it would be deeply meaningful to meet him. I’ve been very touched by the many responses. It was published on Huffington Post today, and I can only hope the responses there are as kind. Thank you for taking the time! Thanks Fiona; that means a lot. Btw very good blog, very entertaining OP! Thanks so much for your very personal response – What a truly challenging set of events. I’m so sorry for your loss. I don’t believe that finding answers always helps, but I do agree that your life sounds full and hopefully happy. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and share your own experience. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and read my work; it is much appreciated. Your welcome and thanks for following. To free yourself from the weight that you have carried for so many years will allow to see the memories of your father ever more clearly. Like you mentioned, you can only guess how life would have turned out if that day was different. However, you have 10 years of wonderful memories that you can now see in full view. Good for you. I wish you all the best this and every holiday season. Thank you Robert. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, and read my work. Un artículo único…la importancia del perdón. Muchas gracias. I appreciate you sharing my work. Wow, this brought me to tears. Not just the few that slowly fall from your eyes, but the kind that pour out and leave you breathless. You’re a strong woman! I’m sorry to make you cry, Kailey, but grateful that you read my work and were moved. 😉 Thanks! Thank you very much! I appreciate you taking the time. Firstly, thank you for sharing something so personal. It’s amazing how you put the past behind. How your long built hatred changed into a silent understanding. If I were to name you as a character in my stories, perhaps you would be The Forgiving. 🙂 have a great day. Thank you so much. I’m not sure I’ve earned that name; it took me an awfully long time to get there! Growing up helped! 😉 I appreciate you taking the time for my story; thanks! Reblogged this on GLOBAL RADIO NETWORK. Thank you for sharing my work; I really appreciate it! I’m so sorry for your loss. Losing your mother must have been very traumatic. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story, and share yours. Thank you! i’ve never experienced a loss like yours but this post hit home for me because I’m not the best at letting go of old grudges. Thank you for this and I’m sorry for your pain. Danika, I still work on that too! This one took me 40 years! :-p Thanks for taking the time to read this story, visit my blog and comment; it’s much appreciated! This brought me to tears! Beautiful, i will reblog!! Very moving, emotional and touching post! Please read.. Thank you so much for sharing my story; I really appreciate it. My pleasure…i Hope i help uin some way to reach ur destination…God bless!..Blessings from India! India! India is my favorite place, and somewhere I’ll want to return to. Thank you! You must have had a Very tough Heart to write this!..How important Forgivness is a part of human life! Thank you ReynoldRV9, I think. A “tough heart,” is that a compliment? I appreciate you taking the time to read my work and comment. Vanessa, thank you so much for sharing my work; I really appreciate your kindness. Learning to live with life is probably harder to do than dealing with death. The most important line and the best line I read was the “I forgive you” at the end. Thank you for stopping by to read my post on Tales From the Motherland, Activist. I appreciate your time and perspective. Sooo very moving! So brave of you to do the one thing that we always need to do to heal – forgive and let go of the past. I had a very complex relationship with my Dad, and I can’t remember him without being weighed down with thoughts of what might have been… He died 7 years ago at 81. I think that it’s much harder to move on from the complexities of a relationship that took place over many years. I hope you can find peace, and move through this– for your own piece of mind. Thank you so much for sharing my work; I really appreciate it. I’m so sorry for your loss, greeniechicken. In certain respects, I imagine that would be harder, as a young woman to lose your dad, when there’s so much more life that you’d love to share with him. Again, I’m so sorry. I appreciate you taking the time to visit TFTM and share your experience. Thanks for that gab7107. I really appreciate the hug and the kind words. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit TFTM; it’s much appreciated. I felt quite emotional reading that. Wow. So heartfelt, full of pain, love and forgiveness. Not everyone could set that pain and anguish aside. Even fewer could share their thoughts so well. I think your Dad is looking down and glowing with pride for you. Thank you so very much for this very thoughtful and kind feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to read my work and share your thoughts. Thanks! This is so amazingly beautiful. The sound of forgiveness and compassion in your letter is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard! I’m so sorry for your loss, but God will make it up to you. He’s already started… by giving you a loving husband and three wonderful kids (though no one can take the place of your precious father). Take care and all the best to you! Thank you very much for your very kind comment. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work, and share our thoughts. Reblogged this on Tanya's Blog – 'Seeing Beyond the Natural, Student: Me … Professor: God' – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IT2GIOS http://www.tanyartaylor.com. Thank you so much for reading my work and sharing it; it is much appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and share my work. It’s much appreciated! Wow what a beautifully written post. I could feel each emotion as I read it. I too lost my father in a motorcycle accident. It’s been 14 years and I have finally found peace with it but I clearly remember the anger that goes along with such a loss. I wish you luck in finding the man you are looking for. Thank you so much Missy; I appreciate your time and your sharing. I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s a difficult thing to carry; I’m glad you’ve found peace. Thank you for taking the time to read and share my work. I really appreciate your time and kindness. Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to read it and share your feedback. You are absolutely right , there is no expiration date when it comes to pain. I still have not grieved for my father and it has been years. I am afraid if i do allow myself to grieve that he will just ” not be” anymore. I feel if I still hurt over his loss that I still have something there, like he is still here. I am not sure if that makes any kind of sense , it does in my head, than again I am an odd thinking person. Your story is inspiring and you are a very strong person to be able to forgive. Do not get me wrong, the man does have a right to be forgiven considering it truly was an accident. i just am not that strong . YET… Thank you for sharing your story. Constance, thank you so much for reading my story and sharing yours. I think forgiveness is a very personal thing, but I was just telling someone very close to me, today, that holding on to grief doesn’t really help anyone, but often holds us back from other emotions, we could be experiencing. Only you can figure that out, but maybe there’s a good way to focus that grief into something that helps you move forward. I think it’s very unlikely that your father will ever be gone; clearly you will always hold him close. 🙂 Thank you for sharing! Reblogged this on Through the eyes of Sam Son. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and share my work; it is much appreciated. This is so admirable and I sincerely hope this letter finds its way to whom it was meant for. Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to read and share this. You’re welcome. I have also lost a parent too soon and your words really spoke to me. Good luck. I’m so sorry for your loss; I’m touched that my words touched you. It’s a tough loss for sure! Thank you; that is so kind of you. I appreciate you taking the time to read and share this. Sorry! But thank you for taking the time to read and share this; it is much appreciated. This is heart warming. Thanks for sharing! Thank YOU for taking the time to read it; I really appreciate that. Please pray for the Philippines as we brace for a new supertyphoon this weekend. Regards and more stories ftom you. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Prayers for you safety and well being. True wisdom and true strength. You’re an inspiration and I hope that for anyone still clinging to hatred, May they find the peace you have found at last. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind words, and the time you took to read this and comment. Wow, amazing story. My eyes welled up. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I appreciate your kind response. Wow. Just wow. I will like and share this. You have an amazing heart and are an exmaple of the evolution of thr human psyche. I applaud you. I hope this reaches the intended reader. You’ve also helped me as a writer and fledgling blogger. Thank you so much, O. Salim. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work and share such a meaningful comment. I hope you’ll check out more on Tales From the Motherland. Time can heal all wounds. The heart and the mind evolve, if you let them. Thanks, Dawn. Thank you so much for sharing my work. It is a wonderful compliment, and much appreciated. Thank you for reblogging my work. I appreciate you taking the time to read and share it. You are very welcome. I don’t think that there are many people in this world who can take a step back and see it the way that you have been able to. I know it does not stop the pain, but it is very brave. I am so glad you shared, very touching! Thank you for sharing my work, KeniChè. I appreciate the time you took to read it and share it with others. Help her find the man she is seeking. Thanks so much for sharing my work; your time and energy are much appreciated. Reblogged this on Essays From an Aging Youth. Thank you so much for sharing my work Aaron; I appreciate your kindness. This is the most moving piece I’ve read in a long time, thank you for sharing. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it and share your thoughts. Interestingly, it was featured on Huffington Post too, and received much less notice. Word Press is amazing that way! Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, share your thoughts and then share the post. Ironically, it got a lot less notice on Huffington Post; I was hoping it might be seen by more people there, and perhaps reach the “right” hands. It would be amazing to find the man I wrote it for. Thanks again for your thoughtful comment! This article really touched my heart. I have shared this and reblogged it. I sincerely hope that others share this essential message too. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work and share it; thanks! This is so incredible and I applaud you for being able to find peace, something so many struggle with. This is such a beautiful piece and I hope one day you do manage to find this man so you can find peace together. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my post and share your thoughts. Sheila, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. I appreciate you taking the time to read my work and share it. All I can say is Wow. You are an amazing woman. I am deeply sorry for the loss of your father, especially at such a young age, but you seem to have turned into a wonderful, thoughtful, beautiful woman. Thank you for sharing. And thank you so much AndiMirandi, for your thougtful feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to read my work, and share your generous thoughts. It’s so brave ur ! It must be hard to forgive a man who changed your whole life.—forgiveness release yourself. Thank you so much, chengdouxing. I really appreciate your kind words. This is amazingly touching. The strength you show in letting go of revenge is inspiring. Thank you so much for your kind words and your time. I appreciate you sharing my work. Do you mind me asking how the desire for revenge made you feel all those years? I can’t say that I felt a desire for revenge… I just felt angry, and lost. I missed my dad; I felt sad. I don’t think I ever thought about getting even, or wanting revenge. Thanks for taking the time. You’re very welcome. I had an experience with deep enduring anger. For me, the scariest part was my desire for revenge. The end of my anger was, I’m ashamed to say, more a consequence of fatigue than anything else. Your story really brought it back to me. Thanks. When you say “really brought it back to me,” I’m hoping my story did not bring back the anger? As for fatigue… I’m personally not sure whether it matters how we let the anger go (short of fulfilling revenge or harm to self/ others) but letting it go, eventually, is a great place to start healing. All the best! I just wanted you to know that your story touched me and that I know your father is very proud of you. Be at peace. Thank you so much, Doug. It’s been a long journey to this juncture. Aloha! Words fail me…. but i would like you to know how deeply your letter has touched my heart…. i look for goodness in this world, coz i know it is still out there, it HAS to be…. and when i find little treasures like this, i should feel blessed… and i do….. My good wishes with you. Thank you so much! It has been really amazing to me just how many people have read this, here on WordPress! When it was published on Huffington Post, it barely got noticed. What a wonderful community here; thank you for being a part of that, and for your kind words. They are much appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and share your thoughts. What a beautiful example of courage and vulnerability and forgiveness! Thank you for sharing. Your letter really touched my heart. Bless you for being so brave and open! Thank you so much LittleT; I’m grateful for your kind feedback, and the time you took to read and comment. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story, and share your thoughts. Thank you so much for reading my story and sharing it. I appreciate your kind support. I’m hoping to help this woman locate the man she’s seeking. This is a great story and one I think most people can relate to. One simple incident causes ripples that are felt decades later. Thank you so much for sharing my story, winterschild67. I appreciate your time, and your kind efforts to share this family. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and share it. Your time and energy are much appreciated. WOW !!! This was so nice to read even thou I needed a box of tissues on hand thanks for sharing this. Thank you so much Jessie! I really appreciate you taking the time to read it and leave your thoughts. Dear Dawn, I had no idea that you went through this. I am so very sorry that you really never knew your father. My Dad was wonderful, but I did lose him when I was 32 of a heart attack. Somehow, I always thought I was robbed of my Daddy. Walking through the airport the night he died, I noticed all the men that were my Dad’s age (he was 61) and thought to each one of them “Why couldn’t it have been you and not my Dad? Silly thought by a young woman with four young children and a wonderful husband. I was mad at the world and yes, I was mad at God for taking him too.soon – I wanted him for my mother, my boys and my sister and her family. Nan, I’m so sorry for your loss. There is no time that is easy for that huge loss. Thanks for your kind words and support. My life’s path was changed that day, for sure… but I accept that. Thank you so much for sharing my work. It is much appreciated. A beautiful post Dawn. So very well written and so much from the heart. Well done. Thanks Sandra. It’s taken on a life of its own… but your feedback means a lot. Thanks for taking the time. Reblogged this on sola rey. Thank you so much for sharing my work; it’s much appreciated. Thank you so much for your kind comment, and for sharing my work. This letter was very freeing for me, and I’m glad it touched so many other people. Thank you so much for sharing my work; your kindness is much appreciated. Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work and share it. Thank you. Your kind comment means a lot, and thank you for sharing my work. Thanks for reading my work and sharing it on your blog. Your time is much appreciated. I’ve read several stories, where a victim’s family wants to make peace with the person or people who took their loved one away. A brave act indeed. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story, and share it. I haven’t read that many stories, but did hear the one piece on NPR– it was very moving. I had NO idea this post would be so big…. If you know this person please let the author know so she can speak with him. Thank you so much for reading my work and sharing it. Your kindness is much appreciated. “pain doesn’t always have an expiration date” this is so beautiful! it feels like i am letting go and also in some way receiving forgiveness. you are a very brave person! and it hurts my heart to know about the hole in your lives. Trish, thank you so much for your very kind words. I think that grief is enduring, but we heal. I am a stronger person for the things I’ve grieved. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work, and for visiting Tales From the Motherland. I appreciate your lovely feedback. Incredible writing Dawn. I wrote a similar letter when i was younger, “to cancer” who took my father when i was only three months old. There is so much healing in writing this. I applaud you and send you much love. Urban Diva, I appreciate you taking the time to read this post and share your own personal experience. Thanks! Thank you so much for sharing my work. Your kindness is much appreciated. Thank you for sharing my post. I appreciate you taking the time. thank you for sharing my work; your kindness is much appreciated! Forgiveness is a powerful blessing. I re-blogged this! I just wrote something similar about forgiving my abusive ex-husband. Thank you for sharing your story. Thoughtfulstroll, welcome to Tales From the Motherland. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work and share it. You kind feedback and effort is much appreciated; thank you! I can’t imagine that if and when this man reads this letter, how he would feel then. Well, if that is in fact what little miss Tinkerbell is sprinkling everyday on your page then we better wish for it ! Great piece on forgiveness, struggle and love. It motivates me to finally write and a violent death my family experienced years ago. Will need to see if I’m ready to pick at that scab out not…. It’s a very personal journey, Heidi; my guess is that, when it’s the right time, you’ll know it. Thanks for thoughts and support. What a moving piece, packed with deep emotions, touching remembrance, and genuine forgiveness. Wonderfully inspirational! Recognition of this article is well deserved! Thanks so much Jan. It’s gotten a lot of attention, but to be named a Voice of the Year– huge! I am deeply honored. Thank you so much for your kind comment, and the time you took to read this. Maria, thank you very much for taking the time to read this piece, and reach out to comment. I appreciate your time, and always appreciate having my work shared. Thanks for reaching out! Once again, thank you for sharing my work. I appreciate your kind gesture. So moving. I wonder if the motorist ever read this. I doubt it, but I’ve wondered the same thing. He is an old man now, and I had hoped maybe someone who knew him/the story, might see it. Alas… as long as it is shared, the chance remains, and it’s been shared a lot. Thanks Patrick! My emotions have surfaced with every word I read. Extremely, touching and forgiving. This line says it all “pain doesn’t always have an expiration date”. It is a motto I use often, in my work with Hospice and in my own life… there is no expiration date. Thanks Isadora. Thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time to read my work, and comment. A poignant story of forgiving- a very difficult thing to do considering the pain suffered over many years. Quite brave of you, Dawn. Time is the greatest healer though. Vapopya, thank you so much. I really appreciate you reading my work, and taking the time to share such kind words in response. It is much appreciated. What a beautiful post! The writer is a woman of true grace who has a heart a lot bigger than mine. If I was in her place I could not be so kind. Thank you so much for reading my work, and sharing your thoughts. Honestly, you are too kind. It took me 40 years to write this, and I think it was long overdue. Bad things happen in life, and holding on to them serves no one. I appreciate your kindness. Thank you very much. I don’t consider myself brave, in this respect. Life threw me this curve ball, and I have spent much of my life coming to terms with it. However, I really appreciate your kind words. This is powerful! I do hope he sees it. If not, I hope he didn’t die blaming himself. That’d be so much sadder. I could not agree more, Ferddhie. I’d love it if he saw this, somehow, but also hope that he didn’t carry it with him. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. When I saw the topic I thought I’d cry while reading it. My dad was killed in 2004 by a tired trucker and I’ve often imagined writing or talking to that driver. I was lucky in that I got 48 years, you had only 10. I found I read this dry-eyed…saying “Yes, Yes, YES!” It was as if you were inside my mind. I am so sorry this happened to your family. You are right, grief has no expiration. You have grown into such an amazing person, evidenced by this piece. Who knows what you might have been if your dad had been around longer. But I do know that he’s very proud of you. And will always love you, as you love him. Thank you so much Dawn. We are both Dawn’s, and I lived in MI for a long time. Seems we share quite a few things. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this piece, and share your own personal story. It means a lot to me. Your words truly amaze my feeble heart, and enlighten my very tiny mind. Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I refuse to see your heart as feeble or your mind as tiny; I am just grateful that you took the time and that my work moved you. Thank you! I am trying to learn your idiom. Read this was better experience. I understand your pain, and I invite you to look at how has challenged many hearts at writer your story. Continue, is moment for what most people appraise the life, the family. Grateful. Thank you for your kind response. I appreciate you taking the time! Gracias! Thanks! I appreciate you taking the time. Thank YOU for taking the time; it’s much appreciated. Thank you very much; that means a lot! Thank you so much for sharing my work, and for your kind words. Both are much appreciated.

2019-04-22T14:32:18Z

https://talesfromthemotherland.me/2014/11/25/on-my-fathers-birthday-a-letter-to-the-man-who-killed-him/